Although the author of this fantastic read immediately points out he has not actually backpacked through the entire Anglican Communion, the Rev. Jesse Zink has come closer than most. Each chapter here tells the story of his time in a particular Anglican church in a staggering range of dioceses around the globe.
From his home church in Western Massachusetts to his college church in Canada, to missionary experience within South Africa, he goes on to relate what being Anglican looks like today in Uganda, South Sudan, Nigeria, Ecuador and China among others.
In each new place, he finds Anglicans going about the business of worshipping God and acting as salt within their respective communities. His stories are told honestly and with a professional journalist's eye for detail, but they are also enormously non-judgemental, as Jesse focuses upon the observable strengths of each community. He is well aware of the divisions in the worldwide church, but offers the strong thesis that difference should not be a barrier to us but a blessing. Unity does not mean unanimity, he says: that would make us a pretty boring church!
Space won't allow me to quote as much as I would like, but here he describes the joy he felt in so many places around the Communion: "It is the joy of coming to know a fellow member of the body of Christ, of being in a holy relationship, of revealing the unity that is God's gift to God's people. Anglicans... can lead the way to reclaiming this joy. It is part of who we are. Incarnation, relationship, time, vulnerability, mutuality: these are central to what it means to be Anglican."
It has been quite a while since I've read a book which left me feeling so proud of being Anglican, and so inspired to continue to work towards the building of bridges, not walls.
To hear the author answer some questions about the book, visit www.jessezink.com.
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