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Ace,
I’m sorry for the delay. Here I go.

A tiny bit about my religious history – raised Catholic, sort of against my will, got confirmed, stopped going to church for 8 years, found God/became a Christian, attended Baptist and Pentecostal churches for a while, and eventually settled on Episcopalian. And love it – if for no other reason than as an Episcopalian, I feel like I can be myself.

Worship – very similar to the Catholic Church. I believe it could be very easy for a person with Catholic background to feel comfortable in an Episcopalian church; after I had been there for a little while, I had to ask a friend what made the Episcopal Church any different than the Catholic, because they seemed almost the same! We rely a lot on the Book of Common Prayer, as was previously mentioned, which is fine and at least helps to standardize things. Personally, I believe Scripture to be a more authoritative source, but there isn’t anything controversial I’ve found about the BCP. Incidentally, on the online version (http://www.bcponline.org/) you can click on “The Catechism” (about ¾ of the way down), which is also entitled “An Outline of the Faith”. But overall, the belief system will probably look pretty familiar to you.

There are a couple points, I think, where the faiths diverge with some significance. One is in the level of tolerance and inclusion in the Episcopal Church – where I believe they are largely leading the charge among all denominations. In the Episcopal Church, there can be (and have been) gay and women priests and bishops, and in fact our former Presiding Bishop, who presided over the entire Episcopal Church in the U.S., was a woman (Katharine Schori). Our new Presiding Bishop, Michael Curry, is African-American – and for some inspiring words, I encourage you to look up some of his soundbites (here is my favorite): http://www.episcopalchurch.org/library/video/jesus-movement. TEC USA is actually so inclusive that they were “sanctioned” by the Anglican primates - link here: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/15/world/europe/anglican-archbishops-sanction-us-episcopal-church-over-gay-marriages.html?_r=0
Of course, some individual parishes are different than others – varying degrees of inclusion to be sure – but the odds are pretty good that you can find an Episcopal church where people can just be people. Which, to me, is kinda the idea.

The second difference, of course, is that there’s no Pope. I won't get into THAT debate, but since Christ preached that we could come to Him directly as our intercessor (Romans 8:34), perhaps it would be euphemistic to say there’s a little less bureaucracy necessary in the Episcopal Church. :)

Your point about TEC “dying”, statistically, is probably true, though I’d say it’s being pruned. I’d submit that it’s probably also true that typical church attendance nation-wide is suffering the same fate. Businesses talk about competitive advantage, though, and it is probably fair to say that TEC’s advantage is indeed its genuine confession that all are welcome.

For now, I’ll table the discussion about the scriptural arguments for/against homosexuality, and/or women as priests. I’d rather sum it all up – for now – with Romans 14:4: “Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.” As someone who’s pretty interested in theological debate, though, and who's (I think) pretty open-minded to new viewpoints, I came across this link which you might find informative: http://www.wouldjesusdiscriminate.org/biblical_evidence/no_fems_no_fairies.html

At the risk of this post becoming TL;DR (thanks, by the way), there are a couple other points I’d like to make. First, as you search for the answers you seem to be seeking so earnestly, I submit that the only true answer is Jesus. This sounds hokey, Bible-thumpy, and trite, but I also believe it’s completely true. (I refer again to the title of Bishop Curry’s NYC sidewalk sermon.) A book that sounds totally cool, but which I haven’t read, is called The Case for Christ. (https://www.amazon.com/Case-Christ-Journalists-Personal-Investigation/dp/0310339308) I’ll let you do some research, but I think my version of Christianity can be summed up thusly: Christianity is simply about Christ. The rest are just details. Denominations, I think, are generally worship styles, and each individual church is its own unique organism, many of which you’d probably enjoy equally well. There’s no perfect denomination, and no perfect church…but there has been one perfect Man, who also happened – and happens – to be a perfect God.

