2014_02 SUMMER

SUMMER A.D. 2014

VOL. 56 NO. 2

2Published quarterly by the Society for Promoting and Encouraging Arts and Knowledge of the Church (SPEAK, Inc.).

BOARD OF TRUSTEESCHAIRMAN

The Rt. Rev. Edward L. Salmon, Jr.

VICE-CHAIRMANThe Rev. Christopher Colby

SECRETARY/TREASURERDr. E. Mitchell Singleton

The Rt. Rev. John C. BauerschmidtThe Rev. Jonathan A. Mitchican

The Rev. Dr. C. Bryan Owen Ann Cady Scott

The Rev. Charleston D. Wilson

EDITORThe Rev. John Dryden Burton

INQUIRIES AND CORRESPONDENCETom Walker, GENERAL MANAGER

805 County Road 102Eureka Springs, AR 72632-9705

PHONE: 479-253-9701FAX: 479-253-1277

ANGLICANDIGEST.ORGVISIT US ON FACEBOOK & FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

Opinions or views expressed in articles & advertisements do not necessarily represent those of the Board of Trustees.

ISSN 0003-3278 VOL. 56, NO. 2 PRINTED IN THE U.S.A.

2014 SPEAK, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

In partnership with

In partnership withIn partnership withIn partnership withIn partnership withIn partnership withIn partnership withIn partnership withIn partnership withIn partnership withIn partnership with

3Reflecting the words and work of the faithful throughout the Anglican

Communion for more than fifty years.

For fifty-five years, The Anglican Digest (TAD) has been the leading quarterly publication serving the Anglican Communion. From its inception, TADs mission has been to reflect the words and work of the faithful throughout the Anglican Communion. At a time when print editions are becoming an endangered species, TAD remains a familiar presence in the homes and offices of many Episcopalians.

Founded in 1958 by the Rev. Howard Lane Foland (1908-1989), our heritage is Prayer Book Catholic, and is open to the needs and accomplishments of all expressions of Anglicanism: Anglo-Catholic, Broad, and Evangelical. Thus, TAD does not cater to any one niche or segment of the Church, but finds its enduring ethos in serving the Church, including her clergy and lay leaders, those theologically educated and babes in Christ. Each issue, therefore, is unique, representing a mixture of themes for a varied audience, including emerging ministry ideas for clergy and laity, devotional and historical material, as well as humor and news briefs from around the Communion.

TAD is sent to anyone who desires to receive it, and is supported by contributions. To receive your own copy or to partner with us in sharing the work of the faithful, visit anglicandigest.org or call 479-253-9701.

connecting gathering telling

anglicandigest.org4

si nce 1958The A

ngli

can Digest

THE ANGLICAN DIGEST CONNECTS THE CHURCHES

OF THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION BY GATHERING ARTICLES THAT TELL THE STORY OF THE FAITH.

5summer 2014

From the editorThe Rev. John Dryden Burton

From time to time, though perhaps less often than one might expect, the telephone will ring, a letter comes, or an e-mail arrives. The caller or sender identifies as being as-sociated with such and such a church. Then comes The Question.

Where does The Anglican Digest stand on?

Most often, the inquirer wants to engage in debate about the various directions taken by divergent groups within the Anglican Communion with an eye toward affirming or rejecting their own feelings. Invariably, my answer is, We stand on the side of Christ.

Division and a focus on what makes us different seem to be paradigms of relationship in the 21st century. Our politi-

cians have found that it is eas-ier to talk about what is wrong with their opponent than it is to focus on what they areoffering. Of course, compari-sons are hardly a recent inno-vation. Saint Paul had much to say about that when he crafted his First Epistle to the Corinthians: And so, brothers and sisters, I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but rather as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food. Even now you are still not ready, for you are still of the flesh. For as long as there is jealousy and quar-reling among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving ac-cording to human inclinations?The Anglican Digest has always placed itself in the role of building up the whole body of Christ. Whatever term one

anglicandigest.org6

chooses Anglican, Epis-copal, Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, Evangelical it is Christ, once sacrificed, who is our focus.Are there differences? Yes. Are these differences important? Well, yes and no. They are im-portant to us; my preference for high church mass is a part of how I feel more deeply engaged in the worship expe-rience. But God is present in all creation, God loves every last one of us. The Holy Spirit is very present in low church, in high church, among litur-gical as well as non-liturgical services. We are all, equally, laborers, yoked together in Christ. Our human nature is to pull in different directions but Christ is one. neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. The one who plants and the one who waters have a common purpose for we are Gods servants, working

together; you are Gods field, Gods building. no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ.One foundation. That is a powerful and definitive im-age. As a TAD reader, we in-vite you to join with us in this ministry through prayerful support, sharing your gifts and talents that we might continue the work of nourish-ing the whole Church.

VESTMENTS NEEDEDThe closets are bare andOperation Pass Along isknee-deep in requests for usedvestments cassocks, sur-plices, albs, stoles, altarvestments an open-end-ed list! If you have (or your congregation needs to divest of) usable items that are not being used, consider sending them to OPA so that those in need, in the U.S. or abroad, might benefit.

7summer 2014

CONNECTING THE CHURCH10 Something Merciful11 Declare How Much God Has Done . . .13 About the Tithe18 The Holy Gospel20 God is One God is Three25 Daily Prayer26 My Hour in Chapel

GATHERING ARTICLES30 Rock32 Going to Church36 C.S. Lewis40 You Shall Know the Truth43 Rest in Peace

TELLING THE STORY46 Serendipity, Hope, and a Vision of Heaven47 Why Church?50 Current Bookstore Offerings56 Bargain Books60 The Fox and the Hen

BIDDINGS & BINDINGS63 Necrology

anglicandigest.org8

connectingCONNECTING THE CHURCH

9advent 2013

gathering telling

Since 1958, The Anglican Digest has been connecting the faithful throughout

the Anglican Communion, sharing news, and insight, devotional material,

and even a dose of humor.

anglicandigest.org10

connecting

Something Merciful

Peggy Eastman, Poet-in-ResidenceAll Saints Church, Chevy Chase, Maryland

Something merciful is making its way across the face of the land, permeating crannies and turning corners. Cant you feel it? It settles into human hearts as gently as a wavelet lapping sun-warmed sand. Something gentle is making its way across the face of the land, boarding buses and subways and blurring the harsh angles of city skyscrapers and city faces. It settles into human hearts as quietly as a wrens feather floating to earth. Something loving is making its way across the face of the land, transforming businesses into harmonious families and governments into committed agents of peace. It settles into human hearts as tenderly as a caress on a babys cheek. Something merciful is making its way across the face of the land: Christ is risen.

2014

telling

11

gathering

summer 2014

... declare How much God Has

done for you .... The Rev. Mary B. RichardShreveport, Louisiana

Lukes story of Jesus healing the Garesene man of his de-mons is one of the more dra-matic healings recorded in the Gospels. The man, free after so long, wanted to stay with Jesus, listen to him, learn from him.

But, somewhat surprisingly, Jesus wouldnt let him do that. Return to your home, he said to the man, and declare to everyone how much God has done for you. The man could have told his story to the crowds Jesus taught; living proof of Gods power. He might have been an effective speaker, a convincing sermon illustration; he might have brought many people to Jesus. Not a bad plan.

But Jesus chose otherwise. He told the man to go back to his

home, to people he knew, and show them what freedom in God looks like. This might be the harder, riskier plan. We can see from this story that each one of us is an evan-gelist. Each of us is baptized and sent out to declare to the world what God can do and the difference God has made in our life. Most of us are not called to preach to crowds; most of us live within the arms of family and friends who are likely to at least listen to us and whose lives we will touch.

Theres a middle ground be-tween declaring Gods love to people who accept us or will at least be polite to us, and preaching to crowds of strang-ers. God asks us to stretch a bit, to go into places where were not so comfortable, to be a light beyond the circle of light in which we live.

A natural question is, How am I do to that? I suggest a first step that we often miss:


connecting

to declare how much God has done for us we first have to see and name, to ourselves, all that God has done, to real-ize the changes God makes in our everyday lives. Awareness is the beginning, gratitude is the seed planted, evangelism is the fruit.

