It’s complicated, and even though I think we give our children far less credit than they deserve for digesting complicated concepts, I can’t fault them for their confusion or ambivalence about Easter. I just want them to learn to share my excitement about it. It’s a Big Deal, in the Biggest Deal kind of way, and I don’t want it to take a back seat to Christmas at our house.
On Holy Saturday and Easter, by Scott Petersen
The trouble I have in mind today, however, is not that faced by American society, but that which faces The Episcopal Church USA. On this day (March 25) in 1783, orphaned Anglican clergy elected Samuel Seabury the first American Bishop – the first time a bishop had been elected in the history of Anglicanism. The Episcopal Church would be catholic, protestant and Anglican all at once, but without the interference of either monarch or pope.
This week’s review is the new Sally Field film, ‘Hello, My Name is Doris.’ It is a kind of quirky coming-of-age film that deftly explores romance, aging, and self-discovery.
A Lutheran pastor writes about “The Day I Got Called a C**t in the ELCA Clergy Facebook Group”
Our faithful reviewers give their take on Disney’s newest animated adventure; Zootopia. Trust me, this one isn’t just for kids.
This inability to recognise that the acceptance of homosexual practice calls for repentance is now entrenched by the ‘Continuing Indaba’ programme being promoted by the Anglican Communion Office. Because it is based on the assumption that the Bible’s teaching on homosexuality and marriage is not clear, despite two thousand years of Christian teaching and tradition that it is, it becomes impossible to talk about repentance.
Betsy, Greg, Liz, and Lucas discuss the prevalence of internet pornography and the role it plays in shaping sexual identity. What is a healthy Christian sexual ethic in our postmodern world and how do we begin the conversation with our parishes?
Jesus himself taught, we must love our enemies. That does not mean capitulating to evil, or abstaining from the tainted ambiguities of political conflict. But it does mean that we ultimately belong to a much better story, where one day the tears will be wiped from every eye, the lion will lie down with the lamb, and the prodigal will be welcomed home. It means that our highest commitment is not to defeat our enemies but to make the divine love story of amazing grace come true for everyone.
Holy week can be an amazingly productive time in which to dig deep and consider some of your most demanding chapters. In this series on writing and living by our Rule of Life, we have come to Holy Week and will be considering chapters this week in the drafting of our Rule of Life that include hard subjects