The Future of Orthodox Anglicanism

by Gerald R. McDermott (Editor), Gerald L. Bray (Contributor), John W. Yates III (Contributor)

Anglicanism is the fastest growing Christian communion in the world today. It is attracting evangelicals who hunger for connections to the early church and for mystery, sacraments, and liturgy. But many people, even Anglicans themselves, don’t really understand what sets today’s Anglicanism apart from some of its history and distinguishes it from other Christian denominations. In 11 essays by prominent Anglican scholars and leaders representing perspectives from East Africa, North Africa, and North America, this book clarifies what distinguishes Anglicanism from both Roman Catholicism and other Protestant denominations, reflecting on the tradition’s rich legacy in the past while offering a winsome proposal for the future.

Genres: Theology, Christianity, Church, Christian

288 pages, Paperback

Published February 25, 2020

About the author

Gerald R. McDermott (PhD, University of Iowa) is Jordan-Trexler Professor of Religion at Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia, and Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion. He is the author or editor of ten books, including God's Rivals: Why Has God Allowed Different Religions? and Claiming Christ: A Mormon-Evangelical Debate.

Reviews

[Noah Senthil · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Global South is the future of orthodox Christianity, not just Anglicanism, and that’s cause for joy and mourning. Joy—because the gospel and the church are spreading rapidly, especially in Africa. Mourning—because Christianity, especially in its institutional forms is dying in the West.

The perspectives of Ephraim Radner and Gerald Bray—as Anglicans in dying liberal denominations—are fairy bleak, but the rest of the authors—those in the ACNA and GAFCON—are very optimistic, not only about Anglicanism, but the future of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church. It’s easy to get discouraged by the internal and external divisions within evangelicalism, much less all of Christendom, but it’s important to remember that almost every Christian tradition is more ecumenically minded today than they were in the past. And Anglicans have led the way in that regard.

Further, rising interest in Christian spirituality—especially in the last 5 years since this book was published—combined with the widespread institutional breakdown will likely mean MORE Christians but LESS denominational allegiance. This has serious downsides, but the upside may be a first-rate renewed ecumenism, leading to new institutions and partnerships.

This book was a thought-provoking read that’s clarified some differences I have with Anglican distinctives, but left me as endeared and encouraged by them as ever. I’m far more Anglican than I am not-Anglican, but that’s because they are primarily Reformed Catholics, who are more interested in Christianity than their own denomination. And I hope to be the same wherever I end up.

[Preston Scott Blakeley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had improper expectations for this book. What I thought was going to be a brief introduction to the history and theology of Anglicanism was actually a dense exploration of contemporary ecclesiological politics. I did appreciate the attention to virtue and “the good” — the philosophical concepts that permeant the underpinnings of Anglican thought — amidst the book’s discussion of the necessary politic, although I found that this discussion was simultaneously geared towards those who would have more than a mere cursory understanding of these matters.

[Jeremy Gardiner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fantastic contributive book on orthodox Anglicanism where each author answers two questions: 1) What is the deep character of Anglicanism that distinguishes it from other traditions? 2) Where should the Communion go in the future?

The book is split up into three parts.

The first part is a regional perspective on Anglicanism. There are East African, Middle Eastern, Canadian, and North American perspectives given.

The second is a vocational perspective on Anglicanism. There are contributions from a rector/scholar (pastor), journalist/theologian, and historian/theologian.

The final section is on ecclesiastical perspectives. In this final section, there are contributions from an Episcopal Dean, an Anglican theologian, a Baptist theologian, and a Catholic theologian.

Each section ends with a person summarizing and responding to the various views.

The conclusion given at the end as to the future of Anglicanism was this: "It will be mostly nonwhite, led by the Global South, and devoted to Scripture. Because of its non-English and non-American majority, it will insist on different ways of choosing its overall archbishop and different ways of governing the Communion. The growth of GAFCON and ACNA will ensure that it resists the call to overturn the marriage of one man and one woman. It will aggressively evangelize and missionize, even under persecution. More will attend to catholic substance, finding in ancient liturgy and sacraments the beauty of holiness and the power of the gospel." (pg. 263).

