Over the years, I have encountered Joseph in many articles, books, and sermons. We often remembered Joseph as the boy with the beautiful coat, favored by his father, resented by his brothers, and carried along by youthful certainty. We often tell his story as one of suffering, perseverance, and eventual vindication. Yet we do not…
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.
The Bible: Believing God’s Word Written (Jerusalem Declaration Clause 2.1)
Clause 2 has two sentences. Taken together, they capture the twofold dynamic of the Bible, moving from God’s gracious self-revelation to our thankful response.
Book Review: The Vision of Ephesians by N.T. Wright
Wright, the former Bishop of Durham and Senior Research Fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University, has written The Vision of Ephesians: The Task of the Church and the Glory of God.
Living Inside Psalm 51: A Conversation with David Roseberry
In a sense, Psalm 51 is emblematic of the Old Testament. It struggles with sin and the distance it creates from God—a distance King David is very nervous about personally experiencing—but it doesn’t offer a path to reunion and redemption except through the offering described at the end of the Psalm.
Psalms and Prayers for Ice and Snow
I grew up in Chicago, where snow is a frequent fact of winter. We took note of the first snow and significant snowfalls, and every once in a while, an actual blizzard would come to shut down work and school. The danger in such a storm is often greater from ice than from snow; ice…
Book Review: Paul, Apostle of Grace by Frank Thielman
Frank Thielman’s Paul, Apostle of Grace begins with a welcome note of scholarly humility. Acknowledging the difficulty of reconstructing the life of one of Christianity’s most influential figures, Thielman makes clear that his aim is not to offer an exhaustive biography but rather a historically responsible portrait.
We Believe: We Look for the Resurrection of the Dead
Every Sunday, Christians rise to confess the faith once delivered: “We believe in one God… We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ… We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.” The Nicene Creed moves with a steady rhythm of affirmations, statements about what God has done in history, and what he has promised to…
Mother of God: Anglicans and the Marian Dogmas
How do Anglicans view the Marian dogmas, and what differences exist between our view of dogma and Rome’s?
Justice Delayed is Justice Denied: The Importance of Speed in Church Discipline
Speed is an essential quality of effective church discipline. Speed is not merely helpful; rather, speed is essential. We find this principle grounded in Biblical teaching, English common law, the American Constitution, and contemporary practice. The saying is true (and worthy of full acceptance): when justice is delayed, justice is denied. Moreover, the church’s recent…
The Bible: Walking in God’s Word (Jerusalem Declaration Clause 2.2)
The Jerusalem Declaration offers a set of principles to guide us in our Christian walk, as outlined in the second sentence of Clause 2: “The Bible is to be translated, read, preached, taught and obeyed in its plain and canonical sense, respectful of the church’s historic and consensual reading.”