Anthony R. Cross, editor, Ecumenism and History: Studies in Honor of John H. Y. Briggs, Studies in Christian History and Thought.

Best, Thomas F.

Anthony R. Cross, editor, Ecumenism and History: Studies in Honor of John H. Y. Briggs, Studies in Christian History and Thought, Eugene, Oregon, Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2006 (in arrangement with Paternoster, Milton Keynes, Great Britain, 2002), 362 pp, 17.24 [pounds sterling], $39.

In a word: this Festschrift is an unusually well conceived and edited collection of essays which, in addition to honouring John Briggs, the prominent British Baptist historian and ecumenist, make a contribution in their own right to discussion and reflection in a number of fields. The dedicatee John Briggs has been actively involved in academic life, both as historical scholar (concentrating on the Victorian era) and administrator, and in the life of his own church and the ecumenical movement. Readers of The Ecumenical Review will know of his committed service to the World Council of Churches during a decisive period of its development centering on the production of the WCC's Common Understanding and Vision statement, and as an editor, along with Georges Tsetsis, Hugh McCullum and Mercy Oduyoye, of the History of the Ecumenical Movement, volume 3, 1968-2000 (Geneva, WCC Publications, 2004).

Reflecting the breadth of Briggs' professional and personal interests and involvements, the essays gathered in this volume illuminate an impressive variety of topics ranging from the New Testament to the modern ecumenical movement and encompassing ecclesiology, worship, mission, essentially lay movements from the YWCA and YMCA to the World Student Christian Federation and the Sunday School Movement, Christian World Communions, Baptist identity in the UK and elsewhere, and Baptist interaction with other Christians from Orthodox to Catholic to Methodists and Disciples of Christ. Taken together they offer an excellent example of how a career lived solidly within one Christian tradition can contribute to--and, in equal measure, be enriched by--committed and visionary service to the wider body of Christ.

There is space here to comment on only a few of the essays in this book; while the choice inevitably reflects this reviewer's particular interests, all the essays are of high quality and well worth a careful reading.

Ecumenism and History opens with an extended and thoughtful Foreword by Georges Lemopoulos, World Council of Churches deputy general secretary, setting John Briggs' involvement with the World Council within the context of significant developments within the WCC and in the ecumenical movement as a whole. Faith Bowers (sub-editor of the Baptist Quarterly and John Briggs' editorial partner since 1985 in various publishing projects, notably his seminal The English Baptists of the Nineteenth Century) is uniquely qualified to offer "An Appreciation" which blends biographical detail with insights into John's gifts, and the challenges he sometimes posed, as both author and editor.

The bulk of the book is then divided into two parts, reflecting central themes in John Briggs' life and work. The first part, "Ecumenism and History", explores aspects of the Baptist engagement with the ecumenical movement beginning with a stimulating essay by the volume's editor Anthony Cross. Taking full account of the ecumenical discussion, not least Faith and Order work on baptism and the apostolic faith, Cross ends by offering a distinctively Baptist approach to Christian unity based on our oneness in Christ and in our common trinitarian faith.

Paul S. Fiddes offers a brilliant comparison of Free Church and Orthodox approaches to salvation. Recognizing the serious differences between these traditions, he still finds points of contact between salvation as seen in free church Covenant theology and the Orthodox doctrine of theosis. William H. Brackney contributes an illuminating comparative study of how Baptists and the Disciples of Christ in the United States, two free church traditions "with origins in the religious cultures of Great Britain" (p.149), have wrestled with issues of church structure: how do churches born of a congregational polity express their common identity, and common call to mission, at the regional and national levels?

The second part of the book, "History", opens with fascinating reflections by Keith W. Clements on the art of biography as history, culminating in a review of recent attempts--in Clements' view, all failed--to capture the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer in print and on film. Haddon Willmer addresses the deceptively straightforward question of writing local church history--and in the process shows an extraordinary sensitivity to the dynamics of congregational life. His stress on "operative theologies"--the gospel communicated not by professed doctrines but by the actual behaviour of a congregation in relation to its own members and to the world outside--challenges churches at all levels, from that of the local congregation right up to that of the Christian world communion.

John Briggs' own fascination with the history of the Victorian era is reflected in a careful essay by D. W. Bebbington on "democratization" within the British Baptist churches, from 1770 to 1870, while Ian M. Randall offers a detailed review of the expansion of Baptist churches on the European mainland--especially in areas of Germanic influence--during the 19th century.

This sampling conveys, I hope, the vitality and diversity of the material gathered in this volume. Taken as a whole the essays leave this reviewer with two dominant impressions, the first being the variety and vitality of creative work which John Briggs has stimulated among his students and colleagues, both within his own Baptist tradition and far beyond. This is closely related to a second impression: that of openness and charity towards others and other traditions. These qualities, together with a lively curiosity and readiness to learn from others, characterize these essays--and have been a hallmark of John Briggs' own professional and personal life. Thus in style as well as in substance, Ecumenism and History is a fitting tribute to this significant ecumenist.

This book, whose value is further enhanced through a select list of John Briggs' publications as well as an extensive index, deserves a wide readership among a wide range of churches and all those concerned with the ecumenical venture today.

Thomas F. Best

Revd Dr Thomas F. Best, a pastor of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), has recently retired as Director of Faith and Order, World Council of Churches.