A History of Global Anglicanism (Introduction to Religion) [Paperback]

Kevin Ward is the perfect person to write a history of global Anglicanism, since he has been involved with global Anglicanism not just as a professor but also as a missionary, a trustee of the Church Mission Society, and member of the General Synod of the Church of England. While most of the books on the history of Anglicanism have focused exclusively on the Church of England and other "Western" churches such as The Episcopal Church, the changing demography of Anglicanism demands that any contemporary Anglican history deal adequately with the global context of Anglicanism today.

Ward focuses on the activity of the indigenous of the global Anglican churches in helping to create and shape the Anglican Communion. His entire book may be summarized as "not English, but Anglican." His emphasis is on "the experience of local people and societies in their decisions to accept or reject the Anglican forms of Christianity." Ward further argues that the English cultural hegemony can no longer be allowed to shape the writing of Anglican history (or, presumably, the definitions of Anglicanism that Anglicans offer).

Ward does a good job of exploring the indigenous responses to Anglicanism in places such as the Caribbean, Latin America, West Africa, Southern Africa, East Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, China, and the Asian Pacific. He provides historical details about Anglicanism in these areas of the world that is very difficult to come by from other sources.

However, when he discusses Anglican identity and the current crisis within the Anglican Communion, the book is much weaker. Ward says, "I have not been concerned to define the nature of Anglicanism too precisely, to extract the `genius of Anglicanism.'" For this, Ward can be forgiven, since defining Anglicanism is notoriously difficult (I know: my Ph.D. thesis was one attempt to do just this). However, there must be some definition of Anglicanism kept in mind, or else it becomes a not particularly useful and merely descriptive definition. Ward's hope is that the Anglican Communion will develop a self-understanding which enables the communion to appreciate its common heritage of faith and order, its worship, and its discipleship. However, it is now clear that the Anglican Communion has much less of a common faith, order, and worship than Ward and others assume. Ward doesn't like the attempts by orthodox Anglicans globally to form a more "highly regimented" communion, but his solution would only allow the present crisis to linger and drift even more into open schism.

In summary, "A History of Global Anglicanism" is very good in describing local responses to Anglicanism around the globe but much weaker when it comes to offering definitions of Anglicanism or possible ways to resolve the current crisis of identity and faith.

Kevin Ward has written a thorough account of Anglicanism as a global faith and a fragile communion that has deep non-English roots. A lecturer in African studies in Dept of theology at Leeds, Ward appreciates cultural identities and local perspectives. He sees the Anglican Church as more than an anachronistic 'hangover of the British Empire'. A more thorough discussion of modern issues like provincial boundaries and their connection to global history would be interesting. Fine scholarship and full bibliography.