The Practical Parson

 In Anglican Church circles today, as I suspect has been for some time; there is an ongoing debate as to the nature of the theology of provinces within the Anglican patrimony.  Some, like myself, tend more towards what might be called old-school Anglo-Catholicism; which others claim is a recent innovation.  Others tend more towards Calvinist theology; which the evangelicals in Anglicanism is the only "true" expression of the Anglican identity.  While I will not argue the value of churchmanship as part of theology, I have very good and solid friends on both sides of that spectrum who are theologically quite similar; it is worth noting that a principle cause for so many to claim Calvinism as Anglican has largely to do with an evangelical approach to the liturgy and church in general.  Being evangelical is not in and of itself a bad thing, nor does it denote an unnecessarily unfortunate tendency towards anarchy; however the notion of denying anything good about the...

 Yesterday Evening, president Donald Trump was the target of an attempted assassination in Pennsylvania at a political rally.  While he himself escaped with relatively mild injuries, One attendee was tragically murdered by the gunman's fire, and 2 more are in critical condition at present.  The gunman himself was killed by return fire from secret service snipers.   After taking a brief moment in prayer for the deceased victim, we will continue. May his soul rest in peace. +++ Listen, my children, to the word of wisdom which has long been avoided in preference of outrage and intrigue:   When you consistently and constantly scream that an individual is "an existential threat to our democracy", and call for your followers and friends to "take him down", you forever abandon the right to act surprised or disturbed when someone makes good your demand.   You cannot constantly work to demonize someone, and then expect others less than yourself to wit...

  This week, a number of Traditionalist Anglican clergy and their Bishop (of Fulham), are on retreat in Rome.  They were invited by the clergy in charge of St. John in Lateran to hold a mass in the "choir" of the cathedral, behind the main altar of the church.  What to many Christians might seem a point of fraternal generosity or a sign of mutual respect; has instead inflamed the passions of a number of Roman Catholic churchmen and laymen across the Christian world.    How dare those silly protestants hold their service in our church???  The claim that is referenced in defending such position, is the old argument that because Pope Leo XIII issued the Papal Bull Apostolicae Curae which claimed Anglican Orders as "utterly null and void"; that this means definitively that Anglican Apostolic succession is indeed null and void.  Unfortunately for my more conservative minded Roman Catholic friends, a Papal Bull is not the law of the church.  There ...