ScottMacDougall, <i>The Shape of Anglican Theology: Faith Seeking Wisdom</i>. Leiden: Brill, 2022, viii + 153pp. $94.00

According to Scott MacDougall, Anglican theology might be considered a form of fides quaerens sapientiam, or ‘faith seeking wisdom’ (p. 7). He favours ‘wisdom’ over ‘knowledge’ or ‘understanding’ as more holistic, more self-involving, more fittingly modest, and more concerned with the matter of human life before God. Theology is not for the satisfaction of the merely curious but for those going deeper in their relationship with God (p. 5). MacDougall is well-placed to provide such an account. He serves as Theologian to the House of Deputies of the Episcopal Church, has taught for many years in theological education, and until recently – full disclosure – served alongside this reviewer as Co-Editor in Chief of the Anglican Theological Review. The argument unfolds in three sections. In the first, MacDougall does the work of ground-clearing. This includes observing that Anglicanism has no defining figure or groups: there is no Thomas, Luther, or Calvin astride the tradition that one must contend with in order to be taken seriously. Richard Hooker, the Caroline Divines, F. D. Maurice, William Temple: all of these have their partisans, yet none is strictly canonical. What is more, Anglicanism is credal but not confessional: unlike much more elaborated theological traditions, these churches are content to say that, beyond a ‘core’ of theological affirmations – as found in the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds, for example – there is a great deal of latitude. This allows Anglicanism to include ‘as much as possible while retaining fidelity to its sources and tradition’ (p. 17). Finally, MacDougall takes on the question of theological method, often enough suggested as a distinctive question of Anglican theology. But rather than being characterized by a particular method, Anglican theology might instead be said to have a ‘sensibility’: what this judgment gains in accuracy, however, it loses in precision, as the tradition's ‘sensibility’ is variously described by those within it (p. 21). This negative work of ground-clearing complete, MacDougall turns in the second section to examine the boundaries and limits of Anglican theology. These ‘boundary markers’ recognized by Anglican theology ensure that it is self-consistent and faithful to the Christian faith itself: they permit the tradition's openness and latitude, and allow a critical and questioning spirit to flourish within it (p. 30). Hence Anglican theology may be underdetermined, yet still distinct enough to not be simply a wax nose. The boundary markers that MacDougall presents include (1) theological comprehensiveness, (2) the idea that Anglicanism is a via media, (3) the sources and norms of theology for Anglicans, (4) the notion of ‘core doctrines’, or ‘Anglican essentials’ and (5) the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral (p. 36). Particularly valuable – and laudable – in this part of the book is the section entitled ‘burning the stool’, in which MacDougall consigns the three-legged image to the flames. These are not three separate, equal, or identical sources: all three are interwoven, but Scripture is primary, while reason and tradition serve to interpret it (p. 53). In the third section, MacDougall turns to the typical and distinctive ways of proceeding in Anglican theology. He names and explores eight separate characteristics of the pursuit: it is scriptural, ‘ancient-modern’, non-confessional, critical, pastoral and practical, liturgical, incarnational, and occasional (p. 82). Although it is scriptural, it is less given to proof-texting than to dwelling in the Bible's complexities, recognizing the interplay between Scripture and theology as open-ended. It is ‘ancient-modern’ in that it looks to the patristic heritage, and particularly the undivided church, for inspiration. It is non-confessional, as indicated above, and as a result might also engage, profitably and critically, with a wide variety of non-Anglican figures, from Thomas to Luther to Barth and beyond. It is critical: it is non-dogmatic in character, affirming a core of theological affirmations as ‘foundational tenets’ but leaving a great deal of latitude in understanding beyond this (p. 91). Yet it wields a critical edge in theology (often seen in a hesitance to declaim or condemn), as well as in its engagement with the world, through social and political theology. The Anglican theological tradition is also particularly self-critical. It displays a marked pastoral and practical nature, emphasizing the ‘lived and concrete’ over the abstract and speculative (p. 102). Further, this tradition closely connects prayer and worship with theology, as these are particularly attentive to the one who is the ‘ineffable source’ of our theologizing (p. 117). Anglican theology is also incarnational, focusing on the mystery of the Word made flesh; it also allows for a temperament which may be less troubled by paradoxical approaches to God. Finally, Anglican theology tends to be occasional rather than systematic. MacDougall closes out this section looking at four noteworthy Anglican theologians undertaking large-scale works of systematic theology, both to test his claim that Anglican theology is occasional, and also to inquire to what degree they are Anglican theology, as opposed to works of theology produced by Anglicans. There is a great deal to appreciate in this comprehensive, accessible volume. As someone who teaches Anglican theology, I regularly felt as if MacDougall had put his finger on the real issue at hand and expressed it with striking clarity. There are few figures in the North Atlantic Anglican world that MacDougall does not interact with and deploy to good effect – although one might quibble with the omission of Daniel W. Hardy, or Ben Quash, among others. MacDougall effectively introduces the topic, while also making a genuine contribution to the scholarly literature around Anglican theology, which is a rare combination. I fully intend to have my students read this book, confident that they will be well served in doing so. Yet, I have questions. There is an ambiguity about the format of the book itself. It attempts to undertake two tasks at once: to introduce the topic to nonspecialists while also contributing to the scholarly literature. These are laudable goals. Yet it seems carried out backwards. The volume is formatted not as an introduction which specialists might profitably make their way through, but as a scholarly essay which a nonspecialist might find thrust upon them. It is formatted as a long journal essay: no chapters, no page breaks, merely numbered sections, with subsections. Those relatively new to the subject – and therefore most likely to be skittish about entering into what might appear to be a specialist, insider's discourse – might be put off. The focus of the volume is the North Atlantic world, and particularly those who have themselves explicitly wrestled with the question of ‘what is Anglican theology?’ This is a worthwhile task, and MacDougall illuminates how theology has been done in this context. But it is also limited. The vast majority of Anglicans now live outside the Anglo-American world, and this focus means that there is virtually no notice taken of the wider Anglican Communion, with the result that postcolonial, evangelical, and Pentecostal Anglican voices are underrepresented in the work. Finally, for such a slender volume, the price is unconscionably high. These elements may keep MacDougall's book from having a wider readership, but those teaching classes in Anglican theology (who may access this volume through their academic library) would be well served by including this illuminating volume on their required reading lists.