William Stringfellow in Anglo-American Perspective

Anglican Theological Review, Fall 2006 by Dykstra, Laurel

William Stringfellow in Anglo-American Perspective. Edited by Anthony Dancer. Aldershot, Hampshire, England: Ashgate Publishing Limited, 2005. 200 pp. $94.95 (cloth).

Ardent critic of imperial America and the institutional church, William Stringfellow (1928-1985) was commended by Karl Barth, a lifelong correspondent of Jacques Ellul and author of sixteen books. A lay theologian, he was also a civil rights activist, Harvard educated street lawver, co-conspirator with the Berrigans, and the subject of FBI surveillance. Described once as "rude, ruthless, rigid and right" (p. 109), Stringfellow was an outsider in the academy and little of his writing remains in print. Yet his continuing influence is evident in the political liturgies of the Atlantic Life Community, Walter Wink's writing on the powers and movements striving to bring "Word and World" together.

Anthony Dancer has assembled a concise Stringfellow reader and a collection of essays and reflections on Stringfellows life and theology from an impressive list of contributors. Part I, "Writings," consists of articles, chapters and excerpts that show the breadth and passion of a theologian who defies systematization and considered inconsistency one of the hallmarks of Christian practice. This seventy-page collection addresses the church at the intersection of Word (scripture) and world, the reign of powers and principalities, the pervasiveness of death, biography as theology, the politics of liturgy and sacrament, reading America biblically, apocalyptic ethics, and the reduction of clergy to "professional Christians."

Part II, "Reflections," consists of nine articles by an ecumenical and professionally diverse group. Most of these came together at an Oxford conference on Stringfellow organized by the editor in 1997, hence the "Anglo-American perspective." The book's unacknowledged locus on mission reflects the concerns of this group. Particularly engaging are Kenneth Leech's article on urban pastoral theology; Christopher Rowland's examination of Stringfellow's apocalyptic hermeneutics; and Mark Chapman's "Politics of Liturgy," which locates Stringfellow within the Anglican tradition. Whether they first encountered Stringfellow in person, on paper or in prayer, each contributor, through critical engagement, communicates intense regard and affection for this exasperating, particular, passionate man, especially fitting given Stringfellow's conviction that biography is the locus of theology. Stringfellow's "extreme, apocalyptic language" (p. 120) and "unbounded hermeneutical confidence" (p. 176) can be daunting but the complementary halves of the book bring a new generation of readers directly into a conversation with and about Stringfellow.

As editor, Dancer has a light touch; he is more gracious host than pushy tour guide. He takes part in the conversation (his own contribution precedes part I) but allows Stringfellow and the anthology's contributors to speak for themselves. He does not use his introduction to interpret others' contributions and he ends with Roland Williams's short meditation rather than a traditional conclusion.

The book has flaws. As Dancer acknowledges, there are no women contributors. This is particularly unfortunate given Stringfellow's influence on feminist theologian Carter Heyward and his support for the 1974 Philadelphia ordinands. Equally disappointing is the lack of overt focus on race and the work of White anti-racism. A timeline of Stringfellow's life and major publications would increase the books' coherence.

With its austere dust jacket, hardcover format and matching price tag this book will only rarely be found where it might do its best work: in the radical Christian activist's backpack. It will serve instead in the classroom; for undergraduates and seminarians the book provides an excellent introduction to Stringfellow. Pastors, particularly in urban mission, will benefit from this work as will anyone who struggles with the role of the church and biblical relevance. The unique contribution of this volume is its treatment of Stringfellow as an Anglican theologian. It rests with all of us who read it to ensure that we do not, as Wink admonishes, "traffic in his thought as a commodity for scholarly advancement" (p. 119).

LAUREL DYKSTRA

Vancouver, British Columbia