Editor's notes

Anglican Theological Review, Summer 1998 by Griffiss, James E

By the time this issue of the Anglican Theological Review reaches most readers, the Lambeth Conference of Bishops from all parts of the Anglican Communion will have come and gone. The expectation among those who know about such matters is that this may well be a most crucial meeting. The bishops will lave to deal with many of the questions which are currently perplexing not only the Churches of the Anglican Communion but all Christian Churches: sexuality; world poverty and issues of justice, the relationship between Gospel and culture, ecumenism, and Christian mission in the next century. If all goes well, we shall publish reports and evaluations of the Con ference in the Spring issue of 1999 of the ATR. They will be written by people who are knowledgeable about these vexing issues: Mark Dyer, William Franklin, John Kater, J. Robert Wright, among others from elsewhere in the Anglican communion. I hope it will be an issue of interest and importance for readers of the journal.

In the meantime, this issue contains articles which will be of interest and importance to the diverse readers of the Review. Sandra Levy writes on suffering and contemporary culture; Tim Vivian translates and comments upon an important but not well-known early Christian writer, Macarius the Great; Philip Sheldrake explores the importance of spiritual direction in theological education; Paul Zahl pays tribute to the New Testament theologian Ernst Kasemann and gives an evaluation of his work,

In addition to these articles there are a review article on Evelyn Underhill, notes ,on recent literature in liturgics, reviews of important recent theological studies, and poetry.

With this issue we are beginning a new feature in the Review-reviews and discussions, from time to time, of the visual arts. Jacqueline Winter, who so ably manages the affairs of the journal and who has been seriously involved with art for many years, will now also be the Art Review Editor. We believe that the art reviews will further the relationship between theology and the larger culture, something which has always been a purpose of the ATR.

I believe that all readers, whatever their different interests, will find many things to inform and excite them, which is, after all, what theology is supposed to do.