BANGOR, CONTROVERSY OF. — After the English Revolution of 1688, which drove out the Stuarts, and after the schism of the so-called Non-Jurors (Non-Juron), who, having refused to swear loyalty to the new dynasty, were deprived of their dignity, the Church of England was plagued by various internal difficulties. One of these arose from the ecclesiastical policy of the government, which elected bishops from among the Whigs, its partisans, while the lower clergy were largely of the opposing party, known as Tories. This led to unpleasant disputes in the "convocations," that is, in the ecclesiastical assemblies of the Upper House (bishops) and the Lower House (clergy). Dr. Hickes, a Non-Juror, published a book in 1715 in which he argued that obedience was owed to the deposed Non-Juror bishops and accused the Church of England of being schismatic. Benjamin Hoadly (1676–1761), Bishop of Bangor, responded that no such schism existed, since it was not essential for a Christian to be united to a visible Church. In 1717, the same bishop delivered a sermon on the text: *"My kingdom is not of this world,"* in which he stated that the best way to refute Catholics was to demonstrate that Jesus Christ had not delegated His power to any ecclesiastical authority. The dispute flared up violently, with ardent partisans on both sides. When the convocation of 1717 convened, the Bishop of Bangor was accused by the Lower House of denying all authority to the Church and, under the pretext of exalting the kingdom of Christ, of seeking to strip it of any power to judge, censure, or punish transgressors in matters of conscience. The controversy became dangerous, and the government, to avoid further inconvenience, adjourned the convocation and did not reconvene it for more than a century, namely until 1852. The struggle nevertheless continued for many years, but, as the convocations were no longer held, it dwindled into a futile polemic without practical outcome. 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. COMGALL, santo.