Articles

Question and Answer: Why should I go to church?

The following question was sent to me this morning via facebook: I feel that I have an intimate reationship with God. I feel close to him while feeding cattle or mowing a pasture. Prayer and medittation come while driving down the freeway as naturaly as a church…Is a building constructed by man for man in the name of God more holy than my cow pasture created by God for man?

Archbishop Duncan’s Easter Message

Pilate invites Jerusalem’s leaders to “secure” the tomb of Jesus [Mt.27.62-66].  They “secure” the tomb with a stone, sealant and soldiers.  As if these could contain our Lord…  Their efforts prove inadequate.  Their materials and means turn out to be no match for the One through whom all things were made.

Holy Despair: A Lenten Meditation

Romans chapter 8 begins with the following:

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…” (Romans 8:1)

One of my favorite radio preachers often reminds his listeners that when you see a “therefore” in the bible you always need to ask yourself, “what is the therefore there for?” In this case, the “therefore” in Romans 8:1 refers to Paul’s description of his own personal struggle with besetting sin in chapter 7.

“For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing…” (Romans 7:19)

Questions and Answers: The Trinity

In 2008 a Binghamton University student sent me a few questions via email. He was curious about the Trinity. I promised to answer him “soon” but one thing led to another and before I knew it, the whole thing slipped my mind. I was reminded a few months later of the student’s email and the following is the answer I sent to him and, since I think some of his questions are quite common, with his permission, I’m publishing my answer here for you too…

Are Christians Hypocrites?

The truth is that God’s law is pure and good and perfect and that we, human beings, are not. We fail, we sin, we fall. And yet, despite our inability to do what God commands we cannot and do not pretend that he has not commanded it.

A Brief Note on Preaching

What is the role of preaching in the church? I ask because I believe there is a general level of confusion on the part of Christians. Is the sermon just another kind of “speech? Is it a lecture? Is it a motivational talk? Here are some comments I’ve heard recently, only one from a parishioner.

Question and Answer: Why do some Anglican churches use Incense?

Some college students from church backgrounds somewhat less liturgical than Anglicanism, asked about the use of incense. What is it and why do we use it? I did’t really have a chance to answer in a substantive way since the question was asked yesterday in the greeting line after the service. I managed to mention one of the characteristics of Anglicanism that sets the Anglican expression of Christianity apart from many other protestant expressions, namely that while we embrace the essential biblical truths recovered during the Reformation…

The Glory of the Cross of Christ

One of the problems in preaching about “glory” is defining it. Glory is common enough word. We use it all the time in the church. We say that we gather every Sunday to “glorify” God and, indeed, we hope that our gatherings bring him glory. In the Anglican tradition and probably in yours as well we donate items like crosses or communion sets or bibles to the church in the name of deceased relatives or friends and inscribe on them words like this: “For the glory of God in memory of______” . Some contemporary Christian music is categorized under a broad category called “glory and praise” music. Presbyterians say, and I think they’re right, that the chief end of man is to “To glorify God and enjoy him forever”.

The Leadership Structure of an Anglican Congregation

The leadership structure or “governance” of an Anglican congregation can be very confusing for those who are new to Anglicanism. Its hard to know who is in charge of what and why. If you are either a new member of Good Shepherd or considering becoming a new member, I thought it might help to explain some of the basics. This article is part of our “new member” series of articles, podcast and videos designed to ease your transition into Good Shepherd.

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