Counting our blessings is not just an old song. Its an act thats simple and effective and necessary to prepare us for the ministry God calls us into. Life, itself, is a great gift; without life, we would have none of the blessings we hold so dear. All the love we re-ceive from others is a tangible part of the love God gives to us. Being forgiven when we fall short, no matter how far we fall; not having to bear a burden of guilt and remorse. Hope in the knowledge that, in Gods love and care, all the sorrows of our world will be resurrected in joy. Hope that, in Gods dream for us, we can become people better than we

are alone. Community, of the church and in the places of work, play and life; work in which we grow and help the world grow; ministry with God in the healing of Creation. Yes, even adversity, through which we grow in compassion and trust. Gods Son, in whom Gods love shines perfectly and in whose Resurrection we are assured that God has the ultimate power over the forc-es of death and evil. All these actions of God form us into people of hope and gladness.

Thats where evangelism be-gins: naming the place God holds in our lives and then sharing that knowledge with others. The good news is that we dont have to figure out how to do it. God will open ways for us to live the Gos-pel and we will respond in pure gratitude. When we hold something so good, we know it cannot be for us alone. We are compelled to share it with others.

13

tellinggathering

summer 2014

about the Tithe

The Rev. Dr. Paul NancarrowStaunton, Virginia

he pledge drive is a once-a-year kind of thing. The Christian

discipline of stewardship is year-round. It is an ongoing commitment to a faith prac-tice by which we shape our lives in the direction of be-coming more godly and more Christlike. And reflecting on our practice of stewardship is something we should do, not just during the pledge drive, but any time we look ahead at how we intend to live out our Christian commitment.

An important question that makes up part of any steward-ship practice is, How much should I give? The answer to this question is always amatter of personal decision under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, but the Bible and church tradition do provide a

basic standard: the tithe. The tithe is the first fruits, usu-ally calculated as one tenth of ones income, taken off the top as a return to God from the bounty God has given us. While the Episcopal Church has never mandated a com-pulsory church tax on its members, in recent years the General Convention has reaf-firmed the biblical tithe as the standard of giving for Episco-palians. Ten percent giving is the most basic form our dis-cipline of stewardship should take.

But the ten percent tithe should not be understood in a narrowly legalistic way. There is nothing magical about the number ten, and Gods love and care for us are certainly not dependent on our paying our dues. Tithing is not just about sticking to the letter of the law, but is really a matter of sharing in the spirit of the law. Jesus himself made this clear in his teaching when

T

14 anglicandigest.org

connecting

When tithing is understood as a spiritual discipline, and not simply as giving by the num-bers, then the tithe becomes a concrete way of reminding ourselves of Gods part in all that we do. One person may give less than ten percent, another may give more; the point is that, for each, there is a proportion of the whole that is given. Jesus was moved by the widows gift of two copper coins even though there were rich people in the Tem-ple whose offerings must have been far larger, the widows pennies were proportionately a greater part of her wealth, and thus the more generous gift (Luke 21:1-4). From a spiritual point of view, the ac-tual amount of our giving is a secondary concern; it is the portion that is the primary sign of devotion and disciple-ship.

As you consider prayerfully your commitment to giving, I urge you to think of it as a

he rebuked the Pharisees for their legalistic understand-ing of the tithe: But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and herbs of all kinds, and neglect justice and the love of God; it is these you ought to have practiced, without neglecting the others (Luke 11:42). It is not enough simply to give the ten percent of material goods; what Je-sus calls for is thoroughgoing commitment to justice and the love of God, as these are worked out in concrete ways in personal and community life. The tithe is one part of a whole life of discipleship, and the ten percent that is given is to be understood as a vehicle or an instrument for carrying out the ministries of justice and love. The tithe is a pro-portion of our whole life given to Gods service through the church.

And it is the idea of propor-tion that is perhaps the most important aspect of the tithe.

15

tellinggathering

summer 2014

matter of proportion. If youve already made your pledge, sit down with your checkbook (or with your financial plan-ning software!) and calculate what proportion of your in-come that pledge represents; ask yourself if you might be able to increase that propor-tion. If youve yet to make your pledge, think what percentage of your income you would like it to be. Let your tithe become an outward and visible sign of the inward and spiritual grace of discipleship, not just by the numbers, but truly from your heart. And as you pay your pledge each week or each month, let that portion of giv-ing be a concrete reminder for you of the part God shares in all your deeds and days. In that way our combined giving can be a genuine instrument of devotion, a way of service, a ministry of justice and the love of God.

THE ORDER OF ST. ANDREWA Religious Order of men and

women, both married and single,not living in community.For information contact:

The Father or Mother GeneralThe Order of Saint Andrew

2 Creighton LaneScarborough, NY 10510(914) 941-1265; 762-0398

http://www.osa-anglican.org

Advertisement

IndependenceDay July 4

Lord God Almighty, in whose Name the founders of this country won liberty for themselves and for us, and lit the torch of freedom for nations then unborn: Grant we beseech thee, that we and all the peo-ple of this land may have grace to maintain our lib-erties in righteousness and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Help The Anglican Digest reflect the words and work of the faithful through-out the Anglican Communion by leaving your legacy in stone. With your gift of $100 or more, you are eligible to have your name or the name of a loved one permanently engraved on a brick for placement at the foot of the Hillspeak Memorial Cross. The bricks serve as daily reminders to all who pass that we are called to be thankful for our benefactors who help make our work possible. For more information, please contact us at:

LEGACY IN STONE

The Anglican Digest805 County Road 102Eureka Springs, AR 72632-9705Phone: 479-253-9701Fax: 479-253-1277email: [email protected] us on facebook.com/TheAnglicanDigest

17summer 2014

ORDER FORM for Memorial Brick

Please indicate the desired text in the spaces below.

Ordered by: ______________________________________________Name: ____________________________________________________Street Address:___________________________________________City: ___________________ State: _________ Zip: _____________Telephone Number: _______________________________________

Enclose $100 for each brick ordered Total $ ________________Method of payment: Check or Money Order Enclosed _______ Visa ____ American Express ____ Discover ____ MasterCard ____ Card No. ____________________________ Exp:______ CVC: _______

Send orders to:The Anglican Digest805 County Road 102Eureka Springs, AR 72632-9705

This page may be reproduced for additional orders or print information on separate sheet of paper.


connecting

THE HOLY GOSPEL

The Rev. Robert C.Wisnewski, Jr.Montgomery, Alabama

hile the more expe-rienced Episcopa-lian may have ex-

perienced it so often that he is not even aware, the newcomer to our worship will recognize that we read the Gospel les-son in a different way than we do the lessons from the Old Testament and other parts of the New Testament. The Holy Gospel, as we refer to it, is read at celebrations of the Eucharist while standing, for instance. Lay people are often assigned to read the Old Tes-tament lesson and the Epistle but the reading of the Gospel is typically reserved for an or-dained person, traditionally the privilege of the Deacon. It is read, with additional em-phasis, from a different place than the first two lessons, ei-ther in the pulpit or even with

a procession into the midst of the congregation.

Those who grew up withthe 1928 Book of Common Prayer will remember that the priest read the whole of the liturgy from the high altar. He would begin with the altar book on his right and the lit-urgy would proceed through the reading of the Epistle un-til the reading of the Gospel, when the altar book would be moved to his left. (This is thereason the right side of the church facing the altar is still called the Epistle side and the left side the Gospel side.) Ever since the liturgy was formal-ized, in fact, the Holy Gospel has been distinguished as the most important part of the Holy Scriptures.

Ordinands recite, as part of their public vows, I sol-emnly declare that I do be-lieve the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the Word of God, and to

W

gathering telling

19summer 2014

contain all things necessary to salvation. Indeed, while we are people of the Old and New Testaments and the whole of scripture is the telling of our salvation history, yet we de-clare that Christ is the center point of that salvation history. All of the Old Testament leads up to the Christ and the New Testament springs from the Christ. His crucifixion and resurrection are the center of Gods purpose for his people and the Christ event gives full meaning to the scriptures.

