Glorious Companions: Five Centuries of Anglican Spirituality

by Richard H. Schmidt

Schmidt offers a very substantial but simply written view of notables in the Anglican communion since the days of Thomas Cranmer, including Donne, the Wesleys, Underhill, and LEngle. Included are excerpts from many eloquent and varied witnesses. For most collections,---

Genres: Biography, History, Nonfiction, Christianity, Faith, Theology, Spirituality

350 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2002

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine an Anglican 7 Men: And the Secret of Their Greatness. But better.
When I first started attending an Anglican church, I asked the pastor for book recommendations on Anglican theology. His response was something along the lines of: "It is really hard to provide just one thinker or book. The Lutherans have Luther and the Calvinists have Calvin, but the Anglicans never had a central theologian in the same way."
Reading Glorious Companions, I better understand his point.
Published in 2002, this collection lists 29 different Anglican writers and thinkers ranging from Thomas Cranmer (1489-1556) to Desmond Tutu (1931-2021). While holding to a few common tenants, including the shared title of Anglican or Episcopalian, the writers have very little in common. Some are poets, some are professors, some are pastors, some are socialists, some are capitalists, some are men, some are women. Some grew up Christian, others came to faith later. This incongruous bunch works, however, because of their shared faith in Jesus Christ and the way their writings on that faith that impacted the Anglican tradition.
For as many names that I recognized (C.S. Lewis, Hannah More, John Wesley), there were plenty of others I had never heard of (Thomas Traherne, Evelyn Underhill, Verna Dozier.) Many I look forward to reading about further. This is one of those books that would blow up my to-read list if I let it. (And still might. I held off marking anything to-read list until I could go through it again and decide which thinkers to pursue first.)
Richard H. Schmidt does a good job in this collection contrasting different streams of thought in Anglican theology. At different points in history, different parts of faith needed addressing. For every over-the-top, emotional John Donne we find a the logic and astaticism of Lancelot Andrews, and I think this book succeeds for the contrast.
This book also succeeds because no matter complex or obscure thinker, the author breaks down their writing using the same format. First, he provides a biography about the author's life and primary writing. Then he provides the thoughts in the author's "own words," thereby providing digestible sentences or at most paragraph length summarizes in the author's own writing.
He then concludes with some questions for "reflection and discussion" which was was, in my opinion, the worst part of the book. The brief bios don't give nearly enough information to provide informed decisions on some of these things.
"Make a list of criteria to evaluate a hymn text." "From what foundational beliefs did the Tractarians begin when they defined the church? From what foundational beliefs would you begin?" "How do you feel God would answer this question: 'For goodness' sake, why don't you make it more obvious that you are in charge?'"
Then again, take this complaint with a grain of salt because my deep loathing for discussion questions is so fundamental to my personality that I put it in my Goodreads bio.
The other complaint I have is that while this is a remarkably good biography for the most part, there were a couple thinkers that I felt could have been handled better, and maybe one or two I simply don't know why were listed. Hannah More is my current gripe, since he spends most of her biography complaining about how she believed in class structure instead of how her conversion and subsequent writings changed society. (And if he didn't actually think it changed society, why keep her?) She made a weird contrast with, say, William Porcher Dubose who fought for the Confederacy and who held very alienating views yet seems more openly admired by the author. But I suppose even Dubose serves a purpose in demonstrating how wildly varied Anglican thought can be.
Worth reading, especially if seeking a wide overview of Anglican doctrine and thought over the years. I personally plan to come back to this one and locate some of the listed texts. I hope you find this one as challenging and insightful as I did.
(Thank you, Darren, for gifting me a copy of this book for when I was "received" into the Anglican church!)

[Benedict · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book functions by a basic device of putting forth a brief biography of an Anglican thinker (theologian, novelist, historian, etc) and then providing 5-10 pages of short quotations, usually a brief paragraph or sentence at a time. These are wonderfully insightful gems of the sort that bear reflection; I use this book mostly as a way of sort of centering a time of ruminating on the church, often while riding the train to work.

What I can't stress enough, though, is the introductory essay. Richard H. Schmidt has written, in broad, easy-to-understand strokes, one of the best short pieces I've ever read for describing an Anglican aesthetic. He takes into account the history of the church as well as its practices and the beliefs you're likely to find on the ground. I'm a seminarian with some background in youth ministry, and I firmly believe that this is a fantastic thing for any adult confirmation student to read, or a gift for a church newcomer. High school confirmation classes might find it a bit too large-lensed, but any young person who's excited about the church will likely appreciate this as well; I recommend they start at the back with folks like Desmond Tutu and CS Lewis and work forward.

