The Very Rev. Dr. Justyn Terry
Dean and President of Trinity School for Ministry
Jack Estes, Anglican Manifesto. Eugene OR: Wipf and Stock, 2014
Jack Estes is to be commended for this call for an Anglican reformation in the light of the challenges in the era of Oneworld religion.
It sets out his view of Anglicanism both historically and theologically in a way that is accessible and engaging, and provides a clear call to action. Such a rallying cry in the present climate of theological drift is to be applauded, especially since it offers such an accessible
analysis of what has happened to make Christian witness considerably harder in recent decades.
Anglican Manifesto engages the current moment for the Anglican Communion very directly. In many ways it is an affirmation of the
Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (FCE) and its Global Anglican Future Conferences (GAFCON). This is just the kind of gathering of leaders that Estes seems to describe on pages 97 and 98, and it has the sort of clear theological commitment that he seeks. It is no surprise that he is so positive about GAFCON (66-68).
One thing that Estes stresses that might not always be strongly present in FCE is the Sacramental Principle that he believes is a major component of evangelism in the context of Oneworld religion. Such a call to see the world as, “a dynamic interplay with the transcendent and immanent qualities of God’s being” (127) is a distinctive feature of this proposal, and one that may draw the attention of many seekers who long for such a re-enchantment of the world. If this can be done in a way that retains a high value on the preached word, as Estes himself recommends, this could have wide appeal across the Anglican spectrum.
Since this book is written for a popular audience, it keeps footnotes to a minimum. It also lays out historical and theological issues as simply and engagingly as possible. At times, this clarity comes at the cost of catching the complexity of the issues. For instance, the table on page 32 that equates “premodern” with the social context of, “western Christian” seems to neglect the many other forms of premodernism around the world and down the ages. Some will also object to equating “Liberal” with “Service” (as it often is) when Catholics and Evangelicals have such strong track records of service too. We could also ask whether believing human beings are made in the image of God implies they are inherently good (xvii), when God still applies that description to people after the fall (Gen 9:6), and whether Cranmer was influenced more by Luther or Calvin (5). But all this may be to miss the point.
Here we have a call to face the current trends towards a global form of secularism that stands against the Christian faith at many points. Estes calls Anglicans to proclaim what they believe in word and sacrament. Such a response is to be welcomed and I hope it will be widely heard.
Justyn Terry
Trinity School for Ministry, Ambridge, PA
Dean and President of Trinity School for Ministry
Jack Estes, Anglican Manifesto. Eugene OR: Wipf and Stock, 2014
Jack Estes is to be commended for this call for an Anglican reformation in the light of the challenges in the era of Oneworld religion.
It sets out his view of Anglicanism both historically and theologically in a way that is accessible and engaging, and provides a clear call to action. Such a rallying cry in the present climate of theological drift is to be applauded, especially since it offers such an accessible
analysis of what has happened to make Christian witness considerably harder in recent decades.
Anglican Manifesto engages the current moment for the Anglican Communion very directly. In many ways it is an affirmation of the
Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans (FCE) and its Global Anglican Future Conferences (GAFCON). This is just the kind of gathering of leaders that Estes seems to describe on pages 97 and 98, and it has the sort of clear theological commitment that he seeks. It is no surprise that he is so positive about GAFCON (66-68).
One thing that Estes stresses that might not always be strongly present in FCE is the Sacramental Principle that he believes is a major component of evangelism in the context of Oneworld religion. Such a call to see the world as, “a dynamic interplay with the transcendent and immanent qualities of God’s being” (127) is a distinctive feature of this proposal, and one that may draw the attention of many seekers who long for such a re-enchantment of the world. If this can be done in a way that retains a high value on the preached word, as Estes himself recommends, this could have wide appeal across the Anglican spectrum.
Since this book is written for a popular audience, it keeps footnotes to a minimum. It also lays out historical and theological issues as simply and engagingly as possible. At times, this clarity comes at the cost of catching the complexity of the issues. For instance, the table on page 32 that equates “premodern” with the social context of, “western Christian” seems to neglect the many other forms of premodernism around the world and down the ages. Some will also object to equating “Liberal” with “Service” (as it often is) when Catholics and Evangelicals have such strong track records of service too. We could also ask whether believing human beings are made in the image of God implies they are inherently good (xvii), when God still applies that description to people after the fall (Gen 9:6), and whether Cranmer was influenced more by Luther or Calvin (5). But all this may be to miss the point.
Here we have a call to face the current trends towards a global form of secularism that stands against the Christian faith at many points. Estes calls Anglicans to proclaim what they believe in word and sacrament. Such a response is to be welcomed and I hope it will be widely heard.
Justyn Terry
Trinity School for Ministry, Ambridge, PA