In 2020, after a decade of planning and testing, the ACNA produced To Be a Christian: An Anglican Catechism, a companion to the 2019 Book of Common Prayer, which was published the year before. To be a Christian was itself an extraordinary achievement: a comprehensive introduction to what it means to think, to pray, and…
We Believe: For Us and For Our Salvation, He Came Down from Heaven
The Purpose of Incarnation The Nicene Creed states with characteristic precision that the Lord Jesus Christ “came down from heaven… and was made man” and that he did so “for us and for our salvation.” This classic theological affirmation captures the central purpose of the incarnation: Christ became human to save sinners. This simple clause…
We Believe: Through Him All Things Were Made
Glory to Thee, spreading out before me heaven and earthLike the pages in a book of eternal wisdom The Akathist Hymn Meditation on a Pile of Leaves This school year, my daughter and I worked together through a general science course as part of her homeschooling curriculum. I’m no trained scientist, so it was really…
We Believe: Of One Being with the Father
Can you spot the difference between these two Greek words: homoousion and homoiousion? The first word, homoousion, means “of one being.” The second word, homoiousion, means “of like being.” These words may be distinguished by only a single letter, but their meanings are far apart. If Jesus is homoousion with the Father, then they are…
We Believe: God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God, Begotten, Not Made
In 1994, my sister died from heresy. That’s not hyperbole. It’s not a metaphor. It’s the plain truth. Leslie had contracted HIV from a botched artificial insemination procedure in the late 1980s. She kept it hidden from most everyone, and in the secrecy of her illness, she searched desperately for healing. Leslie tried everything—strict diets,…
We Believe: The Only-Begotten Son of God, Eternally Begotten of the Father
A friend of mine grew up in a church that did not recognize the Nicene Creed’s definition of the Trinity. For them, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were three labels that could be interchangeably applied to the one God. She and her family had since moved on to a church that confessed the Trinity, but…
We Believe: In One Lord, Jesus Christ
The word “Lord” often has bad connotations. In our culture, the three most famous Lords are Lord Vader, Lord Voldemort, and Lord Sauron. When the messianic heroes in those stories defeat their respective Lords, they do not become Lord Skywalker, Lord Potter, or Lord Baggins. The Christian gospel, on the other hand, is this: the…
We Believe: Reflections on the Nicene Creed
In May and June 325, the new Roman Emperor Constantine gathered hundreds of bishops to his summer palace in Nicaea. The immediate cause of their Council was a theological debate, emerging out of Alexandria, concerning the eternity and divinity of Jesus. By the end of their time together, the bishops affirmed the divinity of Christ…
Faithfulness in Contentious Times: The 12th Homily in the Digital Age
It is no secret that we live in contentious times. Strife and dissension are part of the air we breathe. The tools of the day, particularly social media, serve as rich soil where much of this strife is sown. We generally do not have our arguments down at the local pub or even in local…
The Annunciation: A Rookie Anglican Guide
The Annunciation refers to the conception of Jesus by the Holy Spirit in the Virgin Mary and the announcement of this pregnancy by the angel Gabriel to Mary. The Church celebrates the feast on March 25, which is easy to remember when you realize it is precisely nine months before Christmas! This day reminds us…
The Nicene Creed: A Rookie Anglican Guide
First drafted by bishops gathered at the Council of Nicaea in 325, the Nicene Creed is now affirmed by all major Christian denominations as a fundamental expression of the faith.
The Presentation of Our Lord: The Message of Candlemas
Why does the Church return to Jesus’ infancy every February 2 for the Feast of the Presentation, also called Candlemas? The reason is both chronological and theological.