As a personal takeaway, I found it interesting that there were only two fairly pessimistic outlooks given in the whole book. One was by Ephraim Radner (who is my professor at Wycliffe, someone I respect and enjoy learning from) and Gerald Bray. The rest of the contributors were quite optimistic about the future of Anglicanism. At the end of the book McDermott I think pinpoints why those two, in particular, were more negative. He says: "Radner and Bray speak from within Anglicanism in the Global North, and from Anglican churches (the Anglican Church of Canada and the Episcopal Church) that have been taken over by soul-killing liberalism. They speak accurately and helpfully, but from an ecclesial location not shared by other authors" (pg. 260). Being the only two authors in the global north who are not part of GAFCON, they are in Anglican provinces taken over by "soul-killing liberalism." I imagine it is quite hard to be optimistic from within these provinces. I think the personal takeaway from that is, if you want to be an optimistic evangelical Anglican with a vibrant and hopeful faith, be a part of GAFCON. If you live in North America, that means being part of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA). Being an evangelical minority in a province overtaken by liberalism (Anglican Church of Canada / The Episcopal Church) might steal your hope and joy for the future of the church.

[Joe Pajer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tremendous book of essays by notable names in Anglicanism and other denominations. Great perspectives. The downside is that I came away with 25 more books I want to read (from the references).

[Chris Wray · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a stimulating and thought-provoking collection of essays from orthodox, evangelical contributors across Anglicanism, and a few from observers from other Christian denominations. The theme that unites them is the desire to answer two questions: What is the deep character of Anglicanism that distinguishes it from other Christian traditions? And where should the Communion go in the future?

The essays are grouped to give different regional, vocational, and ecclesiastical perspectives, and at the end of each section, another writer sums up and responds to the perspectives given. As you would expect from a denomination like Anglicanism, the views expressed are wide-ranging. Regionally, we hear from writers from East Africa, the Middle East, Canada and the USA. Vocationally, there are essays by a scholarly rector, a journalist/theologian, and a historian/theologian. Ecclesiastically, the contributions are from an episcopal dean, an Anglican theologian, a Baptist theologian and a Roman Catholic theologian.

Even with so many varied contributors, there are some common themes that came to the fore, and which may start to sketch out a way forward for those of us who are evangelical and take the bible seriously, and who call ourselves Anglican. Three that particularly stood out for me are Anglicanism's distinctive reformed catholic flavour, our focus on matters of central importance to the faith, and the contemporary shift in focus away from provinces in the global North.

Reformed Catholicism: The heart of historic Anglicanism is a catholic substance sharpened by reformed critique.

As one contributor summarises it: "In terms of doctrine, the Church of England adopted a confession of faith that took the form of Forty-Two Articles of belief. These Articles established that the church was rooted both in the catholic consensus of the first five centuries and in the Protestant doctrines of the still recent Reformation on the Continent." Another contributor comments that, "We have a catholic heritage in our ancient sacraments and worship. And we are reformed because of our devotion to the word of God." And yet another comments that the "definition of Anglicanism as a Reformation church influenced heavily by the belief and practice of the early church does not have the prescriptive force of the continental Protestant confessions. But it is emblematic of the essence of Anglicanism as a synthesis of both reformed and catholic elements: the supreme authority of the Holy Scriptures and the instructive example of the Patristic tradition, with its emphasis on the ongoing sacramental life of the church and its direct historic connection to the apostolic age." Some of the features of this reformed Catholicism should be a commitment to the gospel, expositional preaching and mission; a commitment to the church as God's people gathered and to liturgical practice as a rich expression of worship; a robust sacramental theology; a traditional method of interpreting the Bible; and pragmatic rather than dogmatic episcopalianism

