Christ’s descent into hell is one of the strangest things Christians confess. Two out of the three ecumenical creeds confessed by Anglicans contain it (Apostles’ Creed and Athanasian Creed). From Augustine to Aquinas to Calvin, the vast majority of theologians have concluded that the descent into hell is implicitly taught in Scripture. They have argued that confessing Jesus Christ as [...]
It was a sunny day in Glasgow and the preacher was speaking to thousands of people in one of the large parks of the city. I had attended with a number of friends from a Christian campus ministry in Edinburgh where I was working on my PhD in Divinity (focus, World Christianity. Shameless plug: buy the book.) The preacher in [...]
If you aren’t 100% sure what the words Missional Ecclesiology mean, you’re not alone! A Google search of the phrase missional church yields 2.1 million hits in .55 seconds! There have been dozens of books written on the topic in the last 20 years since the publishing of the landmark book: Missional Church—A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America. To break [...]
In just a few weeks, the registration for the November Holy Land trip (November 12-21) will begin to close. Register quickly! If you have been thinking and praying about it…it is time to act. In the closing weeks of registration, I want to reiterate what makes this trip unique. Here are ten great reasons to join us: 1. Customization All [...]
Reclaiming the Via Media The Via Media stands as one of Anglicanism’s greatest gifts to the world. However, as I view the North America context, it seems that much of Anglicanism here has lost its Via Media lately. Too often contemporary Anglicanism feels politicized and polarizing, leaving little room for those of us in the middle, but as we look to both the past and [...]
This post is a part of Rookie Anglican, a blog dedicated to Making Anglicanism Accessible. It was first preached as a sermon by Fr. Steven Lanclos on January 3, 2018 at Anglican Church of the Good Shepherd in Pelham, AL. That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked [...]
Like many current Anglicans, I grew up as a Baptist, a Southern Baptist in fact. I even went to a Baptist College on the campus of a Southern Baptist Seminary and got a wonderful foundational education in the Scriptures and Great Books. When I married an Anglican, we started attending Baptist churches but never found ourselves in a place where [...]
Why am I an Anglican Christian? Here are 3 reasons. 1. Anglicanism as a Refuge from Fundamentalism First, for me, Anglicanism has been a refuge from fundamentalism. Now, to be sure, we do have our own fundamentalists within the Anglican Communion! But, compared to some "ingrown enclaves" I've experienced in my Christian upbringing, Anglicanism has been a breath of fresh [...]
I don't know about you, but I'm quite possibly addicted to podcasts. Right now, NPR's UpFirst, The Tim Ferriss Show, and The Art of Manliness are some of my favorites. However, it's been a bit of struggle for me to find great Anglican podcasts. Granted, perhaps that's due to my own ignorance, but when you search for "Anglican" in most [...]
At the heart of every church tradition is one priority which shapes the identity of the community. This central aspect is the source of its energy and vision, and becomes the first of all other priorities. This aspect determines much, if not all, of its distinctive traits and eventually becomes the touchstone for every other facet of church life. For [...]
“Does the Eucharist setup your chairs?” Brainstorming about sacraments and mission in Southern California, a friend of mine asked me this rather cheeky question. We were exploring what it meant to plant churches sacramentally. That is, not just starting new churches that celebrate sacraments, but what it means to start new churches in a sacramental way. How, for example, do [...]
Is it dangerous, as some claim, to believe that God would mediate his grace to us through his creation? Would God touch us through the hands of another person, or feed us his very presence in bread, or cleanse our souls through water? Will it lead to “magical thinking” or idolatry? Yes, it is dangerous. There is a great mystery [...]
Twenty five years ago, Depeche Mode released the song "Personal Jesus." The idea of creating one's own Jesus was not new, and it it was apparantly popular because the song reached the Top 40 and is included in the Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. And just a brief survey of American religion reveals quite a few options for creating [...]
