The Episcopal Church
Re-Membering And Re-Imagining: Essays On The Episcopal Church
2018 report published with permission from Sewanee Theological Review
‘It takes a community’ … to godparent
When considering what makes for great godparents, think 12-step program sponsor.
To tithe or not to tithe?
Tithing is based upon the wrong question By: Randall Horton I do not believe in tithing. Tithing is an Old Testament notion that came from the time when there was no separation between church and state, and what social services there were had to be provided by a combination of the generosity of individuals and […]
Baptismal Covenant and Commitment
By: Ruth Meyers One of the best-known texts from the 1979 Book of Common Prayer is the Baptismal Covenant. We often refer to it by title – “Our Baptismal Covenant calls us to work for justice and peace,” or “the Baptismal Covenant makes us all evangelists” – with the expectation that our audience knows exactly […]
It’s not your Grandmother’s Altar Guild
By: Sharon Sheridan Look behind the red curtain at the front of the worship hall and you won’t find the Wizard of Oz. But you will see altar guild members from around the country, working their behind-the-scenes magic to make the Eucharist run smoothly for thousands of worshipers each day. The faces behind the ministry […]
What are the Gnostic Gospels?
By: Deirdre Good Along with thousands of other people, I recently examined the first page of the Coptic text of the Gospel of Thomas from Codex 2 of the Nag Hammadi Library on loan from the Coptic Museum in Cairo in an exhibit called In the Beginning: Bibles Before the Year 1000 at the Smithsonian’s […]
When the vow breaks
Church ritual when marriage ends would aid couple and community By: The Rev. Jennifer Phillips I’ll bet you’ve heard it, too: the argument that if the church were to observe the divorcing of its members with a ritual in its worship, this would be tantamount to approving of or even blessing divorce. But is this […]
Beyond gender categories
Let’s focus on our experiences of God By: The Rev. Jennifer Phillips “In Christ … there is not male and female.” The concept is not new, and yet it has taken until the 21st century for the beginnings of a world consensus that women and girls merit equal status, education and dignity as men and […]
A Blooming Ministry
Flower arrangers share gifts of nature with worshippers TO THE WOMEN and men who arrange flowers for church altars each week, it’s not just a task. It’s a gift, of their creative talents and of the beauty of God’s world. “I think it is our gift, isn’t it, but at the same time it’s total […]