For Falls Church Anglican, Farewell to a Historic Building
This Sunday was the final meeting of Falls Church (Va.) Anglican at its historic location near Washington, D.C. The parish dates from 1732, the church’s brick sanctuary from 1767. George Washington and...
View ArticleSOUTH SUDAN
I am normally reluctant to link to articles that need a subscription, but I’ll make an exception here. The current Weekly Standard has a lengthy piece by Armin Rosen titled “Birth of a Nation: With...
View ArticleG.K. Chesterton and the Nightmare Goodness of God
Recently I read G.K. Chesterton’s The Man Who Was Thursday, A Nightmare (1908), a roller-coaster of a novel, full of surprises and thought-provoking theological reflections. (It is also, happily, one...
View ArticleREFORMATION UNRAVELLED
I just got hold of Eamon Duffy’s latest book Saints, Sacrilege and Sedition: Religion and Conflict in the Tudor Reformations (Just published in Britain, and due out in the US in August). Duffy is a...
View ArticleTHE CHURCH VANISHES
I am a member of the Episcopal Church, USA (hereafter TEC). I am increasingly worried that in a few years, I might be THE member of the Episcopal Church, USA, the last of my kind. As Rod Dreher, Ross...
View ArticleTHE PRIEST IN THE TEMPLE
Attending a church service can be a sobering experience, and not necessarily for anything said or sung. It’s shocking to read the birth and death dates of the various composers of the words and music...
View ArticleFROM CRANMER TO WELBY
This year more than most, March 21 is a date of multiple significance in the Church of England. You might justly ask whether the English church still matters much on the world stage, but the wider...
View ArticleBlessing upon Childbirth–Royal and Otherwise
The imminent birth of an heir—Prince William and Duchess Kate’s baby due within a few weeks—recalls the potential of royals to (re) set expectations about birth. When anesthesia was pioneered in the...
View ArticleLenten Confessions: The App
It was bound to happen. As apps proliferate for all kinds of purposes, it was probably just a matter of time before one was invented to probe the recesses of conscience for sin. With version 1.0...
View ArticleBeing Protestant
Early modern English Protestants, at least the more earnest among them, were known to be a rather dour bunch. “Better it is to goe sickly (with Lazarus) to Heaven,” wrote Lewis Bayly in his The...
View ArticleExeter Cathedral and Collective Memory
Most American visitors to European cathedrals are immediately struck by their vastness and grandeur. In most instances, however, the small details of cathedrals are what truly fascinate and keep the...
View ArticleShould Women Rule? Netflix’s The Crown and Complementarian Theology
Riding the London Eye is deceptively peaceful. The city that slowly unfolds below seems a different place from the noise and heat of the crowded South Bank. I always look first for Cleopatra’s Needle,...
View ArticleQueen Elizabeth, Billy Graham, and the Faith of The Crown
What the TV series The Crown reveals about the Christian faith of Queen Elizabeth II — and her first encounter with Billy Graham, in May 1955.
View ArticleThe Centuries-Old Words of a Modern Royal Wedding
One of the oldest elements of today's rather modern royal wedding - the liturgy - was itself a blend of old and new when written in the 16th century.
View ArticleThe Religious History of Sherlock Holmes
Chris considers the religious history of Sherlock Holmes on the birthday of his creator.
View Article100 Years After The Great War: “The Sheep That Were Not Fed”
On this 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, Chris reflects on the experience of army chaplains... and how Christian churches may have missed a chance for religious revival in 1914-1918.
View ArticleThe Great War’s Christmas Memorial
Why Chris' favorite World War I memorial is the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols held every Christmas Eve at King's College, Cambridge.
View ArticleThe Gender Difference Argument for Women’s Theological Education
Last week I finally got around to listening to a podcast episode I had saved sometime in the past year. Obviously, I’m not a huge podcast devotee. But it was totally worth the wait. This podcast...
View ArticleA Historian’s Spiritual Reading List
I have a cookie every night before bed. I’m not sure whether this is physically healthy, but it’s definitely good for my soul. This is in large part because the cookie accompanies a book. As I wind...
View ArticleWhat I Learned From Southern Baptist Women’s Ministries
I spent last week researching in the Southern Baptist Convention archives, located within the denomination’s headquarters in downtown Nashville, TN. It was a bit surreal because I had been blogging...
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