The Anglican Ideal: In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity

What distinguishes Anglican Reformed-Catholicism from most reformed Protestant traditions is its convictional pragmatism: matters of central importance are held onto tightly, and everything else is an opportunity to practice brotherly accommodation. One contributor puts it like this: "Perhaps the most defining characteristic of Anglicanism is the way that it concentrates on the fundamentals of Christianity and leaves disputed points to one side...If Anglicanism is anything, it is a servant church in which every member has a ministry and in which all who believe in Christ are equally welcome." Again, the Anglican Reformers’ “moderation consisted rather in a determined policy of separating the essentials of faith and order from adiaphora. . . Anglican moderation is the policy of reserving strong statement and conviction for the few things which really deserve them."

While defining what counts as essential and fundamental can be problematic, the centrality of the Bible to historical Anglicanism comes through in multiple essays. Scripture, and not reason or tradition, is our final authority in all matters of faith and practice. This is a key battleground in contemporary Anglicanism, and the root of much recent error and disagreement. As one example of this, one of our contributors comments that: "Much of the identity crisis we have experienced within the Anglican Communion can be traced to a gradual weakening of the doctrine of sin...If we are to reclaim the Anglican identity of our global Communion, it must be built on an unapologetic return to the strong and simple proclamation of the gospel found among the Reformers rooted in a robust understanding of human sin." This understanding of sin, as well as a host of other matters, will only come if we resubmit to scripture as our final authority, even (and perhaps especially) when it differs from contemporary cultural trends.

Any renewal in Anglicanism will require a renewed commitment to the scriptural foundations that are articulated by our formularies, and especially a commitment to the orthodox, core beliefs held by the early church, as expressed in the ecumenical creeds and resting on the witness of scripture. As another contributor memorably puts it, this will lead us to practising an ecumenism of conviction, not an ecumenism of accommodation.


Numerical and ecclesiastical shift away from the global North.

The ongoing reformation of the Anglican communion and the rediscovery of the Reformers' vision for mission and the proclamation of the gospel is being increasingly driven by believers in the global South. Their influence continues to grow, with a consequent likely shift in emphasis away from Canterbury as the centre of the Anglican universe: "Our Communion has come of age, and it is now time that its leadership should be focused not on one person or one church, however hallowed its history, but on the one historic faith we confess." By contrast, Anglicanism in the postmodern global North is "now in decline. Wherever this Northern Anglicanism has allowed itself to be enculturated by secular humanism, it is now verging on collapse. It has become a religion constructed not on the Anglican principle of the Reformers but on an Anglican system of its own invention that sees the church primarily as a sociological institution or a political entity, ever reforming itself to reflect the views and values of the ambient society. It turns away from the church's fountain of living water flowing forth from Scripture and the apostolic church and is busy digging for itself broken cisterns of cultural relevance...We do not go back naively, believing the sixteenth century was some high-water mark for Anglicanism (as if there ever were one). Instead, we return to its rediscovery of the grace of God in Jesus Christ, for this grace is all too easily lost when man's wisdom supplants the authority of the Bible." In summary, "The South can benefit from the experience of those in the North who have resisted and understood the dynamics of Western secularizing culture, for this culture is rapidly spreading around the globe. The North can benefit from the missionary enthusiasm and vigor that characterize the growing churches of the Global South. We all have learned that we must not be content with Anglicanism as a kind of chaplaincy to dwindling enclaves of those left behind by the receding tide of faith."

