Overview

For at least the past two decades, international Anglicanism has been gripped by a crisis of identity: what is to be the dynamic between autonomy and interdependence? Where is authority to be located? How might the local relate to the international? How are the variously diverse national churches to be held together ‘in communion’? ""A Still More Excellent Way"" presents a comprehensive account of the development and nature of metropolitical authority and the place of the ‘province’ within Anglican polity, with an emphasis on the contemporary question of how international Anglicanism is to be imagined and take shape. The first comprehensive historical examination of the development of metropolitical authority and provincial polity within international Anglicanism, the book offers hope to those wearied by the deadlock and frustration around questions of authority which have dogged Anglicanism.

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9780334059325

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Reviews

In this timely work Alexander Ross offers the first comprehensive account of the theology of the 'province' in Anglicanism. Drawing on a range of different disciplines and making thorough use of archives he reveals the creative potential of provincial autonomy. Challenging those Anglicans who seek tidy solutions and strong boundaries, he sees relational messiness and open-endedness as offering a solution far more in tune with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. On this Anglicanism's future depends. -- Mark Chapman There can be few recent writers of such calibre who have grasped, understood and discerned the multiple complexities, challenges and opportunities that are facing global Anglicanism today. Dr Alex Ross has, in this remarkable book, charted a brilliant pathway through the issues that currently assail Anglican polity, and in so doing demonstrates a natural flair for theological and ecclesiological engagment. This is a book flecked with rich insight, wisdom and practical knowledge. It comes from the mind of a writer who has comprehended the church - very deeply - and understands how the problems and possibilities for a polity that that seeks to be comprehensive and broad, yet is also confronted by division and polarisation. The great achievement of this book - and of the author - is to present us with a work that is full of promise for the church. For all Anglicans, poise, peace and polity remain real possibilities amidst the challenges of our contemporary cultures. Unity and diversity can coexist. Harmony and disagreement intertwined may be signs of breadth and maturity, not further fracture. This is a truly outstanding debut book by a gifted theologian, and his voice has an important, if not vital contribution to make to the future of global Anglicanism. -- Martyn Percy This is a terrific work, extremely relevant to issues facing Anglicans around the world. Ross argues for an older and more fundamental Anglican ecclesiology that focusses on the Province and the Metropolitan. It provides a careful deconstruction of the way in which the national church has taken centre stage at the expense of a provincial polity and a systematic examination of fundamental archival sources not previously brought to bear on the argument about the actual changes in practice in world-wide Anglicanism in what he calls 'The Age of the Primates'. An excellent work and a significant contribution to Anglican studies and the life of Anglican churches around the world. -- Bruce Kaye

Author Information

Alexander Ross is a parish priest in the Diocese of Melbourne. He was previously Associate Dean and Bye-Fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge.

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