Glossary of Terms

Sermon on the Plain

This is a less widely used term to refer to the portion of Luke's gospel which is parallel to Matthew's Sermon on the Mount. Lk 6:17 states that after Jesus chose the twelve, he stood on a “level place.” The “sermon” begins at 6:20 and ends at 6:49. It contains some of the material that […]

Service of Light

The Service of Light from An Order of Worship for the Evening may introduce a variety of liturgies. The Service of Light may serve as a festal introduction to Evening Prayer, with the selection from the Psalter at Evening Prayer following the Phos hilaron. The Service of Light may also begin an evening eucharist, with […]

Services for Trial Use (1970)

See Proposed Book of Common Prayer.

Seven Deadly Sins

These are traditionally pride, covetousness, lust, envy, gluttony, anger, and sloth. Since sin is faithlessness-the opposite of faith-it may be said that all sin is deadly rebellion against God. But it is difficult to conceive any sinful act that is not defined by one of these terms. In some sense this list is a categorization […]

Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit

The gifts are 1 ) wisdom, 2) understanding, 3) counsel, 4) fortitude, 5) knowledge, 6) piety, and 7) fear of the Lord. This list is based on Is 11:2. The imparting of the gifts of the Spirit is associated with baptism, as well as Confirmation and Ordination. The “sevenfold” gift of the Holy Spirit is […]

Sewanee Theological Review

This periodical began publication on St. Luke's Day, Oct. 18, 1957, as the St. Luke's Journal of Theology. It was founded by the Very Rev. George M. Alexander, dean of the School of Theology at the University of the South, for the continuing education of clergy. It was edited by students in the School of […]

Sexual Ethics

A field of study focusing on the nature, practices, and purposes of human sexuality. Since Augustine human sexuality has been understood primarily in light of marriage and family by Christian ethics. The ends of human sexuality were understood thus in terms of procreation, mutual society, and the remedy of sin. Protestant reformers generally raised mutual […]

Shanghai, Missionary District of

William Jones Boone was consecrated the first Missionary Bishop of China on Oct. 26, 1844. The 1874 General Convention changed the title from China to the “Missionary Bishop of Shanghai, having Episcopal jurisdiction in China.” The 1901 General Convention divided China into the Missionary Districts of Shanghai and Hankow. On Apr. 26, 1912, the Chung […]

Shattuck-St

Mary's School, Faribault, Minnesota. Shattuck-St. Mary's School is a coeducational Episcopal boarding school for grades six through twelve. It was founded in 1858 by the Rev. James Lloyd Breck, who organized the school in conjunction with the formation of the Diocese of Minnesota. He created it as a mission for children of Native Americans and […]

Shekinah

The term comes from a Hebrew word which means “to dwell.” It refers to the visible dwelling of God among the people of God on earth. It does not appear in the Bible as such but comes from Jewish tradition during the period of the Second Temple, i.e., after 515 B.C. The same phenomenon appears […]

Shelby College

No longer in existence, Shelby College operated at Shelbyville, Kentucky, with interruptions, from 1840 to around 1868. Bishop Benjamin B. Smith of Kentucky wanted a “Literary institution of an elevated character under the auspices of the Church in this Diocese.” In 1840 the Diocese of Kentucky took charge of Shelby College, which was founded four […]

Shepherd, Massey Hamilton, Jr.

(Mar. 14, 1913-Feb. 18, 1990). Liturgist and educator. He was born in Wilmington, North Carolina. Shepherd received his B.A. in 1932, and his M.A. in 1933, both from the University of South Carolina. In 1937 he received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago and in 1941 his B.D. from the Berkeley Divinity School. Shepherd […]

Sherrill, Henry Knox

(Nov. 6, 1890-May 11, 1980). Twentieth Presiding Bishop. He was born in Brooklyn, New York. Sherrill received his B.A. from Yale University in 1911 and his M. Div. from the Episcopal Theological School in 1914. He was ordained deacon on June 7, 1914, and priest on May 9, 1915. He began his ministry as assistant […]

Shimer College

A school that was once an Episcopal college, located in Waukegan, Illinois. It was established in 1853 by Frances Ann Wood Shimer. Under the influence of William Rainey Harper, first president of the University of Chicago, it became a Baptist institution known as the Frances Shimer Academy of the University of Chicago. In 1957 the […]

Shoemaker, Helen Smith

(Mar. 16, 1903-Jan. 29, 1993). Co-founder of the Anglican Fellowship of Prayer. She was born in New York City. Shoemaker was educated privately and then studied art in New York City. She was attracted to the Moral Rearmament Movement (MRA) in the 1920s in New York. She worked and resided with an MRA group at […]

Shoemaker, Samuel Moor

(Dec. 27, 1893-Jan. 31, 1963). Episcopal priest and one of the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). He was born in Baltimore, Maryland. In the summers of 1911 and 1912, he attended conferences in Northfield, Massachusetts, where he was exposed to such evangelical leaders as John R. Mott, Robert E. Speer, and Sherwood Eddy. He called […]

Shoup, Francis Asbury

(Mar. 22, 1834-Sept. 4, 1896). Priest and seminary professor. He was born in Laurel, Indiana. He attended DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. He later entered the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, where he graduated in 1855. In 1860 he resigned from the Army, studied law, and was admitted to the bar […]

Shrine of Our Lady of Clemency, Philadelphia

See St. Clement's Church, Philadelphia.

Silent Missionary, The

This newsletter was first published in Philadelphia in 1886 on behalf of the missions to the deaf in the Diocese of Pennsylvania, Central Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland. It was edited by Henry Winter Syle. When Syle died in 1890, the Rev. Jacob Michael Koehler (1860-1932) became the editor. It appears to have ceased […]

Simeon, Charles

(Sept. 24, 1759-Nov. 13, 1836). Leading eighteenth-century evangelical. He was born in Reading, England. Simeon was educated at Eton and King's College, Cambridge, where he became a fellow in 1782. He was ordained a deacon in 1782. Even before Simeon was a priest he was named the rector of Holy Trinity Church, Cambridge, where he […]

An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church

Glossary of Terms