Anglican Ecclesiology

The sermon by Benjamin Hoadly, the Bishop of Bangor, that catalysed the so-called Bangorian Controversy. Hoadly held that the Bible did not support any form of Church government — since Jesus preached the Kingdom of God (and not the establishment of the Church), there was no warrant for inferring a theological role (and certainly no civil role) for ordained ministry.

Among the many practicalities and the all-too-worldly demands of lay and ordained ministry, Christian leadership is fundamentally theological in its source, substance, and ends. Drawing on the great pastoral theologians of the early church, St. Gregory of Nazianzus and St. Augustine of Hippo, along with exemplary leaders in later Anglican and other traditions, this essay outlines the basic prìnciples of pastoral and lay leadership. Special attention is given to the relationship between theology and the many practicalities of leaders' work, the ministry of the word, the doctrine of the Trinity, the spintual or pastoral interpretation of Scnpture, and the importance of regular study for the work of Christian leadership.

The Oxford Movement is considered to be one of the most influential movements in the history of the Church of England and the wider Anglican Communion. This paper sets out to examine this movement's far-reaching effects, particularly in the realms of liturgy and spirituality.

This book is about Roger Williams (ca. 1603-83), who was banished from the colony of Massachusetts Bay for advocating freedom of conscience, separation of church and state, Native American rights, and related matters.  He founded the town of Providence in what became Rhode Island on the basis of full liberty of conscience and complete separation of religion and government.  For additional information, see the uploaded PDF and links.

The book is available in paperback and Kindle e-book editions at Amazon websites throughout the world.  The paperback is also available at some other websites and bookstores.

See also my YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOlUZaehYk7WmwW8v9oBMzQ) about Roger Williams, including an interview (https://youtu.be/mGRl5lIbdYY) with me about this book.

For Errata and Supplemental Comments, see the separate document uploaded at https://www.academia.edu/13798228/Errata_and_Supplemental_Comments_to_The_First_American_Founder_Roger_Williams_and_Freedom_of_Conscience.

Alan E. Johnson

Beyond the influences that the Oxford Movement and later Anglo-Catholicism had on liturgy and spirituality in the Church of England and wider Anglican Communion, the Movement's early leaders - the Tractarians - were primarily focused on ecclesiology. This paper sets out to examine the ecclesiological thought of the Tractarians and how they sought to reshape Anglican ecclesiastical identity.

Russian: В данной статье затрагивается вопрос идентичности и самопонимания Церкви Англии с философско-религиоведческой и философско-правоведческой точек зрения. Для реализации этой задачи авторы обращаются к теме священства и церковного служения епископов, пресвитеров и диаконов в том объеме, в каком она раскрыта в современном каноническом праве Римской католической церкви и Церкви Англии. Авторы пришли к выводу, что каноны ЦА и РКЦ, касающиеся экклесиологического статуса клириков, идентичны и различаются лишь в частностях.

English: The article deals with the issue of the identity and self-understanding of the Church of England from philosophical and jurisprudential points of view as well as from that of Religious Studies. To achieve their aim, the authors turn to the topic of priesthood and episcopal, priestly and diaconal ministry as they are described and discussed in the current compendia of Canon Law (as they now stand) of both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England.

In M. Spedicato (ed.), Stati e chiese nazionali nell’Italia di antico regime. Atti del seminario di Lecce (29-30 settembre 2006), EP, Galatina 2007, pp. 161-182.  L’articolo sottolinea come i procedimenti di rilettura, interpretazione e attualizzazione del testo dell’Apocalisse, procedimenti che di volta in volta vengono ritenuti come i più aderenti a una presunta “originalità di significato” del testo dai rispettivi gruppi che li brandiscono come arma di lotta politica e ideologica, rappresentino una spia di particolare interesse per chiarire le pretese legittimanti messe in campo da particolari gruppi sociali in chiave polemica e come strumento di costruzione di una identità collettivo-religiosa in chiave “nazionale”. L’articolo prende in esame i casi delle interpretazioni dell’Apocalisse nell’ambito protestante, anglicano, ugonotto, e nel più tardo contesto metodista, senza trascurare i rovesciamenti e le prese di posizione “anti-nazionaliste” messe in atto dalla controffensiva controriformista. Lo studio cerca di rendere ulteriormente operativo il metodo di analisi inaugurato da M. Weber nel 1905, e perseguito con metodi sempre più raffinati da numerosi studi dell’ultimo trentennio, che ritiene assolutamente decisiva e sostanziale la connessione tra strutture “religiose” e strutture socio-politiche ed anche economiche (connessione che negli ambiti studiati nell’articolo rende quasi impossibile una distinzione chiara tra elementi – nel caso quello politico, economico, religioso e collettivo-nazionale – ritenuti spesso distinti o, peggio ancora, autonomi l’uno rispetto all’altro).

The proposed Anglican Covenant impinges not only upon the future of the Anglican Communion, but global Christianity as well. Pro Communione: Theological Essays on the Anglican Covenant is the first volume that considers the completed text of the Covenant and its congruity with the Anglican tradition. Contributors across the Anglo-American world appraise the Covenant within a holistic framework defined by liturgical, historical, and ecumenical perspectives. These essays transcend current debates by illuminating abiding theological themes within Anglicanism. Creative and edifying, rigorous and hopeful, Pro Communione envisions a revival of the Anglican imagination within the context of a covenanted Anglican Communion.