Podcasts about acna

On today's program, Moody Bible Institute is suing the Chicago Public School system for excluding its students from the student-teaching program due to its religious hiring practices. We'll take a look. Plus, a second woman has come forward claiming ACNA Archbishop Steve Wood sexually harassed her. We'll have details. And, a new partnership shows how artificial intelligence is transforming Bible translation. But first, families of the children who died at Camp Mystic after the July 4 floods have filed a lawsuit against the camp. The lawsuit accuses the camp of negligence, gross negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and liability based on inviting the victims onto the camp property then breaching its duty of care to them. The producer for today's program is Jeff McIntosh. We get database and other technical support from Stephen DuBarry, Rod Pitzer, and Casey Sudduth. Writers who contributed to today's program include Kim Roberts, Yonat Shimron, Kathryn Post, Isaac Wood, and Makella Knowles. Until next time, may God bless you.

Rev. Charles Alex Riffee // Psalm 17; II Thessalonians 2:13-3:5; Luke 20:27-38

A Sermon for the Twenty-first Sunday after Trinity Ephesians 6:10-20 by William Klock If you haven't noticed, we have a mouse problem.  Usually the mice stay to the attic or the crawlspace, but for some reason, this year, they've decided to go everywhere.  For the last six weeks I've been plugging holes and setting traps and experimenting with bait: everything from peanut butter to dog treats to Veronica and Meredith's maple fudge.  All to no avail.  They don't touch the traps, but they poop right next to them as if to say, “Do you really think we're that stupid?”  And Friday, Friday was the last straw.  The last while has seemed like a steady stream of setbacks and disappointments.  This week I was working on my book on preaching while sending feedback to a couple of guys I've been advising on preaching.  I've been really struggling with that book and this week, chatting with these two guys, I finally kind of identified the obstacle I've been running up against and I don't really know how to get around it, and that's left me frustrated and discouraged.  And the City of Courtenay.  They won't clear the leaves in their little “conservation” area anymore, so I cleared the sidewalks, but then Thursday's storm blew the leaves back even deeper, so Friday morning I was using a snow shovel to move them out as far away as I could from the church so the wind wouldn't blow them back and in the process I strained something in my leg.  And then the news coming out daily this week from ACNA and about bishops not doing what bishops are supposed to do and bishops allegedly doing things that bishops aren't supposed to do.  I was really, really discouraged on Friday.  I'm rarely tempted to give up, but Friday I was close.  And then I heard a noise, and I turned and saw a mouse dart across the room and into the storage cubicle in the Sunday School.  So I got up to see where the mouse went.  I didn't find it, but I did find the nest.  In the seasonal banners.  It was gross.  The mice had peed and pooped and chewed holes in them.  And that was it.  Stick a fork in me.  I'm done.  I packed up my things and went home.  I tried the Elijah therapy.  I had a snack and a nap.  It didn't really work. I came back yesterday morning to clean up the mouse mess.  I checked the traps first.  I wanted revenge.  But alas—nothing—as usual.  So I started sweeping and mopping and vacuuming and while I was doing that I was praying—mostly for the death of the mice.  But somewhere between the mopping and the vacuuming it hit me.  Of all the things wrong with the world and wrong with the church, it wasn't the mice.  People sin, bishops sin, I sin—but not the mice.  The mice, as annoying as they are, the mice are doing exactly what God created them to do.  They're upstairs peeing and pooping and chewing on the banners, because that's what God made them to do and in doing it they give him glory.  And while I was discouraged and tempted to just give up, they were happily doing their thing, not caring at all that I'm out to get them—laughing their little mouse laughs at me as they poop right next to my traps.  Looking for a new place to build a nest after I kicked them out of the last one.  And as I vacuumed up their poop St. Paul's words from our Epistle kept running around my head like a mouse on a wheel: Stand firm! I—we—need to be like the mice.  We need to be what Jesus has made us to be and in that we will give God glory.  And, of course, in doing that, we'll catch the attention of the enemy, who will do his best to oppose us, to discourage us, to persuade us to throw in the towel.  Our Epistle today is from Ephesians 6—just about at the end of the letter.  The first part of the letter is about who we are—or, better, who Jesus has made us through his death and resurrection.  In Chapter 2 Paul writes that if we belong to the Messiah—if we have put our faith, our trust, our allegiance in him—then we are already “seated with him in the heavenly places”.  If by faith we are in the Messiah, then that's who we are: we're part of God's new creation, seated with our king in glory.  But of course, this is one of those “already, but not yet” things.  It's begun, but it's not yet finished.  Think about it.  When he rose from death, Jesus won the decisive battle over sin and death.  But that doesn't mean the war is over.  Sin and death, the principalities and powers of the old evil age still, nevertheless, continue to fight on even though they've already lost.  It won't be over until the gospel and the Spirit have gone out to bring God's new creation to the ends of the earth—until the knowledge of his glory covers the earth as the waters cover the sea.  And here's the point that Paul is trying to make here at the end of Ephesians: Because we've been united with Jesus the Messiah, because what's true of him is true of us, because we are seated with him in the heavenlies, that means that we've been recruited to take part in this great messianic battle to carry the gospel and God's glory to the ends of the earth—to proclaim the victory Jesus won on the cross to the people who haven't yet heard that good news, who haven't yet heard that he's the world's true lord. And if we do this, we will face opposition.  That's why, when you make it clear for example, that your church isn't in the business of playing musical chairs with other churches, but about going out to proclaim and live the gospel to bring people to Jesus, the devils will fight you.  That's why, when you make it clear that you're not going to compromise with the philosophies, with the politics, with the systems of the world, the devils will fight you.  That's why, when you make it clear that you're going to live out new creation and make the glory of God known here and now, the devils will fight you.  They will fight you.  They will throw hurdles in your path.  They will go for the weakest link and they will cause your leaders to stumble and fall.  