Why the World Feels Dead

Here is an interesting video on the de-enchantment or de-sacralization that has taken place in Western Civilization and how to re-enchant or re-sacralize our collective imagination in order to save the soul of our Civilization.

Though an Anglican, he is perhaps a little too hard on the Reformation (it is worth noting that the collapse of religious observance has been quite profound in culturally Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox countries as well as Protestant ones), but I cannot deny that some of the factors he mentions (such as the dissolution, rather than the reform, of the British monasteries) probably did not help much.  

I do not see anything fundamentally contradictory between monasticism as a vocation and Protestantism's recovery of the great truths of grace and Biblical authority and "heart-religion," and I'm glad to see that today there are some Anglican, Lutheran, and ecumenical monasteries and convents and similar monastic communities devoted to prayer, study, and simple acts of service.

In any case, I share this video because I think he is quite right in describing some of the spiritual problems facing the West today, and some of the potential medicines, including the importance of recovering older and more nuanced approaches to Scripture, and to the importance of symbolic forms of communication, than what is often on offer among Protestants (conservative or revisionist) these days.  

Gavin Ortlund on the Wesleyan/Methodist Revival

Gavin Ortlund is, without a doubt, my favorite Reformed Baptist clergyman YouTuber.  I really appreciate his charitable approach, intellectual rigor, and defenses both of Christian belief in general, and classical Protestantism as well.

I'm looking forward to the day when he sees the light on bishops and infant baptism.  

Here is a video that Ortlund did celebrating the early Methodist revival movement within the Anglican Church led by John and Charles Wesley.  It's a good video, especially in looking at the conditions in England before this 'awakening' and some of the lessons we might apply today.  

Since today is "Aldersgate day" - May 24th, when John Wesley had his "heart-warming" experience of assurance from the Holy Spirit that really sparked the revival - I commend it to you.  Today is a good day to remember just how much influence a Spirit-filled renewal can have on the whole of a society - and today is a good day to pray for another one.  

The Book of Common Prayer: Devotional Masterpiece

 A history of the Book of Common Prayer using my own collection of Prayerbooks for reference.

Bishop Barron Address to members of Parliament

I've been keenly aware of the erosion of not only the historic churches but also, concurrently, the erosion of freedom of speech in Great Britain in recent years.  

Our cousins in the UK have never had the same robust safeguards to freedom of thought and expression that we enjoy here in the US, and recent years really have seen an erosion in these rights. 

Long before J.D. Vance recently upset the European establishment by pointing this out (for the UK and Germany and other places), I've been following with dismay as certain political and even religious speech - including silent prayer by Christians in certain locations - has been punished under the law, or else punished informally through police harassment.
  
Meanwhile, Muslim members of Parliament are overtly pushing to make "insulting Islam" a "hate crime" in the UK. 
I've been open in the past about my skepticism about criminalizing "hate speech" and my views have not changed on this point.  

I'm praying for a revival of Christianity in general and of classical Anglicanism in particular in the UK which, I trust, will also bring about a renewed respect for individual liberties.  Others may not have noticed this, but I believe it is no coincidence that the most religiously fervent country in Western Civilization (the US) is also the most robust defender personal freedoms and individual rights. 
These things go together. 

I'm glad to see that, while the bishops of the Church of England tilt at windmills, at least American Roman Catholic Bishop Robert Barron is trying to evangelize the culture.  Here are his remarks to a group including members of Parliament meeting at Westminster: 

Is Baptism Required for Holy Communion?

 This video is inviting Christians - especially Methodists and Episcopalians - to wrestle with that question and (I hope) see the value of the traditional requirement of baptism to receive the Eucharist.

The Annunciation set to glorious music

Many churches traditionally read the Annunciation of the Angel Gabriel to Mary, the Mother of our Lord, on the 4th Sunday of Advent.

