Abstract
Paul Avis is an erudite and perceptive writer on Anglicanism; he is also a scholar devoted to the cause 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).
Unity is much sought in the Anglican Communion at present. Can this diverse family hold together in the light of disagreement about human sexuality and the interpretation of Scripture? Avis says it can and it must if it is to be true to its primary vocation to be One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic. He offers a challenge to those on both ‘sides’ of this deep divide. It is a calumny, for example, to condemn those who take a more progressive line as dishonouring Christ in their teaching and their lives; equally, it is all too easy for progressives to provoke disunity by claiming that their Provincial autonomy permits them to walk out of step. Above all, he criticises those who would resolve difference by refusing to talk to each other. How, he asks, can the Instruments of Unity, one of which is the Lambeth Conference, be expected to do their work if there is no willingness to confer?
All this is placed within an eloquent and at times moving vision of what Anglicanism is called to be. Whether or not a formal Covenant is ever agreed between the many Provinces of the Communion (and this looks increasingly unlikely), a covenanted and hallowed commitment must exist if Anglicanism is to persist. Avis is at pains to emphasize that in describing the distinctiveness of Anglicanism he is not thereby claiming superiority. The Anglican Communion is not uniquely catholic and reformed, episcopal and synodical or biblical and reasonable, for example. But in affirming (with F. D. Maurice) that ‘each major tradition of the Christian Church in its concrete expression, bears witness to an enduring truth’ (pp. 181–182) he unapologetically claims Anglicanism’s own enduring truth. This has something to do with valuing scholarship and the ability to hold together unlikely extremes of belief and practice. It is to do with ‘the grace of walking together without coercive constraints’ (p. 187).
Events move quickly in Anglicanism at the moment which means that the book, published in 2016, already feels dated in places. This is a pity, because Avis skilfully explores some of the great and timeless principles against which all branches of the Christian Church, including the Anglican Communion, must measure themselves. He deserves a hearing.