Matters of ceremony in the lit-urgy are meant to emphasize spiritual truths. In the case of the Holy Gospel, we read it with such ceremony to en-courage the listener to hear it as the fulfillment of the scrip-tures. And that is more than just saying it is the most im-portant part. All of scripture reaches its meaning in Christ; without Christ, scripture has no meaning.

The truth of any one part of scripture lies in the shadow of the cross. If part of scripture seems to contradict the grace of the cross, then we have yet to understand the truth it contains for us.

Occasionally, we dismiss parts of scripture as merely old or outdated ways of conducting affairs. Certainly culture has changed over the thousands of years scripture covers andcertainly there are rules in scripture which we have learned do not apply to us in the same way they did at the time they were written. Some of what is written in scripture seems overly harsh. Some, if taken out of context, seems more the word of man than the word of God. Yet, as Christians, we hold it all dear and true.

Each part of scripture points to the truth of God becoming incarnate, taking on human form, suffering and dying on


connecting

our behalf. All of scripture, all of life itself, must be under-stood as a reflection of that greater truth. Amazingly, it all fits together to form a perfect and unified whole. And all of it is commended to us as a means for us to experience grace. Accept the truth of the scriptures and live with the writings daily.

Depth and grace await the reader who allows God to bring out the meaning of the reading in his or her life. As we sometimes impatiently seek to understand the truth of the scriptures, it could be said we are simply called to stand under the truth and be formed by it. Trust that things beyond your capabilities to understand are being re-deemed and woven together by Gods grace. In times when we cannot understand, it is enough to know that we are understood.

God is One God is Three

The Very Rev. Samuel G.CandlerAtlanta, Georgia

n Trinity Sunday, the Christian Church pro-claims that God is

One and God is Three. That mysterious truth has con-founded many a preacher and many a congregation if we try to grasp only its logic. (The most successful logical definition of the Trinity re-mains my old Neapolitan Ice Cream theory! God is one ice cream: chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry, and every taste every taste! is delightfully delicious!) The Bible never explains this logic (though II Corinthians 13:13 is my fa-vorite mention of the Trinity). In fact, the Bible rarely spells out the logic of any doctrine. The Bible tells stories of truth. I hope we all know that! We leave it to preachers to

O

21

tellinggathering

summer 2014

provide the connection be-tween the stories of truth and the logic of doctrine. I believe that Trinity Sunday represents the clue the secret, the an-swer, the mystery of what Christian practice is all about. This doctrine represents the mystery of how to behave as Christians. In the Name of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Our God is One. Our God is Three. This formula is not meant to be simply a proposition of faith, something to believe in cerebrally so that we will pass the orthodox test. No, this formula is meant to describe the very image of God. Our God is a triune God, a God who is actually three persons living in relationship.

Thus, the doctrine of the Trinity models how to live to-gether in mutual and loving relationship. After all, we are created in the image of God. That is how Genesis, chapter

one, tells the story. If we are made in the image of God, and if God is a relationship of persons in community, then we are meant to live in the re-lationship of community.

This lesson was never easy: Early Christian history is re-plete with communities who lived according to only one person of the Trinity instead of all three. The Montanists were obsessed with the Holy Spirit to the exclusion of Fa-ther and Son; they were de-clared heretics. The Arians were obsessed with the Father to the exclusion of the divinity of the Son; they were declared heretics. In short, obsession with one person of the Trinity, taken to an absolute extreme, became heresy in the Chris-tian Church. Homogeneity became heresy.

People become absolutists when we focus on only one person of the Godhead, or on


only one way that God reveals himself to humanity. The tri-une God is revealed in a mul-tiplicity of ways: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in diversity and in relationship.

It follows that the Christian Church is where we are sup-posed to live in Trinity. The Church is supposed to be where we learn to live in rela-tionship with people who are different from us, and who are different from one another.

If we are healthy, this Trinity model of relationship should affect all that we do in the Christian Church. In our Christian education classes, in our mission and outreach efforts, in our music pro-grams, in our prayer groups, we learn that God is present the Triune God is pres-ent in different idioms and languages and styles. No one of them has any automatic advantage to communicating the grace of God.

It may be that our own Angli-can comprehensive tradition recognizes Trinitarian dogma more accurately than other theologies. In our public lives and in our friendships, re-fusing to hold ourselves hos-tage to any particular culture, or language, or idiom as Democrats or Republicans, as Americans or Nigerians, studying Paul or Pixar we witness that God can use any medium to bring grace and love to humanity.

In the name of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Our God is One and our God is Three. The Holy Trinity is not just a stiff piece of doctrine unattached to any particular practice of Christianity. This wonderful and mysterious doctrine is at the heart of all our Christian behavior. It is how we live in relationships of diversity, acknowledging to-gether the One God of Love.

connecting

tellinggathering

23summer 2014

ADVERTISE IN

Should you wish to place an advertisement in a forthcoming issue ofThe Anglican Digest, we invite you to contact Mr. Tom Walker, General Manager, for more information:

The Anglican Digest805 County Road 102Eureka Springs, AR 72632-9705phone: 479-253-9701email: [email protected]

anglicandigest.orgFind us on facebook.com/TheAnglicanDigest

By advertising in The Anglican Digest, news of your diocese, parish, or business will reach our 50,000 readers, giving them an opportunity to join your work and mission.


connectinggathering

spring 2014

connecting

hen a parish joins our Parish Partner Plan, every household in

that parish begins receiving print copies of The Anglican Digest. If at least thirty percent of parishioners will donate a minimum of $25 per year, it will defray our costs and help support our work.

If your parish designates an Anglican Digest Sunday, we will provide sufficient copies for you to distribute to attending families.

We hope you will find the work and words of the faithful inspiring, and that the Body of Christ, the Church,

will continue to be built here on earth.

If you are interested or have any questions, please contact us:

The Anglican Digest805 County Road 102Eureka Springs, AR 72632-9705Phone: 479-253-9701Fax: 479-253-1277email: [email protected]

W

anglicandigest.orgFind us on facebook.com/TheAnglicanDigest

telling

25

gathering

summer 2014

daily prayer

The Rt. Rev. James WinchesterMontgomery inThe Daily Office(25 years ago in TAD)

hen Jesus taught the disciples to pray he gave them his own

prayer enforced by his ex-ample and witness. Each act and deed was performed in prayerful union with the Fa-ther. Time itself was seen as holy. The custom of observing fixed times of prayer to hal-low the day was inherited by the early Christians from their Jewish forebearers. These hours as they were called, consisted of words of praise, thanksgiving and intercession structured around the recita-tion of the Psalter.

With the rise of monasticism this daily corporate prayer became more and more cler-icalized. The Opus Dei, as St. Benedict called it, oriented

the monastery. Corporate prayer was offered eight times a day covering all the waking hours. The Psalter still formed the core of this course of prayer, but only brief passag-es of Scripture interrupted the progress of psalms, antiphons, hymns and prayers. The sec-ular non-monastic clergy were bound to read the Daily Office, but rare were the oc-casions when the laity would participate in this offering of daily prayer.

Anglican reformers in the 16th century, seeking to re-cover the place of Scripture in the devotional life of the Church and seeing the vernac-ular as the obvious vehicle for catechesis, reduced the round of eight services to two. Stress was placed on the Divine Of-fice as a corporate act of the whole Church and provisions were made for Morning and Evening Prayer to be offered in the churches daily. A lesson

W


connecting

from both the Old and New Testaments was appointed for each day, making it possible for virtually the entire Bible to be read on a systematic basis during the year.

The Daily Offices of Morn-ing and Evening Prayer are perhaps the greatest liturgical treasure of the Anglican Com-munion. Providing a balance of Scripture, Psalter, Canti-cles and Prayer, the Office has been widely emulated in oth-er Christian traditions. Many have come to see it as a way of systematically encountering the Scriptures and incorpo-rating their timeless message into the needs and concerns of daily life.

