Does the Anglican Communion have a Promise? A Response to The Promise of Anglicanism by Heaney and Sachs

Abstract The Promise of Anglicanism by Heaney and Sachs reframes Anglicanism from the perspective of mission, offering a positive and hopeful portrayal of an Anglican Communion presently riven by conflict. However, upon scrutiny, its notions of ‘catholicity from below’, its perception of ‘mission’, and its proposed ‘community of practice’ embody an understanding of individuality that can hinder the cultivation of the common good and subsequently, further impair the pursuit of genuine Christian fellowship within the Communion. Furthermore, these premises would contribute to the Communion’s present shift towards pluralism. The antidote then, is argued to be intentional corporate reasoning which can only come about through the tightening of current practices of conciliarity within the Communion.