Quotes from the Annunciation in Luke's Gospel and also from John chapter 1 ("the Word became Flesh") are interspersed with the Ave Maria ("Hail Mary") in a traditional Roman Catholic devotion called the Angelus.  In addition to the "Hail Mary"s, these are the Biblical verses and the prayer that are recited in this Devotion in remembrance of Christ's Incarnation: 

The angel declared unto Mary, (Lk. 1:28)
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

"Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord
Let it be to me according to your word." (Lk. 1:38)

The Word was made flesh
And dwelt among us. (John 1:14)

The Angelus ends with a prayer that is also found in the Anglican Common Prayer book (at the end of the Mid-day Prayer liturgy):

Pour your grace into our hearts, O Lord, that we who have known the incarnation of your Son Jesus Christ, announced by an angel to the Virgin Mary, may by his Cross and passion be brought to the glory of his resurrection; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.  (2019 Book of Common Prayer, p. 38)

Franz Biebl's musical setting of the Angelus is one of the most beautiful works of art that I know, and the amazing choral ensemble, Voces8, has (along with "The Ringmasters") put out a new recording of it just this month, which has already enriched my life. 

The Tabernacle, the Exodus, the Cross, and the Lord's Prayer

Here is a great video from Joe at the 'Young Anglican' channel in which he does a great job showing the symbolic and typological connections between the Story of Israel, the Architecture of the Tabernacle/Temple, salvation through Christ, and even the Lord's Prayer. 
 Very interesting stuff, some of which I had not even noticed before.  

Rickman on alignment between Methodists and Anglicans

One of the recurring themes of this blog (and of my life) has been striving for greater unity among all Christians, and most especially among Methodists and Anglicans. 
I don't know if there are any two denominational traditions as close as to one another as these.

As a United Methodist pastor for many years, I loved to point out (and make good use of) those parts of our liturgy and heritage that were also found in the Anglican Prayerbook and traditions (as many older posts on this blog will attest). 
As an Anglican priest today I still hold a Wesleyan/Methodist soteriology and understanding of how grace unfolds in our lives, which I share in common with many other Anglicans (chief among them John and Charles Wesley, and more contemporary figures like Winnfield Bevins).

So, quite naturally, I've been interested in the nascent conversations between the new Global Methodist Church and the Anglican Church in North America.  As Providence would have it, Bishop Clark Lowenfield who ordained me to the priesthood has been one leader in these conversations. 

On the GMC side, one cheerleader for this conversation is Jeffrey Rickman over at his "PlainSpoken" podcast and YouTube Channel.  In this video he discusses the recently-elected archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America Steve Wood (the Archbishop is the "lead" bishop, who presides at Province-level meetings, functioning in some ways like the President of the Council of Bishops in the UMC).

From everything I've seen, I'm excited about Archbishop Steve's leadership and what it means for the Province going forward. 

Pastoral reflections on the Coronation of King Charles

 It is about a year and a half now since the Coronation of King Charles III.  I have been wanting to do a video or commentary on the service, because it is actually a very rich example of Christian political theory "in action."  I haven't gotten to that just yet, but here is another commentary I ran across a while back, that some may find interesting: 

Corpus Christi: Real Presence in Holy Communion

Tomorrow is the feast of "Corpus Christi" (The Body of Christ), commemorating the institution of the Lord's Supper.  Here are two videos:
First is Pastor and Theologian Gavin Ortlund describing how the classical Protestant view of Spiritual Real Presence compares and contrasts with the Roman Catholic view, Transubstantiation.  While some centuries-old theological debates are so complicated that I hesitate to "come down hard" on any side, I do think the Reformers were being consistent with Scripture and ancient Tradition by rejecting Transubstantiation while still affirming the Real Presence of Christ's Body and Blood in Communion, as I discuss in the second video. 


 

Why should a church have bishops?

 I believe in bishops.  I've had both really good and really bad experiences of Episcopal oversight, but experience is not what drives my belief system: the Bible interpreted through the historic church is.  That is why I believe in bishops.  

I know that this is an active topic of discussion among Methodists - and the Global Methodist Church in particular will decide later this year about whether to accept bishops at all and, if so, what sort of bishop it will be.

In this video I explain some of the reasons (there are others) why I think bishops are essential for the flourishing and especially for the unity of the whole church, and the congregations within it. 

