The writings of Thomas Traherne (1637–74) are explored as a source of and model for the idea of Anglicanism. In his concern for a middle way between Roman Catholicism and reformed Protestantism (including interest in Calvin as well as the Fathers), his concern for a national Church, and in emphasizing the importance of a common liturgy, Traherne anticipates what has characterized the later global Anglican Communion and important aspects of what has been seen as characteristic Anglican theology.

This article provides a current view of Anglican attitudes to the Papacy. First of all historical background is examined in relation to mutual perceptions of Anglicanism and Roman Catholicism going back to the early church and then moving forward through the Reformation to the twentieth century. The period from 1966 onwards saw the visit of Geoffrey Fisher to Pope John XXIII which began to change perceptions. The establishment of the Anglican Centre in Rome in 1966 was a crucial development. The setting up of the Anglican Roman Catholic International Commission, following the Malta Report in 1966 altered perceptions and understandings of Anglican and Roman Catholics mutually. There is still a variety of Anglican reactions to the Papacy.

Each Archbishop of Canterbury has a distinctive style of leadership. To some extent, this will always be shaped and framed by prevalent contemporary cultures of leadership that are to be found within wider society. The paper examines and questions some aspects in the development of the current Archbishop of Canterbury's role. It argues that the combination of a certain kind of charismatic leadership, coupled to enhanced managerial organization, may be preventing the prospect of theological acuity and spiritual wisdom playing a more significant role in the continual formation of ecclesial polity in the Church of England, and across the wider Anglican Communion.

In recent decades Anglicans have developed a largely unquestioned and unchallenged narrative of global growth and decline. This narrative tells a story of Anglicanism’s success being largely due to growth in developing, postcolonial nations which, according to the narrators, is ongoing and unstoppable. At the same time, first-world, mostly postmodern nations have seen a steep decline in church membership and attendance. Numeric growth and strength have been used to define ecclesial identity and to legitimate understandings of ‘Anglican orthodoxy’. This article offers an up-to-date reappraisal of Anglican Communion membership and, in that process, challenges many of the premises of such a narrative.