The Practical Parson

 In recent decades, more so since about 2007; there has been an increasing demand from people in the world for all churches to open up the ministry to women instead of just men.  While there are some denominations where such a shift would not matter greatly, as they are focused primarily on the written word instead of any actual service; to make such a demand of the sacramental priesthood is a problem which cannot be simply overcome by political ideology or social justice cause.  To put it bluntly, women cannot be priests.   Having nailed the colors to the mast with that statement, I will elaborate: From the beginnings of the Christian Church, the services and means of worship were never intended to be divorced from their Jewish origins.  To this day, within traditional sacramental worship, there are elements of the service which correlate to ancient Jewish temple practices; from the manner in which the priest holds his hands in prayer, to the way in which ...

 We've all heard it before, echoed every December 31st through the first week of January: "New Year, new me!"   I can think of no worse a motto to proclaim, but so great an indictment against modern sensibilities, than this.  People spend so much time and money constantly investing in this idea of New Year's resolutions, telling themselves they'll change and that "this year will be our year!".   Yet how many of them actually end up committing to any form of actual, lasting, change to themselves or their surroundings?  The reason for this is quite simple- these resolutions are based on passing, changeable, and often momentary fancies; which we consider of utmost importance.  We promise to lose weight, to be kinder, to spend more time with friends and family, to work less, to enjoy life more; but rarely do we spend time in introspection, to see what the cause of our perceived troubles truly is.  True change, when it is needed, is not something ...