There is an overwhelming lack of trust in leadership and institutions, including religious leaders, in our day. I’ve had young men approach me privately within my parish, lamenting that they believe they cannot trust the actions or teachings of any religious leader or denomination. A perceived absence of trustworthy shepherds—dare I say heroes—plagues the Christian…
The Great Litany: A Rookie Anglican Guide
In times of fasting or seasons of special need, Anglicans use an ancient form of responsive prayer called the Great Litany. This litany is extensive and encompassing, running across eight pages in the 2019 Book of Common Prayer (pp. 91-98). It includes prayers to the Trinity, prayers for protection against all manner of evil, petitions…
Book Review: A Long Obedience in the Same Direction by Eugene Peterson
A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society (Commemorative Edition) by Eugene Peterson. Intervarsity Press, 2024. “Spiritual formation.” “discipleship.” “Christian living.” One can walk into a Christian bookstore and find plenty of glossy covers promising secrets to growth in forty days, seven steps, three keys, or one weird trick Paul forgot…
Book Review: A Little Theology of Exercise by David Mathis
David Mathis’s A Little Theology of Exercise: Enjoying Christ in Body and Soul is a concise book on the benefits of exercise for the Christian life. The subtitle “enjoying Christ in body and soul” is at the heart of the book. Mathis, a pastor at Cities Church in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and an adjunct professor…
Shame in the Psalms
All day long my disgrace is before me, and shame has covered my face at the sound of the taunter and reviler, at the sight of the enemy and the avenger. Psalms 44:15-16 While some of the psalms exult in joy and praise, many others describe the more challenging aspects of the human experience—including shame….
Psalms and Prayers after an Assassination
After an assassination, we really ought to pray. By definition, an assassination is a surprise, a shocking and unexpected murder of a political or religious leader. We remember assassinations because we feel them personally; at the assassination of public figures, our minds and bodies participate in the shock. This shock produces anger, and anger can…
Taizé: Brother Roger’s Vision of Christian Unity
Taizé is the name of a small village in France, which is home to a monastic community of ecumenical Christian brothers and hosts many thousands of pilgrims from all denominations who visit each year. When these pilgrims return to their homes, they carry with them the spirit of Taizé, expressed in song, silence, and a…
We Believe: In the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life
As we commemorate the 1700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed from the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, our focus shifts to the Council of Constantinople in 381 AD to explore the profound theological affirmation of the Holy Spirit’s divinity encapsulated in the phrase, “…We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of…
The Church Offers What the Culture Can’t
As a youth minister, summer camp is a regular part of my life. Every year, we load up the church van and head into the middle of nowhere for a week of sleepless nights, camp food, sunburn, and ruthless competition. While I love all the craziness that comes with camp, there is one experience I…
Beyond Lent: Spiritual Disciplines for the Whole Year
For Anglicans and other liturgical Christians, Lent is the time we set aside each year to focus on the spiritual disciplines of prayer, repentance, almsgiving, and fasting. In the weeks leading up to Lent, it is not uncommon to encounter folks criticizing the Lenten practices as unbiblical. Typically, the criticism is that we should not…
The General Confession, Humility, and Healing
The General Confession and the Assurance of Pardon (Absolution) provide us with biblical and true answers to both sides of this equation. As we kneel to confess each week, let us do so with a sober examination of our lives and a grateful heart for Christ’s saving work of redemption.
How Anglican Liturgy Stewards Our Emotions
As someone raised within the charismatic tradition, I grew up believing that emotions played an important role in Christian worship. However, after seeing numerous worship leaders and pastors use certain practices to fabricate an emotional atmosphere within worship, I became disenchanted with certain worship styles and their façade of authenticity. I later had the opportunity…
