Customer Reviews

Study of Anglicanism

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The title of this book says it all: The Study of Anglicanism. Sykes, Booty, and research assistant Knight, have edited and assembled a very academic work that is sure to be a difficult read for many people. But for those who really want to study Anglicanism, the essays contained in this work are a gold mine, written by scholars from a variety of segments of Anglicanism.

If you are coming to this book with little Anglican background, make sure to first read Part I, The History of Anglicanism. The information in these first two chapters will go a long way to helping you understand the material in the later essays.

There is practially nothing to quibble about in this book; it provides as exhaustive an overview of Anglicanism as anyone could reasonably expect from one book. A mini-library in itself, it should prove invaluable to anyone really wanting to learn about Anglicanism. Given the different factions within Anglicanism, it undoubtedly won't please everyone, but that's to be expected.

I have found this book extremely helpful in understanding Anglicanism. I am new to the Episcopal Church and this book really helped me in discovering the difference (and similarities) from my previous tradition. I am currently in seminary and found this book to be a great supplement for my Systematic Theology course.

This book gave me a tremendous amount of information about the history of the theology of the Church of England, the Episcopal Church in the United States, and to a lesser extent, the rest of the Anglican Communion. I am a life-long Episcopalian, and was fascinated to see that many of the things I consider as hallmarks of the modern Episcopal Church, such as the critical (non-literal) interpretation fo the Bible were there from the earliest theology of the Church of England Under Elizabeth I. Highly recommended!

The Study of Anglicanism is a unique and indispensable reference work on the subject of Anglicanism. Considering the antiquity and global nature of Anglicanism (80 million members in the Anglican Communion), it's surprising that there aren't more works out there like this. My Ph.D. in Religious Studies was on the nature and identity of Anglicanism, and even though this book is an introductory text, it is still a useful reference to me.

The book is an anthology of 30 essays divided into 7 parts and is one of the best places to begin any study of Anglicanism. For the most part, the scholars chosen to write on each of the 30 topics is an expert in the field and a well-chosen representative of Anglicanism in that field. Anyone who reads the essays in this book will emerge with a much better understanding of what Anglicanism is.

The Study of Anglicanism is, thus, a great place to start one's own study of Anglicanism. The footnotes and references found at the end of each essay are also a useful feature to assist the student.

The 7 sections of the book cover: the history of Anglicanism; the Gospel in Anglicanism; Authority and Method; Anglican Standards; Church, Sacraments, and Ministry; Anglicanism in Practice; and Prospects. As you can see, even the range of topics covered suggests something of the particular nature of Anglicanism.

The essays themselves cover topics such as: Scripture; Tradition, Fathers, and Councils; Reason; Prayer Books; the 39 Articles and Homilies; Standard Divines; Doctrine of the Church; Holy Communion; Ministry and Priesthood; Episcopacy; Anglican Spirituality; Anglican Pastoral Tradition; Church-State Relations; The Ecumenical Future; Newer Dioceses of the Anglicanism; and a most helpful essay by Paul Avis (one of the examiners of my Ph.D. defense) titled "What is `Anglicanism?'"

The essays are usually excellent and will provide its readers with a good overall introduction to what Anglicanism is. However, a few of the articles are noticeably weaker. For example, Fuller's essay on Scripture betrays a more liberal view of Scripture (it's not the Word of God but a sacrament of the Word of God) that is not shared by Anglicans historically or by the majority of Anglicans today (except in North American and England). Fuller's proclamation that "The Bible as norm can no longer be thought of as prescribing to us a ready-made theology for our own day and age" is, again, not historic Anglicanism or the belief of most Anglicans.

Stevenson's otherwise useful article on "Lex Orandi-Lex Credendi," depends too heavily on insights Stevenson takes from the theology of Paul Ricoeur, which Stevenson imposes on Anglicanism. Stevenson also concludes that doctrine is always provisional and that any final pronouncement on what constitutes "truth" must be deemed idolatrous. I also found Allchin's article on Anglican spirituality to be weak and not particularly helpful.

The volume is weak on developments within global Anglicanism, although there is an essay by John Pobee, an Anglican scholar from Ghana in the Global South. The question of what Anglicanism is in the former English colonies, especially the Global South, is a question rarely addressed adequately in works on Anglicanism (a few recent volumes have begun to correct this oversight). The Study of Anglicanism also doesn't deal with the important developments since 2003 concerning homosexuality, biblical authority, and authority in the Anglican Communion. These developments have already created an impaired communion among Anglicans and threatens to split the Anglican Communion and any comprehensive study should address these contemporary issues.

Perhaps a third edition of the book will correct these last two oversights. In spite of a few weaknesses, if you want to understand the complex identity of Anglicanism, this volume is an excellent place to start.

The articles that make up this collection come from credible scholars and offer the reader an astounding crash course on the development of Anglican thought in a variety of areas. It considers belief and practice as they are devoloping within Anglicanism's history. Densely written and organized, it is for folks who want more than simple answers, but aren't ready to read Hooker for themselves. Suitable for college and seminary reading as well as for ordination studies.

This is an invaluable introduction to Anglicanism in all of its nuances. What are the 39 Articles and why are they important? Who are the major theologians of the Anglican church and why are they called "divines"? What was the origin and the role of the Book of Common Prayer in shaping and uniting the world-wide Anglican communion? How did it come about that Anglicanism initially was Reformed in theology, but "catholic" in structure? That and a host of other pertinent issues germane to a good introductory understanding of Anglicanism are available in a single volume and that alone is a singular feat. I know of nothing similar for Lutheranism, Presbyterianism or Roman Catholicism that is so comprehensive, yet readily intelligible.

Highly Recommended.

If you are looking for an indepth history of the Anglican church, this is it. It not only explores the past to present, but also issues about the future of Anglicanism. Not light reading.