Telling the story of Anglicanism contrapuntally for the world

Abstract

ABSTRACT Much of the Anglican story has been told, focusing on the history and theology of the Church of England. Edward Said used the concept of counterpoint to discuss territories as overlapped and histories intertwined. Using the insights of Said’s contrapuntal reading, this article broadens our historical horizons by interpreting the Anglican story from different locales and vantage points in three historical periods. It discussed biblical interpretation and colonialism in the works of John Robert Seeley at Cambridge and John William Colenso in Natal, South Africa, in the nineteenth century. It compares the social teachings of Archbishop William Temple and Chinese theologian TC Chao in the first half of the twentieth century. The last part focuses on the debates of human sexuality, comparing the arguments of Americans with those of African theologians.