1st Edition
Anglican Confirmation 1820-1945 From ‘Renewing the Baptismal Covenant’ to ‘The Sacramental Principle’
This book focuses on Anglican Confirmation in theology, liturgy, and practice from 1820 to 1945. This was a period of great change in the ways Anglicans approached Confirmation. The Tractarian movement transformed the Communion, and its ideas were carried overseas with the missionary movement. The study examines the development of a two-stage theology and its reception. It analyses the wave of liturgical revision expressed in England in the 1928 Prayer Book. It explores the episcopal changes in practice from the eighteenth-century paradigm to a new way of confirming. The revolution of the time has left a legacy that still informs practice, while doubts about theology and its liturgical application have left an existential crisis. The author reflects on how the current situation in various provinces has its roots in this period and the diffusion of ideas in the Communion. The book offers a fresh systematic examination of the neglected ecclesial practice of Confirmation, providing a more holistic view and clarifying developments to help us better understand the present. It will be of particular interest to scholars of Christian theology, liturgy, ecclesiology, and church history.
1 Introduction
2 Baptismal Regeneration and Confirmation
3 The relationship between Baptism and Confirmation
4 Prayer Book revision before 1928
5 Anglican Prayer Book revision 1928 and after
6 The English Practice of Confirmation
7 The practice of Confirmation in the Anglican Communion
8 Conclusions
Biography
Phillip Tovey is former Principal of the Diocese of Oxford Local Ministry Pathway and Warden of Readers. Before retirement, he worked in theological education for many years and has written extensively on liturgical issues, including a previous book on Anglican Confirmation 1662–1820. He has lectured on liturgical issues, in Uganda, South Africa, Hong Kong, and New Zealand, as Selwyn Lecturer. He is a member of Societas Liturgica, the Society for Liturgical Study, and the Inter-Anglican Liturgical Consultation.
“This superb book draws on deep historical, theological and liturgical scholarship. Tovey distils knowledge of global Anglicanism into a readable and engrossing study. It is an essential guide to confirmation and its importance then and now.” - William Gibson, Oxford Brookes University.
“Perhaps reflecting its nebulous status, Confirmation in Anglicanism has remained a neglected topic, other than when used to defend prior doctrinal convictions. With a careful survey of the history of theological discourse and using statistics, where available, Phillip Tovey has provided a deeper narrative of debate and liturgical change in the Confirmation service in the Anglican Communion which gives a solid foundation for future less partisan considerations of this rite.” - Bryan D. Spinks. Bishop F. Percy Goddard Professor Emeritus of Liturgical Studies and Pastoral Theology, Yale University.
“The revision of initiation liturgy has been a significant feature of liturgical renewal in the Anglican Communion, as well as many other Churches around the world, in the last half-century. Tovey’s book clearly identifies and explores key issues which lie behind these revisions, and by giving careful attention to primary sources, explodes some longstanding myths.
In considering theology, liturgical text, and liturgical practice, he brings together areas of study which are often dealt with separately, providing a holistic lens through which to examine this topic. He provides a clear analysis of key areas in the development of Anglican thinking about confirmation during this period and the resulting insights break new ground. This will become a key text on this period of developing Anglican thinking and practice in relation to confirmation.” - Mark Earey, Director of Anglican Formation, The Queen’s Foundation, Birmingham, UK
