A Review of The Anglican Way by Thomas McKenzie
The Anglican Way by Thomas McKenzie (1971-2021) is an overview of Anglican spirituality, worship, devotion, theology, and practice. Fr Thomas is the first pastor of Church of the Redeemer, Nashville.
In the name of full disclosure, Thomas writes for this website and is a friend. He asked me to read the original manuscript version, and we had several conversations about this project as it was in progress. This will be a friendly review, but I’ve left nothing out that I think about the book, and all that I express is true to my perspective about the book. He hasn’t paid me anything for this review.
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The Anglican Way: Captivatingly Useful
The Anglican Way is well-titled. This book is about a way. It invites people to an experiential journey with the Anglicans. It is also truly a “guidebook.” You can skip around in it like you would a travel book; its also easy to read through cover to cover. It will work best for someone who is actually visiting or regularly attending an Anglican church, although others would profit as well. As a pastor, I think this is very important because our faith is shared in the community. Thomas avoids the temptation to turn Anglicanism into a subject to merely be dissected, instead choosing to be a guide along the way as someone is seeking to be formed as a Christian, and as an Anglican.
It’s so arduous to summarize the Anglican experience. There are various streams, parties, and perspectives—not to mention liturgical approaches. This book does it, though. This book is also non-partisan while still confident and clear. It would be useful to every “stream” as a basic introduction. It succeeds because it spends more time on what we affirm than what we deny—and avoids our speculative theologies almost entirely.
Breaking Through Preconceived Notions
Fr Thomas starts with the Compass Rose as a memorable tool for holding together an understanding of how Anglicanism can be both diverse and yet centered at the same time. Working through the kinds of things that most evangelicals think are binary opposites (such as Catholic-Charismatic or Liberal-Conservative), he systematically shows how, within the central circle of the compass (Christ/Creeds), these things can not only hold together but also temper and correct one another. He tells personal stories from pastoral ministry, an approach that I think is the best part of this book. This is flowing from his care for his people and his desire to share the Anglican way with them.
He then works through the devotional and worship life of the Anglican church, including the seasons and Sunday worship. This is followed by a succinct discussion of various contemporary issues, in which he shows his ability to say enough without saying too much. Most of these sections call for further study, but few of them miss any important points.
The Anglican Way: Good for Everything
This book is also a great tool for Christian Formation and group study. With confirmation class, you could start at the beginning and work your way toward the Church Year. Ideally, you might time it so that the class walks through Holy Week with the book. With a newcomer’s class, I would recommend starting with the Sunday worship section, moving backward to the Church Year, and finally, the Compass Rose. Newcomers and new Anglicans naturally focus on the first experience, usually the Sunday worship service.
I can also see using this book for retreats. The Compass Rose section could help people think individually about their gifts, perspectives, and experiences. Then, it would guide them in learning about the experiences of others. This would go a long way in helping Anglicans appreciate our differences, even as we affirm our center on Christ and the creeds. I think this Compass Rose model would be useful to any Christian church as well (with the caveat later in this review in mind).
Pastoral Over Polemic
The sections on Sunday worship, the sacraments, and the church year are most interesting. These sections will guide people into a basic, mostly descriptive, understanding of these areas. Very few of us know how to explain worship and sacraments without unintentionally removing the sense of mystery. Fr Thomas shows his pastoral side here, but undergirding it is a broad knowledge of the tradition and of basic Christian sacramental theology. Many new Anglicans reading this will want to do further study, and some will feel that they’ve received enough explanation. All will be inspired to receive the sacraments reverently as a mystery and to focus on God and his presence in worship.
Some readers will wonder why Fr Thomas doesn’t spend a lot of time on inter-Anglican wars and controversies. He doesn’t have three chapters devoted to the Instruments of Communion or various views on women’s ordination. Instead, he chooses to focus on our faith in Christ, our worship of God, and our life together. Some will wish he had more material on these arguments, but I think he made the right choice. It’s time for us to move forward, not as an opposition group, but as a Christian communion. Fr Thomas doesn’t ignore the reality of a fractured Communion, but he doesn’t unnecessarily focus us on it.
until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,
Ephesians 4:13
Critiquing The Anglican Way
First, Anglicanism is not a protestant denomination except as a comparative descriptor. Use a Sharpie to cross out that phrase on the two pages where it exists. Then, write in a Christian communion instead, but don’t burn the book over this. We’ll create an online petition to change it for the second edition.
Second, I admit I want the Sunday worship service at the front. This is because, experientially, that is what visitors and newcomers interface with the most. Also, it might move us even more away from thinking of Anglicanism as a thought system and more of a worshipping community if the worship sections were first. As a guidebook-type book, it would be easy to start there and then move back and forth from there.
An All-in-One Resource
For many years, people have asked for the one book that overviews Anglicanism. I usually recommend a smattering from three and a half books, with disclaimers or notes. Some books are irrelevant due to Anglican re-alignment. Others are trying to be vague about orthodox faith. Still, others are too partisan, trying to recruit new Anglicans to one of the various parties. Most are not devotional at all. The few that are devotional tend to dilute Anglican distinctions altogether. In other words, I haven’t been able to offer them a book.
Now, I can give them this book. It describes the Anglican Way, focusing on Christ. It’s devotional and covers essential topics while remaining straightforward. Additionally, it includes personal illustrations and stories that make it enjoyable to read. Some individuals may want to explore specific areas further. However, after reading this book, they’ll gain a solid foundational understanding of our tradition. This is the book I intend to share with others or use in group settings as the definitive resource.
Image by Hannah Smith from Unsplash
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