As well as these general themes, some of the individual essays were particularly memorable:

Dr Gerald Bray encourages us to remember our origin story, pointing out that Reformation Anglicanism originated due to political considerations as much as theological ones: "Anglicanism, understood as a system of thought and theology comparable to Catholicism, Lutheranism, and Calvinism, was essentially a nineteenth-century invention...The English Reformers saw themselves as catholics who were determined to restore the church to its primitive purity. If they were different from Reformers in other countries who shared the same aim, it was for political reasons more than anything else. In Germany and France, the Reformation was a popular movement distinct from the secular state, which eventually had to come to terms with it. In England, on the other hand, the Reformation was an act of state that had almost no popular support, at least in its initial stages...Cranmer and his colleagues were put in charge of a Protestant state that had no Protestants in it, and it was to create them that they constructed what we now call Anglicanism." This means that Anglicanism was not "planned or strategically intended to be an expression of the Christian faith as we know it today," but rather emerged organically, and especially as British influence spread globally from the 16th Century onwards.

He also provides a thoughtful critique of the Anglo-Catholic stream of our tradition, concluding that, "Objectively speaking, there can be no doubt that the Protestants had a better claim to have represented the spirit of the post-Reformation Church of England, and modern scholarship has almost unanimously supported that view. But the Anglo- Catholics had a romantic streak that their Protestant adversaries lacked, and the Victorian era was given to flights of religious romanticism. They built neo-Gothic churches, dressed in neo-Gothic clerical vestments, and generally tried to resurrect an imaginary medieval "age of faith" as far as they could. It was a con trick, but it had wide appeal, not least in the United States, where Episcopalians tended to be romantic Anglophiles for whom mock medievalism provided a welcome antidote to the crass materialism of modernity and the ungenteel rudeness of frontier society."

Dr Ephraim Radner delivers a very stretching essay on how he sees the nature of Anglicanism. His view is that Anglicanism is not a church, confession or set of attitudes, but rather "refers to a set of churches and their life, located now around the world, as these developed out of the Church of England." This means that "The ‘Anglican’ of Anglicanism...is a kind of sociological designator rather than a fundamentally theological descriptor." Globally, there is not a clear confessional identity or set of theological or ecclesiastical attitudes that can be empirically demonstrated to represent all Anglicans at any point in our history. Rather, he contends that Anglicanism "is a historical process in which certain individuals and groups call themselves Anglicans because they have received the meanings of that self-designation from other Anglicans, and they continue to wrestle with what God is up to in this process." It is worth expanding on this basic point by quoting Dr Radner at some length: "Anglicanism is a particular historical process. Specifically, it is a historical process (or set of processes) that provides genetic linkage between specific groups of Christians and orders subsequent interaction among these groups. Speaking broadly, this process moves from the reformed Church of England of the sixteenth century (a complex story in itself) and continues through episodes of struggle, conflict, expansion, mission, and local change...the only two criteria for the use of the term "Anglican" in this case are that it be a self- designation and that causal genetic linkages for such designations can be demonstrated. That is, one must call oneself an Anglican, and the name must derive from some relationship one has with other Anglicans, either through self-conscious borrowing or through self-conscious receipt, or (usually) both. The element of mutual "recognition" enters in just here. Thus, Lutheranism is not Anglicanism, because Lutherans don't call themselves Anglicans. Similarly, someone who writes "Anglican" on the census form, despite having never entered an Anglican church and having neither parents nor schooling or literature that is Anglican, is either mistaken or fraudulent...We must, therefore, add a third criterion to this category of historical process, one that involves a certain deliberate religious purpose. This third criterion is that those who meet the first two criteria are in fact engaged in trying to understand these connections and in sorting out the divine meaning that brought them to be. This criterion is about self-consciousness, cognitively and religiously." I think this is a helpful perspective, as even the GAFCON movement, which defines its theological boundaries fairly tightly, is by no means monolithic nor does it represent all Anglicans globally.

In all, this collection of essays is a really valuable contribution to the contemporary debates on Anglican identity and the best direction for the future of our communion. I finish with this call to action for all Anglicans, and indeed all Christians in the West:

"The Reformers thought that they were living under the word of God, proclaiming the gospel, revitalizing worship, and serving the nation...Cranmer and his fellow Reformers knew that the only way to ensure the deep reformation of Christ's church was by enlivening the preaching of the church with a clear proclamation of gospel truth that rested in the explanation and exposition of Scripture...Sadly, much of the confusion and consternation over Anglican identity lies in the fact that we have removed ourselves, step by step, from daily engagement with Scripture. If we are to recover our identity, we must first recover the importance of living under God's word."

