For centuries, it has been the godparents’ primary role, second only to that of the parents themselves, to raise and disciple children in the Christian faith.
We Believe: One Baptism for the Forgiveness of Sins
The Nicene Creed teaches not only who God is but also what God has done for his people. After confessing that the church is “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic,” we then say, “and we acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.” This part of the creed—“one baptism for the forgiveness”—can’t be separated from everything…
The Church Offers What the Culture Can’t
As a youth minister, summer camp is a regular part of my life. Every year, we load up the church van and head into the middle of nowhere for a week of sleepless nights, camp food, sunburn, and ruthless competition. While I love all the craziness that comes with camp, there is one experience I…
Infant Baptism in the Bible: A Promise For You and Your Children
The Biblical record on infant baptism should give us confidence to present our children and to receive God’s promise.
Communion for Children: A Rookie Anglican Guide to Paedocommunion
(Editor’s Note: Views on whether small children should be admitted to Communion vary within modern Anglicanism, including disagreements within the Anglican Compass team. That said, our ministry president, Peter Johnston, here presents his case in favor of paedocommunion.) If you are new to the Anglican way, you might be surprised to see children, including toddlers and…
Mystic Hunger and an Anglican Feast
I was a young child the first time I encountered the sign of the cross. It must have been on TV—probably watching The Sound of Music for the hundredth time. Having grown up in a staunchly non-liturgical evangelical home, I can’t imagine where else I would have ever seen such a gesture. It captivated me….
Rogation Sunday: A Rookie Anglican Guide
Rogation Sunday and the three subsequent Rogation Days commemorate Jesus’ final days on earth before his Ascension. Accordingly, these days focus on the earth, the work of agriculture, and on human dependence upon God. On Rogation Sunday we especially remember to abide in Christ the Vine, to receive his love and bear fruit in love…
10 Reasons for Anglican Optimism
When we observe the world—the sin and disbelief and conflict surrounding the church, together with the sin and disbelief and conflict within the church—it is easy to grow weary of the “changes and chances of this life” (BCP, 60). But take heart: our Lord Jesus Christ is on his throne, his Kingdom is at hand,…
Full Circle with Anglican Compass: The Editor’s Story
Becoming the editor of Anglican Compass is a full-circle experience. It’s possible that I wouldn’t be an Anglican without Anglican Compass, much less have been ordained a priest in this tradition. I spent my first 34 years in Southern Baptist churches, after all. Only God could have orchestrated the journey by which he led me…
I Throw Me At His Feet: A Reading of George Herbert’s “The Priesthood”
As I discern my own vocation, George Herbert’s poem, The Priesthood, has helped me to understand the sacrament of ordination. Sacraments of the Church The catechism of the ACNA describes five different rites and institutions as “sacraments of the church” (see To Be A Christian, #124). These differ from the sacraments of Baptism and Holy…
