The Anglican Spirit

Seabury Classics

"Of such figures in the twentieth century, there is no doubt at all that Michael Ramsey is among the most eminent and among the most deeply loved. This book is a treasure, a digest of some of his most significant academic work that can be read by anyone at all who is seeking to know and love God more. At a time of struggle and uncertainly for the Anglican Communion, his is a voice urgently needed, and it is a delight to see this new edition."--Rowan Williams Archbishop Michael Ramsey was one of the church's most remarkable twentieth-century saints--wise and humble, humorous and compassionate. These introductory lectures on Anglicanism reveal the breadth of Ramsey's theological understanding, his ecumenism, and his vision of the church and the Christian life. Informal and conversational in style, the lectures offer an overview of Anglican theology, spirituality, and history. Ramsey begins with Anglicanism's enduring characteristics, including its dependence on Scripture, tradition--the ancient writers of the church who guide us in interpreting the Bible--and reason, our God-given capacity for divine revelation. Next Ramsey explores its teachings on theology and the sacraments, Tractarianism and the Oxford Movement, the renaissance of Anglican religious communities, and the evolving doctrines of creation, incarnation, and the Holy Spirit. The final section presents Ramsey's theology of the church and Anglicanism's relationship to Rome and the Orthodox churches.