A wise, catholic-minded priest strongly castigated those who did not seriously try using what the church provides and just, in individualistic (and congregational) pique, create their own material. We could talk about the abuse particularly of the rights of the laity by clergy who abandon what they agree and sign up to use. But this
Abandon the lectionary? Read More »
The “Put Christ into Christmas”, “Keep Christ in Christmas” banners, stickers, buttons are wrong. You cannot keep Christ out of Christmas. Christ is there in the hustle and bustle. Christ is there amongst the ring of the cash registers, the terrible piped music, the stress, the good-wishes, the sending of cards, family tensions, and exchange of presents.
Put the Mass back into Christmas Read More »
I am quite happy if people add comments below about the grammar of the original Greek of the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed and the original Latin of the Apostles’ Creed, but for this particular post I’m going to call in Augustine and John Calvin and The Catechism of the Council of Trent, and note that in the
Don’t believe in the Church Read More »
I have been pressing the Anglican Church here to be upfront about the liturgical chaos in our province. I think there is huge confusion about what is required, allowed, and forbidden. And that alongside inadequate study, training, and formation in worship. General Synod Te Hinota Whanui 2012 (GSTHW) received a motion from our diocese seeking
NZ Anglican Eucharist Requirements Read More »
Some discussions, on this site and elsewhere, are different variants of reflecting on what the Bible is for Christians. In the midst of some people’s tub-thumping of the term sola scriptura (belief in the Bible alone) some people can give the impression that those who do not use the term sola scriptura somehow do not
What is the Bible? Read More »
The Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia is trialing a new set of collects. The church provides them in Word format (91.50 kB). Regulars here will have followed that a revised Prayer Book was on the verge of being printed without the required “twice round” process of altering our formularies being followed (General Synod
Trinitarian Collects Read More »
Irenaeus (2nd century; prior to classic Trinitarian debates) wrote of the Son and the Holy Spirit as the two hands of God. Eg. Humanity is “formed after the likeness of God, and moulded by His hands, that is, by the Son and Holy Spirit”. (Against Heresies: Book IV; preface). Very often we have two sides
Pope Francis issued an apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium, The joy of the Gospel. I advocate that you read the actual text. In some ways this is articulating the shift in tone at the Vatican. His first encyclical, Lumen Fidei, was completing a text started by Pope Benedict XVI. This is his own. This text has
The Joy of the Gospel Read More »
