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You’ve probably heard of “the problem of evil” (if not, here’s an overview). But there’s a specific version/aspect of it that I find even more devastating. If God is omnipotent (all-powerful), ommniscient (all-knowing(, and omnibenevolent (completely good)… If the Church is God’s main plan for the redemption of humanity and the cosmos (consider the “body of Christ” paradigm in the New Testament)… If the gospel of Jesus Christ has had ~2K years to percolate in and through the Church…...

Mark 6:13-29. John the Baptist lost his life for speaking truth to power. Are we willing to speak truth to power? To tell the truth about power and the power of truth? Or will we abandon the truth to obtain and maintain power?

Five-Minute Journal Questions Morning I am grateful for… What would make today great? Daily affirmations: I am… Evening What are 3 amazing things that happened today? How could I have made today even better? Morning Questions (5 minutes) What’s one thing I’m grateful for? What’s one thing I’m excited about? What’s one virtue I want to exhibit? What’s one thing I’m avoiding? What’s the one thing I need to do? Evening Questions (5 minutes) What were my biggest wins of the day?...

Say what you will about Tim Ferriss, I’ve always really enjoyed the questions that he asks himself and others. I also really enjoy LEARNING as much as I can from other people. And so, with that in mind, I’d like to “open source” my search for mentors and invite you, dear reader, to answer at least one of the questions below. Please comment your answers below this post (that way others can benefit from your knowledge as well!...

Sermon preached on Saturday, November 28, 2020 (First Sunday of Advent) via Zoom at Church of the Savior in Wheaton, IL. --- If there are two things I hate, they are waiting and staying awake. I hate waiting. Ask anyone who knows me. I am absolutely horrible when it comes to delayed gratification. I’ve been known to open new boxes of cereal on the way home from the store. And I hate staying awake....

As of this morning, it looks like everything for Anglican Compass has been successfully moved over from our HostGator shared hosting to Bluehost VPS hosting. I’m hoping that this new arrangement works well for us! Although, to be honest, it’s still an open question in my mind whether or not managed WordPress hosting with WPEngine would be a better fit. I just can’t quite tell whether or not it would be worth the extra cost, given our current traffic and budget....

I’m reading my way through the new (4th) edition of Robert Bly’s classic The Copywriter’s Handbook. On pages 33–36, Bly offers “38 Model Headlines for Your ‘Swipe File.’” Here are some headlines ideas that came to mind, all geared to an Anglican context (due to my work at AnglicanCompass.com). Why are Anglicans so angry? How do I use the Book of Common Prayer? How can I become an Anglican? What do Anglicans believe?...

I’m still very much in the weeds, taking a closer look at how Bonhoeffer and Barth read the Sermon on the Mount. Given the importance of the Sermon on Mount for Bonhoeffer’s life and work, I’m persuaded that there’s something important to be found here—something that will hopefully shed some light on the Barth-Bonhoeffer relationship re:their theological critiques of religion. Additionally, there are at least two other tidbits that have me interested in how Barth and Bonhoeffer read the Sermon on the Mount....

In the ongoing debate about women’s ordination (in the Anglican realm and beyond), I keep hearing oversimplified claims from hierarchicalists (or “complementarians,” but that’s not the most helpful term in this debate) that they have the entirety of the Bible and Church tradition on their side. Therefore, we mutualists (or “egalitarians,” but that’s not the most helpful term in this debate), it is argued, have arrived at our positions for various reasons—perhaps capitulation to liberal cultural trends and hermeneutical methods—but not because we’ve read Scripture or studied the history of the Church very carefully....

Lord Jesus, you are the Good Shepherd who cares for his flock: We ask you to bestow upon your Church the gifts of the Holy Spirit in abundance, and to raise up from among us faithful and able persons called to the ministries of Deacon, Priest, and Bishop. Inspire them to spend and be spent for the sake of the Gospel, and make them holy and loving servants and shepherds of the flock for whom you shed your most precious blood....