Our God is a God of music. He does not sit in his high and noble tower, eternally contemplating his own existence, as some philosophers have hypothesized. He is, rather, always engaged in the drama of his own glory, bursting into the human world with shards of joy that inspire souls to sing out in…
Why Do Christians Call God Father?
To call God “Father” is one of the great privileges of being a Christian. But this can be confusing to the world and even to some inside the church. Why do Christians call God “Father” when he is not our biological dad? The Child Calls to His Father The power of the word “Father” is…
The Liturgy Will Pray for You: A Journey Through Grief with the Book of Common Prayer
I did not become a Christian in a liturgical tradition, but I was introduced to liturgical prayer and worship very early in my walk. I found liturgy especially helpful in giving me words and phrases to cling to when my own prayers felt “stuck.” Now, after 21 years as a Christian, having shifted into the…
Midday Prayer: A Rookie Anglican Guide
Our days are busy. Life is a nonstop hustle from the time we finish breakfast until we get home from work or school. Lunch itself may be eaten on the go. In the midst of it all, we often neglect Paul’s instruction to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thes. 5:17). However, Midday Prayer is here to…
When Two or Three Are Gathered: Reflections on the Prayer of St. John Chrysostom
Introduction Few preachers in the Patristic Church are as admired and enduring as John Chrysostom.[1] Born in A.D. 349, John developed a love for the written word that his mentor, Diodore, heavily influenced. In response to the rising trend of allegorical interpretation, Diodore and his apprentice emphasized that the Bible should be taken in its…
Hymn Guide: Joyful, Joyful
“Joyful, Joyful” is a hymn so classic that it sometimes feels cliche. Presbyterian clergyman Henry van Dyke wrote the text alongside the Ode to Joy, from the finale of Beethoven’s 9th symphony. But inside this familiar topic, set to a familiar tune, there is unexpected theological substance. It does not treat joy as mere happiness….
Full Circle with Anglican Compass: The Editor’s Story
Becoming the editor of Anglican Compass was 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 that led me to the…
Why I Became Anglican (And You Should, Too!)
After nearly four years of prayer, discernment, and hard discussions with friends and mentors, I officially left the Southern Baptist life I had grown up in to be confirmed into the Anglican Church of North America. This was a difficult decision for me. I had grown to love the biblical commitment of the SBC and…
10 Ways to Preach the Trinity Sunday Sermon
There is a standard joke about a church rector making up the calendar for preaching. He decides to preach all the easy Bible passages. Pentecost? It’s a piece of cake! The Transfiguration? Child’s play. Christ the King Sunday? Not a problem. But then he looks at the Bible readings for the Feast of the Holy…
Understanding Heresy: On the Old Testament in the Gospel of Thomas and the Apostolic Fathers
It is hard to say what the author of the Gospel of Thomas thought of the Old Testament, for the simple reason that he ignores it, entirely. On the other hand, the embrace of the Hebrew Scriptures – as God’s testimony concerning His beloved Son – was the hermeneutical and theological basis of the rule…
The Authority of Holy Scripture: A Rookie Anglican Guide
Anglicanism is deeply committed to the authority of Holy Scripture. It seeks to uphold the authority of Scripture in doctrine and to apply its authority in practice. This double dynamic of orthodoxy (right belief) and orthopraxy (right practice) is reflected in Cranmer’s lovely Collect for the Second Sunday in Advent: Blessed Lord, who caused all…
A Short Theology of Soccer
We need a theology of soccer. There is something sacramental about it. I vividly remember my evening in Bethlehem during a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. That day we had entered the Church of the Nativity, alongside crowds of pilgrims from many countries, united in devotion to Christ. After the church closed and the crowds…
