The Anglican Spirit

Archbishop Michael Ramsey was one of the church's most remarkable twentieth-century saints--wise and humble, humorous and compassionate. These introductory lectures on Anglicanism reveal the breadth of Ramsey's theological understanding, his ecumenism, and his vision of the church and the Christian life. Informal and conversational in style, the lectures offer an overview of Anglican theology, spirituality, and history. Ramsey begins with Anglicanism's enduring characteristics, including its dependence on Scripture, tradition--the ancient writers of the church who guide us in interpreting the Bible--and reason, our God-given capacity for divine revelation. Next Ramsey explores its teachings on theology and the sacraments, Tractarianism and the Oxford Movement, the renaissance of Anglican religious communities, and the evolving doctrines of creation, incarnation, and the Holy Spirit. The final section presents Ramsey's theology of the church and Anglicanism's relationship to Rome and the Orthodox churches.

Part of the well-established Welcome to... series from Morehouse Publishing, this book addresses church history from the grassroots perspective of how Anglicans have prayed, thought about, and lived out their faith through the centuries.

Archbishop Michael Ramsey was one of the church's most remarkable twentieth-century saints--wise and humble, humorous and compassionate. These introductory lectures on Anglicanism reveal the breadth of Ramsey's theological understanding, his ecumenism, and his vision of the church and the Christian life. Informal and conversational in style, the lectures offer an overview of Anglican theology, spirituality, and history. Ramsey begins with Anglicanism's enduring characteristics, including its dependence on Scripture, tradition--the ancient writers of the church who guide us in interpreting the Bible--and reason, our God-given capacity for divine revelation. Next Ramsey explores its teachings on theology and the sacraments, Tractarianism and the Oxford Movement, the renaissance of Anglican religious communities, and the evolving doctrines of creation, incarnation, and the Holy Spirit. The final section presents Ramsey's theology of the church and Anglicanism's relationship to Rome and the Orthodox churches.

The essays in this collection explore questions that are fundamental to Anglican identity. What do we mean by doctrine and its development? What does it mean to be Spirit led? What is holiness, in Scripture and in the church's reading of Scripture? How might we negotiate in a theologically coherent way the relationship between the church's cultural context and its inherited faith? These questions arise immediately from the debate about same-sex blessings in the Anglican Church of Canada and in particular the questions posed by the Primate at General Synod 2007. But the questions also stand on their own as deep-seated and far-reaching inquiries involving who we are as people of faith in this time and place. The contributors to this volume are all Anglicans and scholars who are deeply engaged in the life of the church and committed to its well being. While all very different, their essays are nevertheless linked by two intriguing common emphases: first of all on Scripture, and secondly on the consensus fidelium-the mind of the whole church through history and throughout the world. In this they witness to the possibility of an emerging common mind in the church of Canada: a way of seeing that is both catholic and evangelical-reading both the tradition and the times and, in both, reading Scripture. They represent what it might mean to be the church "in spirit and in truth" in our time. These essays are offered as an articulation of the guiding principles by which the church may move forward in a time of serious disagreement, and in the belief that this approach-at once catholic and evangelical, rooted in Scripture and in the community of the faithful-captures the peculiar genius of Anglicanism and, more broadly, something of what it means to be the Church. About the Editors: Catherine Sider Hamilton is a doctoral student and Instructor in New Testament Greek at Wycliffe College, University of Toronto, and Honorary Assistant at Grace Church on-the-Hill in Toronto. Peter M. B. Robinson is the Priest at Emmanuel Church Richvale and Adjunct Professor of Theology at Wycliffe College, University of Toronto. George Sumner is the Principal of Wycliffe College, an honorary assistant at St. Paul's Anglican Church, and a Canon to the Dioceses of Toronto and Saskatchewan.

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.

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.