“Sermons aren’t commentaries, sermons are events” (14). This statement from J. Brandon Meeks encapsulates the message of his new book, The Foolishness of God: Reclaiming Preaching in the Anglican Tradition (affiliate link). This collection of essays possesses rich reflection on preaching from a brilliant man. To me, The Foolishness of God is a singularly captivating book. Dr. Meeks has given [...]
If you’d like to know what Anglican Compass’s values of “clarity & charity” could look like in the public sphere, this book from The AND Campaign is a brief yet surprisingly broad and practical guide. Here at Anglican Compass, we’re all about “clarity & charity.” Clarity: We’re committed to maintaining Christian orthodoxy (including a traditional sexual ethic) and communicating as [...]
With an admirable diversity of contributors, this book is a bracingly informative look at the challenges involved, even within “orthodox Anglicanism,” in defining what it means to be an Anglican Christian. What is Anglicanism? Good Question! In September 2018, Beeson Divinity School held its first annual Anglican Theology Conference, entitled “What is Anglicanism?” Speakers included: Mouneer Hanna Anis, bishop of [...]
Timothy Keller and John Inazu—along with 10 other contributors, ranging from Tish Harrison Warren to Lecrae—have put together a book that describes “how Christians can engage with those around us, while both respecting people whose beliefs differ from our own and maintaining our gospel confidence” (xi). They are looking for a way forward for the church in a society where [...]
Canoeing the Mountains: Christian Leadership in Uncharted Territory by Tod Bolsinger came highly recommended. Last year, I received a copy of the book from Archbishop Foley Beach. He had read it and found it so helpful that he sent each rector in our Diocese (ADOTS) a copy of the book. The premise of the book focuses on Christian leadership in [...]
All creating is a work of collaboration. We see this in our triune God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) who made this world and all the heavens at first out of nothing, but then out of things he already created: people, created out of dust of the earth; seas, created out of expanses of water gathered into sections; fruit, coming [...]
As an update to the 2014 “Working Edition,” The Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) has released the “Approved Edition” of its catechism: To Be a Christian: An Anglican Catechism (Crossway, 2020). (You can download a free and easy-to-navigate PDF of the catechism by clicking here.) In case you’re unfamiliar with the term, a “catechism” is “a text used for [...]
What is the job of a pastor? Ask that question to a dozen pastors, and you will get a dozen answers. Ask that question to the hundreds of congregants those dozen pastors serve, and you will get even more answers. With so many varying definitions and sets of expectations, those of us in pastoral roles need a solid pastoral theology—a [...]
The following is Tai French's review of A Thrill of Hope: Celebrating Advent at Home by Ashley Wallace. If you, like Tai, enjoy A Thrill of Hope, would you please leave a 5-star review on Amazon? It's the best, easiest way to get the word out about Anglican Pastor's very first book! A brief and delightful read, A Thrill of [...]
The phrase “remember your baptism” is familiar to many Lutherans and Anglicans alike. Luther famously wrote in his Larger Catechism, “Therefore, if you live in repentance, you walk in Baptism. For Baptism not only illustrates such a new life, but also produces, begins, and exercises it.” But, of course, for those who are baptized and raised in the Church, it [...]
If you’re familiar with Anglican Pastor, you’ve probably seen the Daily Office Booklets I produce in order to make Morning and Evening Prayer more accessible. However, our Daily Office Booklets are (currently) PDFs designed to be printed and assembled at home. For our readers who are interested in purchasing physical booklets similar to the Daily Office Booklets, I try to [...]
How should the Church relate to the world? Is our primary relationship one of acceptance or rejection, engagement or retreat, affection or animosity? Is it appropriate for ordained clergy to engage in local or national politics, even from the pulpit? How exactly are we to think of this world, this beautiful gift and fallen mess which we are “in,” but [...]
"What is the allure of liturgy for a new generation?" Based upon his field research over the past few years, Winfield Bevins has provided us with a book-length answer to this question in Ever Ancient, Ever New: The Allure of Liturgy for a New Generation. I'm very glad he's done so, because this question is of existential significance for me [...]
How does the Christian table meal shape us as individuals and as the church? Why is bread at the center of Jesus' meal? What does this have to do with feeding a spiritually and physically hungry world? Glenn Packiam, associate senior pastor and Anglican Priest serving at New Life Church, Colorado Springs, has written a book with pastorally accessible, theologically [...]
UPDATE: Read our review of this book. Winfield Bevins has been a part of the team here at Anglican Pastor for a while now. (Click here to read his posts.) We’re excited to announce the publication of his latest book, Ever Ancient, Ever New: The Allure of Liturgy for a New Generation on March 5, 2019. As somewhat of a [...]
I was baptized as a (very slightly) older child when I was 6 years old. I was baptized because I had decided to follow Jesus and “accept him into my heart,” as I said at the time. For the next 17 years, I was confident that only professing believers should be baptized. I no longer believe that, but as someone [...]
Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali, The Rev. Dr. Jensen, The Rev. Dr. John Yates, III, Dr. Ashley Null, and Bishop Ben Kwashi--these are the modern-day Anglican scholars and bishops that are teaming together to write a 6-volume work on Reformation Anglicanism. The first edition is out (The Reformation Anglicanism Essential Library, Volume 1). And it is great! An Interview with an Editor [...]
This post is a part of Rookie Anglican, a blog dedicated to Making Anglicanism Accessible. Background In the summer of 2016, my wife and I were preparing to move to a new city. Leading up to the move, we often returned to a discussion of searching for a new church community. She has been raised within the Baptist tradition and [...]
We all know the Canterbury Trail is a place for stories. In his book Evangelicals on the Canterbury Trail [affiliate link], Robert Webber follows Chaucer’s example by presenting a collection of tales leading us to reflect on our own spiritual journeys. Through his own story and others, Webber shows why people from evangelical churches find themselves drawn to Anglican and Episcopalian [...]
