Before I understood theology, I understood this: the love of Christ was not something I had to reach for. It was something I was already being held within. We do not learn the love of Christ by mastering it, but by receiving it.
Formed in Faithfulness: Joseph and Ecclesial Reordering
Over the years, I have encountered Joseph in many articles, books, and sermons. We often remembered Joseph as the boy with the beautiful coat, favored by his father, resented by his brothers, and carried along by youthful certainty. We often tell his story as one of suffering, perseverance, and eventual vindication. Yet we do not…
Book Review: A Heart Aflame for God
Matthew Bingham, A Heart Aflame for God: A Reformed Approach to Spiritual Formation. Crossway, 2025. 368 pp. The internet is a marvelous and maddening place. A single viral clip can be watched by millions and yet leave no lasting impact beyond a moment of humor, shock, or provocation. At the same time, voices that would…
The Bread of Life: Healing and The Eucharist
The risen Christ showed his scars—healed and transformed—to his disciples. The Eucharist joins us to that same reality. Not to minimize suffering or explain it away, but to acknowledge it. The table knows that we often need care before we consciously recognize it.
Reconciliation: The Grace Of Not Explaining Yourself
One of the most remarkable things in the bulletin at St. Laurence Anglican Church is the Saturday worship schedule, which reads: When I first came to St. Laurence, this line caught me off guard—both unfamiliar and quietly unsettling. Over time, it has come to feel like an invitation to restoration, calling me back into belonging….
Book Review: Anglican Spirituality: An Introduction by Greg Peters
Greg Peters, Anglican Spirituality: An Introduction. Cascade Book, 2024. 108 pp. For many of us, the look and feel of being Anglican is as attractive as anything else it has to offer. Prayer Book spirituality is marked by modesty and calm, and methodical ways of speaking and thinking. There is a commitment to a discipline…
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 traditions—drawn 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…
A Garden Enclosed
Anglican Compass is proud to announce the republication of the 1907 spiritual classic A Garden Enclosed: Practical Studies in Religious Life by Sister Frances Anna, writing anonymously as “A Sister of the Community of St. Mary.” This community is the oldest Anglican religious order in the United States. Below is an introduction by the Rev….
Icons Over Idols: Heroes in an Age of Disillusionment
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…
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….
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…
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…
