Richard Hooker and the Vision of God

'[...] it is good to welcome this clearly written and thorough account and appraisal of Hooker's work [...]. This is a book I would commend warmly to all interested in Hooker's legacy and its potential use in current ecumenical debate and relationships.' David Carter, Churches Together in England 'Charles Miller presents what is essentially a more systematic and concise exposition of Hooker's Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity than the author himself ever managed. [...] [Hooker's] own thought, substantial yet undogmatic, should be better known by Anglican clergy and ordinands. His teaching on the need to deploy reason in exposition of Scripture remains especially pertinent. Because Hooker wrote in paragraphs, not sentences, Miller's guide, although descriptive, could spread understanding of his work effectively.' David Grumett, Times Literary Supplement, 25th October 2013 'Miller works extensively with the most recent and most influential scholarship in the field of Hooker studies and manages to do so while also providing his own take on Hooker's theology as he describes it under each topic heading ... Miller is to be commended for his clear and succinct summarises of both Hooker's own writing and also of the secondary literature available by which to interpret Hooker ... this work will prove to be a helpful reference point for new and continuing students of the ideas of Richard Hooker.' Dustin Resch, Briercrest College and Seminary, Reviews in Religion and Theology, Vol 21, Issue 2, (March, 2014) 'Miller packs plenty of scholarship, both new and old, into the book while avoiding getting bogged down in academic disputes...This book is now the best advanced introduction to the subject.' Nigel Voak, Journal of Ecclesiastical History, Vol 65, Issue 3, (July, 2014) 'This is a book of historical theology for which many of us have been waiting; for it both a model of meticulous academic research, and, through its structure, language and style, enlightening to the non-specialist reader' Vincent Strudwick, Fairacres Chronicle, Vol. 47 No. 1, summer 2014 "If we can read only one Anglican theologian, it should unquestionably be Richard Hooker... If we have time to read only one sensibly sized and reasonably priced book about Hooker's thought it should, in my view, be this one... Miller provides a clear and interesting exposition of Hooker's thought, organized by prominent themes and broken down by subheadings. He has absorbed hooker's writings, and is abreast of much recent secondary literature..." The reverend Professor Paul Avis, Church Times 11 July 2014 "Miller's book constitutes an impressive attempt to synthesize Hooker's rich and expansive theological vision, and to put it into ecumenical conversation for the sake of today's theologians and church leaders. Were it to succeed in gaining wide use as a seminary textbook, the Anglican churches could not but profit thereby." W. Bradford Littlejohn, Journal of Anglican Studies, 2014 "... [Miller] proves his case that Hooker has much to teach us today. Hooker challenges a relativistic approach, relates theology and spirituality, certainly challenges the church to recover confidence in its worship, and shows how to conduct a religious controversy! Miller wryly comments that the name Hooker is more honoured than read; let us hope that this book is read." Michael Brydon, Journal of Theological Studies, Volume 65, No 2, October 2014 "Miller has taken on a difficult task, to make Hooker comprehensible to modern audiences without being polemical or shortchanging his subject. ... Miller has produced a patiently written , clear exposition of hooker's evolving thought." -Frederick Quinn, Anglican and Episcopal History, March 2015 "Richard Hooker and the Vision of God has much to commend it... His infectious passion for all things Hookerian lends a feverish intensity to the text..." -Paul Dominiak, Anglian Theological Review, ATR/98.1, 2016 "It offers a very exquisite introduction; especially precious are the cleverly chosen excerpt in the appendix." -Martin Ohst, Theologische Literaturzeichnung, No 141 Heft 11, November 2015 "This is a well-intentioned volume, which endeavours to cover a good deal of ground in a systematic and helpful way. Miller is undoubtedly correct in identifying some of the significant and distinctive characteristics of Hooker's thought and his contribution to subsequent Anglican tradition." -A.J. Joyce, Ecclesiology, April 2016 "Miller has written a clear and accessible account of Hooker's theology, illuminating very helpfully the context in which he wrote, while also apprecitating the complexity of Hooker's contested legacy during subsequent periods in Anglican history including the present. ... Miller has made a valuable contribution not only to the study of Richard Hooker as an historical figure of importance to Anglicanism, but opened his writings as a gift to the Church today." -N.H. Taylor, Heythrop