The Post-Evangelical by Dave Tomlinson

The Post-Evangelical 
(Revised North American Edition)

Dave Tomlinson

El Cajon, CA: EmergentYS, 2003

146 pages

Rating: 5 out of 10

Quick Summary: Former fundamentalist, house church leader, charismatic, and now, Anglican priest, Dave Tomlinson (www.davetomlinson.co.uk) pens this work on Postmodern Christianity.  He currently pastor’s St. Luke’s Church in north London and is a self-proclaimed Postmodern Christian, and author of several books.  From this book, he grew up in the Brethren Church, which tended toward fundamentalism.  I believe that this is important to understanding his perspective.

True Prayer by Kenneth Leech

True Prayer: An Invitation to Christian Spirituality

Kenneth Leech

San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1980

202 pages

Rating: 9 out of 10

Quick Summary: Kenneth Leech is a retired Anglican priest and spiritual writer. True Prayer is the second book in what became his trilogy on the Christian spiritual life. Previously, I reviewed the first book of the trilogy, Soul Friend: New Revised Edition (click on "Leech" on the LABELS list). While Soul Friend is a textbook on spiritual direction, this work is a textbook on prayer.

Inevitably, when I read Kenneth Leech, I encounter a chapter or section that is an absolute treasure chest filled with gold, silver, and precious jewels. It is priceless beyond imagination! This book is no exception!

Welcome to the Episcopal Church by Christopher L. Webber

Welcome to the Episcopal: An Introduction to Its History, Faith, and Worship

Christopher L. Webber

Harrisburg, PA: Morehouse Publishing, 1999

133 pages

Rating: 4 out of 10

Quick Summary: Christopher L. Webber is a prolific author and Episcopal priest.  He has earned two advanced degrees from General Theological Seminary.  This work is an introduction to the Episcopal Church.  Admittedly, after having read Urban Holmes book, What Is Anglicanism (The Anglican Studies Series), this book was quite disappointing.  While I found myself disagreeing at times with Holmes, I still found myself saying, “he still makes a theologically informed, lucid point.”  I cannot say this with Webber’s book.  

Soul Friend by Kenneth Leech

Soul Friend: An Invitation to Spiritual Direction

Kenneth Leech

New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1992

 250 pages

Rating: 8 out of 10

Quick Summary: Retired Anglican priest and theologian, Kenneth Leech, authored this “modern classic” on Christian spiritual direction.  Almost every current book on spiritual direction will quote or comment on this book.  It is like Dallas Willard’s Spirit of the Disciplines.  Everyone respects it and refers to it, but no one really wants to read it because of its scholarly depth and difficult prose.  In addition, this book is also thorough and scholarly.

Spirituality and Pastoral Care by Kenneth Leech

Spirituality and Pastoral Care

Kenneth Leech

Cambridge, MA: Cowley Publications, 1989

149 pages

Rating: 8 out of 10

Quick Summary: Kenneth Leech is a retired Anglican priest who has written two modern classics on Christian spirituality, Soul Friend and True Prayer, which I hope to review at a later time.  He draws on his many years of research into the history of Christian spirituality and of experience as a priest to call pastors to the ministry of spiritual direction as a focus of pastoral care.  He covers the foundations of spirituality, spiritual direction, and the practice of spirituality in ministry.  I appreciate Leech’s broad approach which includes both the social as well as the individual implications of the Gospel.

What is Anglicanism? by Urban T. Holmes

What is Anglicanism?

Urban T. Holmes III

Wilton, Connecticut: Morehouse-Barlow Co., Inc., 1982

95 pages

SHORT REVUE:

Rating: 6 out of 10

Quick Summary: Urban Holmes, an Episcopal priest and seminary professor, wrote this interesting and accessible introduction to the Anglican Church generally, and the Episcopal Church specifically.  He succinctly covers the major principles of Anglican theology and practice.  His ability to present complex ideas with great simplicity makes this book well worth reading.  Unfortunately, it was written in 1981 and does not directly address current issues in the Episcopal Church, but for someone desiring a general introduction to Anglican thought, theology, and practice, it is a well-written, concise introduction.