My Hourin Chapel

Henri J. nouwen(25 years ago in TAD)

My hour in chapel is more important than I can fully know myself. It is not an hour of deep prayer, nor a time in which I experience a special closeness to God; it is not a period of serious attentiveness to the divine mysteries. I wish it were! On the contrary, it is full of distractions, inner-rest-lessness, sleeplessness, confu-sion, and boredom. It seldom, if ever, pleases my senses. But the simple fact of being for one hour in the presence of the Lord and of showing Him all that I think, feel, sense, and experience, without trying to hide anything, must please Him. Somehow, somewhere, I know that He loves me, even though I do not feel that love as I can feel a human embrace, even though I do not hear a voice as I hear human words

27spring 2014

tellinggathering

of consolation, even though I do not see a smile as I can see a human face. Still the Lord speaks to me, looks at me, and embraces me there where I am, still unable to notice it. The only way I become aware of His presence is in that re-markable desire to return to that quiet chapel and be there without any real satisfaction. Yes, I know this, maybe only retrospectively, that my days and weeks are different days and weeks when they are held together by these regular

useless times. God is greater than my senses, greater than my thoughts, greater than my heart. I do believe that He touches me in places that are unknown even to myself. I seldom can point directly to these places; but when I feel this inner pull to return again to that hidden hour of prayer, I realize that something is happening that is so deep that it becomes like the river bed through which the waters can safely flow and find their way to the open sea.

The Franciscan Order of the Divine Compassion

An Anglo-Catholic religious order of Third Order brothers and sisters striving to proclaim the Good News of Christ through penance and prayer. Our brothers and sisters minister in the communities in which they live. For further information pleasecontact:

Br. Glen Weeks, OSF,228 Old Glenwood Rd., West Falls, NY 14170.

e-mail [email protected] or call 716-652-6616

Advertisement

Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q

The unique process by which we gather information allows us to reflect the work

of the faithful throughoutthe Anglican Communion. Instead of

employing particular individual writers, or working for any one agency or part of

the Church, we rely on the articles we collect and which are submitted to us. These articles, together with the giftswe receive from our faithful readers,

truly comprise our daily bread

Submitting An Article For Consideration

Should you wish to submit an article for publication please visit anglicandigest.org or mail your article to:

The Anglican Digest

805 County Road 102Eureka Springs, AR 72632-9705

We edit submissions, publishing many of them in due time.

GATHERING ARTICLES

GATHERING ARTICLES


connecting

ROCK

Taddled fromThe Australian Anglican (50 years ago in TAD)

n reply to St. Peters con-fession of faith in Him as Messiah, the Christ, our

Lord said, Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. St. Mark, St. Luke, and St. John each re-cord St. Peters confession of faith, but only St. Matthew re-cords the reply. The important thing is the recognition that our Lord is the Messiah, not the privilege which came from it. According to Papias, St. Mark wrote his Gospel from St. Peters dictation, which means that St. Peter himself did not emphasize it in any way.

The symbol of a rock was fa-miliar to the Jews, for it was used frequently both in the Old Testament scriptures and in Rabbinic literature. Isaiah, for instance, speaks of Abra-ham as the rock from which the whole Jewish nation was hewn. The Midrash, an an-cient commentary, says of Abraham, God is like unto a king who wished to build himself a house. He digged and digged, but in each place water sprang up and destroyed the foundation he had dug. At last, he chanced to dig where deep down he came upon a rock (petra); then, said he, Here I will build.

In the same sense, our Lord spoke of St. Peter as the rock. It was as though He had dug through the ruins of the unbe-lief and skepticism of the Jews until He struck the solid rock of St. Peters confession of faith in Him, and knew it was upon that solid rock He could build

I

31summer 2014

tellinggathering

His Church. Our Lord was not to build a new Church, but the continuing Church of the Is-rael of God. With St. Peters confession there was some-thing solid to build upon, and St. Peters reward was that he was the first to know what his position would be in that Church not just a door-keeper, but an administrator, one of the foundations. The Apostles were the foundations and the later bishops were the stories added to the building.

The meaning of the word keys likewise would have been familiar to the Jews, for they spoke of the keys of teaching and disciplining. Our Lord once rebuked the Scribes and Pharisees for taking away the key of knowledge from those who would have it and thereby shutting the kingdom of heaven against those who would come in. To bind and loose were also terms well known to Jewish

people, for they were used by the doctors of the law to for-bid or permit certain actions about which there had been some question; they were also sometimes used with dis-ciplinary measures such as excommunication. The Jews were taught that such deci-sions made by rabbis were ac-knowledged in heaven.

Our Lord, then, gave St. Pe-ter, as one of the twelve foun-dations, a place of authority in the Church to teach and to discipline those who came into the Church. In that, St. Peter was the first of the band to know its members future place and position in the Kingdom of Heaven; he was given a primacy of honor over the other Apostles, but there was no question of any pri-macy of jurisdiction, for that did not enter the picture at all. The Apostles, being Jews, un-derstood our Lords meaning. We can see why in each of the


connecting

Gospels St. Peters confession of faith is faithfully recorded: that was the important part; that was where our Lord could begin to build His Church. We can understand, too, why only St. Matthew thought it neces-sary to give our Lords reply - he was writing for Jewish read-ers. St. Mark, St. Luke, and St. John wrote for the Gentiles to whom the Jewish terms would have been unfamiliar and have had no meaning.

We may also understand why the early Church fathers con-centrated upon the confession of faith of St. Peter but taught that each bishop was supreme in his own diocese, and why over two hundred years passed before there was any question of trying to infer that our Lord had given a primacy of juris-diction to St. Peter as well as a primacy of honor.

GOING to CHURCH

Taddled froma parish bulletin (50 years ago in TAD)

When you hear someone called a good Church goer, forget it. There is no such thing. The Church is not a place to go to: it is baptized people who go places. Reg-ularly they come together to worship, but most of the time the Church is out in the world, washing cars, selling insurance, making hospital rounds. You are often asked to bring people to church, and would be very unhappy if, when you did, the building was dirty or the priest unpre-pared. In what kind of shape is the Church that you take to everyone you meet, every day, and how well prepared is its minister you?

OPERATION

spring 2014

tellinggathering

ince 1972, Operation Pass Along has shared more than 245,000 books, tapes, vestments, and other items.

Pioneered by the late Wynne Swinson Hensel, Operation Pass Along is a tangible extension of our mission of sharing the words and work of the faithful throughout the Anglican Communion; it allows us to collect books about the Church and usable vestments from those who no longer want or need them and pass them along to those who do.

S

OPERATION

PASSALONG

Requests for books from seminarians or other readers are filled from whatever is on our shelves at no charge, other than for shipping and handling. When we have funds available, books and vestments are reshipped at no charge to churches and clergy in countries where access to those items is limited or too costly.

Make a Donation:If you have, or your parish has, books or vestments that are not being used, you are encouraged to send them to:

The Anglican DigestOperation Pass Along805 County Road 102Eureka Springs, AR 72632-9705The most economical way to send books is via the U.S. Postal Service, marked Media Mail. We will send you a receipt for the number of books received. If you wish to claim them as a charitable donation, you must put a value on them; if you obtain a receipt from the post office, you may also claim the cost of sending them to us.

To Submit a Request:Requests for books may be sent to the same mailing address or submitted via e-mail at [email protected] or telephone at 800-572-7929. When submitting requests, please be specific with titles and authors. If we have the book(s) you seek, we will advise you of the postage and handling charge and, upon receipt of your remittance, will mail the book(s) to you. There is no charge for the book itself.

If we do not have the book when you submit your request, we will hold your request for a year, and will notify you as above if and when a requested book is received. If, at the end of a year, you have not heard from us and want us to continue to watch for the book, you must resubmit your request.

Items come and go almost daily, so we do not attempt to catalog them, nor do we maintain a printed list.

For more information, please call 800-572-7929 or email us [email protected]

35summer 2014

telllinggathering

We Recommend is usually where we suggest titles of interest to our readers books not offered through the Anglican Book-store. In this issue we offer something a little different; a source for out-of-print books called Nashotah House Press, a project of Ben Jefferies. Nashotah House Press is the unofficial facsimi-le press of Nashotah House Theological Seminary.

In Bens words, NHP was born as a result of a happy conflu-ence of a handful of rather prosaic circumstances: I hate read-ing things on screens; I am a lover of a good codex in the hand. I had been in need of a hobby: something to turn to when a break is needed from studies. I recalled books I have seen which were facsimiles of older books and realized: I could do that! So I downloaded a scan of the book, re-set the pages, designed a cover, and asked if anyone would like a copy. About two dozen replied they would, and the business was born.

