James Clark is the author of The Witness of Beauty and Other Essays, and the Book Review Editor at The North American Anglican. His writing has appeared in Cranmer Theological Journal, Journal of Classical Theology, and American Reformer, as well as other publications.
Much like image veneration, invocation of the saints has been justified by Anglo-Catholics on the basis of the purported ecumenical authority of the Second Council of Nicaea. The nature of the Council’s support for the practice has at times been a source of confusion, though—some have alleged that the Council outright anathematizes “the denial of…
It was previously shown in the commentary on general councils that the Second Council of Nicaea is often claimed by Anglo-Catholics to be ecumenical. On this basis, it is urged that Anglicans should embrace (or at least allow) the practice of venerating images as affirmed by that same council.[1] As we have seen, however, the…
The Doctrine of God: A Defense of Classical Christian Theism. By Jordan Cooper. Weidner Institute, 2023. 236 pp. $32 (hardcover), $24 (paper). Attempting to write an entire systematic theology series grounded in the Protestant scholastic tradition is an ambitious undertaking, but Jordan Cooper is already a third of the way through accomplishing it. The first…
In the previous commentary, it was established that some versions of the Book of Common Prayer still used by traditional Anglicans require (or at least allow) prayers for the dead, on the basis that the faithful departed are capable of spiritual growth and purification. It might initially appear that this belief in purification—that is to…
Article XXII—which condemns “the Romish doctrine concerning purgatory, pardons, worshipping and adoration, as well of images, as of reliques, and also invocation of saints”—does not mention prayer for the dead. Yet the practice of praying for the dead has historically been so intertwined with the doctrine of purgatory as it developed in the Church of…
Life in the Negative World: Confronting Challenges in an Anti-Christian Culture. By Aaron M. Renn. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2024. 272 pp. $26.99 (hardcover). The past several years have seen multiple releases in the “everyone hates us, what do we do now?” subgenre of Christian cultural commentary, with no fewer than three such titles being published…
In order to discuss the thorny statement in Article XXI that general councils “may err, and sometimes have erred, even in things pertaining unto God,” it is first necessary to establish what precisely a general council is, as well as whether and how a general council differs from an ecumenical council. In referring to councils,…
“By virtue of being a kind of natural knowledge of God, beauty can prepare non-Christians for the supernatural grace of Christ that is found in the Gospel. Granted, the same could be said for other kinds of natural knowledge, but I believe beauty is particularly suited to our age as a means of witness.” …
What does it look like when a defender of pluralistic liberalism critiques Christian nationalism (i.e., Christendom) without resorting to charges of racism, kinism, and so forth? Sober criticism of this sort has been scarce in the year since Stephen Wolfe’s book on Christian nationalism was published. As it so happens, though, an attempt at serious…
The declaration contained in Article XX—that “the Church hath power to decree rites or ceremonies, and authority in controversies of faith; and yet it is not lawful for the Church to ordain anything that is contrary to God’s word written”—has been much attacked by Puritans both old and new. As Browne observes, “The origin of…