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Why I Am Still an Anglican
The Anglican church has been no stranger to controversy over its long history but, arguably, the debates raging at the moment are among the very hottest it has known, so much so that they threaten to split the Anglican Communion. What better time, then, to ask a dozen prominent Anglicans why they are still in the church and what they love about it? The contributors have been chosen because they represent Anglicanism in all its range and diversity, but also because they remain positive about the church and their place in it. At a time when many despair over the schisms and arguments within the church, this is a refreshing and faith-building contribution to the debate.
- GenresReligionChristianity
192 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 26, 2021
V readable, v interesting, v concise
highlights include:
Frank Field on social policy and the church
Rupert Sheldrake on the pull of Anglicanism to a proper scientist
Ian Hislop being Ian Hislop
Most emphasised the scripture/reason/tradition basis and the benefits of the broad encompassing view of the church in most cases.
highlights include:
Frank Field on social policy and the church
Rupert Sheldrake on the pull of Anglicanism to a proper scientist
Ian Hislop being Ian Hislop
Most emphasised the scripture/reason/tradition basis and the benefits of the broad encompassing view of the church in most cases.
November 11, 2015
This book was given to me by my training vicar ten years ago on my ordination at St Paul's cathedral. It is a measure of the backlog of unread books on my shelves that it has taken me ten years to get round to reading it. The title at the time struck me as an odd one - not least as a present to someone who had just signed their life away to the Anglican church. It was the "still" that got me - as though it were written by desperately unhappy people who were hanging on to their faith by the skin of their teeth. It's a pity, because none of the writers come across like that at all. "Why I am an Anglican" would have been a less sensational and more accurate title, which is presumably why it wasn't chosen.
As to the book itself, it consists not of essays but of edited interviews between Caroline Chartres and a variety of prominent Anglicans, some ordained, some not. This means that at times it reads a little bit like an edited selection from Church Times, which is by no means complimentary. Even so, the voices are authentic, always interesting and give a sufficiently diverse view of the church to encourage this Anglican that the event ten years ago at St Paul's was not a hopeless endeavour.
The weakness of the book lies in the similarity of the background of the interviewees. With the notable exception of the Nigerian chieftain (I hesitate to use the word "token" but...) almost all the interviewees are from public school background, Oxbridge educated and in the majority of cases grew up within the Anglican tradition. Reading this book does nothing to dispel the suspicion that Anglicanism will always thrive in Cathedrals and Oxbridge Colleges ("spirituality for Radio 3 listeners" as the journalist Andrew Brown has described it). I would have liked to have heard more from the Anglican voices for whom choral evensong and the liturgy are not the bedrock of their faith -John Stott and Nicky Gumble, the evangelical vicars of two of the wealthiest London parishes hardly smash the stereotype even if their Anglicanism is of a different cast from many of the others.
This notwithstanding, the book is an encouragement and a reminder that despite the slings and arrows of the cynical media, the Anglican Church is more than dithering clergy presiding over a spiritual branch of Saga. Fay Weldon puts it best: Anglicans may not be wholly sure of their faith, but they will die for it nonetheless.
As to the book itself, it consists not of essays but of edited interviews between Caroline Chartres and a variety of prominent Anglicans, some ordained, some not. This means that at times it reads a little bit like an edited selection from Church Times, which is by no means complimentary. Even so, the voices are authentic, always interesting and give a sufficiently diverse view of the church to encourage this Anglican that the event ten years ago at St Paul's was not a hopeless endeavour.
The weakness of the book lies in the similarity of the background of the interviewees. With the notable exception of the Nigerian chieftain (I hesitate to use the word "token" but...) almost all the interviewees are from public school background, Oxbridge educated and in the majority of cases grew up within the Anglican tradition. Reading this book does nothing to dispel the suspicion that Anglicanism will always thrive in Cathedrals and Oxbridge Colleges ("spirituality for Radio 3 listeners" as the journalist Andrew Brown has described it). I would have liked to have heard more from the Anglican voices for whom choral evensong and the liturgy are not the bedrock of their faith -John Stott and Nicky Gumble, the evangelical vicars of two of the wealthiest London parishes hardly smash the stereotype even if their Anglicanism is of a different cast from many of the others.
This notwithstanding, the book is an encouragement and a reminder that despite the slings and arrows of the cynical media, the Anglican Church is more than dithering clergy presiding over a spiritual branch of Saga. Fay Weldon puts it best: Anglicans may not be wholly sure of their faith, but they will die for it nonetheless.
February 4, 2015
This book is an excellent summation of the nature and being of the Church of England. It ought to be required reading for all members, Bishops, Priests, Deacons, Readers, ordinands, and absolutely ALL other members of the Church of England. The contributions are thought provoking, wide-ranging, challenging, interesting, reassuring, amusing, serious, and above all a heartfelt plea against those who determinedly act to destroy this unique Church.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews