A Clear Vision for What It Means to Be Anglican Today Conceived under the conviction that the future of the global Anglican Communion hinges on a clear, welldefined, and theologically rich vision, the Reformation Anglicanism Essential Library was created to serve as a go-to resource aimed at helping clergy and educated laity grasp the coherence of the Reformation Anglican tradition. With contributions from Michael Jensen, Ben Kwashi, Michael Nazir-Ali, Ashley Null, and John W. Yates III, the first volume in the Reformation Anglicanism Essential Library examines the rich heritage of the Anglican Communion, introducing its foundational doctrines rooted in the solas of the Reformation and drawing out the implications of this tradition for life and ministry in the twenty-first century.

In this addition to the Reformation Anglicanism Essential Library, Michael P. Jensen examines how the reading and preaching of the Scriptures, the Sacraments, prayer, and singing all inform not only worship in Anglicanism, but worship as it is prescribed in the Bible.

Historical and Theological Reflections on the Anglican Church from J. I. Packer The Anglican Church has a rich theological heritage filled with a diversity of views and practices. Like a river with a main current and several offshoot streams, Anglicanism has a main body with many distinct, smaller communities. So what constitutes mainstream Anglicanism? Influential Anglican theologian J. I. Packer makes the case that "authentic Anglicanism" is biblical, liturgical, evangelical, pastoral, episcopal (ordaining bishops), national (engaging with the culture), and ecumenical (eager to learn from other Christians). As he surveys the history and tensions within the Anglican Church, Packer casts a vision for the future that is grounded in the Scriptures, fueled by missions, guided by historical creeds and practices, and resolved to enrich its people.

Many controversial religious debates of our day center on how to interpret scripture correctly. Is it historical or theological? How do we address contradictions? Greer shows the multi-layered Anglican tradition of what scripture is and how to interpret it.

Uncover the Deep Roots of the Reformation in Anglican Worship Conceived under the conviction that the future of the global Anglican Communion hinges on a clear, welldefined, and theologically rich vision, the Reformation Anglicanism Essential Library was created to serve as a go-to resource aimed at helping clergy and educated laity grasp the coherence of the Reformation Anglican tradition. In this addition to the Reformation Anglicanism Essential Library, Anglican scholar Michael P. Jensen showcases how the reading and preaching of the Scriptures, the sacraments, prayer, and singing inform not only Anglican worship, but worship as it is prescribed in the Bible.

While the postmodern world we inhabit is highly fragmented, contested, and conflicted, we all have one thing in common: we are experiencing identity crises. Religious traditions are not immune to these crises, and orthodox Anglicans have been experiencing their own issues with identity since the 2003 consecration of an openly homosexual man. Orthodox Anglicans want to say who they are as both orthodox and Anglican, but they are also finding it difficult to articulate a clear and coherent identity, especially an Anglican one. This orthodox Anglican pursuit of a renewed sense of self in a complex and fragmented world is a microcosm of our postmodern context, and an examination of their quest holds enticing clues to our own urgent searches for meaning and identity. Think of this book as a kind of story: the story of a worldwide church who, when its identity was threatened, took counsel together to renew and revitalize its sense of self. In the process, it not only faced many dangers and difficulties but also learned much about who it was and who it wanted to be.

Why did the Wesleyan Methodists and the Anglican evangelicals divide during the middle of the eighteenth century? Many say it was based narrowly on theological matters. Ryan Nicholas Danker suggests that politics was a major factor driving them apart. Rich in detail, this study offers deep insight into a critical juncture in evangelicalism and early Methodism.

Paul F.M. Zahl attempts to show - contrary to the opinion of many present-day "Anglican" writers - that Anglicanism is not just a via media (between Rome and Geneva, for example) but has been stamped decisively by classic Protestant insights and concerns. He also discusses the implications of Anglicanism's Protestant history for our own age, suggesting that this dimension of Anglicanism has an important contribution to make to the worldwide Christian community in the new millennium. Zahl opens his work by highlighting the Protestant influences in Anglican history and tradition, beginning with the Reformation in England. A short, popular recounting of the crucial Reformation decades is followed by the story of the Protestant tradition within the Church of England from 1688 to the present. Zahl then outlines the Protestant contribution to the American Episcopal Church, from nineteenth-century figures like Bishops Richard Channing Moore of Virginia and Gregory Thurston Bedell of Ohio, through the rise of the "liberal Evangelicals" in the early 1900s, to the Prayer Book of 1979, which effectively neutralized the "Morning Prayer" tradition in the Church. In the final chapter Zahl sketches a four-part theology of Protestant-Anglican identity as well as the Protestant-Anglican opportunity to speak both to the wider church and to the world at large.

In early Victorian England there was intense interest in understanding the early Church as an inspiration for contemporary sanctity. This was manifested in a surge in archaeological inquiry and also in the construction of new churches using medieval models. Some Anglicans began to use a much more complicated form of ritual involving vestments, candles, and incense. This "Anglo-Catholic" movement was vehemently opposed by evangelicals and dissenters, who saw this as the vanguard of full-blown "popery." The disputed buildings, objects, and art works were regarded by one side as idolatrous and by the other as sacred and beautiful expressions of devotion. Dominic Janes seeks to understand the fierce passions that were unleashed by the contended practices and artifacts - passions that found expression in litigation, in rowdy demonstrations, and even in physical violence. During this period, Janes observes, the wider culture was preoccupied with the idea of pollution caused by improper sexuality. The Anglo-Catholics had formulated a spiritual ethic that linked goodness and beauty. Their opponents saw this visual worship as dangerously sensual. In effect, this sacred material culture was seen as a sexual fetish. The origins of this understanding, Janes shows, lay in radical circles, often in the context of the production of anti-Catholic pornography which titillated with the contemplation of images of licentious priests, nuns, and monks.