Timothy Woods Further Marriage and the Church of England (Summary) Over the last three years the Church of England has moved to permit further marriage in Church of people who have been previously divorced. The author sets out to show some of the reasons for this decision in reference to the Anglican tradition. He first situates the decision within its historical context: the reformation in England started with Henry VIII's wish to divorce his wife and marry Anne Boleyn; the 1662 Book of Common Prayer stated that marriage is not to be counted among the sacraments (baptism and the Lord's Supper); after Lord Hardwicke's Act (1753) divorce was only possible through an act of Parliament; beginning in the 19th century and culminating in the 1957 Act of Convocation the possibilities for further marriages were continually restricted, but clergy were not disciplined for performing these marriages. The author then surveys the theological approaches to marriage: in the Anglican tradition marriage is considered not a sacrament but sacramental, indicating that it belongs to the order of creation rather than of redemption. This, along with a strong awareness of the covenantal character of marriage (as opposed to conceiving it primarily as a contract) leads to the insight that a marriage dies when the relationship, the commitment at its heart, dies. This theological concept inspires the pastoral attitude of the Church of England: although the concern remains to promote marriage as a permanent and lifelong union, the possibility of forgiveness should be allowed for where a relationship has utterly failed. Finally the article explains how requests for further marriages are handled in most dioceses of the Church of England: requests for further marriage do not carry the same rights as a first marriage in that the priest has the responsibility to consider the request according to guidelines and to refer it to diocesan advisors if necessary; since priests have the right to refuse a further marriage, couples can apply to another parish priest; every attempt to bless a formerly adulterous relationship is to be avoided; the Church does not appear as an agent of divorce, therefore there is no liturgical form to allow release from marriage vows. According to the author, allowing for further marriage is primarily an expression of God's redemptive grace in a context of massive social and cultural upheaval. The Church of England is beginning to engage formally with a significant section of society that had felt excluded by the ban on further marriage.