The most significant decision a Christian makes every week is whether they will go to church. The corporate worship of God is the principal activity of the people of God, and as the Westminster Catechism reminds us, the reason for which we were created. No other decision will so impact a disciple’s beliefs and practices than entering the house of [...]
During a tumultuous year where much of our interpersonal interaction has been relegated to online spaces, many of us have found ourselves at odds with others on Facebook groups, Twitter threads, or any myriad of blog comment sections. Lively discussion about important matters should not be discouraged whenever there is a possibility of mutual growth and flourishing. At the same [...]
“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 [...]
These are trying times in our country. As if a global pandemic was not bad enough, the great pandemic of racism has reared its ugly head once again through the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd. It is not as if this issue disappeared for a season and came back in a new wave. Rather, those of [...]
When thinking about Anglican priests serving in the military as chaplains, it’s helpful to take perspective on what a select and small group comprises this cohort. About 0.4% of the U.S. population presently serves in the entire active-duty military. Unless a congregation is near a military base, few of those worshipping in an Anglican parish might actually know someone in [...]
How should we balance personal (individual) moral responsibility with collective (group) moral responsibility? Holy Scripture is replete with examples of individuals transgressing God’s law and destroying themselves and others. The law of Moses has many provisions for individuals to bring sacrifice to atone for individual sins. There are also countless examples of people, tribes, nations—collective groups of individuals—sinning against God [...]
There is not unanimous agreement about women’s ordination in the worldwide Anglican Communion. Godly and thoughtful Christians hold opposing convictions about Holy Orders and who is called to ordained ministry. You often see the results of this debate at the Provincial level—a national expression of the Church may or may not ordain women, in accordance with their conviction. But for [...]
Almost every vocational deacon I know, when asked why he or she has not become a priest, will respond, "I have never felt called to the priesthood." Some will add emphatically, "not for a minute!" I am not one of those deacons. I don't share this story often, rarely in its fullness, and never in public non-anonymous writing. Be gentle [...]
One of the beautiful aspects of following Jesus on the Anglican way is that we walk this path alongside millions of Christians throughout the entire world. The Anglican Communion consists of over 80 million Christians worldwide, which makes it the third-largest body of Christians. We have such a tremendously rich resource in the global Anglican Communion! If we have “ears [...]
This is an incredibly important time for the community of Jesus as our nation grapples with the injustice of racial inequality. An unavoidable light is now shining on the systemic oppression and racism that has plagued the history of our country from its inception. The complicity of large swathes of the American church on issues of racial injustice has been [...]
“We are all the same.” This is a rallying cry we see again and again as we sift through the wreckage of our conflicts over differences. It’s a phrase that’s trying to take away pain, but it isn’t telling the truth. Differences are real. Declaring that differences don’t exist doesn’t just erase the beauty of diversity, it also offers the [...]
Editor’s Note: The piece below represents the opinion of the author. Aaron Harrison here engages with a recent conversation about women's ordination that includes contributions from Emily McGowin (original post and response to critiques), Lee Nelson, Ben Jefferies, and Gerald McDermott—with external contributions from Blake Johnson, Esau McCaulley, and Ben Jefferies. Anglican Compass does not take a site-wide position for [...]
In middle school, I realized I was gay and my family left The Episcopal Church. As a celibate Anglican now seeking ordination to the diaconate, I care deeply about how the Anglican Church in North America teaches and embodies God’s wisdom for sexual stewardship. After exploring why the ACNA has a responsibility to offer gay people something better than gay [...]
In 2017, the ACNA consisted of 1,037 churches. By my best estimate, there are 31 African American solo rectors in the ACNA. Of these 31, 27 are in the historically Black Diocese of the Southeast. There are only 4 in the rest of the United States. (The terminology can get complicated here. When I say “African American,” I have in mind [...]
One of the greatest privileges of my life was to have served as a pastor to Mrs. Helen. The saintliest of widows, Helen was always gentle in spirit, encouraging, and thoughtful towards others, even as she ever so slightly bristled at the kids running through the aisles of our small church plant in South Texas. Kids should sit still in [...]
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. In a debate as crucial and heated as the matter of ordaining women to the priesthood in [...]
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. God is not fair. He deprives men of the most profound and satisfying experience imaginable. Both men [...]
I have been having fun writing about some gift ideas for Rectors and their Spouses. I served as a Rector for over 30 years and spend a lot of time now with Rectors and their families. I know that many laypeople want to get the Rector and their Spouse a gift for Christmas to show their love and appreciation. I [...]
Anglicans often speak of the tradition of the 12 days of Christmas, emphasizing how the holiday is not merely one day but rather an extended season. The season spans from December 25 (or the evening of December 24) through January 5, and contains a number of nativity-oriented feast days along with separate saints' days. Many families and parishes already have [...]
Earlier, I wrote a post about What Your Rector Wants For Christmas. I love Rectors and have the good fortune to spend time with, teach, coach, and encourage lots of Rectors around the Anglican Church in North America. But I don’t just love Rectors. I also love their families! The role of a Rector is unique. So is the role [...]
I have a unique position in the church today. I used to be a Rector of a large church in North Dallas. (Christ Church in Plano, TX). But I am no longer a Rector. Instead, I have the good fortune to hang out, teach, coach, and encourage a lot of Rectors. For example, I spent three hours in the last [...]
Several years ago, I served as the Assistant Rector at a large Anglican Church. This meant, of course, that I had the wonderful opportunity of preaching cultural holiday weekends when attendance would be predictably low ... i.e. Memorial Day Weekend, Labor Day Weekend, etc. One of the key weekends that I always got to preach was the First Sunday of [...]
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 to publish more [...]
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 post below to you as a [...]
