Theology and worship are, or at least ought to be, inseparable. Furthermore, every Christian is a theologian, not just the academics. And we Christians should follow the examples of our early brothers and sisters in Christ who “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42). What a fine […]
Recently, a Lutheran pastor asked me a simple question. He was thinking of affiliating with either the Anglican Communion or the Roman Catholic Church. He wanted to know how we (Anglicans) understand Apostolic Succession. I am assuming he wanted to be in a church that had an unbroken line of succession to the first Apostles, namely to Peter and finally, […]
Anglicanism taught me that the Church exists.
I once thought that everyone had their own relationship with Jesus and they got together on Sundays to sing and talk about it. I know now that the Church is a ‘she’ not an ‘it,’ a great tradition that spans time and space, and a real spiritual home […]
The “Anglican” movement in the sixteenth century was a return to the pure and simple faith of Christianity as embodied in the Holy Scriptures. —W. H. Griffith Thomas
What we believe shapes our identity, and ultimately, who we are. Singer-songwriter Rich Mullins affirmed this in an older song called “Creed.” In the words of […]
Where did Christ descend to?
If you worshiped in an Anglican Church between 1552 (when the Creed was first printed in full in the Prayer Book) and 1979 you would answer “he descended to hell” because in the Apostles’ Creed as you would have learned it, that is what it says: “[He] was crucified, dead, […]
“If God, why evil?”
When men first announced the death of God these four, short, stabbing, syllables were thought to be the nails in the Creator’s coffin. This riddle may not have been the instrumental cause of his death, but it was certainly thought that it would prevent any future resurrection on his part. Unfortunately for them, scoffers have a bad […]
Deacons cannot absolve, bless, or consecrate. These “ABCs” of the diaconate are often the first and most consistent way that people describe the order today, inadvertently defining the most foundational of the Holy Orders by what deacons cannot do. I have attempted to add parochial reports to the list, but it neither follows the alphabetic scheme nor works out consistently […]
Since the beginning of the modern era, westerners have typically divided the world into two categories: natural and supernatural. The natural world is thought to contain everything that can be proven by science, can visibly be seen; it’s the world of evidence, facts, and reality. In other words, it’s the “real” world. The supernatural is then considered the realm of […]
This week, the Presbyterian theologian Carl Trueman reflected on what Christians ought to learn about ourselves and about the world from the COVID-19 pandemic. One thing, he says, seems obvious: “The levels of general panic indicate that few of us have been properly prepared for the reality of our own mortality.”
Many Christians have reflected on the significance of the […]
The following is an excerpt from the Anglican Church in North America’s catechism, To Be a Christian: An Anglican Catechism (Crossway, 2020), pp. 29–35.
You can download a PDF of the entire catechism here.
All genuine Christians affirm that authentic Christianity is apostolic Christianity. Apostolic Christianity rests […]
How do we know if our experiences of God are real or not? If we thought that we, or our congregations, were experiencing revival, or renewal, how would we discern if it was really from the Holy Spirit? What would be happening? What wouldn’t be happening?
If we pray for God’s work in our own hearts, and in the lives of […]
Many people coming to Anglicanism stumble over infant baptism. They come for the beauty of the liturgy, the appreciation of both Word and Sacrament, of Scripture and Tradition. But for many, whether Baptist or not, infant baptism is a hang-up.
There are many good reasons for such worries and many good answers—including on this site (see here, here, and […]
As a minister, nothing makes my stomach hurt like the phrase “church-shopping” and the statements that often come with it:
The list goes on and on. One could write a book about the many issues […]
Crossway will be publishing this edition of To Be a Christian: An Anglican Catechism in early 2020. You can pre-order a copy on Amazon here (affiliate link).
I remember the sermon illustration well.
A tightrope walker strings a tightrope across a gorge. He walks back and forth across the rope to the awe and delight of the audience. He then pushes a wheelbarrow back and forth. After that feat, he asks the astonished crowd, “Do you think I can do this with a person in the wheelbarrow?”
Everybody […]
Editor’s Note: Thank you to the Rev. Dr. Emily McGowin for writing this rejoinder to Fr. Blake Johnson’s and Fr. Lee Nelson’s responses to her original blog post about the in persona Christi argument against women’s ordination. While we invite this conversation (about McGowin’s original blog post) to continue in our comments section and elsewhere—and we plan […]
Editor’s Note (Greg Goebel): Fr. Lee Nelson has been a writer and supporter of Anglican Pastor from our earliest days. I asked him to write a response to the Rev. Dr. Emily McGowin’s post for our site. Meanwhile, Rev. Blake Johnson has also published a response on the Theopolis Insitute’s blog.
We present this […]
Editor’s Note: The piece below represents the opinion of the author. Anglican Pastor does not take a site-wide position for or against women’s ordination. We do, however, require both clarity and charity. We ask that your responses to it do so as well.
After reading this piece, please see Lee Nelson’s response and Emily McGowin’s rejoinder.
The Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) has recently released its 2019 Book of Common Prayer (BCP).
For most ACNA churches, the revised translation of the Nicene Creed will likely be the most apparent liturgical change on a Sunday morning. This is at least the case for our church (Church of the Redeemer in Nashville, TN).
How would you explain “discipleship” to a new believer? How would you help a busy person know how to grow and live as a Christian?
If you are a trained pastor or theologian, you might have a lot to say about discipleship. It might even feel difficult to summarize.
One could say, “Living as a Christian just means loving God and loving […]
A fireplace exists to hold a fire. Without fire, a fireplace merely becomes a cold ornamental shell. Likewise, fire without a fireplace, can easily become wildfire having no container.
The Anglican tradition is kind of like a fireplace that is meant to provide a structure or a foundation for a lively faith that allows us to be open to the person […]
I have been a full-time Anglican minister since 2005 when my wife and I moved to the Middle East as cross-cultural workers (i.e., missionaries). However, I was not ordained to the diaconate until 2017, and to the priesthood in 2018.
From 2005–2017, I was involved in ministries of evangelism, discipleship and teaching, first in the Middle East and then in the […]
What a great conference! Special thanks to the Telos Collective, to Trinity Anglican Church in Atlanta for hosting, and to all of the speakers:
A Roman Catholic, two Anglicans, and an Anabaptist walk into a conference and—voilà!—you’ve got day two (Friday) of the Telos Collective’s 2019 Intersection Conference.
Especially for an introvert like myself, it’s been a bit like drinking from a fire hose here in Atlanta today. Summarizing and weaving together William Cavanaugh’s, Tish Harrison Warren’s, Winfield Bevins’, and David Fitch’s talks is a […]
