The Prayer Book Society of the USA was founded in the mid 1970s, in a grassroots wave of protest against the liturgical revolution that was being imposed on the church in the form of the 1979 Prayer Book. At that time, it was the largest lay association in the entire history of the Episcopal Church, and it could claim the “mandate” of parishioner support for the classical Prayer Book of 1928.
Accordingly, Mandate was chosen as the title of the society magazine, which became a respected and influential voice for traditional Anglican faith and worship. The late Peter Toon, a priest and theologian who was well-known as a voice supporting classical Anglican thought and worship, was the first editor of Mandate, after which the editorship was passed on to Dr. Roberta Bayer, Associate Professor of Political Philosophy at Patrick Henry College in Purcellville, Virginia.
With the passing of time, however, and its development into a journal of ideas, a new name was chosen under Professor Bayer’s leadership, and so the magazine became The Anglican Way that you know today. The idea of an “Anglican way”—a way of life, of belief, of worship—is not unique to our organization, but is the ultimate aspiration of our discourse. This year, The Anglican Way became a registered trademark in the United States, under the aegis of the Prayer Book Society of the USA.
We aim to be a voice for what is indeed the historic and distinctive Anglican Way of faith and worship, a forum for those who seek the renewal and ressourcement of Anglicanism here in the USA and abroad. We hope you will subscribe to become a member of our community, read each issue of the magazine, and participate in our conversations online and at in-person events.