Todd seems to be discoveing the essentially gentle, pastoral genius of Anglicanism in its worship and community. That is encouraging. His swift advancement seems Ambrosian. Now if he reads about Ambrose and his influence on Augustine Todd’s ecclesiology and sacramental understanding may yet change his views further.

What a great interview.  This was my favorite part, quite a profound comment, and a helpful distinction between destination and goal:

Stories create imagination, and imagination creates possibility.

This is where Eugene Peterson’s work about the power of story to shape imagination has been so helpful. He says that if you genuinely think Christianity is a story about going to heaven when you die, it is no accident that fostering discipleship is like pulling teeth. I’m trying to get people to switch stories to reshape their imaginations. If we recast the gospel as something that gives us life, not just a secure death, then discipleship and mission become normative because they become more intuitive.

How do people move to the bigger good-life and secure-death story?

In our story, heaven is not the goal; it’s the destination. We’re going to reign with God forever in the renewed heaven and renewed earth. That’s our destination. But the goal of Christianity is spiritual transformation into Christlikeness.

If my dream of playing baseball had come true, I wouldn’t have called my dad and said, “I’m going to New York.” No, I would have said, “I got drafted by the Yankees.” New York is not the goal. It’s simply the destination.

Stories are so important where I work - which is an oral culture, and still not highly literate.  It’s a good challenge to think of “what story” my life and our Christian community here tells?  What is the story of Christ and Christianity I am passing on to those I am witnessing to here by my actions and my words?

I should have also added how much I appreciated his closing comments about a confession of faith or praying the “sinner’s prayer” being the STARTING POINT of a journey with Christ, not the finish line.

I don’t think that can be stressed enough!

Amen! Preach it brother!

It’s interesting that the Anglican background for Hunter is described merely as AMiA. There is no mention of ACNA.

The “progressives” are trashing Hunter as a pretender - but he is more Anglican than they are, even if he has only worn the name a short while.

It is amazing that a successful church planter in the Evangelical Vineyard/Charismatic movement sees opportunity in Anglicanism; that Christians ranging from Catholics to Saddleback Church are supporting Anglican congregations, including generously offering them hospitality; that notwithstanding wicked and vicious persecution, that these congregations are thriving and going on the offensive with church planting and evangelism with missionary zeal.

It is hard not to think that something rather remarkable is going on in Anglicanism in America.  Extraordinary times to be living in.  God really does seem to be on the move in our midst.

#5, Todd does not pretend about anything; he is guileless.  While he was president of the Vineyard Movement and later president of Alpha-USA, he had much interaction with Anglicans.  In recent years, through Alpha, his association with HTB in London has only intensified that interaction and partnership.  Most of us who have known and worked with Todd realized he was a “closet Anglican.” 

I rejoice in this development and know that it bodes well for the new Anglican movement in North America.