Finally, with regards to your family dilemma, I’d have to just be up front and say that Christianity does come with a cost. Matthew 10:37 says, “Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” Disciples and followers of Jesus through the years have been tortured, executed, cast out, etc. Discipleship isn’t always easy. My own story isn’t particularly exciting or theatrical, but I can say that I’ve experienced some of the cost. I can also say that it’s so, so worth it.

OK, friend, I think I outdid your post length - but only because this was what I needed to say. I’ll look periodically to see if you have any other thoughts, but wanted to get this over to you because it was important. I appreciate your desire for answers, and pray you find everything you’re looking for. Peace!

Drew

> don't see evidence for papal supremacy/infallibility (not to be confused with primacy) in the early Church, nor for the Immaculate Conception. I think that, if you asked Catholics whether or not these were correct before the Church said so, many of them would have rejected them- even St. Thomas Aquinas, who I respect greatly, rejected at least the Immaculate Conception.

I appreciate you asking these questions. This is part of the reason that I have chosen not to become Catholic, despite the thought of doing so crossing my mind many times.

So to attempt to provide an answer for some of these questions, I will preface this with the joke, "if you walk into a room and ask a theology question to three Anglican priests, you'll receive four separate answers." Anglicanism, like all other religious movements, has a history that is as political as it is spiritual. As a result of the Protestant bickering in the Anglican world, a broad tent approach to Christianity has been taken. There are, broadly speaking, three streams of Anglican Christianity: charismatic, reformed, and anglo-catholic. I fall into the final stream, but attend something of an evangelical/reformed parish. So these answers are coming from that perspective.

1.) I would question whether most Anglicans support same sex marriage. This is probably true in the United States and Canada, but is probably not the case within the global Anglican context. If you are American, the largest Anglican organization in your country will be the Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States (PECUSA) (a member of the worldwide Anglican Communion, which is mostly just a bunch of churches in the Anglican tradition who are in communion with one another). This organization has put homosexual marriage into their canon law. Other Anglican organizations in the United States include the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), and a collection of small churches known as the 'Continuing Anglican' movement. These churches all reject same sex marriage and would raise the same question you raise to the members of PECUSA. Many individuals within PECUSA also oppose homosexual marriage, but the church at large is against them. The best argument posited by those who approve of homosexual marriage would probably be on the basis of 'oikonomia,' believing that it is better to allow those with homosexual urges to engage in a marriage setting rather than engage in less healthy behaviors outside the bonds of legal and religious commitment. This would be similar to the position posited by the Orthodox Church when they allow the divorced to remarry.

2.) The fault lines here in the United States are again split between PECUSA, ACNA, and the continuing Anglican churches. Those in PECUSA almost unanimously accept female priests (with the exception of a very small handful of diocese). In ACNA, this varies diocese by diocese, with most dioceses rejecting female priests as far as I recall. No continuing Anglican church accepts female priests. A popular argument for why woman priests are valid is posed by N.T. Wright, a contemporary Anglican author. The continuing Anglican churches came into existence when PECUSA first began to accept woman priests back in the '60's or 70's or so. They viewed PECUSA as cutting off her claim to apostolic succession through invalid ordinations, and decided that the best way to preserve the church within the Anglican tradition was by separating and "continuing" valid expressions of Christianity without being a part of the Anglican Communion. There aren't a ton of continuing Anglicans in the US, but this church finder map may be helpful.

3.) Transubstantiation is rejected within the 39 articles of religion, but a small minority of Anglo-Catholics accept this position and reject some pieces of the 39 articles. Outside of saying that, I'll let others answer this one because I'm not super educated.

