STEPHEN SPENCER is a very well-established author and educator who has published widely, and it is a delight to see one of his staple books (Books, 29 November 2007) updated and published with a new title. He has for many years written both SCM Study Guides on Anglicanism, mission, and church history, and also several books on Archbishop William Temple.
This book does not disappoint expectations, and his experience of teaching in theological institutions and his current post as Director of Theology in the Anglican Communion means that he knows what students find helpful, and he can engage with the dynamics of the Anglican Communion. His highly readable style, his ability to present contemporary theologians in an accessible manner, and his wide reading mean that this book will immediately become a text that will be used both in theological institutions and local churches.
Spencer identifies six types of mission, which are: apostolic; Orthodoxy (where he includes Taizé, in a fascinating juxtaposition); Christendom and Establishment Christianity; the conversion of souls, including Methodism and Pentecostalism; building the Kingdom, or social action; and nurturing discipleship. All this is related well to the Galilean mission of Jesus, with examples and quotations from individuals in each section; a helpful reading list; diagrams and boxes that illustrate his ideas; and an excellent set of questions at the end of each chapter. It is a model of how to structure an educational text, and I am sure that it will be widely used. On the back cover are commendations from staff at Cranmer Hall, St Padarn’s, Cardiff, and Fuller Seminary in the United States, and I echo those comments.
There is one caveat that I wish to make, and it is a difficult but inescapable topic to raise. Over the past 15 years, I have been a member of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC). In our current work, we have reflected on the difficulties of moral discernment. It is not simply that the “Enlightenment Project” has fallen into war, oppression, and environmental disaster, but that the Churches have also lost credibility, owing to racism, sexual abuse, and much else.
Nevertheless, the epoch-making theology of Karl Barth, much cited, rightly, by Spencer, was written by someone who committed adultery with his research assistant (see the recent biography by Christiane Tietz, Karl Barth: A life in conflict (Books, 28 May 2021)); Stephen Neil, a magisterial historian of mission, again cited by Spencer, was a serial abuser of boys, and this was covered up (Dyron Daughrity, A Worldly Christian: The life and times of Stephen Neil, 2021 (Books, 8 April 2022)); Jean Vanier and several church leaders abused many; and, finally, the Archbishop of the West Indies has called for reparations for slavery.
ARCIC has struggled greatly with this. Spencer calls for “credibility” and “vulnerability”. The deep question is how mission, which is, indeed, all-important, can be carried out, given these failures. There is no easy answer, but Spencer should have mentioned this as a challenge.
Despite this omission, however, this is a wonderful book, which inspired me a great deal. Students entering into ministry, parishes, and dioceses all alike need a guide to the current state of the debate in each topic of Christianity. Not only is this book a masterpiece as an educational resource, but it could also serve as a template for a similar book on Anglicanism when he retires from his current post.
Canon Peter Sedgwick formerly chaired the Church in Wales Doctrine Commission, and was Principal of St Michael’s College, Llandaff. He is a member of ARCIC.
Types of Christian Mission: An introduction
Stephen Spencer
SCM Press £30
(978-0-334-06403-9)
Church Times Bookshop £24