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Anglicanism: Confidence, Commitment and Communion
This focused concentration and celebration of Anglican life could not be more timely. Debates on sexuality and gender (including women bishops), whether or not the church has a Covenant, or can be a Communion, and how it is ultimately led, are issues that have dominated the ecclesial horizon for several decades. No book on Anglicanism can ever claim to have all the answers to all the questions. However, Martyn Percy’s work does offer significant new insights and illumination - highlighting just how rich and reflexive the Anglican tradition can be in living and proclaiming the gospel of Christ.
These essays provide some sharply-focused snapshots of contemporary Anglicanism, and cover many of the crucial issues affecting Anglicans today, such as the nature of mission and ministry, theological training and formation, and ecclesial identity and leadership. Church culture is often prey to contemporary fads and fashion. Percy’s work calls Anglicanism to deeper discipleship; to attend to its roots, identity and shape; and to inhabit the world with a faith rooted in commitment, confidence and Christ.
These essays provide some sharply-focused snapshots of contemporary Anglicanism, and cover many of the crucial issues affecting Anglicans today, such as the nature of mission and ministry, theological training and formation, and ecclesial identity and leadership. Church culture is often prey to contemporary fads and fashion. Percy’s work calls Anglicanism to deeper discipleship; to attend to its roots, identity and shape; and to inhabit the world with a faith rooted in commitment, confidence and Christ.
248 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 1, 2013
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June 1, 2017
This was not a fun book to read. It wasn't particularly edifying either. But it was a helpful book.
Percy is a non-evangelical Anglican. Doctrine is not the issue for him. Unity and comprehensiveness is. His greatest desire is to see Anglicans of all stripes just get along. But because Scripture isn't authoritative, but all "traditions" within Anglicanism (including those only dating back to the '70's) are equally valid parts of the communion, his critique of those who *do* think there are issues worth breaking fellowship over is essentially grounded in his English sensibility, not a biblical perspective. If American, Australian, and African anglicans could just not fight so much over things like ordination of gay priests, we could all work together--though who knows what exactly it is that we're doing.
The church's mission, in Percy's mind, is to serve the common good. People making a fuss over Salvation, obedience to God, social justice, or anything other than 'fellowship' is just an example of American choice-driven consumeristic religion.
So do I agree with Percy? Not about much. And when we do agree (e.g. His critique of homogeneous unit growth strategy) its for very different reasons. But the book is useful for two reasons:
1-it helped me better understand the kind of garbage our Anglican brothers and sisters (you know, the ones who think the gospel matters) have to deal with.
2- I think it helps reveal for a non-established, 'sectarian' (as old anglicans would call us baptists) like me understand some of the air that brothers like Stott and Packer were breathing when they made decisions about who to remain in fellowship with that are often frankly baffling.
So I'm glad I read the book. I'm also glad this is not the world I live in, and I grieve for brothers and sisters who have to face such belief-diminishing, Christ-dishonoring attitudes as a legitimized component of their denomination.
Percy is a non-evangelical Anglican. Doctrine is not the issue for him. Unity and comprehensiveness is. His greatest desire is to see Anglicans of all stripes just get along. But because Scripture isn't authoritative, but all "traditions" within Anglicanism (including those only dating back to the '70's) are equally valid parts of the communion, his critique of those who *do* think there are issues worth breaking fellowship over is essentially grounded in his English sensibility, not a biblical perspective. If American, Australian, and African anglicans could just not fight so much over things like ordination of gay priests, we could all work together--though who knows what exactly it is that we're doing.
The church's mission, in Percy's mind, is to serve the common good. People making a fuss over Salvation, obedience to God, social justice, or anything other than 'fellowship' is just an example of American choice-driven consumeristic religion.
So do I agree with Percy? Not about much. And when we do agree (e.g. His critique of homogeneous unit growth strategy) its for very different reasons. But the book is useful for two reasons:
1-it helped me better understand the kind of garbage our Anglican brothers and sisters (you know, the ones who think the gospel matters) have to deal with.
2- I think it helps reveal for a non-established, 'sectarian' (as old anglicans would call us baptists) like me understand some of the air that brothers like Stott and Packer were breathing when they made decisions about who to remain in fellowship with that are often frankly baffling.
So I'm glad I read the book. I'm also glad this is not the world I live in, and I grieve for brothers and sisters who have to face such belief-diminishing, Christ-dishonoring attitudes as a legitimized component of their denomination.
Displaying 1 of 1 review