Glossary of Terms

Lee, Alfred

(Sept. 9, 1807-Apr. 12, 1887). Tenth Presiding Bishop. Lee was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He graduated from Harvard University in 1827 and then studied law. He later studied for ordained ministry and graduated from the General Theological Seminary in 1837. Lee was ordained deacon on May 21, 1837, and priest on June 12, 1838. He […]

Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

In 1865 Judge Asa Packer (1805-1879) asked the Rt. Rev. William Bacon Stevens (1815-1887), the fourth Bishop of Pennsylvania, to help him plan a university. On Feb. 9, 1866, a charter was granted, and the school opened on Sept. 1, 1866, with 40 students. The first four presidents of Lehigh University were Episcopalians, one of […]

Lent

Early Christians observed “a season of penitence and fasting” in preparation for the Paschal feast, or Pascha (BCP, pp. 264-265). The season now known as Lent (from an Old English word meaning “spring,” the time of lengthening days) has a long history. Originally, in places where Pascha was celebrated on a Sunday, the Paschal feast […]

Lenten Array

Lenten array usually refers to a rough or homespun fabric. It may have an off-white color or it may be made without any dye. Lenten array may be decorated with purple or dark orpheys and Lenten designs. Use of Lenten array follows the custom from the late middle ages of using dark or drab colors […]

Leo the Great

(d. Nov. 10, 461). Defender of orthodox Christology and pope. On Sept. 29, 440, he was consecrated Bishop of Rome. He was a great opponent of heresy, and his major accomplishment was his condemnation of Eutyches and Monophysitism and his defense of the permanent distinction of Christ's two natures in his one person. Leo's letter, […]

Lesser Feasts and Fasts, The (LFF)

A collection of proper collects, lessons, and psalms for the eucharist on each of the weekdays of Lent, weekdays of Easter season, and each of the lesser feasts of the church year. It also includes a biographical or historical sketch for the lesser feasts and fixed holy days. The General Convention of the Episcopal Church […]

Lesser Silence (Little or Simple Silence)

In monastic and religious communities, the silence that should be kept in working hours. Local regulations may tie it to specific times and places. It is generally less absolute than the Great Silence of evening and night hours. It is most complete among Trappists (Reformed Cistercians), who traditionally use sign language to communicate noiselessly. Its […]

Lesson

A selection of scripture that serves as a reading for a church service. It is also known as a lection or a reading. The BCP appoints lessons for the eucharist in the Lectionary (pp. 889-931), and it appoints lessons for Morning and Evening Prayer in the Daily Office Lectionary (pp. 936-1001). Appropriate lessons for other […]

Letter of Agreement

A written agreement concerning terms of employment, either for a priest in charge of a congregation or a member of a diocesan staff. Several dioceses provide for Letters of Agreement to specify terms of a call to serve as rector or vicar of a congregation, and for other positions within a diocese. The phrase is […]

Letter of Transfer

This term was previously used for a certificate of membership, typically used when a member of a congregation in the Episcopal Church moves to another congregation.

Letters Dimissory

Clergy may transfer canonical residence from one diocesan jurisdiction to another by presentation of Letters Dimissory from the ecclesiastical authority of the former diocese to the ecclesiastical authority of the new diocese. It is a testimonial by the ecclesiastical authority of the former diocese (typically a bishop) that the clergyperson has not “been justly liable […]

Lewis, Clive Staples

(C. S.) (Nov. 29, 1898-Nov. 22, 1963). Author and one of the best-known Christian apologists in the Anglican Communion. Lewis's works included literary history, criticism, essays, three science fiction novels with spiritual themes, speeches, and the well-known children's stories, The Chronicles of Narnia. Attractive to almost all Christian denominations, Lewis's writings have achieved an enthusiastic […]

Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi

A Latin phrase often used in the study of liturgy, it means “the rule of prayer [is] the rule of belief.” The phrase describes the pervasive pastoral reality that habits of prayer shape Christian belief. Official provisions for worship can thus have a determinative role in shaping Christian doctrine.

Lexington, Diocese of

The General Convention of 1895 voted to divide the Diocese of Kentucky to create a new diocese in the eastern half of the state. The Diocese of Lexington held its primary convention at Christ Church, Lexington, Dec. 4-5, 1895. Christ Church, Lexington, was dedicated as Christ Church Cathedral on Mar. 21, 1897 but was disestablished […]

Liberal Catholicism and the Modern World

This volume, published in 1934, was inspired by the English publication, Essays Catholic and Critical (1926). The volume stressed the Catholic tradition and a liberal, critical approach to biblical and historical studies. Liberal catholics wanted “to preserve the best of the past in the light of the best of the present so as to build […]

Liberal Catholicism, Liberal Catholic Movement

Liberal catholicism, as a theological development in Anglicanism, had its beginnings in the publication of Lux Mundi (1889), a collection of essays written by Oxford Anglican teachers and edited by Charles Gore. Lux Mundi took the doctrine of the Incarnation as a central theme for interpreting Christian faith in light of the conflicts which were […]

Liberal Evangelicalism

Within Anglican churches evangelicalism is the name given to the movement founded and fostered by John Wesley. Those followers of Wesley who did not stay inside the Church of England became known as Methodists. Those who remained in the Church of England formed the evangelical party, which took shape during the latter years of the […]

Liberation Theology

Gustavo Gutiérrez notes in A Theology of Liberation (1973) that the problem which liberation theology seeks to address is “what relation is there between salvation and the historical process in the liberation of man?” This distinguishes liberation theology from any attempt at making human liberation a “spiritual matter.” Gutierrez urged that “the work of salvation […]

Liberia, Diocese of

The 1844 General Convention established the Missionary District of Cape Palmas and Parts Adjacent. The first Missionary Bishop of the District was John Payne, after whom the Bishop Payne Divinity School for African Americans in Petersburg was named. In 1884 the House of Bishops elected Samuel David Ferguson Missionary Bishop. He was the first African […]

Licentiate in Theology

This serves as a certificate of successfully completed study by a seminarian, but it is not an academic degree. A student without a bachelor's degree or equivalent who has fulfilled all the requirements for the M.Div. degree is eligible for the Licentiate in Theology. Many seminaries no longer award it.

An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church

Glossary of Terms