The 2014 publication of the Episcopal Church’s resource for daily prayer, Daily Prayer for All Seasons, invites reflection on recent developments in provision for everyday services around the Anglican Communion. Not only is the new resource considerably different from the material it complements in the Book of Common Prayer 1979, it also represents a departure from a certain commonality that has emerged in material from around the Communion since 1979. While this article does not map those developments in detail, it does chart some of the shifts occurring in various provinces and relates that survey to current discussions about ‘Anglican identity and liturgical diversity’. The article serves both as an introduction to Daily Prayer for All Seasons and as a wider reflection on Anglican forms of everyday services in the period from 1979–2014.

In recent years the Five Marks of Mission have become the latest in a long series of mission ‘slogans’ in the Anglican Communion, but little attention has been paid to their origin or theological presuppositions. This paper traces the development of an Anglican definition of mission from the 1984 meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council, at which a four-fold definition was first put forth, to the present use of the Five Marks of Mission across many parts of the Communion. The strong influence of evangelical mission thinking on this definition is demonstrated, as is the contributions from African Anglican bishops. Anglican mission thinking has shifted from emphasizing pragmatism and coordination to providing a vision for the Communion to live into. Mission thinking has been a site of genuine cross-cultural interchange among Anglicans from diverse backgrounds.

This article explores some of the hermeneutical resources of the two official books of homilies, authorized to be preached in the BCP communion service. The historical contexts and successive editions of the books are explained, and a focused reading is offered of the key texts relevant to the interpretation of Scripture. Some consideration is given to other related texts that highlight Cranmer’s hermeneutical approach. It is suggested that Cranmer’s use of Scripture is not in practice the approach he commends in the first homily, but is driven by concerns with attaining the ‘right’ doctrine of justification. A key issue is the interplay between readerly character, deferral to wise readers, and the pressure of the text against particular traditions. It is argued that the Books of Homilies here offer rich material for reflection upon the nature of Christian hermeneutics in one particular ecclesial tradition, and indicate an Anglican approach to Scripture that has much to offer.

The London churches built by Nicholas Hawksmoor – the architect required by the Commission for the Fifty New Churches to provide a template for the new churches according to the principles laid down in 1712 – are often regarded as the idiosyncratic creations of the architect’s individual genius. They were, however, as much the creation of the particular intellectual, theological and political context of the late Stuart period, an expression of a high church attempt to reconnect the Church of England with the early centuries of the Christian Church, particularly the great basilicas built under Constantine and Justinian. Conservative in intent, they were at the same time fed by the new spirit of intellectual enquiry led by the Royal Society and the expansion of global trade at the start of the eighteenth century. These express a new Anglican denominational identity as the inheritor of the ‘purest’ traditions of the ‘primitive’ church, ancient yet modern, orthodox and, at the same time, reformed: one that still influences discussion across the Communion today.

The article surveys liturgical developments in the Anglican Church of Southern Africa from 1908 to 2010. The author uses numerous source documents from several Anglican archives to analyse the experimental and fully authorized liturgies, detailing the theological and sociological shifts which underpinned any significant changes. The author includes several sources which, until this point, have not been considered; particularly in relation to the reception of newer liturgies. These include letters, interviews and newspaper articles. Influences from the Roman Catholic Church, the Church of South India, the Church of England, the Episcopal Church in the USA and the Church of New Zealand all contributed to the authorized rites in the local church. Furthermore, the article shows that local, traditionally disenfranchised voices are now beginning to be included with liturgical transformation.

Against a background of increasing concern over climate change and other instances of ecological degradation, this paper aims to explore two ideas in the thought of Anglican theologian and biochemist Arthur Peacocke in relation to their ecotheological promise. First, Peacocke’s understanding of ‘emergence’ affirms the diversity of the created world and makes possible the understanding of Jesus Christ as the emergence of a new reality; these concepts resonate with the value given to biodiversity in ecological thought. Second, the idea that God expresses Godself through the material world in the process of creation, together with an emphasis on the biophysical composition of Jesus Christ, allows a high claim to be made for matter which resonates with an ecological affirmation of the value of the natural world. By asserting the prevalence of diversity and the value of matter, Peacocke’s thought provides a theological framework which coheres with an ecological ethos.

Many have been deeply critical of the Church of England’s response to the First World War, which has been seen as insufficiently critical of Government policy and too influenced by the war spirit. Charles Gore (Bishop of Oxford, 1911–19) provides a fascinating case study of how one independently minded Anglican thinker arrived at swift and unwavering support for the war, while simultaneously trying to mount a ‘counterpoise’ to some elements of the war mentality. This article describes and evaluates Gore’s use of the just war tradition, and the efficacy of the counterpoise he attempted. Analysis of his thought reveals a curious mix of hard-headed strategic realism about what would secure a just and lasting peace, and striking naiveté about what war actually entailed.

In the spring of 1621, James I sent the Great Seal of England to his newly appointed Lord Keeper, John Williams, the Dean of Westminster. Naming an ecclesiastic to this position shocked contemporary legal and political commentators, and subsequent historians have generally shared this negative appraisal. Even more positive analyses have held that Williams’ primary attraction for the king lay in his intellect and learning, and an expectation that he would do James’ bidding on the Court of Chancery. Williams actually possessed both stronger legal qualifications than have traditionally been recognized, and a politico-legal philosophy that had helped to modify James’ own views of the role of his prerogative courts and powers. An examination of Williams’ career prior to 1621 reveals the development of a candidate uniquely placed to fill this particular role at that specific moment in James’ reign.

Anglicanism in New Zealand can be traced back to the beginning of New Zealand settlement itself. From its earliest days, the Anglican Church has deliberately set out to bridge divides between New Zealand’s indigenous population, Māori, and Europeans, though with mixed success. This article will illustrate that, even with this experience in bicultural engagement, the Anglican Church has not adapted well to the super-diverse multicultural New Zealand of the twenty-first century. Census data reveal that the Anglican Church has had a precipitous drop in numbers, and has a demographic profile that is much older and whiter than the general New Zealand, let alone Christian, population. This poses significant challenges for its ongoing sustainability. Given the common experience of super-diversity with other Western countries, this article provides a case study and a cautionary tale about the challenges and realities of the Anglican Church adjusting to a new multicultural society.