The Accidental Anglican: The Surprising Appeal of the Liturgical Church by Todd Hunter.
http://www.amazon.com/Accidental-Anglican-Surprising-Appeal-Liturgical/dp/0830838392/ref=pd_rhf_p_t_1
When I came across this book, "The Accidental Anglican," by Todd Hunter on Amazon, I was at first delighted. I wrote my Ph.D. thesis on the identity of orthodox Anglicanism, and I knew that Todd Hunter was an orthodox Anglican. With the subtitle: "The Surprising Appeal of the Liturgical Church," I was expecting a fresh apologetic for why Anglicanism as a liturgical church is an ancient Christian tradition that has begun to appeal to so many.
When I read the book, however, I was sadly disappointed. What I discovered the book to be is a very breezy, episodic biography of Todd Hunter and his journey to Anglicanism. The book, ultimately, appears self-serving. Although I'm interested in the narratives of individuals, especially about how they became Anglicans, this book seemed too much about Todd Hunter and the Anglican Mission in America, and too little about Anglicanism or the liturgy.
The truth is that the subtitle is very misleading: there is only one chapter that deals with liturgy, and this chapter explains aspects of the liturgy in a very elementary way. I suppose this is to be expected from a new convert to Anglicanism, but it does seem odd to have an Anglican bishop who hasn't been in the tradition that long and whose background is in a church (Vineyard) that has many significant differences from what Anglicanism has always taught and how it has worshiped.
Ultimately, I found very little of substance in this book and doubt it will be of great interest to many, except those in the Anglican Mission in America who are interested in the personal journey of one of their newest bishops. For Anglicans as a whole, and those trying to understand Anglicanism, there is very little meat here, indeed.
My own notions of high church Episcopalianism were set by my family's outlook. I grew up as the product of several generations of Southern fundamentalists, and we were more than a little suspicious of what we regarded as the "rigamarole" of Episcopalianism--not too far distant from the heresy of Catholicism. We figured that any prayer that had to be read--e.g., from the Book of Common Prayer--could not possibly be a sincere or genuine prayer, from the heart. We were suspicious of choir robes and ministerial garb of any kind. We never used the word "liturgy" to describe anything that we were doing, and I was pretty sure that any "liturgical" church was full of people who were going to hell because they were more focused on form than substance.
So it is fascinating to me to read Todd Hunter's stated mission of creating "Churches for the Sake of Others." By that phrase, he means something fundamental about how he approaches his Christian faith. Hunter says faith is all about serving others, listening to others, loving others. It's a funny form of self-denial, which, says Hunter, rebounds to do unexpectedly good things for the person who follows that path. By setting out to serve and listen to others, you find fulfillment and happiness for yourself.
Far from being deadly and formalistic, Hunter says, liturgy is vital to how he understands and practices his faith. It provides him a structure for his practice of Christian love and faith; it gives him a consistent and trustworthy community of fellow practitioners; and it leads to respect and reverence--an increased love of God and neighbor. I will be interested to hear more of where Todd Hunter's calling takes him.
http://www.amazon.com/Accidental-Anglican-Surprising-Appeal-Liturgical/dp/0830838392/ref=pd_rhf_p_t_1
Description
Many are longing for historical connectedness and for theology that is "not tied to the whims of contemporary culture, but to apostolic-era understandings of Christian faith and practice." They also yearn for rhythms and routines that build spiritual health. Still others are responding to a call to participate in worship rather than merely sitting back and looking at a stage. Liturgy offers all of this and more. In this book Todd Hunter chronicles his journey from the Jesus People movement and national leadership in the Vineyard to eventually becoming an Anglican Bishop. Along the way he explains why an evangelical Christian might be drawn to the liturgical way. Curious about the meaning of liturgy? Come and discover what may be waiting for you there.
Some reviews.
By
When I came across this book, "The Accidental Anglican," by Todd Hunter on Amazon, I was at first delighted. I wrote my Ph.D. thesis on the identity of orthodox Anglicanism, and I knew that Todd Hunter was an orthodox Anglican. With the subtitle: "The Surprising Appeal of the Liturgical Church," I was expecting a fresh apologetic for why Anglicanism as a liturgical church is an ancient Christian tradition that has begun to appeal to so many.
When I read the book, however, I was sadly disappointed. What I discovered the book to be is a very breezy, episodic biography of Todd Hunter and his journey to Anglicanism. The book, ultimately, appears self-serving. Although I'm interested in the narratives of individuals, especially about how they became Anglicans, this book seemed too much about Todd Hunter and the Anglican Mission in America, and too little about Anglicanism or the liturgy.
The truth is that the subtitle is very misleading: there is only one chapter that deals with liturgy, and this chapter explains aspects of the liturgy in a very elementary way. I suppose this is to be expected from a new convert to Anglicanism, but it does seem odd to have an Anglican bishop who hasn't been in the tradition that long and whose background is in a church (Vineyard) that has many significant differences from what Anglicanism has always taught and how it has worshiped.
Ultimately, I found very little of substance in this book and doubt it will be of great interest to many, except those in the Anglican Mission in America who are interested in the personal journey of one of their newest bishops. For Anglicans as a whole, and those trying to understand Anglicanism, there is very little meat here, indeed.
By Andrew Himes
In his new book, Todd Hunter, recounts the unexpected trail that took him from the Jesus People movement of the 1970s through the Vineyard community of churches to his recent appointment as an Anglican Bishop charged with the mission of planting two hundred new Episcopalian churches in the western United States in the next 20 years. Is that a wild and crazy ambition, or what? My own notions of high church Episcopalianism were set by my family's outlook. I grew up as the product of several generations of Southern fundamentalists, and we were more than a little suspicious of what we regarded as the "rigamarole" of Episcopalianism--not too far distant from the heresy of Catholicism. We figured that any prayer that had to be read--e.g., from the Book of Common Prayer--could not possibly be a sincere or genuine prayer, from the heart. We were suspicious of choir robes and ministerial garb of any kind. We never used the word "liturgy" to describe anything that we were doing, and I was pretty sure that any "liturgical" church was full of people who were going to hell because they were more focused on form than substance.
So it is fascinating to me to read Todd Hunter's stated mission of creating "Churches for the Sake of Others." By that phrase, he means something fundamental about how he approaches his Christian faith. Hunter says faith is all about serving others, listening to others, loving others. It's a funny form of self-denial, which, says Hunter, rebounds to do unexpectedly good things for the person who follows that path. By setting out to serve and listen to others, you find fulfillment and happiness for yourself.
Far from being deadly and formalistic, Hunter says, liturgy is vital to how he understands and practices his faith. It provides him a structure for his practice of Christian love and faith; it gives him a consistent and trustworthy community of fellow practitioners; and it leads to respect and reverence--an increased love of God and neighbor. I will be interested to hear more of where Todd Hunter's calling takes him.
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