Rule of Life for Young People

At synod I met with my former rector, who, like my current rector, is a superb Catholic and excellent priest. He told me of a book he's reading by a priest named Branscombe written, oh I don't know - years ago - that deals with youth and confirmation. (NB: Unfortunately I deleted the e-mail father sent me with the full name of the book. Though when I did have the title I looked for it online and called Anglican Bibliopole, but could not find a copy for sale anywhere.)

The author (I am told) makes the argument that many kids leave the church after confirmation because they never developed a spiritual life. They have been taught a bunch of important facts and doctrine, their spiritual development has not been given enough attention. So he says that kids need to be taught how to develop a rule of life as part of their confirmation preparation. Sounds like a great concept to me. What good is a bunch of facts and religious knowledge if it is not practiced?

So I decided to give my Church school class a summer project: to develop and implement a rule of life. When we went over it, and when I explained the rationale behind it, they seemed very interested and excited. The kids are already great little catholics (e.g. when, as a class, we did the "Beating of the Bounds" on Rogation Sunday they spontaneously began chanting the Litany.), but this will help them lay the groundwork for years of spiritual growth. And hopefully when they get to be older, they will have such a strong spiritual foundation that they will not get into too much trouble. We'll see what sorts of things they come up with.

Emotions and Anglicanism

One of the things I have noticed about being a continuing Anglican for so long is that our tradition seems to be lacking in the affective side of religion - the side related to our emotions. Our worship is for the most part straight-28 BCP, and in my experience priests rarely stray from the text of BCP or missal. While there are important reasons for not straying from our minimalistic liturgical text, the downside is that we can come across as being cold and emotionless. And I think this lack of emotion, and seeming coldness, is one of the reasons why many continuing parishes are so small, and maybe why the Episcopal Church was always historically a lot smaller than other churches. Emotions are a real side of us and something that we need to have an outlet for.

Churches of other traditions, such as the Roman Catholic Church, have an outlet for emotions in the many devotions and sacramental acts of the Church, which are ingrained in the life of the Church (e.g. novenas, rosary, confession, mysticism, etc.). Since Vatican II other aspects have been added as well, such as "evangelical-style" folk/hand-clapping music, lay apostolates, charismatic gifts, and more. On the other end of the spectrum, in the Evangelical Protestant culture, there is all of the hand-clapping, charismatic stuff, and lay ministries that is found in Rome, and there is also a strong sense (derived from Puritanism) of "the family as the house of God", the culture of doing "daily devotions" and having a prayer list, going to prayer meetings, of your daily work being a means of growth in holiness, etc. In short, examples of emotional outlets in both the Roman and Evangelical traditions abound. And while one can find examples of these types of emotional outlets here and there in Anglicanism - from the evangelical Anglicanism of a Truro Church to a catholic Anglicanism of a Mt. Calvary Church - most of the churches that I have experienced are somewhere in the gray, murky, emotionless middle in terms of their spirituality.

Most continuing Anglican parishes that I have had anything to do with have not had the type of spirituality where someone would come up and ask how they can pray for you. They do not use the phrase "The Lord" or even "Our Lord" when speaking of Jesus. They do not ask how you are doing spiritually, or have much evangelistic zeal. Now granted there are always exceptions in each parish (and thank God for them!), but by and large that type of emotional/affective spirituality is not a big part of many continuing parishes. Conversely, these same parishes do not seem to have much of a catholic spirituality either... there is no rosary group, no daily mass, no Angelus, no processions, no adoration, etc. Again, there are exceptions, as some parishes do have those things; and there may be people within a parish who get together on the side to pray the rosary or have some other form of catholic devotion. There is little to no emotion, but is that a good thing when they form such a large part of who we are?

The point is not to argue whether or not these types of affective spirituality are or are not truly "Anglican", but to say that for the most part, in our tradition, I have not seen much in the way of an emotional outlet, and I think we are weaker off as a result. And that is maybe one of the reasons why our parishes are so dinky. The only possible exception that I could think of is if you go to a parish with a fantastic music program and choir. The music of our tradition is quite spellbinding, and music, by its very nature, is emotional. But such choirs and organists are exceedingly rare in our tradition. The hymnody has an emotional element in it too, but I think it gets lost rather easily. So what we get is basically straight BCP Anglicanism, with very few changes or imagination, and it comes across as being very cold, clinical, and detached (and maybe outmoded).