The Tractarians devoted themselves to the revival of old texts: editing and re-publishing, and have been my inspiration. Titles now in print include: Kebles edition of Hookers Laws, Newmans edition of Thomas Aquinas Catenae on the Gospels, Puseys col-lection of patristic quotations on the nature of Christs presence in the Eucharist, etc. The selection available through NHP is growing. The catalog of books currently available can be seen and purchased at www.NashotahHousePress.com.

We Recommend


C.S. LewisTaddled from Prism(50 years ago in TAD)

The day Professor Lewis died I lunched with a man who told me that he distrusted clarity in belief. Perhaps that is a clue to a certain decline lately in Lew-is reputation as a Christian apologist: Lewis understood skepticism and the moods of doubt, but was never at home with indecision, ambiguity, the self-harassment of the modern Christian intellectual. He was too clear. The nature of his certainty, however, is worth consider-ing: it was about the reality of good and evil. Most unusu-ally, he believed in goodness and knew what it was (and by goodness I do not mean moral rectitude). Lewis could convey the flavor of good, the music and silence of heaven which Screwtape so detested, the goodness of the fruit that Ransom ate in Perelandra, the planet of his novel which

fought again the temptation of the parents of a race.

Perelandra is not concerned only with unfallen words: it re-verts to the ancient Christian vision, the myth of the strug-gle between the powers of God and those of darkness. For Lewis it was not remote, not a question merely of Michael and his angels battering the dragon down, but of our per-sonal participation in the cos-mic battle. St. Paul says, We wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principali-ties and powers. The Prince of Darkness (however we con-ceive of darkness) is defeated not beyond time but in the af-fairs of men. The myths (and this not everyone appreci-ates) are not fictions, nor even pre-scientific explanations of things: they are patterns of re-ality. Ransoms great battle in Perelandra is Beowulf s bat-tle against Grendels mother, and St. Georges against the dragon, Thermopylae and the

connecting

37summer 2014

Battle of Maldron, to say noth-ing of more recent battles in which men pitched themselves for what they conceived to be good against what they dimly understood to be evil. It is also the battle which Christ fought against death and won.

The certainty Lewis had was precisely the certainty we most need, and one which, though we may not know it, we already have: it is that the issue of our struggle is already decided; the Kingdom of God is neither created nor won by our efforts. We may enter into a world already ours. Lewis was not ignorant about misery, of those facts in the human condition which make it almost intolerable to submit to God. His pseudonymous book, A Grief Observed, is one of the few to enter into a Christian understanding of suffering. It faces the question put by the prophet and so res-olutely avoided by the modern Churchman, Shall there be

evil in the City and I the Lord have not done it? (The book records the struggle for obedi-ence during Lewis grief after the death of his wife.) We need its lesson in our pres-ent difficulties: Christians do grow up in the Faith and by means of faith. How do we know the apparently superfi-cial certainties of the people in the pew (whose shallowness causes us such anguish) is not the means to them of a deeper if inarticulate faith? The last time I saw Professor Lewis he had come as near to death as any man can without dying, and he talked with ab-solute serenity not only about that, but about something (to me) more terrifying. His dis-ease had produced hallucina-tions, a loss of the conscious control of reason. I said that was one loss I could not for-give the Lord. Oh, he said, but one doesnt have to. I do not find much to distrust in that kind of certainty.

tellinggathering

Please contact Mr. Tom Walker, General Manager, for more information:

The Anglican Digest805 County Road 102Eureka Springs, AR 72632-9705Phone: 479-253-9701Fax: 479-253-1277

[email protected] us on facebook.com/TheAnglicanDigest

Tell us how many copies are needed to distribute to families at Sunday worship and we will gladly send them to you for distribution.

There are three easy ways to introduce

The Anglican Digest to your parish family.

THREE WAYS

spring 2014 39

tellinggatheringSend us the mailing labels for your parish roster and we will send them in a one-time mailing. We respect your privacy; your list will remain confidential and will not be shared.

Send us your mailing list and we will mail issues to each home for one whole year at no charge.

YOU SHALL KNOWTHE TRUTH

John B. OwenRockport, Texas

I am a man of faith and ofscience and believe that God intends they coexist. We are to love him, to choose to know him spiritually, and also to seek scientific truth aboutcreation, the universe whichis unfolding as it should(Desiderata, Max Ehrmann,1952).

Life thrives on Earth where humans have au-thority to rule as stewardsof Gods bounty. God createdit all and sees that it is good.It is the how of creation that we grapple with, debate about, fight about, even spillblood over.

The creation story is a beau-tiful vision of Gods truth as revealed to and understood by people of an earlier time.

It served for centuries as the best wisdom of the age. But in the last five hundred or so years of human history, the scientific revolution haschallenged the validity of this story as scientific truth.

Copernicus and Galil-eo discovered that Earth was not the center of our universe but merelya small, relatively insignifi-cant dot in the grand scheme of things. Kepler, Newton, Darwin, and Wallace chal-lenged old paradigms and offered new models. Einstein and Hawking brilliantly re-vealed greater truths of the heavens, even beyond those accepted paradigms. These discoveries enabled space travel and we now explore our solar system and beyond, yielding even more new and exciting discoveries. Carl Sa-gan, in his Cosmos television series, brought science to the common man and gave us the understanding that laid the


connecting

foundation for us to search for better, truer wisdom.

The scientific method ex-ploration, hypothesis, testing, conclusion, and sharing has revealed vast and previ-ously unknown truths about Gods creation. God smiles each time we finally get it right.

It is my belief that God creat-ed the heavens and the earth, and set into motion eons ago, this grand experiment, this universe. Star stuff came into being, gravitated, ignited into suns, exploded as supernovae, and congealed into galaxies, solar systems and planets with all the elements necessary to support life. In our small corner of the universe, at the outskirts of the Milky Way galaxy, on the third rock from our sun, life came into be-ing, and grew, and grew, and grew. I believe that at some extraordinary, magical point, when the time was right, God

stepped in and transformed that life into man in his own image, forging the link that set man apart from the rest of his creation, and gave him the power to create, to imag-ine, and yes, to choose, even if it meant NOT choosing his way. No other creature has this choice, this gift: just us.

And so it goes. God created us, the world, the universe, and has given us a choice, as well as the mandate to seek his Truth. With the same courage as the great scientists, Coper-nicus, Galileo, Kepler, New-ton, Darwin, Wallace, Ein-stein, Hawking, and Sagan, it is our obligation to honor and pursue this gift. We seek his Truth, and even as it replaces old wisdom, sometimes pain-fully, with new and truer wis-dom, it brings us ever closer and closer to him. We return the love he gave to us in the form of creation, in the form of Life, Love, and Choice.

tellinggathering

41summer 2014

e have been able to share our mission of reflecting the words and work of the faithful throughout the Anglican Communion only because of the continued generosity of our many faithful

readers and partners; however, our modest endowment cannot cover the costs associated with our ministry. Would you consider supporting our mission and helping us expand our work? Gifts to The Anglican Digest may be tax-deductible.

You may partner with us quickly and securely by visiting anglicandigest.org, or by mailing a check payable to The Anglican Digest to:

The Anglican Digest805 County Road 102Eureka Springs, AR 72632-9705Fax: 479-253-1277

W

43summer 2014

tellinggathering

rest in peace

The Rev. Ralph OsborneMenasha, Wisconsin

Our Book of Common Prayer is such a wonderful resource. Not only do we get our Sun-day service from it, but it also has other wonderful rites and prayers. If you have any doubts about that, you can ask our Deacon!

One of my favorite services is Compline. It is the last wor-ship of the day and is found on page 127. I like Compline because of the individual prayers found in it. Here is one: Be present, O merciful God, and protect us through the hours of this night, so that we who are wearied by the changes and chances of this life may rest in your eternal changelessness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Praying that prayer at the end of the day is comforting. We live in a wearied time. Life is

changing at an ever-increas-ing rate and much of it seems out of our control. It can feel like God is not present. This prayer communicates to God the fear and concern of our hearts. We ask for Gods pres-ence and protection. At the same time, we acknowledge that we can find rest in God. God is not wearied by the changes and chances of this life. God is solid.

I would like to tell you that I prayed that prayer once and from then on I trusted per-fectly and slept peacefully, but this is a prayer I have to pray often. I become forgetful and then get more wearied and in more need of that prayer. I want to become a follow-er who trusts God more and more. May we all become people who sleep easy because we are trusting in the merciful presence of God. Step by step.

The peace of the Lord be al-ways with you.

45advent 2013

gathering telling

When Father Howard Lane Foland & his colleagues arrived at Hillspeak on

St. Marks Day of 1960, their goal was to tell the story of the faith by reflecting

the words & work of the faithful throughout the Anglican Communion.Today, we continue in their footsteps,

telling stories from across the Communion, glorifying God, from

generation to generation in the Church& in Christ Jesus forever & ever.


connecting

SERENDIPITY,HOPE, AND A

VISION OF HEAVEN

Robert R. Marshall, Jr.Joppa, Maryland

God of peace, who hast taught us that in returning and rest

we shall be saved, in quietnessand in confidence shall beour strength; By the might of thy Spirit lift us, we pray thee, to thy presence, where we may be still and know that thou art God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. A prayer for Quiet Confi-dence, BCP

I do some of my best thinking while mowing my lawn. Re-cently, while mowing, I saw a soccer ball from the corner of my eye that wasnt there when I started. One of my neighbors must have known it was ours and tossed it back into our yard. Objects such as this in my yard are not unusual. My

sons, like other children in the neighborhood, get distract-ed and forget to collect their balls, bikes, skateboards, and other playthings. These items somehow make their way back to our house as did this soccer ball.

Childs play is, among other things, serendipitous. Seren-dipity is making fortunate discoveries by accident; going from one joyful thing to an-other without a whole lot of pre-planning. It may also be considered happy chance. It is this wonderful experience of childhood that I hope will exist in heaven.

A child in an amusement park will skip from one attraction to another, joyfully experienc-ing all there is to see and do. In heaven, we will experience all there is of Gods love for usan experience that is impossi-ble to completely comprehend here on earth and something we struggle to fully glimpse.

O

47summer 2014

I am reminded of a question I asked my mother when I was just a boy. Mom, is there TV in heaven? I cant remember exactly what she said but I do remember being satisfied and pleased with her answer.

As an adult, I think of heaven in a different way, but I still hope that it is more spectac-ular and joyous than anything here on earth. As an adult I do hope that I will feel again like I did as a child on those endless summer days and nights, joy-fully moving from one activ-ity to another, without a care in the world, without pain, under the watchful eye of our Lord, Jesus Christ! As a great hymn says: In heavns eternal bliss the loveliest strain is this, may Jesus Christ be praised.

The next time morning gilds the skies or I see a ball in my yard that wasnt there the day before, I will think on those words and I will smile.

Why Church?

The Rev. David MeginnissTuscaloosa, Alabama

hy do we have church? Is it for Gods sake? Clear-

ly, the answer is no. When King David first wanted to build a temple, God reminded David that God never asked for a house; God does not need any earthly dwelling. And when Solomon finally built the temple, in his wis-dom he acknowledged to God, The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot con-tain you. How much less this temple I have built!

Solomon knew it is not for Gods sake but for humans sake that we build places of worship. Solomon prayedthat God would bless the tem-ple to serve as a place where Gods people could pray,ask for help, guidance, or for-giveness, and where they couldcelebrate their relationship

tellinggathering

W


connecting

to God. The problem is, most people were not as wise as Sol-omon. Although they didnt want to admit it, they lived as if they believed God was con-tained within the temple, and never left it. If they needed Gods help, they would come visit God at the temple, but the rest of the time they went around as if God couldnt see what they were doing. They liked to point at the temple and say how beautiful it was and how important they were to have Gods presence in their midst, but it didnt real-ly affect their day to day lives. The prophet Jeremiah made it clear what God thought about that kind of attitude: Will you steal, murder, com-mit adultery, swear falsely, ... and then come and stand be-fore me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are safe! only to go on doing all these abominations? Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your sight? You

know, I too am watching, says the LORD. God told them if they didnt shape up, God might just quit listening to their prayers altogether.

These days, were not limited to a single Temple. Weve got churches all over the place. They come in all kinds of fla-vors, like ice cream. They use different worship styles, differ-ent versions of the Bible, dif-ferent customs, and different forms of church government. But what was true about the temple is true for all of these churches.

First, none exist for Gods sake. God is not contained in any of them. We need them because we have trouble focusing. God is all around us and in us and through us, and yet we need sacred spaces where we can help our restless bodies and souls be still in Gods presence. We also need a meeting place where we can come together as Gods people. No Christian should try to be a Christian in

49

tellinggathering

summer 2014

isolation. Jesus gave us the gift of the Church to be his very Body. The building is not the Church, but the building gives the Church a place to meet.

Second, the church building does us absolutely no good if were not in it. I suspect a lot of folks are proud to have such a beautiful place to call their church home, and thats good, but I also suspect there are some who are proud to say they belong because they think it makes them import-ant. Thats not so good. Our church building is only mean-ingful, it is only important, it only has a reason to exist if it strengthens our relationship to God.

And I dont mean simply serv-ing as a place to come visit God when we need Gods help or when were feeling particularly pious. I mean it needs to affect our lives by giving us the strength, the re-sources, the energy, the enthu-siasm, and the mutual support

to go out and serve God in the world. We need to come to church to help us remember that God is with us wherever we are, whatever were doing. We need to deepen our under-standing about God and give each other mutual support and encouragement. We need to meet as a Church, so we can be the Church.

God gave us the Church for our sakes. The least we can do is be grateful enough to use it!

jamie

Its pretty hard to love your enemy when hes such a total jerk!

The Rev. Richard R. Losch


ANGLICANBOOKSTORE

We offer many titles for sale through our in house book supplier, the Anglican Bookstore. We also offer bargain books, which are priced at $3.00 each. You may also order by calling 800-572-7929

51summer 2014

tellinggathering

WHAT SHALL WE SAY?: Evil, Suffering, and the Crisisof Faith by Thomas G. Long

Tsunamis, earthquakes, famines, dis-eases, warsthese and other devastat-ing forces lead Christians to ask painful questions. Is God all-powerful? Is God good? How can God allow so much in-nocent human suffering? These ques-

tions, taken together, have been called the theodicy problem, and in this book Thomas Long explores what preachers can and should say in response. Long reviews the origins and history of the theodicy problem and engages the work of major thinkers who have posed solutions to it. Cautioning pastors not to ig-nore urgent theodicy-related questions arising from their pa-rishioners, he offers biblically based approaches to preaching on theodicy, guided by Jesus parable of the wheat and the tares and the greatest theodicy text in Scripturethe book of Job.

Item E1219 (paperback, 172 Pages), $18

JESUS: First-Century RabbiBy Rabbi David Zaslow

Spiritual leader of a synagogue in Ashland,Oregon, Rabbi Zaslow travels the countryleading workshops with churches and syna-gogues on the Jewish roots of Christianity.This bold, fresh look at the historical Jesus


connecting

and the Jewish roots of Christianity challenges both Jews and Christians to re-examine their understanding of Jesus com-mitment to his Jewish faith. Instead of emphasizing the dif-ferences between the two religions, this groundbreaking text explains how the concepts of vicarious atonement, mediation, incarnation, and Trinity are rooted in classical Judaism. Using the cutting edge of scholarly research, he dispels the myths of disparity between Christianity and Judaism without diluting the unique features of each faith. Jesus: First Century Rabbi is a breath of fresh air for Christians and Jews who want to strength-en and deepen their own faith traditions.

Item L0153 (hardcover, 220 Pages), $24

GENIUS BORN OF ANGUISH:Life & Legacy Henri Nouwenby Michael W. Higgins and Kevin Burns

An intimate look at this important spiritual writers life, enriched with the personal ac-counts of some of the people closest to him: friends, family, and colleagues. A twelve-page photo section is included.

Henri Nouwen was one of the most prolific and creative spir-itual writers of the 20th century. Higgins and Burns fittingly offer an honest and profound examination told primarily from the perspective of those who knew him best. Publishers WeeklyItem P0093 (paperback, 176 pages) $18

53summer 2014

tellinggathering

ABRAHAMS BIND & OTHER BIBLE TALES OF TRICKERY, FOLLY, MERCY AND LOVEby Michael J. Caduto

With insight, thoughtfulness, and wit, theseprovocative and entertaining re-imaginings of stories from the Bible highlight the ways God can work for and through us, even to-day: Barren and despairing Sarah becomes

pregnant learning that nothing is im-possible.

Jacob the trickster is, in turn, tricked into marrying the wrong wife learning that what goes around comes around.

Joseph is sold into slavery by his brothers, only to rise to wield power of life and death over them learning that patience and integrity will win out in the end.

Through multifaceted characters, original stories, and vivid natural imagery, Caduto brings this ancient world to life and immerses you in a richly-textured experience of another time and place. Item K0065 (hardcover, 224 Pages), $20

For CHildrenTWO LITTLE BIRDSby Mary Newell DePalma

Two little birds hatch and grow until one day, they see an amaz-ing sight: hundreds of birds, all flying together in one direc-

connecting


tion. They decide to join in, and sobegins an amazing and sometimes dan-gerous journey that they never could have imagined. Eventually they return home and the cycle starts over again. This simple story, nicely complement-ed by warm and colorful illustrations,subtly celebrates the wonder of migra-tion. Two Little Birds is a perfect book for introducing young children to na-tures small miracles. Ages 4-8.

Item E1220 (hardcover, 34 Pages), $16

THOMAS THE TOADILLYTERRIBLE BULLYby Janice Levyillustrated by Bill Slavin, andEsperanca Melo

Thomas hates being ignored. But when his attempts to impress everyone dont make him any friends, he decides to

be a bully instead. Theres just one problem: he makes a terrible bully. A toadilly terrible one, in fact. It turns out, though, that theres an even bigger bully around, and Thomas discovers what it feels like to be the one bullied. But a bit of teamwork helps him outwit the bully and make a new friend. Being a friend, Thomas finds, is far more fun than being a bully. Ages 4-8

Item E1221 (hardcover, 34 Pages), $17

55advent 2013

gathering telling

winter 2013

A TEACHING MANUAL FOR THE

CHURCH

Whole Christianity:A Teaching Manual for the Churchby The Rev. Hugh C. Edsall

Instruction in the faith and worship of the Anglican Communion as directed by the 1979 BCP, Whole Christianity gives good reason to be excited about our Christian faith. Rather than simply affirm the Anglican Church as a pleasant place to attend when you feel like it, Whole Christianity challenges each of us to live our faith.

$23.50 pp to U.S. addresses.Call for price elsewhere.

available fromThe Anglican Bookstore805 County Road 102Eureka Springs, AR 72632-9705Call: 800-57279298-5 Central Time, M-F


connecting

LESSLIE NEWBIGIN, MISSIONARY THEOLOGIAN: A READER compiled by Paul Weston, Item 06D

IMITATING JESUS: AN INCLUSIVE APPROACH TO NEW TESTAMENT ETHICS by Richard A. Burridge, Item 08A

THE FATE OF COMMUNION: THE AGONY OF ANGLICANISM AND THE FUTURE OF THE GLOBAL CHURCH by Ephraim Radner and Philip Turner, Item 06B

ALL MAJESTY & POWEREdited by Donald Gray, Item 02C

All Bargain Books are priced at $3.00 each and are available subject to stock on hand. Bargain Books are non-returnable. Please see the order form on page 58.

ANGLICANBOOKSTOREHillspeak Bargain Books

57summer 2014

PASSIONATE STEWARDby Michael OHurley-Pitts, Item 03B

CHRIST & CULTURE REVISITED, [written] clearly, carefully and helpfully about ... how Christians should engage culture. by D. A. Carson. Item 08C

SHAMING THE DEVILby Alan Jacobs, Item 04D

ROWANS RULE: THE BIOGRAPHY OF THE ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY by Rupert Shortt, Item 09A

CONSUMING JESUS: BEYOND RACE AND CLASS DIVISIONS IN A CONSUMER CHURCH by Paul Louis Metzger, Item 08B

WHY STUDY THE PAST?: THE QUEST FOR THE HISTORICAL CHURCHby Rowan Williams, Item O5DA

WILLIAM WILBERFORCE: A BIOGRAPHY by Stephen Tomkins, Item 07D

CHRIST PLAYS IN TEN THOUSAND PLACESby Eugene Peterson, Item 05A

THE JESUS WAYby Eugene Peterson, Item 07B

tellinggathering

ORDER FORM The Anglican Bookstore

Name: ___________________________________________________Street Address:___________________________________________City: ___________________ State: _________ Zip: _____________Telephone Number: _______________________________________

Method of payment: Check or Money Order Enclosed _______ Visa ____ American Express ____ Discover ____ MasterCard ____ Card No. _____________________________ Exp:______ CVC: _______

Send orders to:The Anglican Digest805 County Road 102Eureka Springs, AR 72632-9705Phone: 479-253-9701Fax: 479-253-1277Order by Phone1-800-572-7929

[ ] Check here if you wish another order form. We will gladly send items to others as gifts. Please enclose appropriate instructions.

Please allow two to three weeks for deliveryanglicandigest.org

Quantity Title Item # Price Amount

Subtotal Order

Arkansas addressesadd state & local tax

Canadian addresses add 5% GST

Postage & Handling

Total Order

Postage & Handling in U.S. Order Subtotal of $1 - $45 Add $4.50 Order Subtotal Over $45 Add 10%

Postage & handling outside the U.S. is based on size, shape, state & local sales tax & destination. Cost must be added to order.

59

at Hillspeak

GUEST QUARTERS

cenic vistas from atop Grindstone Mountain and the proximity of Eureka Springs draw visitors from around the world. Whether you are seeking the serenity of an Ozark mountain retreat, searching the shelves in

Operation Pass Along, or doing research in the Foland Library, Hillspeaks guest quarters are ideal. Each unit accommodates at least four people, and has a fully equipped kitchen and all necessary linens. In lieu of a set fee, a donation is requested. Call for more information or to make reservations.

Plan to spend some time with us.

The Anglican Digest805 County Road 102Eureka Springs, AR 72632-9705Phone: 479-253-9701Fax: 479-253-1277Email: accommodation @anglicandigest.org

Please call between 8 A.M. &5 P.M. CT, Monday-Friday.

S


THE FOX ANDTHE HEN

The Rev. Rick OberheideSheffield, Alabama

erod and Jesus were kings of very dif-ferent sorts. Herod

lived and ruled behind walls of power and brutality, built by the sand and mortar of human nature at its worst. He was a cunning politician who made deals with the Romans at the expense of his own countrymen. He killed en-emies, married his brothers wife, cut off the head of John the Baptist, and helped to get Jesus killed. He was a glutton and hedonist who literally ate himself to death. His name would be included with the likes of Hitler and Stalin on a list of historys bad guys.

Jesus kingdom was without walls. He was accessible in ways that were risky and made him vulnerable. The pow-

er of his life was born in and expressed by sacrificial love beyond selfa willingness to suffer and die for a greater good. He was strong, asser-tive, honest; gentle, inviting, merciful, and forgiving. The Kingdom he proclaimed and embodied calls us out from places of power, control, and self-protection.

When Jesus was told of Herods death threat, he re-sponded with words we would do well to consider: Go and tell that fox. He then referred to himself as a mother hen: O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often I would have gathered you as a moth-er hen gathers her brood, but you would not.

When the fox is prowling the perimeters of our lives, the invitation to hide behind a hen is not especially comfort-ing. The hen will fight to the death on behalf of the chicks, but the fox always has his

H

61summer 2014

way. We might prefer a lion or Zeus hurling lightning from a mountaintop. We want Jesus to lift us above fears, confound our enemies, and otherwise protect us.