Why I moved to the Anglican Church

Since leaving the United Methodist Church (UMC) last year I'm no longer attached to any Methodist or Wesleyan denomination.  Yet I still consider myself a Methodist/Wesleyan pastor in the way of John Wesley himself.  He was the founder of the Methodist movement, but never part of a Methodist denomination.  As a matter of fact, John Wesley remained a lifelong member (and priest) in the Anglican church and said explicitly that he hoped Methodists would remain an organized spiritual movement inside the Anglican church.  

For Wesley, being "Methodist" was about a theological and spiritual approach to pursuing holiness, not about being part of a denomination in the modern sense.  The sad reality is that it is perfectly possible to be have the word "Methodist" on the sign in front of a church, but have no living connection to the spirituality and aims of the early Methodist movement.      

Following Wesley's hopes, I've recently been received into the Anglican Church in North America and have been ordained in the Diocese of the Western Gulf Coast.  Here is a video in which I go into detail about why and how I made that decision.   

Great Video on Eucharistic Theology

 Mr. Jonah Saller's "Mere Catholicity" YouTube channel is worth checking out.  He is a very thoughtful Anglican layman who is well-read.  In this video he lays out an approach to the Real Presence of Christ in the Lord's Supper that both takes on board the Lutheran (and Roman Catholic & Eastern Orthodox) concern that the Spirit actually does do something objectively to the elements themselves, to "make them be for us the body and blood of Christ".  Yet he also wants to take on board the concern of the Protestant Reformers that we can only receive Christ's presence in the Supper if we have faith.  "Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ." 

I broadly agree that an understanding that is both Biblical and informed by universal tradition should include both of these concerns.  

Branch theory: A Cursory Defense

 One YouTuber I've recently run across and really profited from/enjoyed is Jonah Saller at the Mere Catholicity channel.  I believe that Mr. Saller is an Anglican layman and has lots of really thoughtful videos advocating for a "reformed catholicity".  Here he discusses the view held by many (but not all) Anglicans called "Branch theory" - the idea that the original undivided and catholic church founded by Christ has divided into (at least) three branches that can all claim to be legitimately "catholic" continuations of that original "trunk" with the same validity of ordinations and sacraments: the Eastern Orthodox, the Roman Catholic, and the Anglican branches.  While some Anglicans use "Branch Theory" to "de-church" other Protestant churches, Mr. Saller - in this an other videos - takes a more generous (and, I would argue, a more realistic) approach: other Protestant churches are clearly real parts of Christ's church that really experience the saving grace of Jesus Christ; but there are gifts of catholicity (such as Apostolic bishops) that God intends for them to have, which they currently lack. 

5 Proofs of the Real Presence of Christ's Body and Blood in Communion

Here is another video from the Rev. Dr. Jordan Cooper, of the Lutheran tradition.  Though the Anglicans and Methodists share in common a view of Christ's Real Presence in Communion that is not 100% identical with the Lutheran view, they are in fact pretty close (close enough that some Lutheran bodies are now in "full communion" agreements with both Methodist and Anglican churches).

What all these traditions do agree on (over against some Baptist and non-denomination traditions) is that, as Scripture clearly affirms, when we receive the consecrated elements of the Lord's Supper by faith, we truly receive the Body and Blood and Presence and Grace of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins and renewal of our souls.  

How this works is understood in different ways, I am comfortable leaving it under the heading of "holy mystery".  I'm also comfortable with members within the same church holding (with humility) different understandings of how it works, so long as we strive not to contradict the teachings of Scripture.  

So, while not a Lutheran myself, I would actually concur with the arguments that Cooper makes in this video to demonstrate that the Real Presence in the Eucharist is, on a careful read of the text, a thoroughly Biblical teaching, and ought to be believed.  And that is to say nothing of this also being the undisputed teaching of the Ancient Church for many centuries after the age of the Apostles.  Who are we - separated by language, culture, and centuries - to know better than the early Church who shared the same language and culture as the New Testament writers themselves?

