The Shape Of Anglican Theology

This book reveals the distinctiveness of Anglican theology, describing its boundaries and naming its particular characteristics, finally concluding that Anglican theology is a wisdom theology that seeks to build the capacity for faithful Christian discernment in belief and practice.

A new generation of leadership is emerging within the Anglican Communion. This book examines the challenges and opportunities facing these young leaders and Anglicanism more broadly. It explores the nature and shape of Anglican ministry in the new millennium. Designed for those who are considering ordination and those who are in training for the same, it is of appeal to lay leaders as well. Donald M. Lewis (DPhil, Oxford) is Professor of Church History and Academic Dean at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia. An active Anglican, he is also the secretary of Regent College's Anglican Studies Program.

To many people, the Church of England and worldwide Anglican Communion has the aura of an institution that is dislocated and adrift. Buffeted by tempestuous and stormy debates on sexuality, gender, authority and power – to say nothing of priorities in mission and ministry, and the leadership and management of the church – a once confident Anglicanism appears to be anxious and vulnerable. The Future Shape of Anglicanism offers a constructive and critical engagement with the currents and contours that have brought the church to this point. It assesses and evaluates the forces now shaping the church and challenges them culturally, critically, and theologically. The Future Shape of Anglicanism engages with the church of the present that is simultaneously dissenting and loyal, as well as critical and constructive. For all who are engaged in ecclesiological investigations, and for those who study the Church of England and the wider Anglican Communion, this book offers new maps and charts for the present and future. It is an essential companion and guide to some of the movements and forces that are currently shaping the church.

A scholarly volume that reflects the rich diversity of Anglican theology With contributions from an international panel of writers, Twentieth-Century Anglican Theologians offers a wide-ranging view that presents a survey of over twenty diverse Anglican thinkers. The book explores well-known figures including William Temple, Austin Farrer, Donald MacKinnon, and John A.T. Robinson. These theologians are set in a wider context alongside others from India, China, Australia, Ghana, and elsewhere. Notably, the subjects include a number of women from Evelyn Underhill, the first woman to teach the clergy of the Church of England, to Esther Mombo, a major contemporary Anglican figure, from Kenya. The book reflects the rich diversity of Anglicanism, suggesting the ongoing vitality of this religious tradition. This important book: Contains information on a number of prominent women Anglican thinkers Includes contributions from experts from around the world Presents material on both familiar figures and others that are unjustly little known Written for students and teachers of Anglicanism, Anglican clergy, and ecumenical colleagues, Twentieth-Century Anglican Theologians is the first book to reflect the diversity of the Anglican tradition by considering its global theological representatives.

This book is the first systematic attempt to describe a coherent and comprehensive Anglican understanding of Church. Rather than focusing on one school of thought, Dr Locke unites under one ecclesiological umbrella the seemingly disparate views that have shaped Anglican reflections on Church. He does so by exploring three central historical developments: (1) the influence of Protestantism; (2) the Anglican defence of episcopacy; and (3) the development of the Anglican practice of authority. Dr Locke demonstrates how the interaction of these three historical influences laid the foundations of an Anglican understanding of Church that continues to guide and shape Anglican identity. He shows how this understanding of Church has shaped recent Anglican ecumenical dialogues with Reformed, Lutheran, Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches. Drawing on the principle that dialogue with those who are different can lead to greater self-understanding and self-realization, Dr Locke demonstrates that Anglican self-identity rests on firmer ecclesiological foundations than is sometimes supposed.

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.

A clear summary and analysis of the history of the Church of England that also explains the context of the common issues currently under discussion by Anglicans and Catholics.

In this authoritative volume, thirty-one of the world's leading Anglican scholars present the first sustained and thorough account of the history and ethos of the Churches of the Anglican Communion from the Anglican reform of the sixteenth century to its global witness today. Thoroughly revised, augmented, and updated, this new edition of The Study of Anglicanism offers a comprehensive interpretation of the character of Anglicanism-including its history, theology, worship, standards and practices, and its future prospects worldwide. A fascinating and unique work, it remains the one indispensable key to this rich and pluriform heritage for both the general reader and the student.