4.) This is a great question. One thing that drew me to Anglicanism (I came from an Evangelical background as opposed to a Catholic one, so for you this may be less relevant) was the Book of Common Prayer. Just forcing myself to do the daily office every morning and every evening regardless of whether I feel like it is a tremendous spiritual benefit. It instills a discipline that is much needed. I also, earlier in the year, read The Cloud of Unknowing, a work of apophatic theology, which I thoroughly enjoyed and have really benefited from. This book has inspired individuals like Thomas Merton and others who write about 'centering prayer.' I find this mode of prayer to be worthwhile, especially when I have run out of words to say. Using this, or even just repeating the Jesus Prayer as I do dishes or ride the train has been a good thing for me, and keeps me grounded on God.

5.) Absolutely not. If you had a Trinitarian baptism with water than you had a valid baptism. We believe in ONE baptism for the remission of sins. You are already saved through Christ Jesus.

6.) Answers will vary. I believe that the church constitutes all of those who are under a valid bishop with a line extending to the apostles. If Catholics begin to worry you about the validity of our orders, I've been recommended this book but have yet to read it myself. I have yet to read it myself. I would note though that the RCC has to my knowledge never addressed the ordination of Anglican bishops by Old Catholic bishops, the latter of whom they do believe to have apostolic succession.

7.) Answers will vary. We take the parts that are meant to be taken literally, literally, and the other parts we don't take literally. I think you can find some contradictions if you read the gospel stories side-by-side, but I don't believe they are central enough to the gospel message to make Christianity irrelevant.

Please feel free to ask any follow-up questions.

What an awesome practice! The Daily Office is such a rich expression of prayer that I wish more people would try! So kudos to you for trying it out.

On your questions...

1. In my diocese there is a simple application process to become a licensed lay officiant when officiating within a specific church, but I don’t really think it’s restrictive in the sense that you can’t just say the Office somewhere outside of a church with other people. Certainly, the spirit of the Office is that it is accessible to all and doesn’t require special ordination or certification. That said if this is something you are really passionate about, I think you should see about what kind of formation your church can offer so that you might be able to say the Office with confidence and have good instruction on all the nuances of it.
   
   
2. Keep in mind that the 2019 prayer book is issued by the ACNA, not the Episcopal Church. That may or may not matter to you, depending on whether you plan on characterizing your Office group as a sort of pan-Anglican group, or whether it is more specifically Episcopalian in nature. The official prayer book in TEC is the 1979, which I think is the one you should use if you plan on situating yourself as firmly Episcopalian, but otherwise I don’t really think it matters what prayer book you use as long as you are consistent. This may also be a pragmatic question - I am not sure if the 1928 prayer book is easily accessible in bulk, and I just don’t know what the price and distribution patterns of the 2019 book are at all. I am assuming you are providing prayer books or some sort of printout for your fellow Office-sayers to follow.
   
   
3. I don’t know, I’ll let someone else comment.
   
   
4. I don’t think it needs to be super formalized, but some sort of lectern or table from which a reader can do the readings might be nice. If you have kneelers and stuff that’s great, but if not there are lots of other options. Heck, even just having some throw pillows that people can sit/kneel on might be all you really need.
   
   
5. I don’t think so. Definitely giving an actual sermon is prohibited, I think, so to me the spirit of the law says that lay people shouldn’t be expounding on scripture or other topics in a sermon-like setting. But, I think group discussion is appropriate. You could also consider doing a short reading; for example my church uses this book of readings from the early church for some of our Daily Office services.
   
   
6. I think once a week is a good start. My church says EP every day but it is split up among many different officiants, most of whom officiate once a week. It is hard to make it work in the average person’s schedule to say the Office publicly more than a couple times a week, and it’s better to cultivate a loyal following for one service than spread out the interest among many different services. Perhaps as your group grows (God willing!) you might be able to create a rotation to offer prayer more often.
   
   Best of luck in this endeavor - it sounds like such a worthy effort!

Hi, I'm a historian recently graduated from an MA program, and also a prospective Episcopalian. If you're interested in the history of Christianity in the United States you're in luck! One of the last courses I took(and easily the most interesting) was an independent study my professor and I called "Religion and American Life". I'll provide a selected annotated bibliography here:


1. Under the Cope of Heaven: Religion, Society, and Politics in Colonial America by Patricia Bonomi. Bonomi's book covers the colonial period pretty well, and it is, I think, the shortest of the three, but no less interesting.


