Overview

At an international level, Anglicanism has almost no mandating or juridical power. Stresses and threats of division over issues such as human sexuality have resulted in moves to enhance the Communion's central structures and instruments. However, it is becoming clear that there is little likelihood of substantial change in this direction succeeding, at least in the medium term. The challenge for Anglicanism is to make a 'polity of persuasion' work more effectively. This volume seeks to identify some trends and shifts of emphasis in Anglican ecclesiology to serve that end. Jeffrey W. Driver argues that there is more at stake in such an exercise than Anglican unity. In an ever-shrinking, pluralist, and conflicted world, where oneness is often forced by dominance, the people of God are called to model something different. The injunction of Jesus, 'it is not so among you', challenged his followers to use power and live in community in a way that contrasted with what occurred 'among the Gentiles' (Mark 10:41-45). This is why the sometimes tedious debates about authority and structure in the Anglican Communion could actually matter - because they might have something to say about being human in community, about sharing power and coexisting, about living interdependently on a tiny and increasingly stressed planet. The Anglican experiment in dispersed authority, for all its grief, could be a powerful gift.

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Reviews

[A] timely and readable study [...]The Anglican Communion is called to model difference without destruction, passionate conviction without wrecking the peace, for this vulnerable planet. But what to do when mere persuasion fails, differences are tested to destruction, and the peace is shattered? Is that where the provisions of the Anglican Covenant come in? Driver makes a persuasive case to that effect. Revd Dr. Paul, Church Times, vol 19, issue 26, December 2014 Driver has provided a timely analysis of the present mood of Anglicanism. Chapter by chapter, Driver is essentially championing Anglican models of dispersed authority as they have developed around the world. However, he not only champions what is, but envisages a rich future of what Anglicanism might become. Driver encourages the communion not to flee from conversation but to commit to ongoing dialogue across continents, cultures and churches, no matter how difficult those conversations often are. This accessible publication is highly recommended to all those interested in Anglican studies, lay and ordained alike. Luke Hopkins, Modern Believing vol.56 (2), April 2015

[A] timely and readable study[ - ]The Anglican Communion is called to model difference without destruction, passionate conviction without wrecking the peace, for this vulnerable planet. But what to do when mere persuasion fails, differences are tested to destruction, and the peace is shattered? Is that where the provisions of the Anglican Covenant come in? Driver makes a persuasive case to that effect. Revd Dr. Paul, Church Times, vol 19, issue 26, December 2014

Author Information

Jeffrey W. Driver is the Anglican Archbishop of Adelaide in Australia. He is an adjunct lecturer in Charles Sturt University's School of Theology.

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