Book Review: Paul, Apostle of Grace by Frank Thielman
Frank Thielmanโs Paul, Apostle of Grace begins with a welcome note of scholarly humility. Acknowledging the difficulty of reconstructing the life of one of Christianityโs most influential figures, Thielman makes clear that his aim is not to offer an exhaustive biography but rather a historically responsible portrait.
Winter Study Across the ACNA
Each winter, as the Church’s Christmas festivities give way to the more diffuse joys of Epiphanytide, Anglican seminaries and theological institutes across the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) remain busy with study, prayer, and formation.
Recovering the Power of the Arts
The churchโs rich artistic heritage is worth reclaiming. In doing so, we can rethink the vital relationship between Christianity and the arts. Throughout the ages, Christianity has had a robust relationship with the arts.
Today in the Spirit: Epiphany 2A
Liturgical churches most often consider the period after the Feast of our Lordโs Baptism and the day before Ash Wednesday to be โOrdinary Timeโ in the season of Epiphany. The term โordinaryโ refers not to space for the mundane but to a period ordered by numbers in the BCP and a series of Gospel readings…
Holy Baptism: A Rookie Anglican Guide
The baptized receive regeneration, the forgiveness of sins, and adoption as children of God and members of the covenant. Both infants and adults, upon being baptized, are made members of the Covenant of Grace.
The Prayer Book’s Exhortation for Faithful Priests
On a crisp, bright Alabama day in December of 1994, I received my commission as a second lieutenant in the United States Army. I proudly stood before my friends and family in my dress greens (an abominable polyester creation) as each of us new officers received the gold bars of our new rank. One of…
Book Review: You Have A Calling by Karen Swallow Prior
Karen Swallow Prior. You Have A Calling: Finding Your Vocation in the True, Good, and Beautiful. Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, 2025. 146 pp. If you have grown up in or around the Church, the topic of Godโs calling on your life has, at some point, weighed heavily on your mind. Especially in the fervency…
Mercy in the Midst: Courage to Stay in an Imperfect Church
As both a therapist and a parishioner, I have watched many weary believers seek refuge in liturgical traditionsโdrawn by beauty, order, and a sense of rootedness after years of spiritual fatigue within politicized or performance-driven church cultures. I have seen institutions rise to moments of grace and stumble into failure. The difference often lies not…
10 Liberating Truths from the 39 Articles
Sound doctrine sets us free. The Reformation needed to happen, not just because there was a debate to be won but because souls were in the balance. Bad doctrine leads to bad pastoring. Sometimes, we forget that Anglicans have a fantastic statement of faith in the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion. The same exact brilliant men…
Today in the Spirit: Epiphany 1A
Prepositions are important in the Book of Common Prayer. One change in the BCP 2019 that can easily go unnoticed is the designation Sundays โof Epiphanyโ in the new book compared with Sundays โafter Epiphanyโ or โafter the Epiphanyโ in earlier versions. What does the new title communicate? One response is that the Epiphany (the…
Choir Dress: The Vestment That Is Never Wrong
Though you may be accustomed to seeing your priest in an alb and stole, choir dress is always an appropriate vestment in the Anglican tradition. Indeed, I would argue that there are many reasons it may be the preferred choice! Choir dress is the vestment that is never wrong.
We Believe: We Look for the Resurrection of the Dead
Every Sunday, Christians rise to confess the faith once delivered: โWe believe in one Godโฆ We believe in one Lord Jesus Christโฆ We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.โ The Nicene Creed moves with a steady rhythm of affirmations, statements about what God has done in history, and what he has promised to…
Daily Office Booklet 2026: JanuaryโApril
Good news! We’ve completed the latest edition of the Daily Office Booklet. Beginning to pray the Daily Office is a great way to start the New Year. This edition will guide you through Morning and Evening Prayer, using the lectionary readings from January through April 2026. As always, we’ve rendered PDFs for you to print in both booklet and…
Our Top 10 Articles of 2025
Reviewing the top articles on Anglican Compass this year, the story that emerges is a season of remarkable growth. It’s not just numerical growth, though that theme is present. Rather, there is a marked growth of interest in the history, doctrine, and spiritual practices of the Anglican tradition. In other words, we are growing both…
Today in the Spirit: Christmas 2A
We continue to celebrate the Christmas season on the Second Sunday of Christmas. For Christmas 2, the Church gives two options for the assigned Gospel readings in all three lectionary years. These, together with the various options for Gospel readings on Christmas Day, provide coverage of all the infancy and childhood narratives of our Lordโs…
What is Boxing Day? A Guide to the Second Day of Christmas
Boxing Day, celebrated on December 26, is the second day of Christmas and a day of charity and public festivity. The day is named for gift boxes given to those outside the immediate family, especially those who serve us throughout the year. (It might have something to do with boxing, too, but you’ll have to…
The Liturgical Home: Christmas Day
After the long weeks of Advent, of intentional waiting, fasting, prayer, and preparation, the great Feast of the Nativity is finally here.
The Jerusalem Declaration & Statement: Apples of Gold in a Setting of Silver
A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver. Proverbs 25:11 In their statement that โThe Future Has Arrived,โ the Primates of the Gafcon movement have declared: Our Gafcon Primates gathered this hour to fulfil our mandate to reform the Anglican Communion, as expressed in the Jerusalem Statement of 2008. To be a member…