It seems to me that Anglican parishes should be definitely either "catholic" or "evangelical" in their spirituality, and not wallow in a murky, broad middle. Pick one, or the other, but don't stay in the middle! There is no emotion in the lukewarm middle, and yet our affective side needs a spiritual outlet. Does this resonate with anyone else or is it just me?

Worship and Theology in England

I finally started reading Horton Davies' classic multi-volume set Worship and Theology in England. Unfortunately it is out of print, but I managed to score a set in mint condition a few years ago. If you can find a set, get it: it's really good. Davies was a professor of history at Princeton, and he spent many years working on this. It stands out from other "theological histories", such as The Panther and the Hind, because it studies English worship and theology in all of the many different denominations/churches (e.g. Anglican, Roman, Puritan, independant, Anabaptist, Quaker, etc.), and compares and contrasts cultic practices, preaching, spirituality, architecture, and music in each. It is not in the least bit polemical, and is beautifully written. I recommend this set for all postulants, and clergy, as well as for anyone interested in English religious history.

Following Up

One of the things that the clergy always harp on is the idea of putting words into action. It is not enough to simply profess faith in Christ. We must live our faith in Jesus. "Faith without works is dead." (James 2:20) Everyone seems to agree with this on a personal, moral level, but what about on an institutional level?

There are many institutions that fail to follow up words with action. One such institution is the Church. There are all sorts of ways that we as the mystical Body of Christ fail to follow up words with action. A big example of this is in the area of ecumenical talks and agreements. While I can't speak for other jurisdictions, it often seems to be the case the that we in the APA enter into concordats of inter-communion, covenant unions, and such, but then, as a brother priest put it, we "stick the piece of paper in a drawer and forget about it." While my branch of Christ's Church is to be lauded for its open-mindedness, and peace-making outlook, we don't tend to do too much after the agreement has been signed. I imagine it is much the same in other jurisdictions. There are no doubt many probably "innocent" reasons for this lack of follow-up (e.g. no larger vision, general busyness, not enough manpower, etc.).

I think that we in the APA, as well as all of the other continuing Anglican jurisdictions, would do well to remember that signing an ecumenical agreement of any sort is just the beginning. We need to take those concordats, and enact and build on them. If we are not going to use them as a starting point to accomplish bigger and greater things for the Kingdom of God, then what is the point?

New Opportunities

I have been called to serve as vicar of St. Francis' Anglican Church in Blacksburg, VA. Lord willing we'll be moving up there late this summer. We do need to sell our home, so please keep that in your prayers.

St. Francis was founded in the late 70's. They occupy a stone building built in the early 50's which was once a Roman Catholic parish. As the parish has never had a full time priest living in the community they have never really grown as they should have. Yet the place should be a booming success. It is steps away from VA Tech, has a devoted core group, and a good physical plant. They have taken a step in faith to call me, and we are taking a step in faith in moving up there in this crazy economy. By the goodness and power of God, St. Francis will be a beacon for the Catholic faith in Blacksburg, and beyond.

The Church needs to reach men and women in college with the truth of Jesus Christ more than ever before. I ask for your prayers as we make plans to move to Blacksburg to begin this important work.

Anglican Way Institute Summer Conference

The Anglican Way Institute is holding a summer conference on the theme of Finding Grace Through the Sacraments. It will be held July 2nd - 6th at the Church of the Holy Communion (REC) in Dallas, TX. This conference is especially geared towards college and career aged Anglicans, but anyone who wants to learn more about orthodox Anglicanism is encouraged to attend. I strongly encourage young people to attend this conference if at all possible!

www.anglicanwayinstitute.org

Anglican Theological Education

Recent comments about reading for orders made me think of a book that I recently bought and am reading - Faith and Freedom: A Study of Theological Education and the Episcopal Theological School by Rev. George Blackman (Seabury Press, 1967). Theological education, and education in general, has always been of interest to me, because I am a former teacher, and have also had a strange, meandering education myself. The book, which I scored at a used book store in Lancaster, PA, is a study of the early days of seminary education in PECUSA. It focuses on the founding and early histories of General, Virginia, and Gambier (aka Bexley Hall), and comes complete with books that were used, course listings, and more. Then it goes into an in depth study of the founding and history of the Episcopal Theological School in Cambridge, MA. It is a fascinating look into a bygone era.

