The Ordinal According to Jane Austen The Rev. Dr. David Goodhew July 30, 2020 Books, Church of England, Commentary, Ministry, Reviews & Culture By David Goodhew Introduction Jane Austen wrote romantic comedy, but she also wrote theology. And it has much to say to us in these dark, often hysterical, days of COVID-19. It remains a truth almost u... Read More...
Reading Boccaccio’s Decameron in the Time of Corona John Mason Lock July 24, 2020 Books, Commentary, The Episcopal Church By John Mason Lock A friend recently posted on social media that he had gone to the bookstore, and they were out of Boccaccio's The Decameron. This admittedly English-major-type joke is that Boccaccio's clas... Read More...
The Plague and the Pandemic Neil Dhingra July 9, 2020 Books, Commentary, Roman Catholic Church By Neil Dhingra Unsurprisingly, amidst this ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Albert Camus’ The Plague has again become popular. According to the writer Samuel Earle, in Japan more copies sold in March than during the previous 31 years, and in France “it has somet... Read More...
Nature, Grace, and Adoption Abigail Woolley Cutter March 6, 2020 Books, Ethics, Reviews & Culture, The Episcopal Church Since it is small, accessible, and thoroughly theological, it would be an excellent resource for beginning a conversation on adoption and assisted reproduction among pastors or seminary students, who may be asked to counsel other Christians.
Toni Morrison’s Beloved: A Retrospective Review and Contemporary Application John Mason Lock February 25, 2020 Books, Commentary, Contributors, Reviews & Culture, The Episcopal Church For Black History Month I have been revisiting the works of Toni Morrison, especially what is arguably her greatest novel, Beloved, a kind of literary reflection on the traumas of slavery.
“A Merry Heart Goes All the Day”: Why I’m Reading Walter Scott Chip Prehn February 10, 2020 Books, Commentary, Contributors, Reviews & Culture, The Episcopal Church Scott invests many of his characters with moral goodness and, occasionally, holiness. His heroes and heroines are inspiring. The sheer degradedness and badness of his anti-heroes leaves the strongest impression. The novels are above all about character.
Bibles for the Ages Wesley Hill September 24, 2019 Bible, Books, Reviews & Culture, The Episcopal Church Sometimes I want to sit down to read the Bible in well-wrought English, within a book that is well-made, and on pages that are admirably formatted and presented. Those are all features that help me concentrate on what I believe to be the Word of God.
Taught by Strange Words Mark Michael September 10, 2019 Commentary, Editorial, The Episcopal Church Sometimes a strange word in a Bible reading or a liturgical text may be a stumbling block to one “almost persuaded” (Acts 26:28). We discover new things in old texts, or hear words intended for building up used only to tear down. Just how much time do we have to explain in an age of shortened attention spans and sporadic Sunday attendance?
