Anglicans around the world have responded to the gospel in many different cultural contexts. This has produced different customs and different ways of thinking about church issues. In the process of enculturation, Anglicans have found themselves encountering social and political realities as malign forces against which they have had to struggle. As a consequence, the personal and local dynamic in Anglicanism has created not just diversity of custom and mental habits, but it has done so at points that have been vital to the way Anglicans have been committed to the gospel. Conflict and the Practice of Christian Faith looks at the process by which local traditions developed in Christianity and how these traditions have related to other sub-traditions of the universal church. It assesses some specifics of the Anglican experience and argues for a significant re-casting of some prominent elements of that tradition, at the same time clarifying some of the distinctive elements in the Anglican tradition. This leads to a more nuanced appreciation of the force of the social and political framework within which Anglicans have had to work out their salvation and of the different forms of secular society and different understandings of plurality and diversity. It also entails showing how the imperial route to catholicity took no firm root in Anglicanism. Going global has been a significant experiment in Anglican ecclesiology that is by no means over yet. The terms of that experiment lie at the heart of the current Anglican debates. The book will be of interest to Christians generally who belong to faith traditions spread across different cultures. It is also a case study of the issues of global reach and local tradition.

At an international level, Anglicanism has almost no mandating or juridical power. Stresses and threats of division over issues such as human sexuality have resulted in moves to enhance the Communion's central structures and instruments. However, it is becoming clear that there is little likelihood of substantial change in this direction succeeding, at least in the medium term. The challenge for Anglicanism is to make a "polity of persuasion" work more effectively. This volume seeks to identify some trends and shifts of emphasis in Anglican ecclesiology to serve that end. Jeffrey Driver argues that there is more at stake in such an exercise than Anglican unity. In an ever-shrinking, pluralist, and conflicted world, where oneness is often forced by dominance, the People of God are called to model something different. The injunction of Jesus, "it is not so among you," challenged his followers to use power and live in community in a way that contrasted with what occurred "among the Gentiles" (Mark 10:41-45). This is why the sometimes tedious debates about authority and structure in the Anglican Communion could actually matter--because they might have something to say about being human in community, about sharing power and coexisting, about living interdependently on a tiny and increasingly stressed planet. The Anglican experiment in dispersed authority, for all its grief, could be a powerful gift. "There can be few writers, at present, who are able to comment on the challenges that are facing Anglicanism, with such wisdom and insight. Driver writes as both a scholar and an archbishop, and as such is able to bring an all too rare re-visioning of what the church is and might yet become. This is an accessible and scholarly book that leads to deeper reflection and new ways of envisioning Anglican Identity." --Martyn Percy, Principal, Ripon College, Cuddesdon, Oxford "In addition to being an acknowledged commentator on international Anglican affairs, Driver's own contributions to public discussions about the identity and integrity of Anglicanism as a senior church leader reveal his personal commitment to respectful dialogue and his deeply held conviction that fellowship is integral to theological discourse. . . . Those alleging that the Anglican Communion is dying will find much that is life-giving in this highly engaging and thoroughly insightful book. It is highly recommended." --Tom Frame, Former Director, St Mark's National Theological Centre, Canberra, Australia "This is a timely and important book. How the church handles difference, conflict, and dissent is vital to its presentation of the gospel. This is especially so in a loose-limbed ecclesiology such as Anglicans have. This book sets out the issues clearly, presents a good argument, and is full of good ideas. Its discussion of a polity of persuasion is vital . . . and essential for Christians in all circumstances to engage with." --Bruce Kaye, Adjunct Research Professor, Centre for Public and Contextual Theology, Charles Sturt University, Australia Jeffrey W. Driver is the Anglican Archbishop of Adelaide in Australia. He is an adjunct lecturer in Charles Sturt University's School of Theology.

Synopsis: Anglicans around the world have responded to the gospel in many different cultural contexts. This has produced different customs and different ways of thinking about church issues. In the process of enculturation Anglicans have found themselves encountering social and political realities as malign forces against which they have had to struggle. As a consequence, the personal and local dynamic in Anglicanism has created not just diversity of custom and mental habits, but it has done so at points that have been vital to the way Anglicans have been committed to the gospel. Conflict and the Practice of Christian Faith looks at the process by which local traditions developed in Christianity and how these traditions have related to other sub-traditions of the universal church. It assesses some specifics of the Anglican experience and argues for a significant re-casting of some prominent elements of that tradition, at the same time clarifying some of the distinctive elements in the Anglican tradition. This leads to a more nuanced appreciation of the force of the social and political framework within which Anglicans have had to work out their salvation and of the different forms of secular society and different understandings of plurality and diversity. It also entails showing how the imperial route to catholicity took no firm root in Anglicanism. Going global has been a significant experiment in Anglican ecclesiology that is by no means over yet. The terms of that experiment lie at the heart of the current Anglican debates. The book will be of interest to Christians generally who belong to faith traditions spread across different cultures. It is also a case study of the issues of global reach and local tradition. Endorsements: "In this wise and erudite book, Bruce Kaye provides a constructive way forward for Anglicans and all Christians to negotiate how to find unity without denying our necessary differences. In particular, Kaye draws us into the mystery of Christ's universal Lordship so that we can see how locality is a necessary expression of the cosmic character of Christ's cross. Kaye also provides an extremely important account of Anglican identity beginning with Bede that frees us from the unhappy political alternatives of modernity. I know of no more hopeful book for the future of the Anglican Communion." --Stanley Hauerwas, Gilbert T. Rowe Professor of Theological Ethics, Duke Divinity School "There are few Anglicans in the world who can write with such clarity about the global Communion and few theologians who can range with such confidence across the fields of history, sociology and philosophy. This is a beautifully crafted book that reveals Dr Kaye's wide reading and reflects his deep thinking. It will persuade Anglicans of all affiliations to think again about their Church and will help non-Anglicans to make sense of the challenges and the conflicts that every Christian community must face as the local expression of a universal faith. This is a fine book from a gifted theologian and an accomplished writer. It is highly recommended." --Tom Frame, Director, St Mark's National Theological Centre Author Biography: Bruce Kaye was General Secretary of the Anglican Church of Australia from 1994 to 2004. After studying in Sydney he took a doctorate in Basel and taught theology at the University of Durham in the UK, and then science, philosophy, and social values in the University of New South Wales in Australia. His visiting fellowships include periods in Freiburg-im-Breisgau, Cambridge (UK), and Seattle, and he is a regular visitor to North America. He is the author of eight books, editor of ten further volumes, and has written some seventy journal articles as well as contributing to newspapers, radio and TV. He is also the foundation editor of the Journal of Anglican Studies. His latest book is Introduction to World Anglicanism (Cambridge University Press, 2008).