Anglicanism has come to worldwide significance in the context of modernity and debate about the recent difficulties in the Anglican communion which have been of such note and concern has been influenced by this context. The categories of the debate as reflected in the Virginia Report provide a case study of the difficulties. That report is examined in this light and the tendency of the argument drawn out to show a disposition to see issues in terms of control and exclusion. A consideration of the origins of the Anglican Communion shows that it expresses a disposition of Christians to pray for one another. It is a myth not in the sense that it is unreal but in the sense that it provides a way of understanding how the communion works. It works like a myth and in being re-enacted gains its force. This argument is combined with the notion of scapegoat in the writings of Rene Girard and applied to the case of Gene Robinson in order to lead to a better understanding of inclusive love and communion.

The Windsor Report of the Lambeth Commission on Communion was published in late 2004 and has been released with encouragement from the Archbishop of Canterbury that it be studied around the Anglican Communion. A ‘reception’ process has been established to solicit input and monitor discussion on the Windsor Report from across the Anglican Communion. This article is a reflection on the report from the perspective of an American Episcopalian missiologist and was offered as part of the ‘reception’ process. In a step-by-step examination of the contents of the Windsor Report, the reflection presents underlying currents, concerns and possibilities for the Anglican Communion arising from the Report. There is much of benefit in the Report while at the same time dissent is registered with some of its presuppositions and findings.

Honest to God, published in 1963, was one of the most public religious bestsellers of the twentieth century. Because it was written by an Anglican bishop it was especially controversial. Yet there are questions that remain and this article highlights seven such questions which draw attention to weaknesses in the book. An alternative proposal is offered here. Robinson had his finger on a real problem in postwar British church life and, in a measure, theology. I believe the problem was mostly or largely caused not by the New Testament and historic Christianity itself, but by the way in which the post-Enlightenment world had assimilated and re-expressed the Christian faith. What Robinson referred to when speaking of supraor supernaturalism belonged within an essentially Deist or Epicurean framework, and he was struggling with the unwelcome consequences of people being unable to relate to their absentee landlord, and simultaneously puzzling over the fact that some people did not find this a problem. The huge popularity of his book shows that he struck a chord with a great many people. The tragedy of Honest to God, as I perceive it, is that Robinson did not see that what he was rejecting was a form of supernaturalism pressed upon Christianity by the Enlightenment; that he did not therefore go looking for help in finding other ways of holding together what the classic Christian tradition has claimed about God.

This article discusses the theology of one of the major figures of theology in Edwardian England, Charles Gore (1853–1932), particularly his understanding of kenosis and vulnerability in relation to Christ and the Christian. Beginning with an analysis of the loss of invulnerability by the Church of England, the article uses the theology of Donald Mackinnon as a backdrop for understanding the notion of ‘rough discipleship’ outlined by Gore which strips away the trappings of power. Through a detailed discussion of Gore's works on the incarnation and the Sermon on the Mount, a picture is drawn of the requirements of the Christian character as well as what he regarded as the authentic church freed from the state. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of kenoticism in relation to the crisis of authority in contemporary Anglicanism. Assertions of power and authority are shown to be a denial of the complexity and vulnerability implied by the powerlessness and tragedy of Christ.

Three aspects of the Anglican understanding of Christianity can make a distinctive contribution to Christian–Muslim dialogue today. Recognition of the importance of context highlights the complexity and variety of the situations in which Christians and Muslims encounter one another. Basing unity on a sense of collegiality which can withstand disagreement offers a model for shared working across religious differences. The interpretation of Scripture through reason and tradition under the guidance of conscience points to a dialogue between those addressed by the Bible and by the Qur'ān respectively. These themes are illustrated through contemporary Anglican involvement in three Christian–Muslim projects, and their theological implications are explored.