Shaping a Church of Ethical Integrity

A deep, sobering, passionate analysis of where the Church of England has gone so wrong in recent decades and a call to a fundamental renewal of its faith and values. This book is written in fire and anger, but also in unwavering belief in the faithfulness of God to restore the Church and renew its purpose to be a blessing to the whole of society. -- Angela Tilby
Few people are as well placed as Paul Avis to help the Church of England address its current anxieties about its failures of character and identity. Drawing together ecclesiological and moral understandings of authenticity, he offers a resource for bishops, clergy and church members who are bewildered about where the church has got to. -- Oliver O’Donovan
The ripe full fruits of a lifetime of labour, devotion and critical reflection in the councils of the Christian Church, Paul Avis has now chosen to confront the state of the Church of England at large today. He has produced a tract for our times; free from conventional illusions, erudite and unsparingly honest, deeply anxious and still resolutely hopeful. Everybody who looks to the future of Anglicanism should read this eloquent, sincerely provocative book. -- Andrew Chandler
His careful scholarship is as apparent here as it is elsewhere, but it has an added moral passion. Avis is aghast at what he considers has happened to his beloved Church of England... This is a forceful book with a serious message. -- Canon Robin Gill
About time. A serious theological critique of the Church of England and the crisis it faces by an eminent Anglican theologian. Following the Church’s tragic failures regarding sexual abuse we need a book which analyses the predicament we face and addresses a response that is thoroughly Anglican. This is a book for bishops to read, but as a friend of mine said: Will they read it? ...Avis seeks to repair the damage by returning to fundamentals. He seeks to shape the Church for ethical integrity by a solid grounding in goodness — a key theme. This will take time and will need attention to the virtues. So, he presents an Anglican virtue ethics underpinned by the great theologians of the past, with plenty of references (both ancient and modern) to satisfy the most ardent enquirer. For some this will be a helpful refresher course, for others a primer in a tradition that they’ve never really embraced. ...This is an important and timely book, which highlights the contemporary significance of the Anglican moral tradition that seems either neglected or unknown in facing the crises the Church faces. I, for one, am grateful that Avis has taken up this theological project, and I welcome his affirmation of Alison Milbank, who is such a great advocate for the parish, with the Save the Parish campaign. With two solid Anglican theologians providing direction for the Church of England, and feeding it theologically and ethically, perhaps all is not lost. -- Revd Dr Ian K Duffield