Parish and Place

Andrew Rumsey, Parish: An Anglican Theology of Place (London: SCM Press, 2017)

This is a slightly strange book.  It has all the trappings of academic scholarship, including – at some points in the book – at least one direct quote from a philosopher or theorist in every paragraph.  Each chapter begins with a poetic meditation on some aspect of the parish, generally based more on personal experience than theory.  Beyond the broad argument that geography matters to theology, it is not immediately clear what the main arguments are, and there is perhaps a sense that this a book trying to do too much.  The concept of the parish certainly helps us to connect to place, and long-serving vicars are frequently wonderful guides to the geography of ‘their patch’.  One argument made by Rumsey is that Parishes have not been static, but have adapted and changed to survive.  This change is arguably happening more rapidly at the moment – with the joining of parishes and the creation of multi-parish benefices – than at any time since the creation of the parish system.  Despite the fact that Rumsey served as incumbent in the parish of Gipsy Hill in London, his discussion of urban parishes seems quite superficial.  What is the meaning of a parish in a city where liturgical and theological preference, more than geography often determines church attendance?  But despite its limitations this is a useful book, and it is worth reading for its references alone.  The parish does matter, and Rumsey is a helpful guide to thinking through the various challenges and opportunities.  It is a book that is certainly worth coming back to in thinking about the environmental history of the Church of England.