In Scotland, the primary expression of the church—or kirk in the Scottish tongue—is the Church of Scotland, which has long been the epitome (and, in many ways, the founder) of the Presbyterian tradition. And yet, an episcopally-governed, liturgical church has long paralleled the state church with its own unique flavor of the Anglican tradition. This…
The Lindisfarne Gospels and the Anglican Ethos of Translation
The Lindisfarne Gospels are an illuminated Gospel book first created around 700 AD on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne. Now held by the British Library, it is one of the great surviving treasures of the early English Church, broadly appreciated for its precise calligraphy, elegant Celtic designs, jeweled colors, and symbolic art. The manuscript also…
The Canons of Nicaea: Their Relevance for Anglicans Today
As we repeat the Nicene Creed week by week and come to appreciate its teaching, it is easy to miss the historic revolution that led to its creation at the First Council of Nicea. The early Church from Pentecost onward was a missionary movement taking the Gospel from Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria to the…
The Liturgical Home: The Feast of St. Barnabas
On June 11th, we celebrate the Feast of St. Barnabas, a true pioneer of the early Church. St. Barnabas may not be as well known as Peter or Paul, but his faithfulness, generosity, and encouragement changed the course of the Church. He reminds us that sometimes the most powerful witness comes not from preaching, but…
We Believe: Through Him All Things Were Made
Glory to Thee, spreading out before me heaven and earthLike the pages in a book of eternal wisdom The Akathist Hymn Meditation on a Pile of Leaves This school year, my daughter and I worked together through a general science course as part of her homeschooling curriculum. I’m no trained scientist, so it was really…
We Believe: Of One Being with the Father
Can you spot the difference between these two Greek words: homoousion and homoiousion? The first word, homoousion, means “of one being.” The second word, homoiousion, means “of like being.” These words may be distinguished by only a single letter, but their meanings are far apart. If Jesus is homoousion with the Father, then they are…
We Believe: God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God, Begotten, Not Made
In 1994, my sister died from heresy. That’s not hyperbole. It’s not a metaphor. It’s the plain truth. Leslie had contracted HIV from a botched artificial insemination procedure in the late 1980s. She kept it hidden from most everyone, and in the secrecy of her illness, she searched desperately for healing. Leslie tried everything—strict diets,…
We Believe: The Only-Begotten Son of God, Eternally Begotten of the Father
A friend of mine grew up in a church that did not recognize the Nicene Creed’s definition of the Trinity. For them, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were three labels that could be interchangeably applied to the one God. She and her family had since moved on to a church that confessed the Trinity, but…
We Believe: Reflections on the Nicene Creed
In May and June 325, the new Roman Emperor Constantine gathered hundreds of bishops to his summer palace in Nicaea. The immediate cause of their Council was a theological debate, emerging out of Alexandria, concerning the eternity and divinity of Jesus. By the end of their time together, the bishops affirmed the divinity of Christ…
Faithfulness in Contentious Times: The 12th Homily in the Digital Age
It is no secret that we live in contentious times. Strife and dissension are part of the air we breathe. The tools of the day, particularly social media, serve as rich soil where much of this strife is sown. We generally do not have our arguments down at the local pub or even in local…
The Liturgical Home: The Feast of St. Joseph
Though the Gospels record no words from Joseph, his actions speak volumes, his unwavering faith, obedience to God’s call, and humble strength make him one of the most inspiring figures in Scripture.
Man, Myth, Missionary: Reconnecting with the Real St. Patrick
I owe St. Patrick an apology. Despite him being my country’s patron saint and having celebrated more St. Patrick’s Days than I can count, I never took him seriously. It didn’t help that a joke was going around school when I was young: “What did St. Patrick say as he was driving the snakes out…
