Bishop Todd Hunter’s new book, The Accidental Anglican: The Surprising Appeal of the Liturgical Church, is both informative and fun to read.

His book has two purposes.

First, he shares his own story of how he went from converting to Christianity during the Jesus movement to national leadership in the Vineyard Churches to becoming a bishop in the Anglican Church (ACNA).

Second, his book introduces you to people (J. I. Packer, John Stott, and many others), tradition, and practices of the Anglican Church. The book is divided into two sections with each of the sections dedicated to the above purposes.

My favorite part of the book is the focus on “decoding” the liturgy of the Anglican/Episcopal Church.

Throughout Hunter’s story and in the second section, Hunter shares the positives of practicing a structured, consistent, and respectful liturgy (123). He “decodes” many aspectsof the Anglican liturgical practice by explaining their meanings in the way a low-church Charismatic non-denominational lay person would understand them.

In other words, he is explaining his present Anglican self to his past Jesus Movement self.

However, this is not to suggest that he has forsaken his Charismatic Spirit-driven history. He is embracing his Vineyard background with his new found love for Anglican liturgical practice.

The book is a fast read filled with wit, fun, and information. It may be especially useful for low-church Charismatics that are interested in the Anglican/Episcopal church or have a friend who is involved in the liturgical church. However, the downside of the book is that it is not deeply theological or historical. Someone looking for a detailed analysis of liturgical churches would be disappointed.

Nevertheless, I recommend the book for any Christian who wants to learn more about Anglican people, practices, and tradition.