In reading these histories it is amazing to see so many parallels to struggles we face today. Gambier, for instance, was equally blessed and cursed by its founder Bp. Philander Chase. General relocated to New Haven due to lack of funds at one point. Virginia was eventually shut down due to the Civil War. The Civil War also lead to the founding of the Philadelphia Theological Seminary, which was the north's "evangelical" alternative for Virginia when they could no longer send students there.

Of particular interest, though, is the history of Episcopal theological education before the advent of seminaries. Prior to 1804 men simply read for orders. Men such as Bp. White acted essentially as private tutors, and allowed postulants to use their libraries to prepare for ordination. That there were obvious drawbacks to this goes without saying. Pastoral work often prevented the tutors from spending adequate time with their students. Most received no exams along the way except the one right before their ordination. Often times education was a mishmash of tons of reading, but little thinking and processing of what was read. Then of course there was the fact that each tutor had a slightly different program and order of study. Obviously something needed to be done.

So in 1804 the Bishop's Course of Study was established by the General Convention. This was basically a standardized reading for orders. Everyone had to read the same texts in the same order beginning with a study of natural theology and apologetics. (NOTE: The book lists the actual texts that were used in each catagory, but I will not list them here.) Then came a study of the Scriptures through approved commentaries and other texts. Then came Church history, with particular attention being paid to the Apostolic Fathers. Then came Christology and Episcopacy, which was based on Hooker and others. Then came systematics (or "divinity", as it was then called), which was built in large part around a study of the Articles of Religion and the Creeds through various texts. After this came liturgics, the pastoral theology. So all in all, it was pretty exhaustive. And if I were to type out all of the books and authors that were used in each of these catagories everyone would be duly impressed. Like seminary today, they assigned more to be read and studied than one could possibly actually read and study! This course of study is generally thought to have been written up by Bp. White, though we do not know that for sure. The books used in this course of study were classics, which were still in print at the time, and were to remain in print for the next fifty years.

Reading for orders is often maligned, and sometimes rightfully so. But it is not bad in and of itself. Maybe it would be better if a standard, systematic, and well thought out formula was followed by those in charge. Obviously reading for orders was the only option available for men in the early days of the Episcopal Church, as well as other churches. Today we can still do that, if it is done right.

"The Church is within you."

Recently I had lunch at the hospital with a local radio personality and a friend of his, a Roman Catholic priest (from Ireland, no less, though he's lived in Florida for years now - he was probably in his 60's). When we sat down a big, burly black construction worker who was there doing work recognized the radio host and began to chat with him, so the host invited him to sit with us, and there we were: a radio talk show host, a construction worker, an Anglican priest, and a Roman priest, eating lunch together in hospital cafeteria.

Here's where it gets interesting. I asked the construction worker where he went to church, and he said nowhere. The Catholic priest, trying to play it cool, says, "Oh, well, the Church is within you." (in other words, it's fine if you don't go to church) But I looked at the man, gave him my card, and said, "Come to St. Mark's. Our services are at 8:00 and 10:00 on Sunday mornings. We'd love to have you. And you need to go to church." He thanked me, ate some more, and then got up to go back to work. Then the Catholic priest turns to me and says, "Ahh, so you're trying to get more members, are you?" I thought to myself, "No, not necessarily; I am trying to save souls, which is what I thought priests were supposed to try to do."

We talked some more about a variety of things - one of which was the Motu Proprio - this guy thought it was the stupidest thing in the world to allow priests to say the old mass... somehow I was not surprised. Then he asked if I ever read Newman, which of course, I have. But beneath his question, and in his eyes was the suggestion that I should "read Newman", and then do what he did: become Roman Catholic. But why do that, or why read Newman at all, or the Bible at all, or do anything if "the Church is within you"?

