Bible Dictionaries

1910 New Catholic Dictionary

Party, Broad Church

Members of the Church of England who interpret its doctrines in a broad and liberal sense and hold that the Church should be comprehensive and tolerant. They lay stress on ethical teaching and minimize the value of orthodoxy. They were never a clearly-defined party and of late years have developed an extreme modernist wing, some of whose leaders, e.g., E. W. Barnes, bishop of Birmingham, appear to deny all dogmna, and are openly accused of heresy by certain High Churchmen.