This is a history of evangelical activity within the Anglican community throughout the world. It spans the beginnings of Anglicanism with John Wycliffe and William Tyndale in the 14th and 15th Centuries right through to the present. I found the book one which broadened my thinking as it records the work of God’s Spirit in a denomination which is world wide and has within its communion those that are extremely liberal in their theology perhaps represented by Bishop Spong in the USA and the evangelical leaders such as James Packer, John Stott and Alistair McGrath. What strikes home is the way the Lord has used and moved through the evangelical wing of this church. It has passed into periods of declension and then a quickening has come from above and refreshed that section of the church responding to His movings. There are so many names dealt with as the book progresses through the centuries. In the period from 1330 – 1700 there are cameos on the lives of George Herbert, Richard Hooker and Richard Baxter among others and is entitled “The Church on Fire with Reforming Zeal”. This encompasses the period of the Puritans. The seventeenth century is called ‘Church on Fire in Revival’ and central to that history is the activity of the Wesley brothers and Whitefield leading on to Charles Simeon who ministered in Cambridge for fifty three years and became so influential. The Episcopalian Church in the USA from 1730- 1900 is examined in its history and so the book unfolds into the twentieth century with many anecdotes and details of the controversies attending such a diverse Christian communion. The book concludes with a consideration of the recent controversy over homosexual ordination and points towards a future which has many uncertainties as to whether the Anglican communion can hold together. It is the story of a brand of Christianity which, at its best, has burned with the fire both of holiness and evangelism and the author seeks to concentrate on this aspect of the history of Anglicanism and minimize writing details on the liberal section of the church. To read any book which traces God’s gracious dealings over six hundred years within one section of the Christian church is certain to encourage those who love His ways.
