Rating: 
Summary: A faith for yesterday, today and tomorrow.
Review: Having attended the Episcopal church since they welcomed my little brother in the 1970's I can tell you this is a wonderful book and is both grounded in tradition and thought provoking innovation. I am amazed by the reaction of both conservatives in the Bible belt and elsewhere as well as liberal readers outside of the church who have clearly been misinformed about our faith. While we see openess, tolerance and diversity as key to our future, we also proclaim our traditional beliefs. We sing the Creed which outlines our belief in Christ's Birth to the Virgin Mary, his death, glorious rise and ascension to heaven. People should actually try reading this wonderful volume by the Bishop who will lead us into the future, while continuing to embrace our tradition and beliefs. We have a wonderful family made up of conservatives and liberals, Anglo-Catholics and Evangelical Protestants, Ultra-High Church people and snake belly Low Church people. This book stands as witness to the work of that family.
Rating: 
Summary: An excellent book!
Review: In response to jmark2001, I am a fifth generation Episcopalian who has moved many times during my life and belonged to many Episcopal churches, both High and Low traditions. I can, therefore, say, with some authority, that his comments on the Episcopal Church are sheer rubbish. This book is an excellent explanation of the traditions, beliefs, and practices of the Episcopal Church!
Rating:
Summary: More Than Just a Welcome
Review: Since my reception into the Episcopal Church twelve years ago, and even more so during the past three years as I have taught hundreds of others coming into the Episcopal Church, I have been searching for, hoping for, praying for the right book to help in that process. It's here! Written in a rich but unfussy style which is up-to-date without sounding trendy, Webber's engaging and accessible summaries are like Hagen-Daz: "just perfect." Every Episcopalian or friend of an Episcopalian will find it a lively and informative read, and any seeker after a contemporary Christianity with ancient roots will discover new insights into this religion of two millenia. The chapter on the Bible is worth the price of the book and could benefit anyone who has grappled with the puzzle of biblical interpretation. There are many similar books but this one is by far the brightest and the best.
Rating:
Summary: excellent intro to the episcopalian church
Review: The Episcopalian Church has a rich and varied history that I was unaware of until I read this book. Unfortunatly, the episcopal Church is going through a rough time with some left wing political types. As shown in the recent ordaining of that openly gay bishop.
Rating: 
Summary: New introduction to the Episcopal Church
Review: The perfect book for inquirers and new members, Welcome to the Episcopal Church is also a book for current Church members who may be unfamiliar with some of the Church's history, beliefs, and practices. This brand new introduction to the history, polity, spirituality, worship, and outreach of the Episcopal Church is written in an easy-to-read conversational tone, and includes study questions at the end of each chapter, making it an excellent resource for adult parish study. Table of Contents: Chapter 1: History of the Episcopal Church Chapter 2: Worship Traditions Chapter 3: What We Believe Chapter 4: Reading the Bible Chapter 5: Spiritual Life Chapter 6: The Organization of the Church Chapter 7: Mission and Outreach Christopher L. Webber is an Episcopal parish priest who has served inner city, suburban, rural and overseas parishes. He is the author of The Vestry Handbook, Rev. ed., A User's Guide to the Holy Eucharist: Rites I and II, A User's Guide to Morning Prayer and Baptism, and Planning Your Marriage Service.
