Saint Thomas and the Forbidden Birds. By James Matthew Wilson. Grove Village, IL: Word on Fire, 2024. 128 pp. $24.99 (hardcover). The current state of poetry in our day is marked by its unanchored and erratic character. As an art form, poetry stands isolated like an unfamiliar relative at the family reunion. We do not…
Concerning the practice of ordaining women, Browne is silent. This is not unusual for the time in which he wrote, when it was rare, but at least a couple of other commentators do touch on the subject. Thomas Rogers writes that those ordained “are to be men, not boys nor women,” and that they are…
In modern Christianity, Anglicanism is often misunderstood, even by its most devoted adherents. This is undoubtedly true for a variety of reasons, but the result is that we often do a pretty poor job of articulating the essence of Anglicanism, and that’s partly because it’s a trickier proposal to articulate than “we’re Catholic” or “we’re…
In articulating what it means for ministers to be “lawfully called,” Article XXIII makes no mention at all of bishops: “The latter portion of the Article is somewhat vaguely worded…. It is but generally asserted, that lawful calling can only be given by those, ‘who have public authority in the Church to send labourers into…
“Beatific Friendship” was originally printed as a chapter in The Scholar-Gipsy. Upon Dr. Ron Dart’s retirement in 2023 from a long teaching career at the University of the Fraser Valley, Abbotsford BC, Canada, friends suggested doing a Festschrift in his honor — not uncommon for a retiring academic. Ron wanted something different though: a “Liber Amicorum”…
The Debate So Far: Witt has produced two responses to my two essays and promised more. However, he has not responded to several decisive arguments. First: I claim that Genesis 3:16 means that it is not a sin to exclude women from the priesthood, just as it is not a sin for women to refuse…
Deep Anglicanism: A Brief Guide, 2nd edition. By Gerald R. McDermott. Nashotah, WI: Nashotah House Press, 2024. 400 pp. $15.49 (paper). In the ever-expanding market of introductory books on Anglicanism, it seems meet and right that Fr. Gerald McDermott, the retired Anglican Chair of Divinity at Beeson School of Divinity and the author of some…
Growing up in the Church of England the Book of Common Prayer (“BCP”) was more of a tool and a reference point than anything else. By the time I came along, it was not the exclusive liturgy of the Church, and modest attempts to modernize the liturgy were being made in the form of the…
“Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against you; but I will teach you good and the right way.” – 1 Samuel 12:23 “For the nation and kingdom which will not serve you shall perish, And those nations shall be utterly ruined.” – Isaiah 60:12 Intro Almost 200 years…
An existential threat is beginning to come into focus, one that mainline Protestantism has barely begun to engage with sincerely and that could cascade into generations of failure and decline. I am speaking of the future of historic church properties—which are facing a crisis of purpose and financial security that could result in many of…
