George Washington was born into a deeply Anglican family and remained a faithful Anglican layman for his entire life. He was baptized in the church as an infant, married a pious Anglican woman, and was buried with the burial office from the 1789 Book of Common Prayer. In between these sacramental milestones, Washington served as…
The Ven. Dr. Peter Johnston serves as the Ministry President of Anglican Compass. He is a priest and archdeacon in the Anglican Diocese of All Nations and the founding rector of Trinity Lafayette. He lives with his wife, Carla, and their nine children near Lafayette, Louisiana.
J.I. Packer: A Rookie Anglican Guide
J.I. Packer became an international figure through scores of pamphlets and books, especially his 1973 bestseller, Knowing God. Packer’s institutional engagement is less famous than his books but arguably even more influential.
Hymn Guide: Holy, Holy, Holy
“Holy, Holy, Holy” is not only a classic hymn about the Trinity; it is also a song of adoration and personal worship of the triune God. Every verse begins with the thrice-holy acclamation of God upon his throne.
Pentecost: A Rookie Anglican Guide
Pentecost commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles in Jerusalem fifty days after Easter. The Spirit descended as tongues of fire, empowering the apostles to proclaim the gospel in every tongue. The result was the conversion of people from many nations and the baptism of thousands of families. Pentecost thereby fulfilled the…
Ascension Day: A Rookie Anglican Guide
Ascension Day commemorates Jesus’ Ascension from earth to heaven on the 40th day after his Resurrection.
Sola Scriptura: Why the Bible is Our Highest Authority
Sola Scriptura is the doctrine that the Bible is the highest authority in matters of faith and morals. The phrase is Latin for “scripture alone” and indicates that scripture is the final authority to which we can appeal in matters of the faith.
Hymn Guide: The King of Love My Shepherd Is
If Psalm 23 had been written by Saint Peter rather than King David, the result would be something like “The King of Love My Shepherd Is.”
Batter My Heart, Three-Person’d God: A Reading of John Donne’s Holy Sonnet XIV
“Batter My Heart, Three-Person’d God,” also known as Holy Sonnet XIV, is the 17th-century poet-priest John Donne’s brilliant and controversial poem on the primacy of God’s grace in our salvation. Using both martial and marital metaphors, Donne calls God to action, pleading for rescue from our spiritual enemy. Theologically, the poem reflects the reformed principle…
Hymn Guide: Jesus Christ Is Risen Today
This hymn is nearly synonymous with Easter. It is sung in every church (worth its salt) on the morning of Easter Sunday. The title of its tune, so rousing with its many Alleluias, is simply EASTER HYMN. If you haven’t sung it, have you really celebrated Easter?
Spy Wednesday: A Choice Between Greed and Giving
Holy Wednesday is often called “Spy Wednesday” because it is the day in Holy Week that Judas Iscariot agreed to betray Jesus and became a spy for the high priests. It is also the day that Mary of Bethany anointed Jesus with costly ointment.
St. Joseph and the Virtues of Silence
Saint Joseph was the head of the holy family and an indispensable figure in sacred history. Yet one of the most striking qualities of Joseph in the gospels is his silence.
Hymn Guide: Deck Thyself, My Soul, with Gladness
We may put on this facade because of social pressure, self-deception, or a theology that forgets that Jesus himself wept, suffered, and died. Then there is also the opposite temptation, to wallow in sadness, as if our Lord did not rise again from the grave. “Deck Thyself, My Soul, with Gladness” is a hymn that addresses these complex emotions with honesty, beauty, and authentic hope.
