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Those Episkopols
The Episcopal Church is known as the "thinking person's religion" to those of us that love her. It is a Church solidly grounded in scripture, tradition, and reason. In this best selling book Doctor Maynard explains why it is also a Church that will not accept simplistic answers to complex questions. With humor and insight he answers some of the following questions and others frequently asked by inquirers. Why do Episcopalians read their prayers? Does God like all that ritual? Can you believe anything you want and be an Episcopalian? Why do Episcopalians reject Biblical Fundamentalism? The inquirer will finish the book with a better understanding of The Episcopal Church. Those that are already members will have the reasons they became Episcopalians warmly confirmed. The author gently reminds all readers that if you don't feel good enough to go to any other church, The Episcopal Church welcomes you!
94 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
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64 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 31, 2023
I feel like this is an excellent book for any Christian. There are a lot of truths in here, and I agreed with everything. Here are some things I liked:
The opposite of faith is not doubt; it is fear. Have doubts. Ask questions. Read what you want. Ask what you want to know. They believe in Scripture, Tradition, and Reason in equal measures. Fundamentalism is idolatry - you are idolizing the Bible and making it equal to God. Holy spirit is more important than holy scripture. Science is just discovering God's world. Scripture has truth, but not the whole of truth.
Reject the "I am saved" mentality. Salvation is a process, not a successful moment. Church is for hypocrites and sinners, not a club for elite "saved" people. It's not a hideout for the saved. Salvation requires growth, change, and maturation. It requires honesty toward yourself.
Interesting discourse on religion vs spirituality. 1) God is knowable. 2) Creation is good. 3) Embrace all of life. Religion is about dogma. Spiritual life is about inquiry. Always ask your questions and be okay with doubts.
Interesting discourse on the different pieties of various churches/denominations. The Good Citizenship Piety (nationalistic, good Christians are good Americans, bring back the good old days), the Saved Piety (focused on being Saved, uses guilt and fear as motivators), Positive Thinking Piety (Televangelist style), and the Sacramental Piety (Life is a gift from God, we are on a spiritual journey). The latter is the kind I always subscribed to, and is the one promoted in this book.
My favorite chapter was Chapter 8: Why do Episcopalians Reject Biblical Fundamentalism. I have always struggled with fundamentalism and Biblical Literalism. I can't accept Young Earth Creationism or Flat Eartherism. I was always taught (I grew up Lutheran) that the Bible was about spiritual lessons, not history lessons. This chapter supports that. "We believe in divine inspiration. We do not believe in divine dictation." Everything written was written with the understandings capable by the authors, subject to their interpretations and the needs of their audiences. Also, do not approach the Bible as though it were a single book. It's a library, and each book has to be approached individually. Treat the Bible with the same respect you would give to any valuable book. Use critical study and scholarship. Basically, when I approach the Bible like how I approach Frankenstein (my favorite novel), I am doing the book justice. One of my favorite courses in college was reading the Bible as Literature.
Another reason to reject Fundamentalism is that Christianity is faith in a person, NOT faith in a book. Martin Luther is quoted here saying "The Bible is like the manger. It is not Jesus Christ, but it contains Christ." Beware of anyone who teaches things that intuitively and historically you know to be incorrect. God gave us brains to think and hearts with which to listen. Christians should not be at war with science, the arts, and medicine. God speaks to us through discoveries apart from the Bible.
I think this book has an amazing amount of wisdom in it, regardless of your Christian denomination. Indeed, the book promotes against really having divisions in the Body of Christ. Just be a Christian and strive to be a better person to other people.
The opposite of faith is not doubt; it is fear. Have doubts. Ask questions. Read what you want. Ask what you want to know. They believe in Scripture, Tradition, and Reason in equal measures. Fundamentalism is idolatry - you are idolizing the Bible and making it equal to God. Holy spirit is more important than holy scripture. Science is just discovering God's world. Scripture has truth, but not the whole of truth.
Reject the "I am saved" mentality. Salvation is a process, not a successful moment. Church is for hypocrites and sinners, not a club for elite "saved" people. It's not a hideout for the saved. Salvation requires growth, change, and maturation. It requires honesty toward yourself.
Interesting discourse on religion vs spirituality. 1) God is knowable. 2) Creation is good. 3) Embrace all of life. Religion is about dogma. Spiritual life is about inquiry. Always ask your questions and be okay with doubts.
Interesting discourse on the different pieties of various churches/denominations. The Good Citizenship Piety (nationalistic, good Christians are good Americans, bring back the good old days), the Saved Piety (focused on being Saved, uses guilt and fear as motivators), Positive Thinking Piety (Televangelist style), and the Sacramental Piety (Life is a gift from God, we are on a spiritual journey). The latter is the kind I always subscribed to, and is the one promoted in this book.