[David J. Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some interesting conversations here. A few of them were exceptionally enlightening. Worthy reading.

[BlueFalkon95 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you for the book The Future of Orthodox Anglicanism has given me more of an understanding of Orthodox Anglicanism. I am overwhelmed by the subject matter and needed time to reflect on each chapter so I am thankful for the points of reflection, scripture passages and of course how Anglican is reformed Catholic Church and how it came about. Another interesting factor is how the Christianity was born and founded. I recommend this book to be read for interest and for theology. I certainly would use for a secondary source text in an theology assessment.
From the 26 February 2020 my review will be posted on Netgalley , Facebook, Amazon.com.au, Christianbook.com, goodreads, Barnes and Noble, kobo, googlebooks and iBooks. A link to my review is also on my Facebook blog page, is https://www.facebook.com/BlueFalkon95...
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Crossway through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
#TheFutureofOrthodoxAnglicanism #NetGalley

[Jorge Cardenas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a hopeful book for the Anglican tradition across the world. It is comprised of various essays from mainly Anglicans around the world, offering their views from different locations and experiences. Gerald McDermott opens with an apology for the book by setting the tone for subsequent essays. Overall, the book focuses on different challenges the tradition faces today. It moves from regional perspectives to the role of ministers and the importance of vocation to ecclesiastical perspectives from within and without the tradition. The last chapter, an appraisal from other traditions toward Anglicanism is perhaps the most exhilarating for me. It is certainly ecumenical, but in a conservative and orthodox way. It is a good source to know where Anglicanism is striving and where it is dying, yet Anglicans can rest assure that standing on their forefathers feet will keep them ready for 21st century challenges all around the world.

[Cameron Maxworthy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a lot things. It was encouraging. It was depressing. It was frustrating. 11 contributors from different backgrounds having their say about where Anglicanism has come from, and where (ideally) it should be going.

The rub comes when you see that everyone has a different idea of where we've come from, and so have wildly different opinions about where to go from here. Maybe that was the point of the book, but it came across as just a collection of people talking across each other with contradictory statements. "Anglicanism is NOT a via media", wait, "it is a via media, between Catholic and Reformed", no wait, "it's a via media between Lutheran and Calvinist". But then why is the next contributor saying "it's a via media between Catholic and Eastern Orthodox".

The above displays the tip of the iceberg when it comes to different stances in the Communion, and so I think the book is a good introduction to the various things going on for Anglicanism globally. It's also a good source to get you up to speed on some of the more recent controversies in the Anglican Communion, so if that's what you're interested in go for it.

Would probably recommend this for people interested in a global view of what's happening in the Anglican Communion, and to get the general vibe of the state of Anglicanism in the global north vs global south.

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Orthodox" Anglicanism is diverse. I don't think this bodes well for its future. I do agree with the editor of this volume that her greatest hope lies in the global south. This is encouraging. It is in the south that the Anglican Church seems to remain robustly committed to her doctrinal standards and protestant heritage.

I found these essays interesting as a parallel to the same kind of diversity seen with in the Southern Baptist Convention. I don't think this diversity bodes well for her future either. Though this saddens me, it doesn't devastate me. The gates of hell will not prevail against the church. She will endure. Being a Baptist, naturally, I don't see the Episcopal heirarchy as a church. There are churches that are Anglican, but there is not an Anglican Church. Neither do I understand the Convention to be a church. Both have been useful tools, but sometimes tools become hazardous once they are damaged. I'm not sure how much good use either one of these have left save for a mighty work of God.

