Historical Dictionary of Anglicanism

Colin Buchanan was ordained a deacon in 1961, elected to the House of Bishops in 1990, and until 2004 he was the Bishop of Woolwich. These are just a few of the major signposts in a career that has spanned nearly five decades and included work as a pastor and teacher as well as a participant in major Anglican and ecumenical commissions and conferences. From July 2005 to July 2012 he was honorary president of the (secular) Electoral Reform Society of Britain and Ireland.

Few people better are equipped to write a dictionary of Anglicanism than retired Anglican bishop Buchanan. A longstanding member of the Liturgical Commission of the Church of England and an author of classic works, he is one of a handful of people whose breadth of knowledge is sufficient for the task. This second edition—nearly 150 pages longer than the first (2006)—takes into account such recent controversial issues in the Anglican Communion as sexuality and the ordination of women to the episcopate. The broad topics covered include liturgical matters, ecumenical concerns, and missions, all within their historical contexts. Though there is no entry for Anglicanism per se, there is one for ‘Anglican Communion,’ which classically defines it as dioceses, provinces, or regional churches in communion with the see (archbishop) of Canterbury. Buchanan gives a history of the authority and controversies involving the complicated relationship throughout the churches, and one can find entries for churches in communion with the see of Canterbury. Appendixes list bishops and archbishops of Canterbury and historical unifying documents, and there is a detailed classified bibliography of sources. Anglicans represent the third-largest group of Christians in the world, with over 80 million adherents worldwide, so most libraries will want to own this book because there is nothing else like it. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels.

• Commendation by the Archbishop of CanterburyEditor’s Foreword Jon WoronoffPrefaceAcknowledgmentsReader’s NoteAcronyms and AbbreviationsChronologyIntroductionTHE DICTIONARYAppendixesA Bishops and Archbishops of CanterburyB The Thirty-Nine Articles of ReligionC The Anglican CovenantBibliographyAbout the Author