William Sachs takes up the Emergence of the Anglian Communion in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries noting the erosion of consensus in the second half of the Twentieth Century. He does not gloss over the fact that “homosexuality as an open, affirmed lifestyle has become an issue which threatens to split the communion.” He notes that disagreement and separate ideals of communion have taken shape with one side accepting homosexuality and forming networks, while the other held an alternative to the Lambeth Conference in Jerusalem. He concludes, “The future of the Communion seems in doubt.”

The brilliant canonist Norman Doe takes up the Instruments of Unity and Communion of Global Anglicanism, discussing the instruments of unity, the canons, the Windsor Report and the Covenant. He concludes that the instruments, designed to promote and support ecclesial unity and communion, are only a means to an end and not the end in itself. He holds out hope that the Covenant represents an historical landmark.

Nancy Carol James, an American historian, takes up the history of the Archbishops of Canterbury, past and current, followed by a dissertation on the Book of Common Prayer by J. Robert Wright. He notes the contribution of Thomas Cranmer who sought to provide “but one use” in a single volume in the magnificent English prose of that era. He also notes the legacy set for subsequent ages and “indeed for the entire Anglican Communion that is, a prayer book in the English vernacular, prayer in a language both contemporary and dignified without being commonplace or sentimental."

A section on the provinces is both comprehensive and enlightening. I took two provinces in Africa that represent the polarities in the communion – The Anglican Province of Southern Africa and the Anglican Province of Nigeria -- as test cases. One is the most liberal of province the other is the most conservative.

The story of Nigeria, written by Bishop Benjamin A. Kwashi , is comprehensive, tracing the origins of Anglicanism to CofE CMS missionaries who brought the gospel to Africa in the Nineteenth century, and outlining its vision and challenges. he concludes with the fact that the province is today 20 million strong, solidly evangelical and the second largest in the communion. He includes a section on GAFCON and does not gloss over what he calls “the manipulation of those who have denied the gospel and its power to transform and to save…” a direct hit on North American Anglicanism.

By contrast, the article on The Anglican Church of Southern Africa, written by Ian S. Markham, paints a different portrait of a province under attack, almost from the beginning, by the heretical Bishop John William Colenso, “the unwitting architect of the Anglican Communion” out of which came the first Lambeth Conference of 1867.

The province has remained in turmoil ever since with its struggle against Apartheid and the rise of Archbishop Tutu. The section concludes abruptly with a quote from Harold Lewis, a black priest from the Diocese of Pittsburgh, who notes that “there is a sense that South Africa might well be the crucible for Anglicanism in a new century.” This statement is well off the mark. If anything, the evangelically driven provinces of Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda (to name but a few) control the spiritual destiny of Africa. It is Southern Africa that is the odd man out. I found this chapter less than satisfying and wished for more.

A chapter on the L’Eglise Episcopale au Rwanda does not gloss over the genocide that saw the death of a million Hutus and Tutsis. It did note that the ethnic killings were “complex”, citing poor and weak leadership. Its latest leader, Archbishop Onosphere Rwaje vigorously promotes unity among all religious denominations and promotes programs for orphans, widows and genocide survivors emotionally, physically and spiritually.

The chapter on The Episcopal Church traces the historical beginnings of the church, talks up the social issues the church has confronted over the years, abolitionism, slavery, divisions after the Civil War, civil rights, women’s rights, and more; however, the author J. Barney Hawkins IV deftly avoids any talk of pansexuality, the ordination of a gay and lesbian bishops, the split away from TEC of parishes over property litigation and the formation of the ACNA. He notes only that “the Episcopal Church’s relationships in the worldwide Anglican Communion have been stretched by the church’s revolutionary restless way of being Anglican in a fast-paced global church.” This doesn’t begin to touch the “revolutionary” happenings that have transpired over the last dozen years. This chapter was something of a disappointment.

A section on Theology in the Anglican Communion by Justyn Terry is a gem showing that Anglican theology is both a distinctive tradition in Christian thought and one that is bound up with many other traditions. He outlines theology from its beginnings in Tudor England to the outline of Anglicanism in the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral to the sources of Anglicanism’s theology rooted as it is in Scripture, the catholic creeds and the historical formularies of the Church of England. He touches all the bases from the 39 Articles to Hooker and Jewel to the distinctives that include theological commitments in the church, ministry, and sacraments, concluding with a robust defense of Anglicanism and a history of personages that have made Anglicanism what it is today.

A section on The Anglican Communion and Ecumenical Relations by former Rochester (UK) Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali is 14 tightly packed pages of Anglicanism’s history beginning with his observation that Anglicanism is but an expression of the Western Latin tradition of Christianity. He touches on the Lambeth Quadrilateral, Anglican Methodist talks, the history of the Lambeth Conferences, concluding with the observation of Archbishop Runcie that we are interdependent rather than independent and the Windsor Report’s notation that as Anglicans we are “autonomy in communion”. An excellent chapter and well worth the price of the volume.

Nancy Carol James has written an excellent article on Liturgy in the Anglican Communion. She notes the controversy over the 1979 Book of Common Prayer which resulted in several Episcopal organizations springing up in protest with some parishes leaving TEC over the issue. This is a meaty chapter.

This is a "must have" volume for every bishop of the Anglican Communion and those priests who want to steep themselves in the mystery and, sometimes, ambiguity of what it means to be Anglican. Once started, I could not put the volume down as it resonated on so many levels. I learned much, relearned more, and felt more keenly that being an Anglican is nothing to be ashamed of despite the agonies the Communion is currently experiencing.

The tome is a magnificent reference tool and should be at the elbow of anyone who wants to take the Anglican Communion seriously, especially in these troubling times when so many are fleeing to other jurisdictions -- both Catholic and Orthodox. We have a wonderful history, we should not be ashamed of anything. While the pendulum has swung backwards and forwards over the generations, we have remained Anglicans, now the third largest denomination in the world today.

The flames of the East African Revival still continue to hover. GAFCON I and GAFCON II are proof of that.

This uniquely comprehensive reference work provides an insightful and wide-ranging treatment of a dynamic global faith, offering unrivaled coverage of its historical development, and the religious and ethical questions affecting the church today.

This single volume spans the Anglican Communion’s long history from earliest times to the 21st century debates within the church on such issues as sexual-orientation of clergy, and the pastoral role of women. I recommend it highly.
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