Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #254420 in Books
• Published on: 2000-01-01
• Binding: Paperback
• 96 pages

Customer Reviews

a sadly one-sided and underdeveloped opinion
With a title like 'Being Anglican' and an assurance early on that the book would not focus on the partisan arguments of either liberal, evangelical or catholic, I anticipated reading about the breadth of Anglicanism and the variation in opinion and how such opinions sit side by side in one communion. But this is not that book. It is a written by the liberal catholic Bishop of Derby, and in this book he affirms his take on Anglicanism - without explicitly saying so.

That said the general format of the book is good, using exercises to engage the reader with the topics raised. His writing style is easy enough to engage with once you've got beyond the idea that the book might be impartial.

But the content remains frustrating. Having myself worked within two diocese and having enjoyed the different expressions of churchmanship, i am disappointed to find no celebtration of the catholic tradition; no affirmations of the evangelical peculiarities; only a repetition of the benefits of 'reason' and 'order', as if they are features only of a liberal christianity.

The bishop seems to yearn for days of old, when George Herbert's utopian parish life was all a vicar had to contend with. Welcome to the real world, your grace. He writes with barely any reference to theology, philosophy or culture from the past thirty years, no mention of the challenge of post-modenity or even the vast cultural changes over the 20th century with challenges of world wars, globalisation, scientific and communication advances, little of the rise of the African and Asian churches, nothing of recent faith tainted wars, however he has a good grasp of the 17th and 18th centuries - which is just lovely. Except that there is no mention of some of the men who early in the Anglican journey, shaped the way forward, wrote much of what was to become text-book Anglicanism and ulitmately gave their lives for change. Perhaps they were too radical to be given space in this book, after all he needed room for ear-chopping, face-branding, but very Anglican, Laud.

To be clear - i am not opposed to liberal christianity, but do not believe that it is the sole or best feature of anglicanism. If you do, you'll find this book affirming, but there just isn't the depth that i had hoped for. I'd recommend Monica Furlong's book, The CofE - the State its in for what is definitely a more balanced but much longer account.