Anti-Catholic Sermons In Victorian Britain

Abstract

The rhythms of anti-Catholic sentiment in the wider culture, of course, did not neatly follow those of anti-Catholic sentiment in high politics. This chapter analyzes the most popular themes of sermons published during the hottest years of anti-Catholic sentiment, from the late 1820s into the 1860s, although it occasionally ventures beyond those chronological markers. These themes cluster into recognizable groups: the self-propagation of Catholicism; the spiritual and ecclesiastical histories of Catholicism; the internal failures of modern Protestantism; and, finally, ways of revitalizing Protestantism and beating back the Catholic threat. The argument is based on a sample of over one hundred sermons, most of them evangelical and High Church Anglican. Most of these sermons were delivered in recognizable clusters. Keywords: anti-Catholic sermons; High Church Anglican; Protestantism; Roman Catholicism; Victorian Britain