As an Anglican, I’ve always been fascinated with the familiar rapport between the Apostle Paul and his understudy, Timothy. Their friendship and partnership, forged through correspondence and cooperative missionary efforts, are familiar to me, as they are to most Anglican Christians. My title question, “Was St. Paul an Anglican?” is tongue-in-cheek, of course. But I…
Reformation Anglican Worship by Jensen (Review)
Prefatory note: This is an updated version of my earlier review of Reformation Anglican Worship. The original post engendered a fruitful and clarifying conversation between the Rev. Dr. Jensen and myself, in which I profited much. In particular, he highlighted a couple of areas in that first version where he felt my reading was not…
All Things Anglican by Throup (Review)
Marcus Throup’s All Things Anglican offers anyone who seeks to know more about this particular tradition within the Christian faith an excellent overview and place to start. What is unique about Anglicanism is the different nuances and beliefs that many who adhere to such a title hold, and as such, when trying to figure out where you…
Walking in God’s Wisdom: The Book of Proverbs by Quinn (Review)
Most books of the Bible have an obvious internal coherence. It’s easy to understand why an unfolding narrative or the argument of an epistle is presented as a book in our Bibles. But, for many of us, the book of Proverbs evades this sort of analysis. The book of Proverbs seems to be a collection…
There is a Future: A Year of Daily Midrash by Bornman (Review)
Poet, writer, artist, and designer Amy Bornman’s first book, There Is a Future: A Year of Daily Midrash, explores Scripture narratives through the lens of midrash. “Midrash,” Bornman reminds us, “is a practice in study and imagination.” The rabbinical tradition “honors the text by wondering about it.” As such, this book is her grand vehicle…
The City is My Monastery by Richard Carter (Review)
Whether it’s Benedictine, Franciscan, Augustinian, or any other monastic spirituality, each one has a book called a Rule of Life. These Rules spell out each order’s unique character and practices, such as the balanced life of prayer and work that the Benedictines are famous for, or the holy poverty embraced by the Franciscans. These Rules…
An Outline of an Anglican Life by Tarsitano (Review)
I regret not having come across this book earlier in my exploration of Anglicanism. For those of us who come from contemporary or non-liturgical church settings, our first encounter with Anglicanism can be confusing. But here, in a concise 185 pages, is a book that answers literally scores of questions about this form of the…
Living in God’s True Story: 2 Peter (Review)
Have you ever stopped to consider what “story” you are living in? What we believe is true about the world, or “the story” of the world, profoundly shapes how we live. Living in God’s True Story: 2 Peter by the Rev. Dr. Donald L. Morcom seeks to challenge what we believe to be the true…
Worshiping with the Reformers by Karin Maag (Review)
When I began Worshiping with the Reformers by Karin Maag, I expected a history lesson and perhaps a further introduction into more of the details of the Anglican tradition. What I did not expect was the book captivating me in such a way that I found myself sitting in worship with my eyes watching the…
Transformed In Christ: 1 Corinthians (Review)
Transformed In Christ: 1 Corinthians is a concise, easily accessible summary of the apostle Paul’s first letter to the young church in Corinth, a large, prosperous, Greek city. Authors Ron Elsdon and William Olhausen lead us, through an examination of specific questions that Paul answered in his letter, into a rich understanding of the struggles…
Anglicanism: A Reformed Catholic Tradition by Gerald Bray (Review)
If you’re looking for a brief introduction to Anglicanism written by a well-known and conservative Anglican theologian, then you should take a look at Anglicanism: A Reformed Catholic Tradition (Lexham Press, 2021, 166p) by Gerald Bray. Building upon his previous accessible commentary on the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion (The Faith We Confess), Bray, a research…
Read “The Rector and the Vestry,” A Guide for Rectors, Wardens, and Vestry Members
It took about 3 months to finish this one phone call. When I was done, I had written a book called The Rector and the Vestry. It is available on Amazon. In November of 2019, I was speaking with a friend and colleague in ministry. He is the Rector of a small but growing church…
