The Vocation of Anglicanism - by Paul Avis (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Paul Avis charts a pathway of theological integrity through the serious challenges facing the Anglican Communion in the first quarter of the 21st century. He asks whether there is a special calling for Anglicanism as an expression of the Christian Church and expounds the Anglican theological tradition to shed light on current controversies. He argues in conclusion that Anglicanism is called, like all the churches, to reflect the nature of the Church that we confess in the Creed to be one, holy, catholic and apostolic.

The book provides a clear view of the way that the Anglican tradition holds together aspects of the church that in other traditions are sometimes allowed to drift apart, as the Anglican understanding of the Church reveals itself to be catholic and reformed, episcopal and synodical, universal and local, biblical and reasonable, traditional and open to fresh insight. Avis combines accessible scholarly analysis with constructive arguments that will bring fresh hope and vision to Anglicans around the world.

Review Quotes

[Avis] has managed to combine ecumenical sensitivity with a readiness to defend Anglicanism. ... [H]e sets out his stall with admirable clarity and cogency. He also develops and interprets [his] basic understanding of Anglicanism in ways that are often stimulating.
Church of England Newspaper

Paul Avis is an erudite and perceptive writer on Anglicanism; he is also a scholar devoted to the case of Christian unity. His latest book makes all this plain, offering a generous, open-hearted view of what Anglicanism, at its best, might become (and sometimes already is).
The Expository Times

This is a hopeful and generous book, looking for "the Church+? and its notes of unity, holiness, catholicity, and apostolicity wherever they may be found. ... The essays collected here are excellent testimony to [Avis's] attentiveness to other voices, historical and contemporary.
Theological Studies

About the Author

Paul Avis is a Chaplain to HM Queen Elizabeth II, and has served as General Secretary of the Church of England's Council for Christian Unity (1998-2011). He is Visiting Professor of Theology at the University of Exeter, UK, and Editor-in-Chief of Ecclesiology.