The Broad Church: A Biography of a Movement by Tod E. Jones (review)

For many readers, the first question that the title of this book will raise is,“what is the Broad Church Movement?” The author recognizes that the title may have only rather vague associations in the minds of readers, or if more precise, then nevertheless quite diverse links. For this reason, he devotes a short introductory chapter to setting forth the divergences and even contradictions that have attached to the phrase “the broad church.” The most succinct definition is that the Broad Church Movement was one of the three parties among which the Church of England was divided in the nineteenth century, which is the period upon which the author focuses his attention. Tod Jones states that his goal is not to write a history of the movement,but rather “to clothe principles in flesh and blood and write a biography of the Broad Church movement.” What Jones means by this is that he will tell the story of the movement through an exploration of the leading figures who shaped the character of the movement,and also of those other churchmen who found themselves set very much NEWMAN STUDIES JOURNAL 84 Such a dynamic appears to be most present in the chapter concerning faith and reason where, on a number of occasions, Connolly offers such insights as Ferreira’s propensity for “misinterpretation” (104). The point here is not to defend Ferreira’s work. By contrast,a more elaborate discussion of Newman’s own sources may prove to be more productive given the audience Connolly chose to address. Overall, Connolly’s book is a welcome addition and is especially helpful to those individuals trying to gain an initial appreciation for not only the original nature but also the enduring value of Newman’s thought. Perhaps one way of summarizing this sense of enduring value comes through in Connolly’s ability to demonstrate that the personalist and the intellectual models of faith are capable of combination. For Connolly,“Whether one views faith from the point of the intellectual model or the personalist model, the reality of faith is always defined according to its two main elements, the object of faith and the act of faith”(120). Connolly’s selection in terms of methodology is what makes such an assertion possible—particularly in relation to the audience he seeks to address. As a result, Connolly’s book provides a readable introduction to the work of John Henry Newman that also appreciates the complex character of Newman’s work. Todd C. Ream Indiana Wesleyan University The Broad Church:A Biography of a Movement. Tod E. Jones. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, Roman & Littlefield Publishing Group, 2003. Pages: ix + 347. Bound, $85.00, ISBN 0-7391-0611-2. THE BROAD CHURCH: A BIOGRAPHY OF A MOVEMENT TOD E. JONES 85 in opposition to its principles. A fundamental goal of the movement was what we might today call “inclusivity.” This was manifested in a general resistance to what Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772–1834) called “unchristian narrowness and unworthy fears.” It is useful to compare the greater inclusivity affirmed by the Broad Church leaders with theTractarian Movement which was developing during the same period. Both movements looked backward to a sermon as their source: for the Broad Church Movement,this was a sermon preached by Julius Charles Hare in Cambridge in 1828; for the Tractarian Movement, it was the Assize sermon preached by John Keble in 1833. I have occasionally heard the Broad Church Movement characterized as a reaction to the Tractarian or High Church Movement led by John Henry Newman (1801–1890) and Edward Bouverie Pusey (1800–1882). It is certainly true that Broad Church leaders were generally hostile to the ecclesiological principles put forward by the Tractarians, but opposition to the Tractarians was not limited to the Broad Church leaders. There was within the Church of England a generalized fear of the “catholicizing”of the church that characterized the efforts of theTractarians. For the Broad Church leaders, however, this reclaiming of the medieval Catholic heritage of the Church of England was understood as a narrowing or restricting of the Church’s life which looked backward to an idealized medieval Church while failing to engage in any adequate...