Reddit mentions of Inwardly Digest: The Prayer Book as Guide to a Spiritual Life

So Anglican theology is deeply liturgical - i.e. we see our theology as being expressed, experienced, and enforced in our worship - "lex orandi, lex credendi." This principle comes to a zenith in our theology behind the sacraments, which has often relied on liturgical texts and actions in a way unique among other Christian churches. This makes our theology as much of an experience as it is a set of intellectual commitments (not to artificially split the two though). However, it means that Anglicans, especially today's Anglicans, often have an implicit theology behind the sacraments, a theology relying on liturgy more than explicit explanations, which can make expressing a coherent theology difficult.


Regardless, the first place you should go if you want a taste of Episcopal "sacramentality" today is our current worship, the 1979 Book of Common Prayer. Our service for Baptism begins on p.298 (be sure to look at the Baptismal Covenant on p.304). We have two rites for the Eucharist, Rite I on p.323 and Rite II on p.355. As an example of Episcopal sacramental theology, it is very significant that Baptism and Eucharist are considered important enough to warrant their own liturgies.

But don't just read the texts - attend worship to understand! Theology is practiced and trained by worship.

Two other documents in the Prayer Book are of note: first, a very brief contemporary Catechism, which covers the Sacraments on pp.857-861. The other are the 39 Articles of Religion of the Church of England (dating back to the 16th century), which are not considered authoritative for Episcopalians today, but are an important historical document that highlights the deeply Reformed dimension of Anglicanism's development during the English Reformation (a fact that frankly embarrasses many today, for better or worse). Articles #25-31 cover the sacraments on pp.872-74.

Here's a link from a contemporary Episcopalian's attempt to coherently explain the basics of sacramental theology in our church today. It was written in response to a practice that he (rightly, imo) identified as a perversion of proper sacramentality: http://www.episcopalcafe.com/sacramental_theology_101_baptism_and_eucharist/

There are several good books on sacraments within Anglicanism by Anglican authors:

• Being Christian: Baptism, Bible, Eucharist, Prayer by Rowan Williams - an introductory book on the essentials of Christianity by a former Archbishop of Canterbury. Beautifully written, profound, short, and accessible.
  
  
• Inwardly Digest: The Prayer Book as Guide to a Spiritual Life by Derek Olsen - treats the Episcopal '79 BCP as a coherent system of spirituality. Also accessibly written for non-specialists. Derek Olsen is an amazing author and blogger in contemporary Anglo-Catholic circles. I believe this is the best work on our Prayer Book available today. Look especially for "Section 3 - The Holy Eucharist" for Episcopal sacramentality. You can read a rough draft of it at Olsen's blog here.
  
  
• The Study of Anglicanism - informative collection of essays. Look for "Part V - Church, Sacraments, and Ministry", especially V.4 ("Initiation" by David Holeton) and V.5 ("Holy Communion" by William R. Crockett)
  
  
• The Mystery of Baptism in the Anglican Tradition by Kenneth Stevenson - historical overview of baptismal theology
  
  
• The Mystery of the Eucharist in the Anglican Tradition by H.R. McAdoo and Kenneth Stevenson - historical overview of eucharistic theology
  
  
• A Guide to the Sacraments by John MacQuarrie - takes a more Anglo-Catholic view. MacQuarrie was a respected systematic theologian of the 20th century.
  
  
• "V. Anglicanism and Eucharistic Ecclesiology" and "VI. Anglicanism and Baptismal Ecclesiology" in The Identity of Anglicanism by Paul Avis - Avis is a major figure in the question of ecclesiology in Anglicanism, molded by his years in the Church of England's ecumenism office.
  
  
• The Anglican Evangelical Doctrine of Infant Baptism by John Stott and J. Alec Motyer - both are evangelical authors. Stott in particular is well-regarded. I think this book is important because it displays the Reformed dimension of our sacramentality.
  
  I hope this post did not give you a heart attack.

I highly, highly recommend Derek Olsen's excellent book on this exact subject:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0880284323/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1