The term "
high church" refers to beliefs and practices of
ecclesiology,
liturgy, and theology, generally with an emphasis on formality and resistance to "modernisation". Although used in connection with various
Christian traditions, the term originated in and has been principally associated with the
Anglican /
Episcopal tradition, where it describes Anglican churches using a number of
ritual practices associated in the popular mind with
Roman Catholicism. The opposite is
low church. Contemporary media discussing Anglican churches tend to prefer
evangelical to "low church", and
Anglo-Catholic to "high church", though the terms do not exactly correspond. Other contemporary denominations that contain high church wings include some
Lutheran,
Presbyterian, and
Methodist churches.