After learning about a course that Dr. Gerry Crete offers for couples after the discovery of pornography use, Canon Greg Goebel interviewed him about this issue and about his course to learn more about recovery from pornography use. Pornography is wrong, but is it also addicting? We believe that pornography is morally wrong, and is also a social sin because [...]
During the stay-at-home-order, I was able to interview my wife Victoria, who is a grief counselor and who continues to provide support to clients during this crisis. Victoria Goebel, LMSW, is a Bereavement Counselor at Crossroads Hospice of Atlanta. She is a graduate of the Masters in Social Work program at the University of Georgia. What is grief? Grief is [...]
Are you at home for the Easter Vigil? We have created an webpage with a guided tour of the Great Vigil of Easter, BCP 2019, with music links for streaming. You can learn more about Holy Week and the Easter Vigil here. Visit the Great Vigil of Easter Page The liturgy normally assumes a church gathered, but this has been [...]
Churches all over the world are not holding public gatherings, and are moving their ministries to online or one-on-one ministry. They do this as an act of love, not out of fear. But we are not closed; we are more active than ever. Fear is understandable, and we should take this virus seriously. But we are not suspending public worship [...]
We all feel fear. Fear of viruses affecting loved ones, financial fears, or just a general sense of foreboding. During any time of crisis or disorientation, fear is a natural and normal reaction. In fact, without fear, the human race would not survive. It warns us of danger, based on our ability to anticipate what might happen based on what [...]
Greg Goebel and Joshua Steele collaborated on the following piece. We've clarified what clarity and charity look like when it comes to navigating the Anglican tradition, but what do these Anglican Compass values look like when navigating the global Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic? If you're a church leader, how do you balance the concerns for public safety, fellowship, and [...]
Despite its focus on repentance, Lent is no exception to the gracious focus of all Scripture—Jesus Christ himself. Scripture is always about redemption. How should we read Scripture in Lent? Before we look at that question, we have to lift a few burdens. First, not all of us are expert Bible scholars, and that’s okay. As the Church Father Tertullian [...]
Ash Wednesday If you are new to Lent, you can go to any Anglican, Lutheran, or Roman Catholic Church on Ash Wednesday. Or find another type of church that has an “Ash Wednesday” sign. None of the traditions listed here require that you be a member to participate in the Ash Wednesday service. Just note that Orthodox churches (Greek, Russian, [...]
The following list (drawn from our book, Lent: The Journey from Ash Wednesday through Holy Week) is not exhaustive, but consider these Lenten lessons. Lent reminds us that we are sinners and we need to repent. We are sinners and we need to repent—even after we are baptized, saved, forgiven, and healed. Yes, we continue to be a part of [...]
Serving in Christian ministry in America requires a knowledge of the racial history and current reality of our context. We need to understand how people are affected by our racial history and present struggles, especially through the African American experience. I’ve found the following books to be helpful to me for understanding perspectives on race and society. There are many [...]
The Prayer of Humble Access is a traditional part of the Anglican service of Holy Communion. I recently found out how beloved the Prayer of Humble Access is to so many Anglicans when I posted about it on Twitter. I posted what I thought was a slightly humorous tweet poll which indicated some questions I have about the placement of [...]
“Pastor Anglicano” is a collaboration between Anglican Pastor and Caminemos Juntos to deliver translated and original content in Spanish. The English original of the following piece is: Why Bishops? by Greg Goebel. Los anglicanos fueron una de las pocas iglesias reformadas que retuvieron a los obispos como bíblicos e históricos. La mayoría de los otros grupos, en nuestra humilde opinión, confundieron la hierba con [...]
“Pastor Anglicano” is a collaboration between Anglican Pastor and Caminemos Juntos to deliver translated and original content in Spanish. The English original of the following piece is: “Are You Still Charismatic?” by Greg Goebel. Habiendo crecido y pastoreado dentro de la tradición pentecostal/carismática, las personas a menudo me preguntan si todavía soy un carismático, ahora que soy anglicano. Afortunadamente, ser [...]
Los Anglicanos suelen leen cuatro pasajes de las Escrituras durante el culto dominical del domingo. En voz alta. Lo mismo ocurre con tradiciones como la Católica Romana, Ortodoxa, Luterana y otras. No estamos compitiendo con nuestros compañeros creyentes en otras tradiciones, pero sí leemos muchas más Escrituras en nuestra adoración que la mayoría de muchas iglesias llamadas "Bíblicas." ¿Por qué hacemos esto? ¿Cómo [...]
¿Por qué bautizar a los infantes? El verso lema anglicano para niños tendría que ser: "Dejen que los niños vengan a mí y no los obstaculicen, porque a tales pertenece el reino de los cielos". Comenzando muy temprano en la vida de la Iglesia cristiana, los niños cristianos fueron vistos como miembros de la comunidad de fe del pacto. Así como [...]
¿Qué creen los Anglicanos acerca de la Santa Comunión? Esto puede ser difícil de precisar. En primer lugar, porque la Santa Comunión tiene muchos nombres: La Misa, la Eucaristía, la Cena del Señor, O simplemente la Comunión. Sin embargo, la Santa Comunión se describe en el Artículo 28 (XXVIII) de los Treinta y Nueve Artículos de la Religión. Esto ofrece una visión de [...]
By John Rivenbark. John Rivenbark was a priest candidate who served for many years as a pastor, teacher, and Christian Formation director. He passed into the arms of Jesus on the eve of Ascension in 2018 after a long battle with cancer. John’s teaching and preaching had a profound affect on me, and on many others. His teachings were faithful, [...]
When someone visits an Anglican church, if they are new to our tradition, they often ask "What do Anglicans believe?" As you can imagine, it is not that easy to summarize the doctrinal beliefs of a global communion with a long history, and various schools of thought and practice. Nevertheless, here at Anglican Compass, we are dedicated to answering questions [...]
Today is Easter Monday! Yes, Easter is a 50 day season and today is the first weekday of that season. Each day of the week during the week after Easter is marked out for special emphasis. Here's the Collect for Easter Monday: Grant, we pray, Almighty God, that we who celebrate with reverence the Paschal feast may be made worthy [...]
Easter Sunday is only the beginning! A great fifty-day feast (known as "Eastertide," "Easter Season," or "Easter Time," as well as "Paschaltide," "Paschal Season," or "Paschal Time") kicks off on Easter Day. In the Church Year, this is quite literally fifty days of feasting. Easter is the high point of the Church Year. So it makes sense that we would [...]
How does the Christian table meal shape us as individuals and as the church? Why is bread at the center of Jesus' meal? What does this have to do with feeding a spiritually and physically hungry world? Glenn Packiam, associate senior pastor and Anglican Priest serving at New Life Church, Colorado Springs, has written a book with pastorally accessible, theologically [...]
I'm busy planning out my personalized Lent. I need to decide what to give up. I need to decide what to give away. I need to pick books to read and do things that are tailored to my own personal, spiritual needs. Lent arrives soon. Am I ready? There are so many choices to make. Or are there? A Traditional [...]
"On the Twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me..." Wait, there are TWELVE Days? I though Christmas ended at 9am on the 25th of December? Christmas is actually a season that lasts until the Epiphany, January 6th. On Christmas morning, the party has just gotten started! But many people wonder what happens on the rest of the [...]
Almost everyone seems to feel the letdown after Christmas Day. After six weeks of singing Christmas carols, shopping, and partying, it all comes to a grinding halt at 8:30am on Christmas morning. Another year till next Christmas. And as much as people complain about commercialization and hectic holidays, etc, we still keep on doing the same things and expecting different [...]
