Some Good Ideas Mixed with Careless Claims and Not So Good Ideas Many Christians have recognized that the Church today seems to have a problem with men not coming to church. As a priest concerned about this trend, I decided to read David Murrow’s “Why Men Hate Going to Church.” While I found a lot of useful information in the book, I was disappointed in many places by Murrow’s lack of discernment in evaluating some of the information he presents.... Read more
1 Timothy 6:12-21 One final time, St. Paul is stirred up to remind Timothy of the most important things he has just told him. It is like the final resolution in an extended symphony because Paul skillfully draws together the themes he has recorded for Timothy in the preceding 5 chapters. There is one meta-theme or meta-narrative that unites all of Paul’s other themes, and it is this: that God is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings... Read more
1 Timothy 6:1-11 We live in a bipolar country that has on the one hand unparalleled worldly success, measured by physical comfort and luxury, and on the other hand has unparalleled unhappiness. You could almost say that the U.S.has been a grand experiment in finding happiness in worldly things. That experiment is a manifest failure. I seem to remember Solomon conducting the same experiment 3000 years ago, but then again, his results weren’t published in the Journal of Reproducible Results... Read more
The Normative Definition of Anglicanism One of the things I discovered in spending several years trying to define Anglicanism for my Ph.D. was that most definitions of Anglicanism, and for any religious identity, are far too simplistic. In reality, religious identities are often bewilderingly complex. While many Anglicans have some sense of what they mean when they say they are Anglican, the truth is they may have very partial or subjective definitions that they carry around. How are we to... Read more
1 Timothy 5:17-25 St. Paul’s topic today is a very important one in the life of the church: the treatment of pastors or elders (presbyters or priests.) Throughout 1 Timothy, Paul has dealt extensively with the office of elder because he is writing to Timothy on how to govern a church. I wish there were some way I could speak of how Christians ought to treat their pastors without including myself (as a pastor) in this discussion. But I’m going... Read more
1 Timothy 5:1-16 Today, St. Paul teaches us about a little known “office” in the early church: that of widow. Paul’s extended commandments concerning widows are astonishing in two ways. The first thing that astonishes me is how seriously the early church took its vocation to provide for widows (see also James1:27.) The second is how high the standards are for this little “office.” As I read this passage, I can’t help but think that it’s not just the church... Read more
1 Timothy 4:6-16 St. Paul speaks once again of the need for St. Timothy to be a faithful minister of Jesus Christ. In particular, Paul is concerned that Timothy, who acted as an early bishop over churches, instruct the brethren. Those who Timothy teaches are to be nourished by him in the words of faith and in the good doctrine or teaching (verse 6), which Paul has passed on to Timothy but which Timothy must now pass on to the... Read more
1 Timothy 3:14-4:5 In I Timothy 3:14-4:5, St. Paul teaches what is called a sacramental worldview. According to the Book of Common Prayer, a sacrament is “an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace given unto us.” There are two dominical Sacraments, those Jesus Christ Himself specifically ordained: Baptism and Holy Communion. In some way, things such as ordination, confirmation, and unction for healing are also sacraments in that God gives His grace at such times, at... Read more
1 Timothy 3:1-13 St. Paul continues in chapter 3 with his teaching on authority in the church, only this time he is addressing bishops and deacons in particular. Like so much of Scripture, if we really believed what God has commanded us, I wonder how it might revolutionize our lives and our churches. As we look at the qualifications for bishops and deacons, we should keep in mind two things: the standards for being a leader in God’s holy Church... Read more
1 Timothy 2 We come today to a difficult teaching of St. Paul: his teaching on women in the church. So what does Paul teach? First, that a woman should learn in silence with all submission. Second, he does not permit a woman to teach or have authority over a man, but to be in silence. Third, that the reason that women are to be submissive and under authority is that Adam was formed first. Fourth, that Eve was the... Read more
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