2. Southern Cross: The Beginnings of the Bible Belt by Christine Leigh Heyrman is a really amazing book that covers the early evangelical movement in the South during the Second Great Awakening in the 1790s.


2.5 A Shopkeeper's Millennium: Society and Revivals in Rochester, New York, 1815-1837 by Paul E. Johnson. Johnson's book, depending your views about when the 19th century started, is a really interesting and compelling history of the religious movement in Rochester NY during a very important time in its development. It includes economics, if that's your thing.


3. Without Benefit of Clergy: Women and the Pastoral Relationship in Nineteenth Century American Culture by Karin E. Gedge. If a more 19th century view is what you're after especially about women is interesting, then you'll like this one very much. It is a really interesting take and cultural history is fun to read.

I hope this was of assistance to you. Enjoy!

Edit: the formatting is funky and I don't know why. sorry.

Welcome. Good luck on your path. Do know that faith ebbs and flows. Right now, you've had a powerful experience that moved you significantly--to a whole new faith. That's great. In a few months, or years, or maybe never, things may settle down and feel less powerful. But that doesn't mean they're less genuine. Be open to the journey and its ebbs and flows. Though if you're a fan of Ignatian spirituality you probably have a sense of that!

As far as books, I think The Anglican Way and Your Faith, Your Life are great introductions to the Anglican/Episcopal traditions. They are basic, but they might help you pick up some facts you're missing out on. For better understanding the Book of Common Prayer and liturgical worship, I'd recommend Inwardly Digest to start and the Commentary on the American Prayer Book if you really want to dive deep on specific aspects of the book. To understand the Nicene Creed, one of our primary statements of faith, try The Nicene Creed. It's written by a Catholic theologian but really helped me understand more pieces of this prayer that Christians share.

If you are interested in the more mystical/Ignatian modes of spirituality, both of these are Catholic but apply well to Anglicanism: Richard Rohr's Center for Contemplation in Action (love their daily reflections!) and many of the books by Father James Martin, SJ.

Lastly, read the Bible just a little bit every day! It will help you get more familiar with things. Try choosing a daily devotional like Sacred Space or Day by Day which will give you snippets of reading and reflection. It'll help you grow to understand scripture better.

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.

>No doubt there's a historical precedent -- maybe we can thank our friend Constantine for that. As far as theological precedent (and here's a great time to point out that I'm not a theologian), I think the onus is on those who make the extraordinary claim (i.e., Rome). What support is there for the papacy in scripture, other than that single, not unambiguous line in Matthew?


I am a theologian, unfortunately. A historical theologian at that. And I work on the Fathers.

Firstly, the idea that Constantine has anything to do with the Roman Bishop's primacy is absurd. We're verging into Dan Brown territory here.

Secondly, a book I always recommend as a good primer on the historical issue is Adrian Fortescue's The Early Papacy: To the Synod of Chalcedon in 451. There's also a very good article by Fr. Brian Daley, SJ in Journal of Theological Studies, but if you aren't a theologian, you probably don't have access to it.

I agree with you that if Rome is going to make certain claims, she ought to back them up. The fact is, however, that she has. Convincingly. The history and theology is on the Catholic Church's side, I think.

>Well, maybe, but I've also heard that fascism makes the trains run on time...

The Constantine reference plus comparing us to fascists wins you best Protestant polemic of the day award.

http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bcp/

This is an excellent resource for seeing all the various iterations of the Book of Common Prayer and how it has changed, in such variegated ways, over Anglican history. My favorite BCPs are the 1929 Scottish, 1928 American, 1928 English Proposed, and the 1954 South African. There's some cool stuff in the Indian 1960 too.

http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bcp/everyman_history/

Good old St Dearmer! Here's his history of the Book of Common Prayer.

