The study looks at how Anglican identity was constructed and contested at various periods from the sixteenth century and what has been its historical influence during the past six centuries. It explores not just the ecclesiastical and theological aspects of global Anglicanism, but also the political, social, economic, and cultural influences of this form of Christianity that has been historically significant in western culture, and a burgeoning force in non-western societies today.

It is a message that proclaims and calls all people to belief in the literal Resurrection of Jesus through a radical life change of repentance and baptism. Thus, this new life in Christ was a challenge and a threat in the Apostolic age to the societal status quo and remains a challenge and a threat to the societal status quo in our modern times. Dawn and Peterson note that, "The Christian community is an alternative society."

The book addresses the oddity of Dispensationalist end-times scenarios. "The authors of this book reject those dispensationalist approaches that are confident they can plot the sequence or chronology of end-times events." (p. 14)

First, there has often been a tendency toward a false and unbiblical specialization, so that spiritual power came to be seen as limited to certain people, rather than all Christians, and to certain places, rather than anywhere God's people are present. "They," the saints as special people, are obviously the gifted and anointed ones, and "we," the rest of us who are not so gifted and anointed, can then delegate our responsibility to them, with relief.