Rating:
Summary: Solid
Review: This book is really quite a good little introduction to the Episcopal Church. Webber begins, quite naturally, with the early church and then goes on to talk briefly about the Medieval period before getting to the Reformation, which is when the Anglican church (which the Episcopal church is a part of) began. Webber's insights into the crisis of the Reformation are helpful. He expresses far more succinctly - yet no less compellingly - some of the main problems with the Reformation view of the Bible and church authority, mainly that people turned away from a centralized authority that prescribed Christian life in black and white terms to a textual authority written thousands of years ago that usually didn't prescribe such simple rules to follow. The Anglican - and therefore Episcopal - way of overcoming this was by using three things in determining its doctrine: scripture, tradition and reason. Although the latter of the three is far more subjective than the other two, this is what gives Anglicanism its double-edged sword: a larger community that is open to discussion about many issues yet remains a community nonetheless (well, at least in theory). Webber's short take on Episcopal - Anglicanism in the United States - history is equally fascinating. It is interesting to read how much American isolationism/independence played into the views that people had of the Church in America; despite all of this, however, the Episcopal church grew. The other sections of the book deal with other areas of history as well as more basic, overarching principles such as the use of the Book of Common Prayer and the structure of the Episcopal church as itself and as a part of the larger Anglican communion. It is interesting to note that the Episcopal church was the first large church to ordain a African-American to the priesthood; the Episcopal church was also the first large church to ordain women to the priesthood. It would seem that being "progressive" (a term I don't like, but that most people understand) is well-rooted in the Episcopal church's past. This book is brief, but it is well written and has several recommendations for further reading in the back of the book. Although a little more detail would have been nice, as would have been a bit more attention to current issues of crisis and division within the church, I imagine that some of that can be found in other works. Overall, this is a great introduction.
Rating:
Summary: Solid
Review: This book is really quite a good little introduction to the Episcopal Church. Webber begins, quite naturally, with the early church and then goes on to talk briefly about the Medieval period before getting to the Reformation, which is when the Anglican church (which the Episcopal church is a part of) began. Webber's insights into the crisis of the Reformation are helpful. He expresses far more succinctly - yet no less compellingly - some of the main problems with the Reformation view of the Bible and church authority, mainly that people turned away from a centralized authority that prescribed Christian life in black and white terms to a textual authority written thousands of years ago that usually didn't prescribe such simple rules to follow. The Anglican - and therefore Episcopal - way of overcoming this was by using three things in determining its doctrine: scripture, tradition and reason. Although the latter of the three is far more subjective than the other two, this is what gives Anglicanism its double-edged sword: a larger community that is open to discussion about many issues yet remains a community nonetheless (well, at least in theory). Webber's short take on Episcopal - Anglicanism in the United States - history is equally fascinating. It is interesting to read how much American isolationism/independence played into the views that people had of the Church in America; despite all of this, however, the Episcopal church grew. The other sections of the book deal with other areas of history as well as more basic, overarching principles such as the use of the Book of Common Prayer and the structure of the Episcopal church as itself and as a part of the larger Anglican communion. It is interesting to note that the Episcopal church was the first large church to ordain a African-American to the priesthood; the Episcopal church was also the first large church to ordain women to the priesthood. It would seem that being "progressive" (a term I don't like, but that most people understand) is well-rooted in the Episcopal church's past. This book is brief, but it is well written and has several recommendations for further reading in the back of the book. Although a little more detail would have been nice, as would have been a bit more attention to current issues of crisis and division within the church, I imagine that some of that can be found in other works. Overall, this is a great introduction.
Rating:
Summary: Terrific introduction to the Episcopal Church
Review: This is a great introduction to the Episcopal Church. I read this book almost cover to cover before attending my first Episcopal service. This is a book about the church, its beliefs, people, history, and practices. It's not intended, I think, to be "inspirational" or "theological." However, I found it's straightforward, sensitive, honest tone very easy to take.
Rating:
Summary: Great Find
Review: This is a great resource for anyone new to or returning to the Episcopal Church. It's easy to read without being condescending and offers guidance on everything from church history to how to read the bible to the meaning of various parts of the weekly service. The comparisons of the beliefs and rituals of Episcopalians with those of members of other religions is particularly useful. The author never denegrades others' beliefs, but offers an interesting history of how various religions evolved.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting but reads like textbook
Review: Very informative!! Main complaint is that it reads like a textbook. If the book is a "welcome", it should have more spark. However, information within the book is well organized and presented . Having become a member of the Episcopal Church some 30 years ago as a teenager I found the book very interesting and informative. Would recommend it to both church members and non-church members.
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