John the Baptist, in his wonderful birth, stands as an icon of life. In fact, the Church liturgically remembers the earthly birth—rather than death—of only three people: the Virgin Mary, Our Lord himself, and John.
The Monthly Psalter: A Rookie Anglican Guide
In the Prayer Book, the Psalter follows a 30-day cycle, assigning Psalms for both morning and evening each day.
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…
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.”
Formed in Faithfulness: Joseph and Ecclesial Reordering
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 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.
The Bible: Walking in God’s Word (Jerusalem Declaration 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.”