To me, this catholic priest typified everything that is wrong with the church today: no missionary sense; heretical theology; no interest in souls; etc. He was just a corporate guy collecting a paycheck. Who knows how many people he is leading astray, or not even taking care of pastorally, at his parish?

For the record, the Church is not "within us", and we do have to go to church to be saved.

Canon Docent of St. Mark's

That is my unofficial role and title which I have given myself. I am not a canon, but I do feel like a docent much of the time. The reason is that St. Mark's is something of a tourist attraction and pilgrimage spot here in Vero Beach. The architecture in Florida - and especially here in Vero - is very "beachy" and "airy"... much of it is in the Spanish style. So when people drive down the boulevard and all of a sudden see this huge stone tower, and gothic arches, they invariably swing by so they can "see inside". Even if they have seen a million gorgeous churches in their lifetime, they always want to see this one. I'll bet I have given close to 100 tours of the church since being here! I have it down to a science: tell them about the doors; the floor tile; the stained glass; the plans to get other appointments, such as Stations; the chapel; the "Elizabethan" language of the liturgy; the plans for the rest of the property, etc. It is actually quite fun, and a good way to break up the day. Most tours last no more than 10 minutes. I obviously give more during the winter season when there are more people here in town. It is funny because years ago an old man I befriended at a retirement community told me once that he thought I would be a good docent. And now here I am....

This just goes to show what a nice building can do to attract visitors - especially in a small town. Continuing Anglicans often have a chip on their shoulder about people who worship "brick and morter", i.e. who care more about worshiping in a fancy old building with a paid choir rather than the Catholic faith. I would be lying if I said I never had that chip on my shoulder before. But the fact is that a beautiful physical plant, along with nice music and liturgy, and stunning decor, does a lot to get people in the door. God is also, quite obviously, deserving of the best that we have to offer.

Rogation Days

I find the Rogation Days to be very meaningful and more important than ever these days, especially in light of the shortage of food around the world. During the Rogation Days (rogare - to ask) we ask God to "pour forth His blessing upon the land and to give us fruitful seasons" (Collect for the Rogation Days, BCP p.261). There is a good prayer for the Rogations Days on BCP p. 39 as well which asks God's blessing upon agricultural workers, and also for us - that we would eat our own bread and essentially be happy with what we have. Of course it is customary and especially important during Rogationtide to recite the Litany (BCP p. 54) which, among other things, asks for God to bless the earth.

Any food shortage or famine may perhaps be viewed as God's judgment and curse upon the land. (Jer. 14:1-9) With the way that this world has be wholeheartedly turning its back on God over the last few decades is it is any surprise that there is more famine, death, and natural disaster than ever before? If we do not turn back to God, and "forswear our foolish ways" what will become of us?

"The earth is the Lord's and all that therein is." (Ps. 24) That means us, the earth, everything. Because the earth is the Lord's we can pray that He would bless it, which is what we do in Rogationtide. But will He do so if we do not repent of our sins and turn to the Lord, who is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness?

The Rewards of Being a Priest

One of the most exciting things about being a priest is watching people's faith come alive, and seeing people who come to church with very little in the way of Christian discipleship and discipline begin to grow and bear the fruit of the Spirit. There are people who never owned a bible, and then when we give them one, they begin to study it, and absorb it, and have lots of questions. There are others who though previously didn't have much of a prayer life learn how to pray and what to pray for. There are people who previously compartmentalized there faith who are coming to see that the Lordship of Jesus Christ is over every aspect of life. There are lifelong churchmen who are very faithful and have seemingly seen it all, but yet are filled with wonder and awe when they learn some new aspect of the Holy Eucharist that they had never thought of before. There are people who through the power of Jesus Christ overcome addictions and other destructive behaviors and begin to live a life of godliness and devotion to our risen Lord. It is so exciting to be in the midst of all of this, and to be used of God to help bring some of this about. Being a spiritual father to part of Christ's flock, and helping them grow in knowledge and love of Jesus, praying for them and with them, and teaching them is so unbelievably satisfying and rewarding.

