The Rt. Rev. George Wayne Smith, Bishop of Missouri, discusses how he is surprised by Holy Week: Holy Week is, every year, a time of spiritual renewal for me. As the liturgy says, it makes it possible for us to enter into the passion of Christ’s death and the mystery of his resurrection and yes, to follow in the steps of Jesus. I try to reflect on those things, and to prepare … [Read more...] about ‘God’s Surprise for Me’
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Justice Talks in Chicago
Bexley Seabury’s Chicago Convocation, scheduled for April 26 at St. James Commons, will feature a panel discussion among two priests and a seminarian on themes of justice. The speakers scheduled for “Bending Toward Justice” are: The Rev. Gayle Fisher-Stewart, a former police captain, associate rector of Calvary Church in Washington, D.C., and founder of the Center for … [Read more...] about Justice Talks in Chicago
Christians and Doubt
The Rev. Anthony C. Thiselton, professor emeritus of Christian theology at the University of Nottingham, discusses his book Doubt, Faith, and Certainty on EerdWord, the weblog of Eerdmans Publishing: I wrote this book because there is a deep pastoral and practical need for it. Too many people blame themselves for any kind of personal doubt whatever, when not all doubts in … [Read more...] about Christians and Doubt
Do I Need to Be Ordained?
pathlost/Flickr David Tremaine writes for the Diocese of San Diego’s weblog, Where SunDays Are Better than Others, about his decision to remain a layman after completing his seminary studies: This question persisted, “Do I need to be ordained to fulfill my vocation?” As a lay person, I could preach, teach, work in the church, work with people—I could even … [Read more...] about Do I Need to Be Ordained?
Bp. Chillingworth on Home
The Most Rev. David Chillingworth, Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church and a son of Ireland, writes about home and welcome: ‘Welcome home, Father.’ The flat vowels of the passport officer at Dublin Airport. I’m caught — misty-eyed — between Ireland, which is home in the sense of deep belonging and family history, and Scotland, which is home by choice and calling, … [Read more...] about Bp. Chillingworth on Home
Ambition and Bishops
The Rev. Frederick W. Schmidt, who holds the Rueben P. Job Chair in Spiritual Formation at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, writes at Patheos about the idea of creating a pool of prospective candidates for the episcopacy. He offers five reasons for opposing the idea, ending with this: [The] proposal disenfranchises the laity and most of the clergy at one level, by … [Read more...] about Ambition and Bishops
Listening for God
The Rt. Rev. Daniel G.P. Gutierrez, Bishop of Pennsylvania, writes on his weblog, A Shepherd in the Field: This past week a Priest kindly approached me. “Bishop, can I say something in love, truth, and respect?” I responded, “Yes, of course.” The Priest continued, “We love you. There are many of us who worried that you are working too hard. Significant work has been … [Read more...] about Listening for God
‘Monotone-Silence’ Redux
The late Yves Klein’s Monotone-Silence Symphony is scheduled for Jan. 12 at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. The performance, conducted by Petr Kotik, is free, but the cathedral requires reservations. Klein (1928-62) was a painter, a leading member of the French artistic movement nouveau réalisme, and a pioneer in performance art, minimal art, and pop art. Klein described … [Read more...] about ‘Monotone-Silence’ Redux