Customer Reviews

Welcome to the Episcopal Church: An Introduction to Its History, Faith, and Worship

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Christopher Webber's book, 'Welcome to the Episcopal Church', is a very good, brief introduction to the Episcopal Church in history, worship and overall faith. Often used as a study guide or textbook during confirmation and new member classes, this book provides a clear, basic, accessible and interesting narrative that is easy to follow and easy to learn.

The Episcopal Church is the official version of the Anglican Church (Church of England) in the United States. For historical reasons, after the American Revolution the Church of England in America could no longer remain the Church of England -- the tendency toward national autonomy among Anglican church structures generally holds true as a pattern today. Webber's book does not go into the complexities of general church history -- the history of the church prior to the Reformation is a shared history, and can be learned elsewhere. The Church of England proper grew out of the Reformation, and the American pattern of the church derives from this. Webber continues his history by looking at colonial period, the revolutionary period, the growth period in the early nineteenth century, and the continuing developments in the church up to the present.

Webber's chapter on worship looks not just at the traditional liturgy (often considered the centre of the worship life), but also the architecture, music, and various other aspects. The Episcopal church is one of sacramental life with a Eucharistic centre (although this has not always been true in performance), and the Book of Common Prayer is more formative of the community than any set of dogmas or doctrines. Webber makes a claim for the Episcopal church which is generally true for most churches -- worship defines community, it defines the church.

The lionshare of the book is concerned with what one might call 'faith matters'. There are chapters on the Bible, church teaching (partly tradition, partly catechism), general spirituality, ecclesiology and evangelism. At each point, the Book of Common Prayer and the liturgy of worship come into play as informative and linked to the topics. The Anglican triad of Scripture, Reason and Tradition, in a flexible relationship with each other, none of the three completely dominant, pervades these chapters.

Each chapter ends with a series of questions for further thought and discussion, which makes this a useful text for use in small groups and classrooms as well as personal instruction. There is a useful guide at the end of the book for further reading in the topics of Anglicanism, church history, worship, and others.

There is a foreword by Frank Griswold, the current presiding bishop for the Episcopal church, who sees this book as part of the welcome that Episcopalians typically hope to extend to all newcomers and visitors to the church. This book is welcome indeed.

Christopher Webber's book "Welcome to the Episcopal Church: An Introduction to Its History, Faith, and Worship" should really be read by all Christians not just Episcopalians or those actively seeking to convert. Before reading the book, although nominally Catholic, I had lost faith in institutional Christianity. I couldn't help but see all the major branches as doctrinaire and contradictory to the spirit of Christ's teaching on earth.

However, the Episcopal Faith (within the larger Anglican Communion) demonstrates a way that a faith can be practiced communally while still helping people. The other beauty of the book is that it is honest with the humanity and the shortcomings of the Episcopal Church.

Ultimately, it did not just give me faith in the Episcopal Church (I am seriously and prayerfully considering practicing my faith in the Episcopal Church), but let me see the essential unity of the entire Christian Church (believing basically the same thing). The Body of Christ does exist on earth, even if it needs to recover from illnesses from time to time. I would like to just send a thank you Christopher L. Webber, you truly have fulfilled your faith's obligation to ministry.

As a person who is new to the Episcopal Church, I found this book invaluable in explaining customs, practices and beliefs. It is a great resource and a wonderful starting place for someone who is new to the church and has a hunger to learn and grow in it. A must have!

Having attended the Episcopal church since they welcomed my little brother in the 1970's I can tell you this is a wonderful book and is both grounded in tradition and thought provoking innovation. I am amazed by the reaction of both conservatives in the Bible belt and elsewhere as well as liberal readers outside of the church who have clearly been misinformed about our faith. While we see openess, tolerance and diversity as key to our future, we also proclaim our traditional beliefs. We sing the Creed which outlines our belief in Christ's Birth to the Virgin Mary, his death, glorious rise and ascension to heaven. People should actually try reading this wonderful volume by the Bishop who will lead us into the future, while continuing to embrace our tradition and beliefs. We have a wonderful family made up of conservatives and liberals, Anglo-Catholics and Evangelical Protestants, Ultra-High Church people and snake belly Low Church people. This book stands as witness to the work of that family.

This is a great introduction to the Episcopal Church. I read this book almost cover to cover before attending my first Episcopal service.

This is a book about the church, its beliefs, people, history, and practices. It's not intended, I think, to be "inspirational" or "theological." However, I found it's straightforward, sensitive, honest tone very easy to take.

Welcome to the Episcopal Church, is a very easy read and a fairly good representation of the Episcopal Churh of the USA as it is today. It describes well the 'middle way' of Anglicans in general, and does artfully skip around the specific political issues currently being discussed within the Church. The reader should be cautioned that there is wide variety within the ECUSA regarding some of the doctrines outlined and, depending on your diocese, actual experiences will be either more protestant or more catholic. For a more scholarly history of the ECUSA and the Anglican Communion, I would recommend Ye Are the Body, by Bonnell Spencer or the writings of Charles Chapman Grafton. Of course, if you really want to learn more about the ECUSA, pick up a copy of The Book of Common Prayer.

A good basic intro that, while sometimes rather boring, covers the history, traditions and overall theology of the Episcopal Church in one book. The Dean of our Cathedral uses it as a know-thy-Church textbook in his confirmation/reception classes, so I'll trust his judgement. While it's not perfect it's the best book out there for discovering the Episcopal tradition.