The Study of Anglicanism

by Stephen Sykes, John E. Booty, Jonathan Knight

Book Overview

In this authoritative volume, thirty-one of the world's leading Anglican scholars present the first sustained and thorough account of the history and ethos of the Churches of the Anglican Communion... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0281051755
• ISBN13: 9780281051755
• Release Date: August 1998
• Publisher: SPCK Publishing
• Length: 528 Pages
• Weight: 1.50 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Unique and Indispensable Reference Work on Anglicanism

The Study of Anglicanism is a unique and indispensable reference work on the subject of Anglicanism. Considering the antiquity and global nature of Anglicanism (80 million members in the Anglican Communion), it's surprising that there aren't more works out there like this. My Ph.D. in Religious Studies was on the nature and identity of Anglicanism, and even though this book is an introductory text, it is still a useful reference to me. The book is an anthology of 30 essays divided into 7 parts and is one of the best places to begin any study of Anglicanism. For the most part, the scholars chosen to write on each of the 30 topics is an expert in the field and a well-chosen representative of Anglicanism in that field. Anyone who reads the essays in this book will emerge with a much better understanding of what Anglicanism is. The Study of Anglicanism is, thus, a great place to start one's own study of Anglicanism. The footnotes and references found at the end of each essay are also a useful feature to assist the student. The 7 sections of the book cover: the history of Anglicanism; the Gospel in Anglicanism; Authority and Method; Anglican Standards; Church, Sacraments, and Ministry; Anglicanism in Practice; and Prospects. As you can see, even the range of topics covered suggests something of the particular nature of Anglicanism. The essays themselves cover topics such as: Scripture; Tradition, Fathers, and Councils; Reason; Prayer Books; the 39 Articles and Homilies; Standard Divines; Doctrine of the Church; Holy Communion; Ministry and Priesthood; Episcopacy; Anglican Spirituality; Anglican Pastoral Tradition; Church-State Relations; The Ecumenical Future; Newer Dioceses of the Anglicanism; and a most helpful essay by Paul Avis (one of the examiners of my Ph.D. defense) titled "What is `Anglicanism?'" The essays are usually excellent and will provide its readers with a good overall introduction to what Anglicanism is. However, a few of the articles are noticeably weaker. For example, Fuller's essay on Scripture betrays a more liberal view of Scripture (it's not the Word of God but a sacrament of the Word of God) that is not shared by Anglicans historically or by the majority of Anglicans today (except in North American and England). Fuller's proclamation that "The Bible as norm can no longer be thought of as prescribing to us a ready-made theology for our own day and age" is, again, not historic Anglicanism or the belief of most Anglicans. Stevenson's otherwise useful article on "Lex Orandi-Lex Credendi," depends too heavily on insights Stevenson takes from the theology of Paul Ricoeur, which Stevenson imposes on Anglicanism. Stevenson also concludes that doctrine is always provisional and that any final pronouncement on what constitutes "truth" must be deemed idolatrous. I also found Allchin's article on Anglican spirituality to be weak and not particularly helpful. The volume is weak on developments within globa

An Outstanding Resource and Reference

As an Episcopalian in a very rural diocese who found himself studying for orders and taking the general ordination exams, I found this volume to be among one the most useful and accessible resources I had at my disposal. I would highly recommend it for anyone involved in continuing theological education, or as an adjunct reference to EFM or similar program materials. I especially appreciated the fact that the individual sections and essays were, by and large, authored by the recognized subject matter experts within Anglicanism - Hatchett for Prayer Book, Chadwick for History, Thompsett for Liturgy, etc.

A Valuable, Dense Collection

The articles that make up this collection come from credible scholars and offer the reader an astounding crash course on the development of Anglican thought in a variety of areas. It considers belief and practice as they are devoloping within Anglicanism's history. Densely written and organized, it is for folks who want more than simple answers, but aren't ready to read Hooker for themselves. Suitable for college and seminary reading as well as for ordination studies.

An amazing source of information about Anglicanism

This book gave me a tremendous amount of information about the history of the theology of the Church of England, the Episcopal Church in the United States, and to a lesser extent, the rest of the Anglican Communion. I am a life-long Episcopalian, and was fascinated to see that many of the things I consider as hallmarks of the modern Episcopal Church, such as the critical (non-literal) interpretation fo the Bible were there from the earliest theology of the Church of England Under Elizabeth I. Highly recommended!

Exhaustive Overview of Anglicanism

The title of this book says it all: The Study of Anglicanism. Sykes, Booty, and research assistant Knight, have edited and assembled a very academic work that is sure to be a difficult read for many people. But for those who really want to study Anglicanism, the essays contained in this work are a gold mine, written by scholars from a variety of segments of Anglicanism. If you are coming to this book with little Anglican background, make sure to first read Part I, The History of Anglicanism. The information in these first two chapters will go a long way to helping you understand the material in the later essays. There is practially nothing to quibble about in this book; it provides as exhaustive an overview of Anglicanism as anyone could reasonably expect from one book. A mini-library in itself, it should prove invaluable to anyone really wanting to learn about Anglicanism. Given the different factions within Anglicanism, it undoubtedly won't please everyone, but that's to be expected.