McIlvaine on revivals
The episcopal and pastoral wisdom of Bishop Charles McIlvaine can help us consider how we should respond to present awakenings that seem to be occuring around the world.
Grove Books: “The Practice of Evangelical Spirituality”
If you are not familiar with Grove Books, you are missing out. Grove Books was started by the great evangelical bishop and liturgist Colin Buchanan in 1971. The goal of the booklets is summed up in their tagline: Not the last word…but often the first. Each booklet is a short …
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Planning instruction on the Articles of Religion
Ten sermons or ten class sessions is a manageable amount of time, probably not dissimilar to the sermon series that pastors already arrange. The sessions could easily be covered over the course of a Church season. These divisions align with the three-fold division that is customary across the Anglican tradition, but they also allow for focused and manageable attention to the doctrines in the Articles.
Review: “The First Book of Homilies” in modern English
In the past few decades, there has been a grassroots resurgence of evangelical Anglicanism as a confessional position. A new generation has uncovered our formularies. The Articles of Religion have been brought back out of the drawer of “historical documents” and shown to have tremendous value in defining Anglicanism—not that …
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Review: “Eastertide” by Ashley Null
Dr. Null has combined his top-notch research on Thomas Cranmer with a great level of pastoral concern.
Review: ‘Leading God’s People’
I found Leading God’s People: Wisdom from the Early Church for Today to be helpful and personally-affirming. The author, Christopher A. Beeley, through his study of the early church fathers, affirms the idea that church leadership is not as much about personal charisma, and having read the latest bestselling self-help books, as it is about being the sort of person that can honor God in all of life.
Jesus was hungry
After not eating for forty days, Jesus was hungry. When you read it in isolation it seems like such an understatement. My stomach is growling now, barely three hours after my last meal. He’s not just hungry, he is famished: literally, he is craving food.
Review: “Forty Women” by Ros Clarke
The devotions each feature a reading from Scripture, a reflection on the highlighted “unseen” woman, two or three reflection questions, and a prayer.
Review: “God’s Big Picture” by Vaughan Roberts
In God’s Big Picture, Church of England minister Vaughan Roberts sets out to “provide all Christians … with an overview of the whole Bible that will help them see how the different parts fit together.”1Page 10. Roberts states that he grasped the need for such a book after realizing that, …
Review: “Pointing to the Pasturelands” by J. I. Packer
A posthumous collection of J.I. Packer’s shorter writings sounds like a dream come true. When Christianity Today, in association with Lexham Press, announced that they were publishing such a collection, Pointing to the Pasturelands: Reflections on Evangelicalism, Doctrine, & Culture, sourced from Packer’s contributions to Christianity Today, I was very excited.
Evangelism in the Early Church
In Great Britain there a saying that something “does exactly what it says on the tin.” This describes a product that does exactly what it advertises. Michael Green’s book Evangelism in the Early Church does exactly what it says on the tin. The succinct title is very much indicative of …
The discipline of community
Josh is one of my best friends. He and I have known each other since elementary school. We both went to Bible college and seminary. We are both fans of Cleveland sports. We’re both married. We both have kids. We haven’t seen each other that much, though, in the past …
Review: A Faith of My Own, a confirmation workbook
Victor H. Morgan, the rector of St. Luke’s Church (EMC), in Blue Ridge, Georgia has undertaken a noble task: creating a confirmation preparation resource that is accessible, engaging, and faithful to Scripture and our prayer book tradition. This is a vitally important work, as the resources currently on the market nearly always fail to meet at least one (usually faithfulness to Scripture and the Book of Common Prayer) or more of these criteria.
Highlight: 10ofThose
An interview with Jonathan Carswell, founder of 10ofThose, discussing the purpose of the ministry and Reformed books it publishes.
Richard Hooker on schism
Richard Hooker is best known for his Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity. However, among his lesser known works is a sermon entitled, “A Learned Discourse on Justification, Works, and how the Foundation of Faith is Overthrown.” In this sermon, he examines the doctrine of justification and shows how the Anglican position differs from the Roman Catholicism. Hooker is conscious not only of the Roman position but also the position of the Puritans, with their more radical understanding of justification. Since the understanding of the doctrine of justification is what caused many of the Reformers to leave the Roman Church, Hooker’s sermon also touches on the question of schism.
