Many historians of the Reformation have misinterpreted the doctrine of the universal priesthood of all believers by presenting it as being essentially anticlerical and individualistic according to Malcolm Yarnell III in his monograph, Royal Priesthood in the English Reformation. Specifically, he argues that this portrayal of the doctrine by important historians such Philip Schaff, Cyril Eastwood, and Christopher Haigh is largely anachronistic. Countering this thesis, Yarnell contends that, rather than being anti-authoritarian and individualistic, the doctrine of the universal priesthood, in its original medieval context, assigned considerable religious authority to secular monarchs. Although Martin Luther made radical use of this doctrine, English reformers, promoting the cause of royal supremacy appropriated it so as to bolster monarchial ecclesiastical authority.

Yarnell surveys the development of the universal priesthood beginning with the thought of John Wyclif, and from there continues to examine the concept of the royal priesthood in late medieval England. The author afterwards proceeds to analyze the appropriation of royal priesthood during the reigns of Henry VIII and Edward VI, particularly highlighting the evangelical presentation of the universal priesthood by Thomas Cranmer. Royal Priesthood in the English Reformation is an outstanding contribution to studies in Tudor religious thought as it corrects the view that the universal priesthood was essentially individualistic by situating more firmly in the relevant primary sources. Furthermore, this work confirms the substantial role of theology in the English Reformation contrary to the views of such scholars as Christopher Haigh. Serious students of the English Reformation need to consult this work.