Knowing your product

All of this stuff in the news about the polygamist sect in Texas has increased the general level of interest in Mormon religion and history. As a priest it is important to know something - even if it's very basic - about other religions, as well as other topics (such as philosophy). But with everything else a priest has to stay current with, and know, and do, it is simply impossible to become an expert in everything. There just isn't enough time in the day. One could spend a lifetime studying just one other religion!

It is important to know something about other religions, such as their history and how they began, and some of the basic differences between them and the catholic religion, but ultimately, as I learned in sales, it is better know your own product inside out, and be able to explain it, then to know some other product super well. You don't get "sales" when you bash someone else's product, or attack intricate details of their process (i.e. theology). "Sales" - in this case, convincing people of the truth of the catholic faith - come when you know, believe in, and can explain it well.

The Universe is Expanding

In my Tuesday morning class at church we are looking at 20 arguments for the existence of God. While studying the Kalam argument the question was raised as to how we should understand the word "universe". The questioner mentioned something about the universe expanding, and additional universes physicists have speculated about that he read somewhere, and so on. Quite interesting. I think that despite any new discoveries about new universes, dimensions, and so on, we still have to understand universe in its original sense as meaning all of created reality.

But the main thing the question got me thinking about was this funny clip from the Woody Allen movie "Annie Hall."

More Preaching Reflections

Ministers and other people from Christian traditions that do not use pre-appointed lectionary readings often think that the use of lectionaries greatly limits the topics that can be preached on. This would especially seem to be the case with the 1928 BCP eucharististic lectionary, which runs on a one-year cycle. The modern solution, of course, was to adopt a three-year lectionary, to give the preacher more options and bring more of the bible into the liturgy. Some continuing parishes use the three-year lectionary, but most still use the old one. Either way, if the readings are pre-appointed, it can seem somewhat limiting on the surface. So what do you do? You have to get creative.

I find it very easy to do "topical" sermons based on the lectionary. A few weeks back we had the John 9 as our Gospel, so I chose to preach on the concept of "light" and how Christ is the light of the world. Two weeks ago, when the Gospel was about the doubting St. Thomas I preached on "inner peace". ("Peace be with you.") So I don't know what other priests do, but I will often pull out one word or verse and build off of that. I always try to relate the concept to the liturgy of the Church and the Eucharist, showing, for example, how many times we use "peace" in the liturgy. One thing that sermons should always do is point to redemption in Jesus Christ, and especially in the Holy Eucharist (I learned that from a Dominican sister in seminary). Related to that, I find that one can never mention the Holy Name too much in a sermon. His very name is immeasurably powerful and needs to be spoken aloud. Topical sermons can also be done based on the theme of the Sunday (e.g. "Good Shepherd" Sunday), or where we are in the Church year and what the feast day is. But the point is that with a little bit of creativity it is possible to speak on any number of topics and themes based on pre-appointed lectionary readings. Other times, of course, it is appropriate to try to exegete the entire passage and discuss the broad theme of the entire reading. I do not want to deny the importance of that, but it can become rather limiting after a while.

Clergy Wives

I think there should be a feast day on the kalendar, or a prayer intention on diocesan prayer cycles, for clergy wives. Just as it is a difficult vocation to be a priest, so it is to be married to one. These wonderful women give up a lot for their husbands to become priests. In many cases they give up living near family and friends; they give up certain creature comforts because the salary and benefits of a priest are often lacking (especially in the continuum); and they very often abandon their own career and personal aspirations - all so their husband can be a priest. Then besides all of that, they are expected to take an active role in the life of the parish. I was lucky that my wife knew she was marrying a man who was going to become a priest, because for many men the priesthood is a career change, and not something that the woman planned on dealing with when they first got married. Those women in particular deserve special praise for their patience, understanding, and devotion to God and their husbands. Thank God for clergy wives. Pray for clergy wives.

