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What is the nature of world Anglicanism in a postcolonial, global age? This book provides the key to understanding both the character of this Christian tradition and the essential nature of current disputes. It describes the foundations of the tradition and outlines its central beliefs and practices, focusing on mission, liturgy, engagement with others, and power, knowledge and authority in the church. It includes chapters on women's ordination and on homosexuality in the public life of the church, and the final chapter looks to the challenges of the future.
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This page intentionally left blank ii AN INTRODUCTION TO WORLD ANGLICANISM What is the nature of world Anglicanism in a postcolonial, global age? With talk of fragmentation constantly in the media, what does it mean to be ‘Anglican’? This book presents Anglicanism as a conversation over time amongst a community of people held together by sets of practices and beliefs. The first part describes the emergence of Anglicanism and its foundations in older Christian traditions. The second looks at Anglican practices within the framework of changing understandings of mission, and focuses on liturgy, patterns of engagement with others, organisation and power in the church, and ministerial offices. There are two separate chapters on the ordination of women and homosexuality in the public life of the church. The third part, on beliefs, addresses the central question of knowledge and authority in Anglicanism, as well as ecclesiology, the nature of the church itself. A final chapter looks to the future. B R U C E K A Y E was General Secretary of the Anglican Church of Australia from 1994 to 2004. He is a cosmopolitan scholar and priest who, after studying in Sydney and taking his doctorate in Basel, held a post in the Theology Department at the University of Durham in the UK for twelve years before returning to the University of New South Wales in Australia. His visiting fellowships include periods in Freiburg-im-Breisgau, Cambridge and Seattle, and he is a regular visitor to North America. He is the author of eight books, editor of ten further volumes, and has written some sixty journal articles as well as contributing to newspapers, radio and TV. He is also the foundation editor of The Journal of Anglican Studies. AN INTRODUCTION TO WORLD ANGLICANISM BRUCE KAYE CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo Cambridge University Press The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 8RU, UK Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521853453 © Cambridge University Press 2008 This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provision of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published in print format 2008 ISBN-13 978-0-511-40997-4 eBook (NetLibrary) ISBN-13 978-0-521-85345-3 hardback ISBN-13 978-0-521-61866-3 paperback Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of urls for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this publication, and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate. Contents Acknowledgements List of abbreviations and sources page vii ix Introduction 1 PART I 7 FOUNDATIONS 1 The nature of the story as a tradition 2 Forming an Anglican nation in England 19 3 Forming Anglican churches around the world 41 PART II