Our Anglican Heritage

--What is Anglicanism and how is it distinctive? --Where did it come from and where is it ? --Which beliefs, values, and practices stand at the heart of this important, global Communion? --How can its rich heritage help it move into the future? This book is an essential guide to the Anglican tradition for anyone who has ever wondered what Anglicanism-the largest Protestant denomination in the world-is all about. Now fully updated and significantly revised, this second edition of Our Anglican Heritage gives voice to the strong and vibrant evangelical roots of Anglican Christianity. Events at the start of the twenty-first century have threatened to tear the Communion apart. The authors of this book, both Episcopal clergy, each responded to the crisis in different ways. One, a bishop, chose to stay in the Episcopal Church. The other chose to lead his congregation out of the Episcopal Church and into another Anglican Province. This book is a reflection of the strong faith and heritage they still share, and a recommitment to the biblical principles that still undergird and enliven Anglicanism.

This volume deals with the varied forms of shame reflected in biblical, theological, psychological and anthropological sources. Although traditional theology and church practice concentrate on providing forgiveness for shameful behavior, recent scholarship has discovered the crucial relevance of social shame evoked by mental status, adversity, slavery, abuse, illness, grief and defeat. Anthropologists, sociologists, and psychologists have discovered that unresolved social shame is related to racial and social prejudice, to bullying, crime, genocide, narcissism, post-traumatic stress and other forms of toxic behavior. Eleven leaders in this research participated in a conference on The Shame Factor, sponsored by St. Mark's United Methodist Church in Lincoln, NE in October 2010. Their essays explore the impact and the transformation of shame in a variety of arenas, comprising in this volume a unique and innovative resource for contemporary religion, therapy, ethics, and social analysis.

Historical and Theological Reflections on the Anglican Church from J. I. Packer The Anglican Church has a rich theological heritage filled with a diversity of views and practices. Like a river with a main current and several offshoot streams, Anglicanism has a main body with many distinct, smaller communities. So what constitutes mainstream Anglicanism? Influential Anglican theologian J. I. Packer makes the case that "authentic Anglicanism" is biblical, liturgical, evangelical, pastoral, episcopal (ordaining bishops), national (engaging with the culture), and ecumenical (eager to learn from other Christians). As he surveys the history and tensions within the Anglican Church, Packer casts a vision for the future that is grounded in the Scriptures, fueled by missions, guided by historical creeds and practices, and resolved to enrich its people.

The purpose of this book is to enable us to hear a voice from our own past. We need to learn that the process of remembering, of ongoing corporate recollection, is an element essential to our self-understanding. Our Anglican heritage has in large measure made us what we are and is a factor enabling us to become what we truly are in Christ through the Spirit. That the voice from our past evokes clear echoes for Anglicanism today and in the inter-church scene is the theme of the last chapter: 'Postscript from the present'.

Catechesis is an ancient practice of Christian disciple making that uses a simple question-and-answer format to instruct new believers and church members in the core beliefs of Christianity. To Be a Christian, by J. I. Packer and a team of other Anglican leaders, was written to renew this oft-forgotten tradition for today’s Christians. With over 360 questions and answers, plus Scripture references to support each teaching, this catechism covers the full range of Christian doctrine and life, drawing from the Apostles’ Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, the Ten Commandments, and other important doctrinal summaries. Clear, concise, and conversational, this resource was written for all believers who seek to be grounded more deeply in the truth of God’s Word.