Anglicans in Australia

Front Cover
UNSW Press, 2007 - History - 293 pages
The Anglican Church of Australia is the nations second largest religious organisation and a leading member of a global spiritual community. It is also among the least well understood. With continuing disputes about its origins and identity, the Church has recently been distracted from its primary calling of mission and ministry by disagreements over what constitutes authentic Anglicanism and arguments about how it ought to deal with departures from historic customs and traditional beliefs. In Understanding Australian Anglicanism, bishop and theological commentator, Tom Frame, identifies the fault-lines and assesses the tensions that exist within the contemporary Anglican Church, describes continuing debates over doctrine and their affect on the Australian Churchs dealings with the global Anglican Communion, and outlines problems, prospects, and possibilities over the next twenty-five years. The author argues that the Australian Church continues to struggle with the Establishment mindset that was embedded in its English origins and the counterproductive militancy of parties within the Church determined to achieve organisational supremacy. This thoroughly researched and carefully constructed book, written by an insider, will help outsiders understand this complex religious institution.
 

Contents

The English Inheritance
23
The Colonial Legacy
47
National Divisions
72
A Crisis in Believing
103
A Crisis in Belonging
124
A Crisis in Behaving
150
International Crises
173
Defining Belief and Defending Custom
205
Participating in Public Life
230
IO Facing the Future
256
Bibliography
279
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