Anglican Spirituality lays out a concise vision for how Anglican Christians can become faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. Emphasizing the importance of the threefold rule of Daily Office, Holy Eucharist, and private devotion, the book shows how Anglican spirituality is rooted in the Book of Common Prayer and the Holy Scriptures.
•In the Daily Office the word of God is read and internalized through the illuminative work of the Holy Spirit as Christ the Teacher enlightens the minds of the ones praying so that the praying of the Scriptures is not for information but formation.
•In the Holy Eucharist the communicant receives the grace necessary to live a spiritual life pleasing to God, allowing God to turn the key to their inner selves, transforming them from the inside out.
•By personal devotion the disciple adopts those spiritual practices that make prayer effective and prepares for receiving the Holy Eucharist.
In this way, disciples habituate themselves to the work of God.
Last, this book demonstrates that Anglican spirituality is not an isolated or individualistic endeavor and that the prayer book’s vision for spirituality empowers the church’s mission.
Greg Peters (PhD, University of St. Michael’s College, Toronto) is associate professor of medieval and spiritual theology in the Torrey Honors Institute, Biola University, in La Mirada, California. He is also visiting professor of monastic studies at St. John’s School of Theology in Minnesota and adjunct professor at Nashotah House Theological Seminary in Wisconsin.
Greg Peters has written a remarkable book, and in just about 100 pages, he beautifully captures the essence of Anglican spirituality as rooted in the Word and Sacraments. I'm grateful to Wipf and Stock for providing me with a review copy. Peters is not only a gifted writer but also a gracious individual, and I had the privilege of meeting him at ETS 2024 shortly after finishing this book.
A really helpful introduction to the three core disciplines that form a distinctly Anglican spirituality: The Daily Office, Holy Eucharist, and private devotions.
Peters’s book, Anglican Spirituality, is a digestible introduction to how an Anglican should structure his life around the Holy Eucharist, the Morning and Evening Offices, and through Private Devotion. Peters follows the vein of Martin Thornton’s writings on Spiritual Theology and is a more contemporary introduction to the spiritual life for lay Christians. I highly recommend this book.
A good brief read for those familiar with key concepts within Anglicanism but want a bit more depth/understanding of the tradition’s inner logic of spirituality.