Exposition of the Thirty-nine Articles – Article XIII
Article XIII. Of Works before Justification. WORKS done before the Grace of Christ, and the inspiration of His Spirit, are not pleasant to God, forasmuch as they spring not of faith in Jesus Christ; neither do they make men meet to receive grace, or (as the school-authors say) deserve grace of congruity; yea, rather, for…
Summer Afternoon
Above our house an ancient maple spreads Its branches wide to shade in shadow all That falls below: Perennials in reds And blues and, wearing muted greens, a small But stubborn bed of hostas which we’ve done Our careless best to kill through sad neglect. A hum of bees floats lazy in the sun. Loud…
Bishop Joseph Hall’s Defense of the Unborn
A debate currently rages about when evangelicals took up their pro-life position on abortion. The ‘when’ matters in part for how it might answer ‘why’ they did so. Thus, a number of pro-choice advocates have accused evangelicals of only opposing abortion in the period after Roe v. Wade and as a backlash to women’s rights….
Book Review: “Being Human in a Technological Age: Rethinking Theological Anthropology”
Being Human in a Technological Age: Rethinking Theological Anthropology. Edited by Steven C. Van Den Heuvel. Leuven: Peeters Publishers, 2020. 274 pp. $70 (paper). What does it mean to be a technologically advanced human? Building on an ancient question: “what does it mean to be human?” the authors of Being Human in a Technological…
Report from the Anglican Diocese of the Living Word Synod
Last week I served as a voting delegate to the annual synod and missions conference of the Anglican Diocese of the Living Word. The diocesan bishop, The Rt. Rev. Julian Dobbs, addressed the delegates as he does every year. This year Bishop Dobbs’s pastoral address made somewhat of a stir. Author Rod Dreher was present…
Exposition of the Thirty-nine Articles – Article XII
Article XII. Of Good Works. ALBEIT that good works, which are the fruits of faith, and follow after justification, cannot put away our sins, and endure the severity of God’s judgment; yet are they pleasing and acceptable to God in Christ, and do spring out necessarily of a true and lively faith; insomuch that by…
Assurance in the Prayer Book
A few months ago, with a measure of frustration, I observed a social media debate between two Anglicans, one of whom is a staunch Calvinist, and one of whom is a staunch Arminian. As is typical in such debates, the main issue was whether or not one could every truly know if one is saved….
Exposition of the Thirty-nine Articles – Article XI (Part 2)
Section II. — Scriptural Proof. I. SENSE of the word Justification. The word which we render just or righteous (namely, δίκαιος, or in the Hebrew צַדִּיק) has two principal significations: the one popular, the other accurate. In its popular signification, it is nearly equivalent to good, holy, pious, (ἄγαθος, εὐσεβὴς, חָסִיד); and is used commonly…
After Whistler’s Mother
“Take the picture of my mother, exhibited as an ‘Arrangement in Grey and Black.’ To me it is interesting as a picture of my mother; but what can or ought the public to care about the identity of the portrait?” – James McNeill Whistler The pages of the history of art open to Whistler’s Mother….
If Not Cheez-Whiz, Then What?
A few weeks ago, I kicked over a hornet’s nest with regard to worship in the wider church and why Anglicans shouldn’t copy it. However, the Rev. Mark Perkins made some trenchant, concerned observations, which I think boil down to the fact that traditionalist Anglicans rarely have their own house in order. As such, we…