My favorite chapter was Chapter 8: Why do Episcopalians Reject Biblical Fundamentalism. I have always struggled with fundamentalism and Biblical Literalism. I can't accept Young Earth Creationism or Flat Eartherism. I was always taught (I grew up Lutheran) that the Bible was about spiritual lessons, not history lessons. This chapter supports that. "We believe in divine inspiration. We do not believe in divine dictation." Everything written was written with the understandings capable by the authors, subject to their interpretations and the needs of their audiences. Also, do not approach the Bible as though it were a single book. It's a library, and each book has to be approached individually. Treat the Bible with the same respect you would give to any valuable book. Use critical study and scholarship. Basically, when I approach the Bible like how I approach Frankenstein (my favorite novel), I am doing the book justice. One of my favorite courses in college was reading the Bible as Literature.
Another reason to reject Fundamentalism is that Christianity is faith in a person, NOT faith in a book. Martin Luther is quoted here saying "The Bible is like the manger. It is not Jesus Christ, but it contains Christ." Beware of anyone who teaches things that intuitively and historically you know to be incorrect. God gave us brains to think and hearts with which to listen. Christians should not be at war with science, the arts, and medicine. God speaks to us through discoveries apart from the Bible.
I think this book has an amazing amount of wisdom in it, regardless of your Christian denomination. Indeed, the book promotes against really having divisions in the Body of Christ. Just be a Christian and strive to be a better person to other people.
March 31, 2014
I read Those Episkopols, by the Rev. Dr. Dennis Maynard, as part of an on-going adult Sunday school class at my parish church. For the most part I enjoyed it. The author presents a short, informal, and readable introduction to the Episcopal Church, based on his own experience as a priest in the Church over the last four decades. He writes that “This book is written out of a profound love and appreciation for the Episcopal Church” (pg. 6) and that “the preceding chapters are dedicated to answering some of the most frequently asked questions this priest has received from inquirers. This is not intended to be a comprehensive study of Anglicanism or The Episcopal Church.” (pg. 87)
Recognizing the book for what it is and what it is not, I felt the author did a fairly commendable job, though there were a few typos that I found annoying, and at times the organization and content of the chapters seemed a bit haphazard. The author’s writing style was sometimes overly repetitive, in my opinion. My greatest criticism, however, concerns the perceived demeanor in which the content is presented. Perhaps it is inevitable that a book of this nature will rely heavily on generalizations and stereotypes, but I was bothered by the extent to which the author contrasted the Episcopal Church with other churches, stating essentially that “we are not like those other Christians, thank God”. A prominent example is his mention on more than one occasion of the Episcopal Church as “the thinking person’s religion”, thereby implying that all other branches of the Church discourage their people from approaching their faith intelligently, curiously, and rigorously. I understand why people say this, but the broader implication is ludicrous, and this kind of caricature is not accurate, charitable, or becoming of a church which prides itself on resisting the urge to give simplistic answers to complex questions (as Rev. Dr. Maynard asserts elsewhere).
That said, there was much that I did enjoy in the book. The author does a fine job presenting a compelling view of the life and culture of the Episcopal Church, and there were plenty of phrases and paragraphs that eloquently and succinctly expressed the reasons why I also love this church. For example, I loved what the author had to say about The Book of Common Prayer:
"When we come together for common prayer we are very intentional about the utilization of this book. It contains the wisdom of the ages. Some of these prayers are thousands of years of age. Some of them were familiar to the lips of Jesus. These prayers are most appropriate for public worship because these are the prayers that we have all agreed on. We hold these prayers in common. When we pray these words we are verbalizing words that we have all agreed on. We all believe these prayers so we can pray them without hesitation and in one voice … Basically, The Book of Common Prayer protects us from one another’s creativity, political leanings, prejudices, bad theology and current passion." (pg. 46)
And:
"The Book of Common Prayer solidly ties us to the historic Catholic understanding of worship. The Prayer Book is not an alternative service book. If you’re going to be an Episcopalian you will use the words of The Book of Common Prayer in the services of worship. The Book of Common Prayer, not doctrines and dogmas, is the most visible unifying symbol in the Episcopal Church." (pg. 54)
I can stand up and shout amen to that!
Recognizing the book for what it is and what it is not, I felt the author did a fairly commendable job, though there were a few typos that I found annoying, and at times the organization and content of the chapters seemed a bit haphazard. The author’s writing style was sometimes overly repetitive, in my opinion. My greatest criticism, however, concerns the perceived demeanor in which the content is presented. Perhaps it is inevitable that a book of this nature will rely heavily on generalizations and stereotypes, but I was bothered by the extent to which the author contrasted the Episcopal Church with other churches, stating essentially that “we are not like those other Christians, thank God”. A prominent example is his mention on more than one occasion of the Episcopal Church as “the thinking person’s religion”, thereby implying that all other branches of the Church discourage their people from approaching their faith intelligently, curiously, and rigorously. I understand why people say this, but the broader implication is ludicrous, and this kind of caricature is not accurate, charitable, or becoming of a church which prides itself on resisting the urge to give simplistic answers to complex questions (as Rev. Dr. Maynard asserts elsewhere).