Some podcasts I like: there's the Young Tractarians which definitely has a conservative Anglo-Catholic bent that talks extensively about the Prayer Book and what it is, so I'd recommend that. I'd also recommend understanding the BCP in the context in which it was written, namely the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion. And finally, there's also these two special editions, one of the 1662 with an essay at the beginning from Penguin (you may be able to find this without having to buy 1662, but it's a gorgeous essay I would really recommend) and the Oxford Guide to the Book of Common Prayer.

In terms of talking to your priest, I'd first remind you that your priest is not your Spiritual Father in the monastic sense. What I mean is, you are not a monastic who has sworn obedience to a monastic elder; rather, you are a layperson who has a Father-Confessor. A Father-Confessor's role is to hear your confession and give you some spiritual advice--a Father-Confessor's role is not to take over your life and tell you what to do all the time in every situation; nor is their role to be a substitute for a therapist.

As for the talk itself... it depends on the priest. If you are going to ask him, "is it a sin to fantasize about this very specific type of scenario" he might say, "it's causing you trouble, so just stop doing it" because he is not a therapist and is not as familiar with the situation as you are. Or, he might give some very insightful advice. I guess, be honest and be very specific about what your problem is: Don't just say "is this a sin or not" but describe how you have been trying to fight thoughts with thoughts and how it doesn't work.

In terms of other advice, I think you should stop trying to fight thoughts with other thoughts, and stop considering the realm of thought to be as important as you do (I mean in terms of your reflective moral judgments, obviously because you have OCD you directly attach importance to the thoughts). So for example, instead of trying to focus a thought away using your mind, you would throw the whole mental realm in the trash and say a prayer out loud. Instead of trying to change how you feel using other thoughts, try doing different things in the world. Along with what you learn in therapy, this book can give you some exercises that you can do to help: https://www.amazon.com/Constructive-Living-Kolowalu-Books-Paperback/dp/0824808711

Finally, you should recognize that, at some level, you have no choice but to trust yourself. All that you hear from the internet, from your therapist, from your Father-Confessor--you perceive all of these things through your own senses, your own ability to think and reason and decide. Your only choices are to sit down and do nothing---which you know is definitely the wrong choice---or use your God-given reason and insight and sensibility to undestand and make judgments about what you should do. There is no religion, practice, philosophy, or state of mind you could enter that would add a third choice.

Here is a podcast from the late Fr. Thomas Hopko, I think you should listen to it. Pay attention to what he says about how people go to monastic elders because they are trying to reject God's freedom and have someone take over their life. Listen to how he says this is not what Jesus wants for us. https://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/hopko/the_temptation_of_jesus

Oh, and as to the question of how you should consider your nightly mental scenarios... I think it may help if you think of those as not just something you do "in your head," but also as something you do in a specific place and time in the real world. While you can make up mental scenarios anywhere, anytime, these happen for you in a specific place and time. When you've gone to bed at your normal time or earlier, maybe when you didn't get a lot of mental stimulation or exercise that day, it happens when you lay down to go to sleep on your pillow, you leave the lights on a little longer, etc. The more we see our mental practices as embedded in the physical world, the more we can value them properly. I hope that helps.

As a historian who studies Reformation England, I'd highly recommend the Oxford Guide to the Book of Common Prayer for anyone wanting an introduction to the history behind the it. It's especially good at covering the reciprocal relationship between theology and society/culture/politics. It's a pretty hefty book, but it's broken up into chapters not only on specific eras, but ones on specific themes as well. So it's pretty easy to find your way around while covering a lot of information.

All right, I guess I'll go first.

• I use the Daily Office along with the D.O. Lectionary in the Book of Common Prayer 1979. I always do it alone. I live alone, and I don't attend Office services led by other people.
  
