Did you know that the story of Christ Episcopal Church in Chicago begins not with grand architecture but with a theological dispute? This wasn’t the Christ Episcopal Church you see today. This is a story about its predecessor a church that played a pivotal role in the formation of the Reformed Episcopal Church. Christ Church originally an Episcopal congregation was founded around 1855 in Chicago. Its beautiful Victorian Gothic building erected around 1860 stood proudly on South Michigan Avenue.
Inside those walls a significant event unfolded. The church’s rector Charles E Cheney a low-church evangelical found himself at odds with the rising Anglo-Catholic movement within the Episcopal Church. A disagreement over baptismal regeneration led to a trial. Cheney’s refusal to use the word regenerate in the baptismal liturgy resulted in his deposition in 1871.
This wasn’t the end. Far from it. Cheney’s defiance led to the creation of something new. In 1873 he helped found the Reformed Episcopal Church. Christ Church itself joined the REC in 1874. The church’s legacy extended beyond its theological impact. It boasted stunning Tiffany stained glass windows. Many survived the church’s demolition in 1920. These windows a testament to artistry now reside in various locations including St Andrew’s Anglican Church in Tinley Park Illinois. One particularly special window now graces the Art Institute of Chicago.
The widening of Michigan Avenue sadly necessitated the sale of Christ Church’s building. The congregation dispersed joining other Reformed Episcopal Churches across Chicago. The magnificent structure vanished but its story a tale of theological debate and artistic beauty remains. It lives on in the surviving Tiffany windows and the continuing legacy of the Reformed Episcopal Church. The story of Christ Church is a reminder of how even amidst change faith and artistry endure.