Things to Avoid in Sermons Part 1

1) Politics
2 ) Politics
3) GRE Words

Comments on Commentaries

In my sermon preparation I find most contemporary commentaries to be almost absolutely useless, and I rarely use them. I actually have very few in my library. This surprises some people, but there are other priests who feel the same way (such as my spiritual director - who is a very experienced priest). The thing that makes so many contemporary commentaries bad for sermon prep is that the information they contain is entirely too academic. It is as though they are written for other biblical scholars and not for pastors who are trying to expound on God's word for the feeding of God's people. The worst commentaries of all in my opinion are the Anchor Bible commentaries. They contain all sorts of minute information about Greek morphology, the types of sandals that ancient near eastern peasants wore, and such, but they offer very little insight into the spiritual meaning of the text. And besides that they are very expensive. They are certainly interesting (sort of in the way a Discovery Channel program is interesting), but altogether useless most of the time for sermon preparation. I used to think that the Sacra Pagina series was okay, but I am finding it to be more and more useless for the same reasons.

This is one of the areas where older commentaries (50+ years or more) are so much better than the new ones. They actually presuppose the scriptures to be the word of God that have something spiritual to say to us, and they attempt to offer insight into the religious meaning of the text. For my sermon preparation I actually find theological texts to be the most useful non-biblical tool, especially when preparing theme-based or topical sermons. So I use
some of the (few) older commentaries that own, the Bible itself, and theological texts the most when preparing sermons. And judging by the good reaction my sermons get I think I am doing the right thing.

Humans are Not Animals

The NY Times has a story on how all "animals", even bugs, cheat on their 'spouses' and 'pay for sex'. In other words, hey... every other animal cheats so why shouldn't humans? I like what Fulton Sheen said once in one of his broadcasts: "Humans are not pigs." I would add to that: humans are not bugs, or apes, or anything like that. We are made in the image and likeness of God, and are endowed with reason. Reason enables us to know right and wrong. Our wills must be brought into accordance with nature... not nature brought into accordance with our wills.

I honestly feel as though we are living in the twilight of civilization. God help us all.

The Bible and the Future: N.T. Wright Lecture

N.T. Wright recently spoke at my alma mater, St. Mary's Seminary & University, in Baltimore. His topic was "The Bible and the Future". Of course I was not there, but I heard it was good. The cool thing is that you may order a CD or DVD of his talk! The link to do so is on the opening page of the St. Mary's website. I am going to get one.

Wright spoke at St. Mary's when I was a student there, and he actually taught my Paul class one day! I got to ask him a question about natural theology and Romans 1 for a paper I was working on. Very exciting. At that time he had not yet been consecrated a bishop.

The Bishop's Daughter

David Virtue reported on the recent New Yorker article about the Rt. Rev. Paul Moore, former Episcopal Bishop of New York. The original article from the New Yorker, written by one of Moore's daughters, is definitely worth reading, and should be read in order to see the man from a broader perspective. Virtue does raise an interesting point in his article, though, about sexual ethics in light of the article. He says in essence that the real problem facing the church today is not approval of homosexual behavior, but rather accepting pan-sexualism... having an "anything goes" attitude towards sex. I think he is on to something.

The debate that has raged in the Church as of late must be quite troubling to homosexuals - especially those who are honestly trying to seek God's will in their life and deal with their feelings and problems in a Christian way. Maybe they feel hated by the Church and alienated from God. Maybe this rhetoric makes them feel like they have caused all of the problems in the church (even though they haven't). As Virtue says, the real problem is the pan-sexual agenda that has engulfed our culture and the Church. Why doesn't the Church protest the sleeping around/one night stand culture shoved in our faces during prime time TV? Maybe because it is men and women - so that makes it okay. But isn't fornication a sin? Hmmmm. Oh, and why are adulterers, and organizations that romanticize cheating dealt more kindly with by the Church, while homosexuals are thrown to the lions? Hmmm. If you ask me, it is really unfair to those men and women. The Church should condemn all sexual behavior that does not conform to the teaching of scripture and tradition. She should not "pick and choose", or focus only on one group of people. We need to remember that homosexuals are people too, made in the image of God, and who, like the rest of us need redemption and salvation in the name of Jesus Christ. It is definitely something that I, as a pastor, have to keep in mind as I minister since I do not have a choice who I get to minister to.