The Rev. Ben Jefferies is a sinner, grateful to the Lord for his mercy. He grew up in England, and emigrated to the United States in 1999. He went to Wheaton College, and several years later discerned a call to ministry and went to seminary at Nashotah House Theological Seminary. He was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Duncan in 2014. He currently serves The Good Shepherd Anglican Church in Opelika, Alabama. He served on the Liturgy Task Force of the ACNA from 2015-2019, and was the lead designer for the production of the printed prayer book. He continues as the Assistant to the Custodian of the Book of Common Prayer (2019), and serves on the board of directors of Anglican House Media Ministries. He is married with three daughters.
While reading Samuel Bray’s recent assessment of 20th century Prayerbook revision I was reminded of a poem by Tony Hoagland [they]…casually dropped his name the way pygmies with their little poison spears strut around the carcass of a fallen elephant. “O Elephant,” they say, “you are not so big and brave today!” It’s a bad…
This letter is in response to an article found here. Dear Mr. Ramsey — It is of course discouraging to pour your heart and soul into something and for the first response to be a total broadside, but I shall try not to be bitter. I wish to address: (1) implied over-statements, (2) the principle…
Introduction As Anglican churches across the country have scrambled to adapt to mandates from civil and ecclesial authorities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of tenets of Eucharistic theology have been asserted and circulated across the province that have been received without sufficient theological analysis. In a time of crisis, quick decisions are…
THE PROBLEM Most Anglicans I know have enough respect for the Scriptures and their traditional interpretation that when confronted with a bald Universalism — such as that presented last year by David Bentley Hart’s latest book — they have enough sense to reject it. But Universalism is a Hydra with many heads. To my great…
INTRODUCTION Why does the Church not practice the baptism for the dead, as mentioned in 1 Cor 15:29? Mormons do, of course, but why don’t Christians? It is, after all, right there in the Bible, so perhaps this is something that has gotten lost in the course of history, and needs to be recovered? No,…
ON AUTHENTEIN IN 1 Timothy 2:12 The debate around Women’s Ordination in the Anglican Church continues to rage, as thinkers on both sides continue to contend in the unhappy arena created by the “dual integrities” model enshrined in our provincial constitution. When arguments become entangled in the thickets of complex details, it can be useful,…
Of Anglicans and Ecumenical Councils INTRODUCTION Anglo-Catholics (of whom I count myself one) frequently appeal to the “seven ecumenical councils” as a source of authority for Christian dogma. On the face of it, this seems to be a rather solid place to put down one’s doctrinal anchor, but is it? Upon closer examination, two contrary…
On Private Speculation and Public Instruction in the Anglican Church, Especially as it Relates to the Bible, our Formularies, and Catholic Tradition. My proposal for a Reformed Litany of the Saints unintentionally caused quite a stir. What I intended to be a constructive creation was received in large part as being destructive. Moreover, the wave…
rticle 22 authoritatively asserts that the, “…Invocation of Saints, is a fond thing, vainly invented, and grounded upon no warranty of Scripture, but rather repugnant to the Word of God.” Indeed it is. Nowhere in the Bible has God revealed that the departed saints are capable of hearing our petitions. They may, but we cannot…
Seeking to interpret the meaning of a text by sourcing it in the perceived intentions of the author(s) is the hermeneutical strategy called ‘Intentionalism.’ Pace, some of the overstatements of 20th century hermeneutical theorists, seeking to understand the intentions of an author remains a noble endeavor in the quest for understanding. Certainly, to enter the fray of competing Anglican narratives…