That said, there was much that I did enjoy in the book. The author does a fine job presenting a compelling view of the life and culture of the Episcopal Church, and there were plenty of phrases and paragraphs that eloquently and succinctly expressed the reasons why I also love this church. For example, I loved what the author had to say about The Book of Common Prayer:
"When we come together for common prayer we are very intentional about the utilization of this book. It contains the wisdom of the ages. Some of these prayers are thousands of years of age. Some of them were familiar to the lips of Jesus. These prayers are most appropriate for public worship because these are the prayers that we have all agreed on. We hold these prayers in common. When we pray these words we are verbalizing words that we have all agreed on. We all believe these prayers so we can pray them without hesitation and in one voice … Basically, The Book of Common Prayer protects us from one another’s creativity, political leanings, prejudices, bad theology and current passion." (pg. 46)
And:
"The Book of Common Prayer solidly ties us to the historic Catholic understanding of worship. The Prayer Book is not an alternative service book. If you’re going to be an Episcopalian you will use the words of The Book of Common Prayer in the services of worship. The Book of Common Prayer, not doctrines and dogmas, is the most visible unifying symbol in the Episcopal Church." (pg. 54)
I can stand up and shout amen to that!
November 13, 2022
I found this book very helpful in summarizing Episcopalian beliefs for a beginner. Growing up Catholic, I knew the fundamentals of Anglicanism but this book lays out the details in a concrete way, explains how things are different from other denominations, and, honestly, made me feel better about my own faith journey.
A quick and easy read, a great starting point on an Episcopalian religious journey.
Rate Procedure:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - I loved the book so much I would reread it again and would recommended to a friend or, even if I would not reread it, it was so good it deserved nothing less than 5 stars!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Thoroughly enjoyed the book, could not do put it add down, would recommend to a friend, but do not need to read again.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Probably a good book that I enjoyed but there was something about it I did not love (e.g. The writing style, the POV, etc.). I would only recommend to a friend if it was their "type" of book.
⭐️⭐️ - A book I have below average feelings for and it would not come with a recommendation from me but I would mention it in conversation if related to the book topic at issue.
⭐️ - I finished the book but I hated every second of it.
A quick and easy read, a great starting point on an Episcopalian religious journey.
Rate Procedure:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - I loved the book so much I would reread it again and would recommended to a friend or, even if I would not reread it, it was so good it deserved nothing less than 5 stars!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Thoroughly enjoyed the book, could not do put it add down, would recommend to a friend, but do not need to read again.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Probably a good book that I enjoyed but there was something about it I did not love (e.g. The writing style, the POV, etc.). I would only recommend to a friend if it was their "type" of book.
⭐️⭐️ - A book I have below average feelings for and it would not come with a recommendation from me but I would mention it in conversation if related to the book topic at issue.
⭐️ - I finished the book but I hated every second of it.
October 16, 2007
Everything you wanted to know about the Episcopal Church, and less!
Actually, Those Episkopals is an enlightening read that sheds some light on the Epicopal Church (the American branch of the Worldwide Anglican Communion). There is a sense of "yeah-us" throughout the book, however there are some very excellent points made that demonstrate clearly that the Episcopal Church is open to discussion (hence some of our members whose knickers are in a twist over the ordination of women, the blessing of same sex unions, and working for peace and social justice).
As an Episcopalian, there are some things that left me wondering - but I am pretty sure that's what so much of the Episcopal experience is about : the contstant questioning and seeking of God.
Actually, Those Episkopals is an enlightening read that sheds some light on the Epicopal Church (the American branch of the Worldwide Anglican Communion). There is a sense of "yeah-us" throughout the book, however there are some very excellent points made that demonstrate clearly that the Episcopal Church is open to discussion (hence some of our members whose knickers are in a twist over the ordination of women, the blessing of same sex unions, and working for peace and social justice).
As an Episcopalian, there are some things that left me wondering - but I am pretty sure that's what so much of the Episcopal experience is about : the contstant questioning and seeking of God.
August 8, 2007
This a good nuts-and-bolts kind of book for those considering the Episcopal religion. It is somewhat disappointing because it can't decide whether it is going to be heady and esoteric or earthy and pragmatic, but it does give one a good sense of the basic differences to be expected of the church.
January 3, 2010
This is a great introduction to the Episcopal Church-- addressing many similarities and differences between the Episcopal Church and the Roman Catholic and Protestant traditions. Very approachable.
June 1, 2019
simple straightforward and inviting
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February 28, 2017Very well written and truer of words about the Episcopal church and its people.
October 10, 2016
A great read for new, old, and returning Episcopalians alike. This book offers an informative and uplifting look into the history, doctrines, and modern practices of the Episcopal church, and gives a clear understanding of what it means to be an Episcopalian. As a returning parishioner, I found Maynard's explanations to be not only easy to understand, but entertaining as he parallels many other familiar denominations of the Christian church. Overall I found this to be the most valuable resource in helping me understand my church and my place in it, and I would highly recommend it as both an inquirer's class manuel or a new convert's guide book.
November 23, 2016
I enjoyed this overview of basic Episcopal thoughts on theology and relating to the world. Most of this stuff I have learned and absorbed over the past 3 years, but I appreciated it all in one nice neat packet. If you're at all curious about the Episcopal church, this is an easy and informative read.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews