I'm grateful to Fr. Wright and Prof. Mullin - I feel like such an in formed Anglican! Whether listening to a lecture on Anglican identity, or the life of Augustine, or the importance of Hooker's writings on ecclesiastical polity, there's not much that I'm hearing for the first time, either in Salisbury or Canterbury. Part of the excitement on this particular trip to England is how much of my work in the classroom is coming to life. I have enjoyed my assigned reading for CH 1, 2, and 3, but visiting the places where so much of my Anglican history has taken place brings it to life in a way books can only approximate.
Today we made a visit to Bishopsbourne, where Richard Hooker served as vicar, and also where he's buried. It was here that he wrote the final books of his Laws on Ecclesiastical Polity. We were joined at the end of our time there by several parishioners who participated in our evening prayers, led by several of our African scholars - our prayers and scripture readings were accompanied by joyful singing and dancing. I wonder if Hooker could possibly have imagined what the Anglican Communion would look like in the 21st century... there really is more that binds us than divides us.
The parish at Bishopsbourne
The church yard
Inside the church
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