Tensions within the Anglican Communion and discussions about the possibility of women bishops have thrown a spotlight onto underlying issues such as:

• How are decisions taken in the Church?
• What are the roles of synods, bishops and primates?
• How should the Archbishop of Canterbury's ministry develop?
• What do being 'in communion' and 'out of communion' mean?
• How significant are diocesan boundaries in an age of globalization?

Behind the headline-provoking debates are questions about the very identity of the Church of England and the Anglican Communion. How do Anglicans understand their own church and its place within the wider Church?

In this lucid and accessible collection of essays, Colin Podmore draws on his expertise and experience, and explores these and related topics, setting them in their historical context. He also explains how synodical government works and looks at the Declaration of Assent, a defining statement of the Church of England's identity.

'Anyone wanting to understand today's Church of England would be well advised to start by reading this book.' Richard Chartres, Bishop of London.

'We should be grateful for this collection of essays, which provide illuminating and informative insights into the nature and identity of our Church and Communion.' Martin Wharton, Bishop of Newcastle (Ecclesiastical Law Journal, vol 9 (2007), p.138

Read a sample chapter from Aspects of Anglican Identity