It may be thought that in the uncertainties of the ‘post-Brexit’ era, a study of this kind is of little practical value. However, the work provides an important point of reference for several reasons. First, in respect of each of the territories to which attention is given, the reader is provided with a record of sociological and political change – a feature which offers the prospect of not only comparison but also the identification of trends which might themselves offer some scope for prediction. Second, analysis of both historical influence and current practice involves, in each case, the presentation of a historical and political trajectory, one that witnesses the transformation of the church–state relation from symbiosis to some degree of statutory or regulatory oversight: in short, what has in many territories represented the journey from state preferment to limited toleration.

In the past, some commentators have succumbed to the temptation of attributing this transformation to the socio-political influences of recent years. However, each of the contributors renders an account which challenges such a view. In his analysis of the UK position, Norman Doe deftly leads the reader through a historical timeline which traces the teaching of theology and theological training of clerics as the shared concern of church and state, to the position encountered today, in which religious denominations draw upon civil law structures for the transmission of their own educational formation programmes, with limited regulation by, or interest from, the civil authorities. This constitutional journey from preference to ‘permission’ is subject to similar treatment by Celia Kenny, in considering the case of Ireland. However, Kenny gives closer attention to a number of consequential issues, such as whether a more interdisciplinary or socially contextualised approach to theological instruction is required for the good both of the denominations under consideration and/or of society in general.

The title of this book may not be the most inviting on the new publications shelf. However, it is a work which serves the dual ambition of providing historical data while promoting ongoing discussion. It generates questions regarding the objectives and efficacy of theological training, past and present. On this account it is likely to be of interest to theologians, canonists and others seeking to engage with the important task of ensuring that ministers of religion are suitably equipped for service within society as a whole, and their own denomination in particular.