BANGOR, CONTROVERSY of. — After the English Revolution of 1688, which expelled the Stuarts, and after the separation of the so-called Non-Jurors, who, having refused to swear an oath of allegiance to the new dynasty, were deprived of their dignities, the Church of England was troubled by various internal difficulties. One of these arose from the ecclesiastical policy of the government, which appointed bishops from among the Whigs, its supporters, while the lower clergy were overwhelmingly of the opposing party, called the Tory party. This gave rise to unpleasant disputes in the “convocations,” that is, in the ecclesiastical meetings of the Upper House (bishops) and the Lower House (clergy). Dr Hickes, a Non-Juror, published a book in 1715 in which he stated that obedience was owed to the deposed Non-Juror bishops, and accused the Church of England of being schismatic. The bishop of B., Benjamin Hoadly (1676–1761), replied that no such schism existed, because it was not essential for a Christian to be united to a visible Church. In 1717, this same bishop preached a sermon on the text: “My kingdom is not of this world,” in which he said that the best way to refute Catholics was to demonstrate that Jesus Christ had delegated his power to no ecclesiastical authority. The dispute became violent, with ardent partisans on both sides. When the “convocation” met in 1717, the bishop of B. was accused by the Lower House of denying all authority to the Church and of wishing, under the pretext of exalting the kingdom of Christ, to strip it of any authority to judge, censure, or punish transgressors in matters of conscience. The controversy became dangerous, and the government, in order to avoid further difficulties, adjourned the “convocation” and did not summon it again until more than a century later, namely in 1852. The struggle nevertheless continued for many years, but, since the “convocations” no longer met, it was reduced to a heated polemic without practical result. Anglicans are grateful for this controversy, since, had Hoadly’s doctrine prevailed, the entire structure of the Church of England would have been undermined.
For the abbey of B.: V. COMPALL, santo.