  

Jordan Cooper on the "Filioque"

 Here is a great video from Lutheran pastor and theologian Rev. Dr. Jordan Cooper defending the Western view of the "filioque."

'What in the world is that?', you may be asking.  In the Nicene Creed (which churches I pastor recite occasionally) we affirm that "We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son..."  

 That phrase "and the Son" is, in Latin, "Filioque" and it was not included in the original form of the Creed that was approved by ecumenical councils representing the whole of the Early Church.  It was added later by the Western Church to emphasize the divinity of the Son.  What is being affirmed is that, from all eternity, the Holy Spirit is proceeding both from the Father and from the Son within the Life of the Holy Trinity forever.

Eastern Orthodox Churches and other Eastern Rites have tended to reject this understanding of the relationship of the Spirit and the Son within the life of the Holy Trinity, and have vociferously rejected the addition of this phrase to the Creed.  

I believe that the "filioque" actually is good theology: it is consistent with the Biblical witness and makes sense of the nature of God, as Cooper explains in the video below.  However, I also agree that an ecumenical creed, authorized by an Ecumenical Council and shared in common by the whole universal/catholic Church of Jesus, ought not be unilaterally changed by only one part of that church without an Ecumenical Council authorizing the change.  

I'm glad to see that, beginning with the Lambeth Conference of 1978, churches of the Anglican Communion have begun to allow the original form of the Creed to be used - but without denying the truth that the "filioque" teaches.  Thus the 2019 Book of Common Prayer allows the phrase "and the Son" to be omitted with the Nicene Creed is recited (see page 768).  The brand new Methodist hymnal, Our Great Redeemer's Praise, follows the 2019 BCP and puts this phrase in [brackets] to indicate that it may be omitted.  Perhaps this approach will become more widespread within the Western Church and may contribute to warmer relations with the Eastern Church as well.

Evangelical Mis-understanding of Baptism

 Below is a great video from a Lutheran teacher, examining why the New Testament leads us to a sacramental understanding of baptism, in which we believe that God actually offers saving grace through and with the outward sign of water. 

John Wesley is notoriously difficult on baptism.  In some places, such as his Treatise on Baptism, he clearly affirms regeneration and justification are given through baptism; in other places, such as his Notes on the New Testament, he seems only willing to affirm a more modest and symbolic view (the Notes seem to me to be more theologically modest and generic as a general rule). 
In still other places, such as his Sermon "The New Birth" he seems to be skirting the line between a view that holds to baptismal regeneration (for infants) and a view that focuses more on a conversion experience as the point of regeneration (for youth and adults).

What Wesley is trying to hold together is a sacramental and an evangelical view of baptism.  The Sacramental view holds that God really gives saving grace through baptism (as in Romans 6, Titus 3, 1 Peter 3, and John 3), and the evangelical view holds that we really receive God's saving grace through personal faith (as in Galatians 3 and Ephesians 2).  Wesleyan theology - following the Articles or Religion of the Church of England - holds these together by insisting that, while the grace is always given in baptism, it is not fully received until we have faith, which might not (from our point of view) happen until a conversion experience years after our baptism.  

The point is that baptism is an outward and objective declaration of God's promises to us, that we can return to again and again and reclaim throughout our lives - or each day as was Martin Luther's habit.

All of this will run counter to the view - common down here in the American "Bible belt" - that baptism is no more than a symbol of our own profession of faith in Jesus.
The video below examines the major New Testament texts (he doesn't even get into the many Old Testament texts) that show why this "baptism as merely symbolic of our profession" view is not drawn from the Bible, but rather presupposed and then imposed upon it.  He brings forward many of the same texts and arguments that I would use to make the case that Baptism not only symbolizes, but also effectually offers to us cleansing and renewing grace.

  

Thomas Cranmer: Reformer, Saint, Martyr

 

Grace, "Means of Grace," and Sacrament in Wesleyanism

 

Authority in Wesleyan Theology

 Today is, I believe, John Wesley's birthday; so it is a good day to publish this one as I'm trying to "catch up" on updating this blog with my YouTube content.