Customer Reviews

Glorious Companions: Five Centuries of Anglican Spirituality

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A good idea, but a rather disappointing achievement. There's very little to sink one's teeth into here. Mere snippets from 29 Anglican authors' writings are offered. None of them are longer than a third of a page, many of them are no more than 2 or 3 sentences. As a consequence, the reader doesn't get "Five Centuries of Anglican Spirituality" so much as "300 pages of Anglican quotes." Quotations are tricky things. If they're epigrams or one-liner witticisms--the kind of stuff Oscar Wilde, for example, churned out--they can stand alone. But quotations that are taken from larger works, particularly theological and spiritual ones, rarely do well apart from their contexts. They may provide raw material for lectio divina or meditative prayer. But they hardly give an idea of the depth or breadth of Anglican spirituality. It's all well and good, for example, to know that Dorothy Sayers wrote that "It is curious that people who are filled with horrified indignation whenever a cat kills a sparrow can hear that story of the killing of God told Sunday after Sunday and not experience any shock at all" (p. 273). But what does this quotable quote, which first appeared in the Introduction to Sayers' "The Man Born To Be King," actually mean? Read by itself, it's a commonplace, almost trite observation. It's only Sayers' reflections on this strange indifference to the killing of God, as well as her thoughts on scriptural "realism"--all of which Schmidt omits--that makes the passage worth attending to.

As a concept, "Glorious Companions" rates five stars. In execution, it occasionally falls to three. So let me give it four stars and say at the start I recommend the book highly, although with several caveats.

"Glorious Companions," a selection of the Episcopal Book Club, is a anthology or compendium into the hearts and minds of twenty-nine significant figures in Anglican spirituality. Proceeding chronologically, the author, Fr. Richard Schmidt, begins with Thomas Cranmer, the father of the Book of Common Prayer, and ends with Desmond Tutu, the prophet of forgiveness. In between, he covers figures as representative and as diverse as Richard Hooker, John Donne, Joseph Butler, Charles Gore, Dorothy Sayers, C.S. Lewis, and Verna Dozier. Some of his choices are inspired; it was a delight to see Samuel Johnson, a powerful writer whose writings on spirituality are largely unknown. Others, however, seemed arbitrary. Why Hannah More, for instance, but not Florence Nightingale? William Law but not William Laud? Thomas Traherne but not Benjamin Whichcote? Why Madeleine L'Engle over T.S. Eliot or W.H. Auden?

An especially strong feature of the book is its excellent Introduction. Schmidt writes his introductory essay as a road map not just to his book, but to spirituality, Anglicanism, and theological imagery as well. Each of the twenty-nine sections of the book are divided into four parts: an ink drawing of the subject by Dean Mosher; a short spiritual biography of the author; a selection of passages from the subject's writings; and questions for reflection and discussion to be used by study groups.

Generally Schmidt does a good job of placing his subjects in their historical, literary, and spiritual contexts and selecting appropriate passages for consideration and edification. But he can misstep on occasion. The section on John Donne was a disappointing example of these lapses. Schmidt focused more on Donne as a preacher of sermons than as a major English poet. Donne's poetry is difficult, but to ignore it in favor of his lesser talents is a lost opportunity for real spiritual discovery.

Although the author says this book is aimed at laypeople, rather than clergy, I wish every member of the clergy would read it, especially those who think a sermon has to be long and address every possible angle. Using clear language and examples from people's everyday lives, a skillful writer -- like Schmidt -- can convey deep thoughts without beating the issue to death.

Schmidt's introduction was, for me, the best part of the book. It really got me thinking and examining my own views.

The selection of profiles of influential Anglican thinkers was excellent, although I wished he would have included even more non-white, English men.

Because of its structure, the book is perfect to pick up and read when you have a few minutes. It is also suited for use by a discussion group.

I'm a seminarian studying for ordination in the Episcopal Church, and the introduction to this book is hands-down the best short description of our church that I've read recently. I think it's accessible to anyone, even (and maybe especially!) people who aren't familiar with the church. I'm going to recommend this book as a confirmation present or study material for our 8-9th graders. The actual mini-biographies are also fun, and have a good amount of primary quotes smattered in to give a real flavor to the people.

All in all, good Anglican stuff!

I believe Father Schmidt has given us the most complete compendium of the great Anglican thinkers, writers and theologians in an easy to understand and very accesible volume. His inclusion of some of the highlights of "the actual words" of each author is brilliant. The study questions that follow each chapter also make this a great resource for study groups and parishes. It is a true collection of historical and theological treasures.

We just completed a Sunday school class using a chapter each week for study. The discussion questions at the end of each chapter are thought provoking and facilitate group discussion. It is an excellent way for "cradle Epicopalians" and those new to the faith to learn about those who have shaped who we are. It will be a shock for some to learn about those in our past. It would be a good follow-up after Confirmation classes. This is an easy book to read.

An excellent introduction to Anglican thinkers, although these interesting and informative essays are essentially starting places for more in-depth reading. And once we get past the obvious early figures, the choices of the profiled sometimes seem a little arbitrary, with echoes of an editor somewhere saying, "Can't we get some more women and people of color in here?" But Schmidt+ has done his homework, and there's food for thought between the covers.