Dr. Martin Davie
Tutor in doctrine at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford,
and served at Theological Consultant to the House of Bishops.
A review by Dr Martin Davie of ‘Anglican Manifesto – A Christian Response to Oneworld Religion’,
by The Rev. Jack Estes
Jack Estes, Anglican Manifesto, Wipf and Stock, 978-1-625-64441-1, £14.00 (e edition also available).
Recently I gave a lecture to graduate students at Wycliffe Hall on the topic ‘The Anglican Communion: Past and Future.’ The responses I got to my lecture reinforced for me two convictions that I have now had for a number of years. The first is that otherwise well informed people are ignorant of the nature of the Anglican Communion and the crisis that it is currently facing. The second is that thought needs to be given to a way forward for the Communion. At the moment the running in the Communion is being made by the ‘Continuing Indaba’ project (see Phil Groves and Angharad Parry Jones, Living Reconciliation,SPCK, 2014). If you think there are problems with this project (as I do) what might a better alternative look like? A stimulating answer to this question is provided by Jack Estes’ book Anglican Manifesto.
Fr Jack Estes is the Rector of St Luke’s Church Bakersfield, California in the ACNA Diocese of San Joaquin and his book is his reflection on how the current struggles within Anglicanism relate to the wider developments that are taking place in the Christian Church as a whole. His conviction is that: ‘The Cataclysmic events now taking place in the Anglican Communion represent a microcosm in the state of Christianity as a whole. The same dynamics which fuel the fires of the current Anglican angst smolder beneath the surface of worldwide Christianity as we move into the twenty first century. The church universal is facing a polarization between the traditional Christian faith and a revised, progressive ‘Christianity’ that is nothing short of a new religious movement. Christians of every denomination must choose between the two.’
For Fr Estes the current situation described in these words is not only one of danger, but also one of opportunity. He thinks a reformed and renewed Anglicanism could help to renew the Church as a whole. ‘As an orthodox Anglican priest, I see clearly the possibility for the Anglican reformation to become a worldwide reformation of the Christian church –one that would reunite Christendom in a way not seen since the early church. I believe the calling of the Anglican reformers of the twenty first century goes far beyond just setting our own house in order, although this must be the first order of business. Rather, there is a calling to ignite the One Church movement worldwide.’
Fr Estes is from the Anglo-Catholic strand within ACNA and not all Latimer Trust supporters will agree with everything he says about Anglicanism and its history. Some may also think his vision for the future too ambitious. Nevertheless, these caveats aside, everyone can benefit from his acute analysis of the fundamental division between orthodox Christianity and the syncretistic ‘oneworld’ religion that is increasingly being offered in its place and from his challenge not just to think about the future of Anglicanism, but the future of the whole Church of God.
In the words of Professor Stephen Noll ‘Jack Estes is a parish priest who seeks to ‘rouse the sleeping giant’ of Episcopalianism and Anglicanism to a crisis of immense significance: two opposed worldviews nestled in the same ‘comprehensive’ church. Este’s cri de coeur will resonate with ordinary lay people who may wonder what the future holds for their beloved church.’
Tutor in doctrine at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford,
and served at Theological Consultant to the House of Bishops.
A review by Dr Martin Davie of ‘Anglican Manifesto – A Christian Response to Oneworld Religion’,
by The Rev. Jack Estes
Jack Estes, Anglican Manifesto, Wipf and Stock, 978-1-625-64441-1, £14.00 (e edition also available).
Recently I gave a lecture to graduate students at Wycliffe Hall on the topic ‘The Anglican Communion: Past and Future.’ The responses I got to my lecture reinforced for me two convictions that I have now had for a number of years. The first is that otherwise well informed people are ignorant of the nature of the Anglican Communion and the crisis that it is currently facing. The second is that thought needs to be given to a way forward for the Communion. At the moment the running in the Communion is being made by the ‘Continuing Indaba’ project (see Phil Groves and Angharad Parry Jones, Living Reconciliation,SPCK, 2014). If you think there are problems with this project (as I do) what might a better alternative look like? A stimulating answer to this question is provided by Jack Estes’ book Anglican Manifesto.
Fr Jack Estes is the Rector of St Luke’s Church Bakersfield, California in the ACNA Diocese of San Joaquin and his book is his reflection on how the current struggles within Anglicanism relate to the wider developments that are taking place in the Christian Church as a whole. His conviction is that: ‘The Cataclysmic events now taking place in the Anglican Communion represent a microcosm in the state of Christianity as a whole. The same dynamics which fuel the fires of the current Anglican angst smolder beneath the surface of worldwide Christianity as we move into the twenty first century. The church universal is facing a polarization between the traditional Christian faith and a revised, progressive ‘Christianity’ that is nothing short of a new religious movement. Christians of every denomination must choose between the two.’
For Fr Estes the current situation described in these words is not only one of danger, but also one of opportunity. He thinks a reformed and renewed Anglicanism could help to renew the Church as a whole. ‘As an orthodox Anglican priest, I see clearly the possibility for the Anglican reformation to become a worldwide reformation of the Christian church –one that would reunite Christendom in a way not seen since the early church. I believe the calling of the Anglican reformers of the twenty first century goes far beyond just setting our own house in order, although this must be the first order of business. Rather, there is a calling to ignite the One Church movement worldwide.’
Fr Estes is from the Anglo-Catholic strand within ACNA and not all Latimer Trust supporters will agree with everything he says about Anglicanism and its history. Some may also think his vision for the future too ambitious. Nevertheless, these caveats aside, everyone can benefit from his acute analysis of the fundamental division between orthodox Christianity and the syncretistic ‘oneworld’ religion that is increasingly being offered in its place and from his challenge not just to think about the future of Anglicanism, but the future of the whole Church of God.
In the words of Professor Stephen Noll ‘Jack Estes is a parish priest who seeks to ‘rouse the sleeping giant’ of Episcopalianism and Anglicanism to a crisis of immense significance: two opposed worldviews nestled in the same ‘comprehensive’ church. Este’s cri de coeur will resonate with ordinary lay people who may wonder what the future holds for their beloved church.’