“This is a book to be read prayerfully—not as a conclusion, but as the beginning of a deeper conversation, one that the church, in this moment, very much needs.”
—The Living Church
"Essays Anglican and Analytic] is well worth reading in particular for the service it provides in opening the door to Farrer’s neglected works, into the character of the man who wrote them and into the work of friends, students and followers who make clear something of the ongoing fruitfulness of his thought. MacSwain is a good guide to this territory and will rightly leave most readers wanting to explore further.”
—Scottish Journal of Theology
“Essays Anglican and Analytic is a rich, rewarding read. It reaffirms the viability of Anglican systematic theology. It shows how analytic tools can illuminate, not flatten, the depth of the Anglican tradition. And it encourages renewed engagement with neglected voices like Austin Farrer while opening new paths for theological inquiry. Anglicans, theologians and scholars of religion alike should take up and read.”
—Reviews in Religion & Theology
“Robert MacSwain is an incisive thinker, an approachable writer, and a person of deep personal faith. Each piece in his Essays Anglican and Analytic exemplifies what Anselm called faith seeking understanding. For those of us devoted to braiding together the life of the heart and the life of the mind, this collection of essays is a must read. Preachers, teachers, and the spiritually curious will find in these pages one jewel of insight and inspiration after another.”
—Jake Owensby, University of the South, Episcopal Diocese of Western Louisiana
“Robert MacSwain’s dedication to reenergizing the field of Anglican studies pays off in this insightful invitation to a ‘Critical Catholicism’ that reunites theology and philosophy. His essays catalyze an expansive opportunity for Anglican-friendly thinkers on both sides of the Atlantic to elaborate a methodologically open Anglophone Christianity—that is, a way of being Christian that honors classically orthodox Anglican divines but is also nuanced by insights from ecology, feminism, and other justice-oriented perspectives.”
—Ellen Charry, Princeton Theological Seminary
“In this wide-ranging and ambitious collection, Robert MacSwain makes a strong case for the importance of analytic philosophy as a way of doing Anglican theology. In dialogue with a number of philosophically minded Anglican scholars, especially Austin Farrer and David Brown, the author develops a style of theologizing that is at once catholic and critical. These are essays that both stimulate and challenge the reader to engage the heart and the mind in the quest to grasp something of the mystery of God.”
—Mark D. Chapman, University of Oxford
“Robert MacSwain’s book brings to light the profound Anglican contribution to theology and philosophy since the mid-twentieth century. It is erudite, engaging, based on thorough research, and includes his own insights on the relationship between faith and reason. Highly recommended to non-Anglicans and Anglicans, scholars and laypersons.”
—Charles Taliaferro, St. Olaf College
