Cover: The Agony in the Garden by El Greco, by kind permission of The National Gallery
According to an ancient Chinese proverb it is a misfortune to live in interesting times. Anglicanism faces many serious challenges to its identity as a worldwide communion of Churches – the questioning of traditional doctrine and ethics, the ordination of women to the episcopate and priesthood, the Church’s relation to the public domain in an increasingly post-liberal culture, the exercise of ecclesial authority in a pan-Anglican context, plurality and the bonds and limits of communion, to name but a few. Whether the resultant debate turns out to be merely a misfortune or an occasion for genuine development remains to be seen.
The essays in this book are offered as a constructive and scholarly contribution to the discussion of the future shape of Anglicanism. They exhibit a deep, if critical commitment to the coherence and continued life and witness of the Anglican family of Churches. Drawn from the various traditions within Anglicanism – Catholic, Liberal and Evangelical – the contributors utilise the resources of historical, biblical and theological scholarship to examine various aspects of Anglicanism and raise questions about its future direction. The papers originated in two major international conferences held at Canterbury Christ Church College in 1994 and 1995.
The contributors to the volume are Paul Avis, Tim Bradshaw, Mark D. Chapman, Peter Davie, Gillian R. Evans, Samuel L. Edwards, John Halliburton, Robert Hannaford and Kenneth A. Locke.
The Editor, Robert Hannaford, an Anglican priest, is a Senior Lecturer in Theology and Director of the Centre for the Study of Christianity at Canterbury Christ church College, England.
