Church, Communion, and Culture
Samuel Seabury and the Fate of Global Anglicanism
- History & Biography
- Publisher: Cascade Books (Wipf and Stock)
- Published: 2026
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Publisher's Description
This book makes a bold claim. It argues that the Worldwide Anglican Communion was irreparably broken on a single day: November 14, 1784. The consecration of Samuel Seabury preempted its end. Seabury was the first American bishop. All of the schisms, spats, rows, and divisions that have taken place since are mere aftershocks following a barely noted earthquake in a backstreet of Aberdeen, Scotland. That first fissure leads to all the later fractures that now herald the breakup of the Worldwide Anglican Communion. The book, with hard data, humor, insight, and surprising new facts, explores and explains how Anglican—or Episcopal—faith, belief, and practice remains one single entity. What split the Anglican Communion before it started was the separation of the Old World (Europe, and specifically Britain and the Church of England) and the New World (Continental America). Ultimately, the rejection of monarchy and embracing of democracy will be the fate of the Anglican Communion. Furthermore, it will mark the end of the Church of England as we know it. The book argues it cannot be reformed any further. Only a revolution can save it.
Endorsements (3)
“Martyn Percy creatively reflects on the consecration of Bishop Samuel Seabury, the first bishop of the Episcopal Church of the USA, exploring the beginning and the end of the Anglican Communion. Social, theological, and historical research shows how the expedient is sacralized and the practical is theologically legitimized. The book should be read by all thinking Anglicans to understand how the Anglican Communion is degenerating and in decline. It is a challenging and prescient read.”
“In Church, Communion, and Culture, Martyn Percy offers an informed, theologically nuanced, and provocative assessment of the powerful forces shaping and challenging the very existence of the Anglican Communion. Through an examination of the episcopate of Samuel Seabury a window is provided into the cultural, social, and religious history of the fortunes, fate, and possible futures of global Anglicanism. Percy does this with his trademark attention to detail, learning, wit, and insight. This is a must read for any who care deeply for the life of the church and the need for truth telling.”
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