The Established Church: Past, Present and Future

Description

This book offers a definitive account of the recent history and theology of the establishment of the Church of England. Written in an accessible style and at the same time rooted in serious scholarship, it offers a range of views and opinions as well as an awareness of contemporary political and social problems. It asks a number of penetrating questions, including the key issue of the extent to which churches, and particularly the Church of England, can be protected from equality legislation, while at the same time expecting to have special political and social privileges. This issue relates to the thorny problems of the reform of the House of Lords, and even to the future of the Monarchy. While there is no effort to impose a particular agenda or solution, the book is nevertheless often provocative and suggests a number of ways forward for establishment. It is intended as a lively contribution to an often-overlooked debate, which has nevertheless become increasingly important in the multi-cultural context of contemporary Britain.

Mark Chapman is Vice-Principal of Ripon College Cuddesdon, Oxford, and a Reader in Modern Theology at the University of Oxford, UK. He has written widely on modern church history, ethics and theology. His books include Ernst Troeltsch and Liberal Theology, The Coming Crisis, Blair's Britain and Anglicanism: A Very Short Introduction. Judith Maltby is Chaplain and Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Oxford, and Reader in Church History in the University of Oxford.

It almost seems axiomatic in public discussion these days that the Church of England should be disestablished -- yet this lively and varied set of essays suggests that such smug certainty needs vigorous questioning. Here are some refreshingly robust defences of establishment, as well as friendly candour from beyond Anglican boundaries. Don't write off the C of E as by Law Established just yet. -- Prof Diarmaid N.J. MacCulloch, DD, FBA, St Cross College, Oxford This is not simply an outstanding set of essays on the conundrum of establishment of the Church of England, but it is also a gateway into history, philosophy, ecumenism, and multiculturalism. In this volume, we discover that the English tradition of great collections of essays that speak to a particular question at the right time is alive and well. This is a truly great book. All the essays are exceptional, illuminating, informed, and accessible. Anyone searching for a rich, thoughtful, insightful discussion of the established Church of England must read this book. For Americans curious about this supposed anachronism, this is the book that will help them see the world differently. -- The Very Rev Dr. Ian Markham, Dean and President of Virginia Theological Seminary, USA 'Here's where you look for the ecclesiology of the Church of England: Oxford historians, theologians, politics teachers and social anthropologists pierce the fog that veils the Established Church's place and possibilities in the nation's past, present and future. The shafts of their prism illuminate where that combination of post-Thatcher politics and the selfish gene have got us to: the limits to "multiculturalism" as a governing model and why it's often the Church of England that remains Her Majesty's loyal opposition. Establishment may be costly for the church, but can the state afford to be without it? Every aspiring politician and civil servant should read this book' - The Rt Revd Dr David Stancliffe, UK. -- David Stancliffe Extract featured -- Standpoint Magazine Title mentioned in article in The Church of England Newspaper. This is an impressive and timely collection of essays: impressive, because the quality is consistently high; timely, because the organic relationship between religion and State in British society is currently undergoing (from renewal of civic society to the reform of the House of Lords) a period of accelerated evolution. -- Christopher Cocksworth, Bishop of Coventry * The Expository Times *