The fox in your life and mine is anyone or anything that sucks the life from our souls, leaves us empty, afraid, alone, depressed, anxious. The fox is on the loose when we wake up at three in the morning over-whelmed by big questions of life, death, and eternity. Trag-edies, the shadow of death, loss of health or wealthany number of whirlwinds that blow the house downare predators that threaten to consume and destroy.

When in danger, there are three choices: gather unto the mother hen, scatter in fear, or try to build a safe stronghold. Hiding places are plentiful, as are personal strongholds. But there is only one Mother Hen in the gospels.

tellinggathering

TAD onTAPE

We offer The Anglican Digest on audio tape for readers with vision problems and for those who would prefer to listen to TAD.

Please Write:The Anglican Digest805 County Rd 102Eureka Springs, AR 72632-9705Phone: 479-253-9701


connecting

Strongholds of resentment and hate help us avoid vul-nerability and forgivenessthings that require admitting our faults and forgiving the misdoings of others. Scat-tering in fear makes perfect sense according to the law of self-preservation.

So why would we gather in faith? Why suffer for a greater good? Why play fair with dirty fighters, forgive an enemy when hell strike again, turn the other cheek when slapped? Why follow the way of the hen in a world of predators? Why pick up a cross and suffer for a greater good, when there is a pleasure palace down the street? Why trust a God who we cant see when there are the knobs and dials of power and control close at hand?

We make our choicesgather, or scatter, the Way of Christ or the way of Herodand live with them, for better or worse. We maintain illusions of pow-

er and control but shadowy reminders of death are always close at hand. Power, pleasure, and wealth may work well in the short termbut fail to touch the deep places of the soul and of relationships. The aching pain of quiet despera-tion is not soothed by a new car, closing a deal, a line of co-caine, a fling.

The fruits of gathering and following Jesus Christ are the godly opposites of ways we are all too human. The King-dom of God is just that: of God a more excellent way. The way of the cross begins by letting go, through trust and surrender. Gathering in faith, hope, and love is the starting point of living the only life worth living. In dying to the ways of fear and power, we be-gin to live in eternal life and the love of God in Christ. We find joy and peace even in a world being torn asunder and spinning out of control.

63summer 2014

NECROLOGYTHE RT. REV. MAURICE BEN BENITEZ, 86.in Austin, TX A graduate of the School of Theology at the University of the South, Sewanee, he was ordained in 1958 and served parishes in Florida until called as rector of Christ Church, San Antonio in 1968. He be-came rector of St. John the Divine, Houston, in 1974, and served until he was elected 6th Bishop of the Diocese of Texas in 1980. He retired in 1995. He served on the Exec-utive Council of the Episcopal Church, on the board of the Church Pension Fund, and as chair of Seminary of the Southwest in Austin.

THE REV. DCN. ROBERT CARSNER, 73,in The Dalles, OR

Ordained a deacon in 1999, he served as Master of Aco-lytes and as Historiographer emeritus for the Diocese of Eastern Oregon. He was not-ed for his love of liturgy, or-gan music, icons, and the Episcopal Church. He served as Historiographer and Ar-chivist until 2013.

THE REV. DR. ROBERT MARSH COOPER, 78,in Little Rock, AR

A graduate of Berkeley Divin-ity School at Yale University, and the School of Theology at the University of the South;


connecting

he also earned a Doctor of Divinity from Vanderbilt. He was ordained an Episcopal priest in 1960 and served ac-tively in the church for fifty years as parish priest, semi-nary professor, mentor, pas-toral counselor, and interna-tional speaker. He published innumerable articles and es-says in journals, magazines, and books, and was also an accomplished poet.

THE REV. DR. EDWARD S. GLEASON, 80,in Washington, D.C.

A 1960 graduate of Virginia Theological Seminary, he also received a D.D. there in 2000. He served as rector at St. Pe-ters, Washington, D.C., from 1962 to 1966. He was head-master of the Noble and Gree-nough School in Dedham, Massachusetts, from 1971 to 1987. From 1987 to 1995, he

was director of development, alumni, and publications at Virginia Theological Semi-nary and from 1995 to 2005, he served as director of For-ward Movement Publica-tions in Cincinnati, Ohio. His books included Redeeming Marriage and Dying We Live.

THE RT. REV. ROBERT C.JOHNSON, JR., 75,in Durham, NC

A graduate of Yale Divini-ty School, he held honorary doctorates from the Universi-ty of the South and Berkeley at Yale. Ordained a priest in 1965, he served the Diocese of North Carolina at St. Peters, Charlotte; St. Pauls, Smith-field; St. Christophers, Gar-ner; St. Lukes, Durham; and as the tenth diocesan bishop from 1994 until his retire-ment in 2000.

65summer 2014

tellinggathering

THE REV. DANA FORREST KENNEDY, 95,in Keene, NH

A 1945 graduate of the Epis-copal Theological School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, he served at St. Stephens, Lynn. Two years later he be-came rector of St. Barnabas, Springfield. In 1950 he went to St. James, Woonsock-et, Rhode Island, as rector. While in Rhode Island he was on the Diocesan Coun-cil. He was called by the Pre-siding Bishop as Executive Secretary of Broadcast Divi-sion and worked closely with the Broadcasting and Film Commission of the Nation-al Council of Churches. He served as moderator on NBC-TVs Frontiers of Faith panel program, preached on two CBS Church of the Air pro-grams, and moderated three NBC Faith in Action pro-grams. In 1961 he was called

as rector of Christ and Holy Trinity Church in Westport, Connecticut, serving there until retiring in 1989.

THE REV. THOMAS PITTENGER, II, 76,in Stuart, FL

A graduate of Seabury West-ern Theological Seminary, he was ordained in 1980. He served at Church of the Re-deemer, Avon Park, Florida; All Saints and St. Johns Ca-thedral in Jacksonville, Flor-ida; and St. Philip and St. James, Denver, Colorado, be-fore he became the rector of St. Marys in Stuart, Florida in 1991, where he served until his retirement in 2009.

THE RT. REV. JOHN-DAVID SCHOFIELD, 75,in Fresno, CA

A graduate of General Theo-logical Seminary, he was or-


connecting

dained a priest in 1964 and served as priest in London before moving to California. He served as vicar of Saint Columba in Inverness for many years before he was consecrated bishop of the Di-ocese of San Joaquin in 1988. He served 23 years in the Episcopal Diocese and then the Anglican Diocese before retiring.

THE REV. WAYNESANFORD SHIPLEY, 83, in Carlinville, IL

A graduate of General Theo-logical Seminary, he wasordained in 1955. He served at St. Pauls, Evansville, Indi-ana, until 1957, at St. Christo-phers, New York, New York, 1957, in Mexico from 1957-60, at Tulane University and Newcomb College, New Or-leans, Louisiana, 1960-63, atSt. Johns, Decatur, Illinois, 1963-65, and rector at St.

Pauls, Carlinville, until retir-ing in 1995.

THE RT. REV. FRANKLINDELTON TURNER, 80, in Elkins Park, PA

A graduate of Berkeley Divin-ity School at Yale University, he was ordained in 1965, and served as vicar of the Church of the Epiphany, Dallas, Tex-as from 1965 to 1966. He was rector of St. Georges, Wash-ington, D.C., from 1966 to 1972, and a national staff of-ficer for black ministries with Episcopal Church headquar-ters in New York. He edited Lift Every Voice and Sing. He was consecrated in 1988 as the first African American to become a bishop suffragan of the Diocese of Pennsylvania.

Rest eternal grant unto them O Lord,

and let light perpetual shine upon them.

While youre considering your 2013 income tax savings, we suggest discussing long-term tax savings with your attorney and gift planner and we hope you will also consider a charitable bequest in your will to benefit the work of The Anglican Digest. Please contact us at 479-253-9701 for more information.

PLANNED GIVING

HIL

LSPE

AK

805

Cou

nty

Road

102

Eure

ka S

prin

gs, A

R 72

632-

9705

CHA

NG

E SE

RVIC

E RE

QU

ESTE

D

Non

-Pro

fit O

rg.

U.S.

Pos

tage

PAID

HIL

LSPE

AK

Documents

2014_02 SUMMER