The Heart of Faith : Following Christ in the Church of England

A thought provoking study exploring the nature of Anglican identity from the Middle Ages to the present through the lives of 16 influential men and women. The worldwide Anglican movement is a vibrant and flourishing, if sometimes troubled, international phenomenon. In recent decades it has experienced exponential growth, especially in parts of Africa and Asia, where dynamic evangelism and church planting are often seen. Yet for their historic roots, Anglicans across the globe continue to look back to one small but long-established province, the Church of England. The Anglican movement, at its best, has always been about people rather than structures or institutions. So this book introduces sixteen influential men and women from the Church of England, spread over the centuries from the early middle ages to the present day. They range from the celibate monk (Bede) to the married mother of eighteen children (Susanna Wesley); the innovative scientist (Robert Boyle) to the captivating poet (Frances Ridley Havergal); the urbane scholar (C.S. Lewis) to the popular preacher (Richard Sibbes and David Watson); the visionary bishop (Thomas Cranmer and J.C. Ryle) to the tenacious politician (William Wilberforce and Lord Shaftesbury). All sought to be faithful followers of Christ within the Church of England. But what were their theological passions and convictions? How did they understand their Anglican identity? These vignettes are not mini-biographiesbut fresh and thought-provoking explorations of the heart of faith.