The perfect book for inquirers and new members, as well as current Church members who may be unfamiliar with some of the Church’s history, beliefs, and practices. This new introduction to the history, polity, spirituality, worship, and outreach of the Episcopal Church is written in an easy-to-read conversational tone, and includes study questions at the end of each chapter, making it an excellent resource for adult parish study and inquirers' classes.
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Welcome to the Episcopal Church
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...makes clear that the worship of God is the most important thing that can be said about us... -- from the Foreword, The Most Reverend Frank T. Griswold III, Presiding Bishop and Primate
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More About the Author
Cuba, New York, is my home town though I haven't lived there in fifty years. It's the kind of town everyone should be able to grow up in. It gave me the background to go on to Princeton and seminary and serve a variety of Episcopal Churches: urban, suburban, overseas, and rural. And ministry is a great school of writing with a weekly sermon and a monthly mailing to make sure you get plenty of practice. Marriage and family - four children and four grandchildren - rounds out the picture of a generally happy life. If writers are supposed to be unhappy, I don;t fit the picture!
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
149 of 152 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
More Than Just a Welcome,
By Mark E. Stanger "The Rev. Canon Mark E. Stanger" (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Welcome to the Episcopal Church: An Introduction to Its History, Faith, and Worship (Paperback)
Since my reception into the Episcopal Church twelve years ago, and even more so during the past three years as I have taught hundreds of others coming into the Episcopal Church, I have been searching for, hoping for, praying for the right book to help in that process. It's here! Written in a rich but unfussy style which is up-to-date without sounding trendy, Webber's engaging and accessible summaries are like Hagen-Daz: "just perfect." Every Episcopalian or friend of an Episcopalian will find it a lively and informative read, and any seeker after a contemporary Christianity with ancient roots will discover new insights into this religion of two millenia. The chapter on the Bible is worth the price of the book and could benefit anyone who has grappled with the puzzle of biblical interpretation. There are many similar books but this one is by far the brightest and the best.
52 of 52 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Solid,
By benjamin (USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Welcome to the Episcopal Church: An Introduction to Its History, Faith, and Worship (Paperback)
This book is really quite a good little introduction to the Episcopal Church. Webber begins, quite naturally, with the early church and then goes on to talk briefly about the Medieval period before getting to the Reformation, which is when the Anglican church (which the Episcopal church is a part of) began.Webber's insights into the crisis of the Reformation are helpful. He expresses far more succinctly - yet no less compellingly - some of the main problems with the Reformation view of the Bible and church authority, mainly that people turned away from a centralized authority that prescribed Christian life in black and white terms to a textual authority written thousands of years ago that usually didn't prescribe such simple rules to follow. The Anglican - and therefore Episcopal - way of overcoming this was by using three things in determining its doctrine: scripture, tradition and reason. Although the latter of the three is far more subjective than the other two, this is what gives Anglicanism its double-edged sword: a larger community that is open to discussion about many issues yet remains a community nonetheless (well, at least in theory). Webber's short take on Episcopal - Anglicanism in the United States - history is equally fascinating. It is interesting to read how much American isolationism/independence played into the views that people had of the Church in America; despite all of this, however, the Episcopal church grew. The other sections of the book deal with other areas of history as well as more basic, overarching principles such as the use of the Book of Common Prayer and the structure of the Episcopal church as itself and as a part of the larger Anglican communion. It is interesting to note that the Episcopal church was the first large church to ordain a African-American to the priesthood; the Episcopal church was also the first large church to ordain women to the priesthood. It would seem that being "progressive" (a term I don't like, but that most people understand) is well-rooted in the Episcopal church's past. This book is brief, but it is well written and has several recommendations for further reading in the back of the book. Although a little more detail would have been nice, as would have been a bit more attention to current issues of crisis and division within the church, I imagine that some of that can be found in other works. Overall, this is a great introduction.
52 of 53 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
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This review is from: Welcome to the Episcopal Church: An Introduction to Its History, Faith, and Worship (Paperback)
This is a great resource for anyone new to or returning to the Episcopal Church. It's easy to read without being condescending and offers guidance on everything from church history to how to read the bible to the meaning of various parts of the weekly service. The comparisons of the beliefs and rituals of Episcopalians with those of members of other religions is particularly useful. The author never denegrades others' beliefs, but offers an interesting history of how various religions evolved.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
When a baby is born, the grandparents and cousins and friends will come to admire the new member of the family and someone will say, "Isn't she the very image of Great-aunt Abigail!" or, "Doesn't he look just like Uncle Fred?" For better or worse, we inherit many of our characteristics from our ancestors. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Church of England, Anglican Communion, New England, United States, General Convention, New York, Middle Ages, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, New World, Roman Catholic Church, Nicene Creed, Book of Revelation, Holy Communion, Oxford Movement, American Christians, Council of Nicaea, Roman Catholics, Roman Empire, Anglican Christianity, Celtic Christianity, God the Father, Lord's Day, Margery Kempe, Twenty-third Psalm New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
When a baby is born, the grandparents and cousins and friends will come to admire the new member of the family and someone will say, "Isn't she the very image of Great-aunt Abigail!" or, "Doesn't he look just like Uncle Fred?" For better or worse, we inherit many of our characteristics from our ancestors. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Church of England, Anglican Communion, New England, United States, General Convention, New York, Middle Ages, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, New World, Roman Catholic Church, Nicene Creed, Book of Revelation, Holy Communion, Oxford Movement, American Christians, Council of Nicaea, Roman Catholics, Roman Empire, Anglican Christianity, Celtic Christianity, God the Father, Lord's Day, Margery Kempe, Twenty-third Psalm New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
2
books
cite this book:
- Symbolic Language in the Liturgy: An Adult Study (Focus on the Prayer Book) (v. 6) by Nancy Dering Martin in Back Matter
- The Complete Idiot's Guide to Christianity by Jeffrey B. Webb in Back Matter
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