  
• I try to keep my head in each season:
  
  
• • I let Sunday Eucharist services (with the Lectionary readings, sermons, and music) help keep me on the right track in that respect.
    
    
• • I also follow a lot of Episcopal clergy and lay folks on Facebook and Twitter, and what they post tends to be enriching.
    
    
• • I make an effort to keep my music seasonal, too. The Benedictines of Mary have albums out for Advent, Lent, Easter, and several other holy days; one of those CDs is always in my car.
    
    
• I think of my practices as being both peculiarly Anglican as well as part of the holy catholic Church. The Daily Office owes a lot to Cranmer's adaptation of the Office already in use in early sixteenth-century England. It's like Offices in other Christian traditions, but it's also unique. But I try to avoid trying to focus on Anglican-ness above all else. I think that I'm often tempted to be an enthusiast of the Episcopal Church to excess, so I'm always striving inwardly to think of myself as a Christian primarily and not as an Episcopalian.
  
  
• Saint Augustine's Prayer Book.
  
  
• For "Etc.!" - I also love Marion Hatchett's Commentary on the American Prayer Book.

Assuming based on post history you're looking for 1979 prayerbook resources, I use the settings in the 1982 hymnal for most of MP and EP, and this for chanting psalms.

Also, hidden in the organist edition of the hymnal (but not the pew edition) is plainchant settings for noonday and compline, which is very annoying to me. You can purchase them separately here, but they often go out of stock/the algorithm sends them to unreasonable prices.

edit: if you have more questions I'm happy to answer them :)

Walk in Love: Episcopal Beliefs and Practices is a great place to start.

OP: I started with the linked material here; it's an excellent resource and served me for at least a year or two.

I recently got the Plainchant Psalter for Christmas and am in love with it.

https://www.amazon.com/Glorious-Companions-Centuries-Anglican-Spirituality/dp/0802822223

This book is one of my favorites. It contains an overview of a large number of Anglican authors and spiritual teachers over the centuries. For each one, there's a short biography, an overview of their works, and a bibliography. I think it'll give you a good overview of a lot of different teachers, and it'll certainly give you a long reading list if you pick a work or two from each author presented.

Here are a couple books to look at. Btw, NT Wright is an Anglican. And he's terrific if you haven't read him. Check out Surprised By Hope.

What Anglicans Believe in the Twenty-first Century (Continuum Icons) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0826476899/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_yh2Xzb7CE5F45

Anglican Theology (Doing Theology) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0567008029/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_4i2Xzb0SY5ZC0

The Study of Anglicanism https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002SG7H2I/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_sj2Xzb83PQ5CJ

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

I always loved Sr Benedicta Ward's "Sayings of the Desert Fathers" https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0140447318?tag=amz-mkt-fox-uk-21&ascsubtag=1ba00-01000-org00-mac00-dsk00-nomod-uk000-pcomp-feature-scomp-wm-5&ref=aa_scomp

The Word is Very Near You by Martin Smith and True Prayer by Kenneth Leech are both excellent.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JHQOA8Q/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr

The Anglican Way by Thomas Mckenzie gives a good overview of what makes Anglicanism distinctive.

If you are an American, then I'd say Thomas McKenzie's Anglican Way. Certainly pushed me closer to Anglicanism.

​

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JHQOA8Q/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

There is a book put out by Church Publishing called "Readings for the Daily Office from the Early Church", though I don't know if it's in print. And I have a copy of one of the two volumes of this English book which serves the same function.

The monastic house I'm associated with uses a reading from the Rule of S. Benedict at Compline.

No, the problem is the link itself, not how it's displayed. You can remove everything after https://www.amazon.com/Commentary-American-Prayer-Marion-Hatchett/dp/0060635541 and it will still work (and not be caught by spam filters). In fact, all you really need is https://www.amazon.com/dp/0060635541

The ?tag= thing in the link means it's an affiliate link and someone is getting a cut of the purchase as a referral fee. That's generally frowned upon on Reddit.