[Rob Steinbach · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read. The book is set up with a short 4 page biography and then a few pages of quotes. I really appreciated learning about the diversity of Anglicans over the last 500 years. I also found the introduction really helpful as a primer on Anglicanism.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This author had a gift for capturing the drama of his subject's lives in these brief biographies. Highly recommend for any Anglican.

[John Warner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a compilation of twenty-nine "thinkers and spiritual guides" that have shaped the Episcopal Church. The majority worshiped, preached, wrote or taught within the Church of England, such as Thomas Cramner, Richard Hooker, and John Wesley while others, including William Porcher DuBose, Madeleine L'Engle, and Desmond Tutu operated in other regions of the Anglican Communion, respectively the United States and South Africa. Each luminary in the book includes a short spiritual biography, excerpts from their own writings, and questions for self-reflection or group discussion. Although this book was conceived for those new to the Episcopal Church, it is also a good introduction or review who have been worshipers for years.

[Shawn Enright]

A rich, cheeky, and accessible book on a variety of Anglican thinkers and clergy. I would recommend this book to anyone who is already confirmed in the Anglican church and is looking for hope and encouragement in the tradition. One of my favorite reads of the semester.

My favorite chapters: Richard Hooker, Desmond Tutu, John and Charles Wesley, and Dorothy Sayers.
The chapter this book needs: Rowan Williams!!!

[Nate · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author, an Episcopal priest, introduces the reader to diverse Anglicans/Episcopalians who have made an impact on the life of the church over the past 500 years. Each figure is given a short biographical sketch, followed by a couple of pages of short excerpts from his or her writings, with reflection questions at the end.

[James Nasipak]

The book walks through the five centuries of individuals that impacted Anglican spirituality. I enjoyed the biographies. However, they seemed to be written from "rose tinted" glasses that portrays specific individuals in a light that does not take into consideration some of the non-orthodox beliefs, theology, and Biblical understanding that impacted their works.

I would recommend it the book to anyone looking to understand some dynamic and influential individuals that impacted and still impact Anglicanism.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

An accessible history of Anglican-Episcopal spirituality that focuses on the biographies of a variety of religious leaders beginning with Thomas Cranmer and ending with Desmond Tutu. Each chapter gives a brief biography that focuses on their spiritual life, excerpts of their writing, and questions to ponder. The list includes people from different backgrounds, occupations, and world views. An excellent book to use in book groups that focus on religious studies.

[Ben Smitthimedhin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good intro to some of the more famous figures in Anglican history. Each chapter has a mini-biography and like 5 pages of quotes from the subject's own words.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my very first dip into Anglican theology after joining the Episcopal church and I really enjoyed both the history and the spiritual side of it. I would absolutely recommend!

[Charles Rouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

I agree with the other reviews. It's probably of primary interest to Episcopalians and other members of the Anglican tradition.
The foundational theologians of the Church of England are here, Hooker, Cranmer, but so are diligent workers in the field, like Dorothy Sayers, and moderns, the wonderful Desmond Tutu.
I have looked into this book time and time again, and I still continue to do so. If you are genuinely curious, you can always go to the original sources for these figures of the Church, but "Glorious Companions," is a good introduction. As has already been pointed out, the introductory essay is worth the price of admission.
And if you're not Episcopalian or Anglican? It's great history and didn't you always wonder what we were about, anyway?
Lancelot Andrews is in there, you may be familiar with some of his translations:

23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters...

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for newbies to the Anglican Tradition. Briefly identifies, introduces, and informs the reader about five centuries of Christian luminaries in the tradition generated by The Church of England in its several (mainly English & American) expressions. It's strength is also its weakness, however. It does not go as deep as one might wish. But, having said that, it provides a wonderful agenda for further reading and reflection.

[Timothy Hoiland · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of my favorite things about being Anglican is the emphasis on being in communion with so many fellow believers across space and time. In this book, we meet 29 noteworthy Anglicans from the sixteenth century to now, from Canterbury to Kampala. Each chapter pairs a short bio with excerpts from their writings. I do feel like I gained some “glorious companions” by reading this book, but not all companions are equally glorious. Which is to say this is an uneven book, albeit an original one.

[Crawfords444 · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great reference book. I am reading parts for lent. Holy Companions consists of29 short biographies from Thomas Crammer, 1489 to 1556 through Desmond TUTU, 1931 to present/still living.
I began with Madeline L'Egle because I loved her A Wrinkle In Time. Now I want to read more of her books, after Lent. Right now I am reading four books.

[Jonathan Frazier]

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