[Filip Sylwestrowicz · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Future of Orthodox Anglicanism" features 11 essays by various authors who wrestle with the matter stated in the title. Its major strength is the diversity of perspectives. Although authors come mostly from conservative Anglican circles (except for ecumenical contributors Timothy George and R.R. Reno), they represent diverse geographical and vocational perspectives. Authors from the Global South appear to be more optimistic, authors from the North/West pessimistic but with noticeable exceptions. It was an interesting read and I would recommend it to everyone who has some interest in the modern Anglicanism. More on my blog: https://fsylwestrowicz.com/book-thoug...

[Michael Hayden · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5
There's a lot to like in this book. The chapters from Eliud Wabukala, Mouneer Anis, Foley Beach, Gerald Bray, and Gerald McDermott were particular highlights. Other chapters weren't so helpful. One particularly bizarre moment was the assertion that Zwingli was an anabaptist...
Overall, it felt like the book was really missing a cogent, unifying argument. This is not only a danger of such edited volumes, but in many ways is symptomatic of the problems facing the Anglican Communion. What is Anglicanism? It would appear that not even this book is sure.
One is, however, encouraged that the direction of travel in the AC is Southward. God willing, this will ensure that orthodox Anglicanism does indeed have a future.

[Ryan Geer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall, I found this to be a great introduction to Anglicanism. I like the layout of chapters grouped from a certain perspective (1-4 Regional Perspectives, 5-7 Vocational Perspectives, and 8-11 Ecclesiastical Perspectives), with each group followed by a response. Other than chapters 3 and 11 and the response to the Vocational Perspectives, I found the writing to be clear, interesting, and informative. While not necessarily my favorite chapter, Timothy George's Baptist Perspective (10) was pretty helpful given my own baptist background.
Overall, if you're looking for some clear writing on what it means to be Anglican, this would probably be a helpful book. Just remember the source of that comment--I haven't read extensively on Anglicanism, so not sure how helpful my thoughts are...

[Jackson Rice · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating look into Anglican identity, from different theological, regional and ecumenical perspectives. The essays in this book helped me, a new Anglican, know what the conversation was regarding the identity of the denomination I was joining. In our fight against Liberal heresies in the church, we need to know what we’re fighting for in the first place, and for Anglicans and others this book is a fantastic place to start.

[Jerry Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

As much as I found this book helpful tying some of the loose ends of our Anglican tradition together, the pessimism was disappointing. It might be more helpful to hear from some anglican theologians who have not left the Episcopal church (other than Radner). What about George Sumner , Stephen Andrews or Tony Burton?

[Robert Turnage · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good look at the future of orthodox Anglicanism from multiple perspectives. But really— it’s a look at the future of the Church catholic, highlighting perspectives ranging from Baptist to Roman Catholic, and how Anglicanism might serve as a bridge between denominations to stand firm for the one true gospel of Christ.

[Caleb · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really helpful book on the Orthodox Anglican Church and how its unique existence as Anglican is beneficial for the worldwide church. It doesn't refrain from observing strengths and weaknesses of the movement but gives an overall encouraging outlook on the future of the Communion.

[Iain Hamill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not being an Anglican but having family who left the Anglican church following its recent drifting away from the truth handed down, this was an interesting if fairly dense series of reflections.

There is hope still, and of course the Chief Shepherd is still at work in the church at large.

[Connor Longaphie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm not sure what I expected this to be but it's basically just different Anglicans talking about the identity crisis anglucanusm is going through and what they think is important tk them about anglicanism from their perspective jn their differing contexts

[Mark Einselen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating opinions from various authors. May not age well, depending on what future developments occur in the Anglican Communion. Probably of more interest to those who are pretty invested in the Anglican churches.

[Em (Makenna) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Earc from netgalley.

It was interesting to get to read about Orthodox Anglicanism, as I did not know very much about this subject before I picked up this book.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

Solid essays! Not all were as good as others (as with all edited books), but overall the chapters are very satisfying.

[Kelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

My only qualm with this book is that my “want to read” list increased by about 20 books.