They will do whatever they can to discourage you and tempt you to throw in the towel. And so Paul writes to the Ephesian Christians and he says, “The one thing left to say is this: Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power.”  Don't be strong in yourself.  That won't cut it.  Be strong in the Lord, because he's the one who has won the victory.  “Put on God's complete armour,” he says.  “Then you'll be able to stand firm against the devil's schemes.”  And, to be clear, it's the devil's schemes.  “The warfare we're engaged in, you see, isn't against flesh and blood.  It's against the principalities, against the powers, against the cosmic powers that rule the world in this dark age, against the wicked spiritual elements in the heavenly places.” I expect this took some time to sink in with Paul's original audience—especially his fellow Judeans.  It's not that they didn't believe there are unseen forces in the world.  That's a problem unique to people today with all of our post-enlightenment materialistic thinking.  If we can't see it, it doesn't exist.  People in the First Century knew better than us.  They knew there are spiritual powers we can't see.  The issue is that when we think of enemies, we almost always think of people.  It's the guy on the city council who wants to take away the tax exempt status of churches.  It's the people in the wrong political party.  It's the people in that foreign country that hate us.  It's the Communists or it's the Muslims or the alphabet people or the pronouns people.  Paul's people thought the same way.  Judeans thought it was the pagans.  Their enemies were the Greeks who tried to stamp out their way of life back in the Second Century B.C.  It was the Romans who presently ruled them and whose grip was getting tighter and tighter.  Paul knew that as persecution came to the churches at the hands of unbelieving Jews and pagan Greeks and Romans Christians would be tempted to start thinking the same way about them. And Paul's wanting them to understand here that none of those people is the real enemy.  Maybe they once were, but when Jesus died on the cross and rose again, he redefined the battle.  Jesus didn't go to the cross to defeat the Greeks or the Romans or the Communists or the Muslims.  He went to the cross to defeat sin and death and the powers of evil—those powers that, since the serpent tempted Eve, have infiltrated God's good creation and corrupted it, that have caused us to worship idols instead of God, that have caused us to forsake our vocation as the stewards of his creation and priests of his temple, that have caused us to turn on each other instead of loving each other as God loves us.  Jesus came like a new Adam to defeat not us, but the powers of evil, and in the process to forgive us for our rebellion and treason and to restore us to our old vocation, to do the job he created us for in the first place.  That's what it means to bear his image. And Paul knew that this meant Jesus has called us to fight at his side.  Not to fight the Greeks or the Romans or the Communists or the Muslims, but to fight the powers of evil, the principalities and powers and spiritual forces that have infiltrated creation and brought darkness where there should be light.  Again, at the cross he won the decisive victory, now he calls us into his gospel army to proclaim that good news.  To announce to the world that Jesus is Lord, that there is forgiveness of sins and reconciliation with God through him if we will only come in faith and give him our allegiance.  The Greeks and the Romans, the Communists and the Muslims aren't the enemy.  It's the dark powers behind them.  And never forget that those dark powers were once working in us, too.  And they're often much closer to home—even doing their work of corruption in our own house—if you've followed the ACNA news the past couple of weeks.  But the good news is that Jesus can deliver those people, just as he delivered us. This, by the way, is why Jesus hasn't just done the war all at once.  Because God is patient, loving, and gracious he's chosen to fight this war over the long term, giving the whole world the opportunity to hear and respond to the good news about Jesus.  Giving time for the gospel and the Spirit to infiltrate the systems and powers and people of this old evil age to undo what sin and death have done. So, Paul writes, stand firm and be prepared to fight—the real enemy.  And for that he says we need to take up the whole armour of God.  That's verse 13.  And this is really telling.  If you were paying attention when we read the Old Testament lesson this morning—the one from Isaiah 59—what Paul says here should sound familiar.  Through Isaiah the Lord promised that he would send a redeemer to set the world to rights.  Our Old Testament lesson is a promise of the coming Messiah, of Jesus.  Here's what we read: “‘The Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice. He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intercede; then his own arm brought him salvation, and his righteousness upheld him. He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head; he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak. According to their deeds, so will he repay, wrath to his adversaries, repayment to his enemies; to the coastlands he will render repayment…And a Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who turn from transgression,' declares the Lord.” Jesus was the first one to put on this armour and now, because we're united with him, because he's made us part of his new creation, and because he's called us to enter the battle and to stand firm against the darkness, he shares his armour with us—otherwise we wouldn't be able to stand at all.  And here's the armour as Paul describes it in Ephesians, starting again at 6:13: “For this reason you must take up the whole armour of God.  Then, when wickedness grabs the moment, you'll be able to withstand, to do what needs to be done, and still be on your feet when it's over.  So stand firm!  Put the belt of truth around your waist; put on justice/righteousness as your breastplate; for shoes on your feet, ready for battle, take the good news of peace.  With it all take the shield of faith; if you've got that, you'll be able to quench the flaming arrows of the evil one.  Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is God's word.” It starts with truth.  A Roman soldier's belt or girdle was sort of the thing that everything else attached to or hung from.  Put on truth as your belt.  Everything else depends on that.  In Isaiah's vision the Messiah was to come to set this broken world to rights and that begins with the truth.  The reason the world is in the mess it's in is because we believed the serpent's lie—that we could be like God.  Brother and Sisters, the truth is that that's idolatry.  Every other sin cascades from that.  The great lie that permeates the world is that we can do and be whatever we want.  That we can make our own reality and define goodness for ourselves.  But Jesus has come to remind us of the truth—the truth of the original creation and the truth of God's new creation.  And so before we go to battle evil, we've got to tie that truth around us.  The gospel isn't about our feelings; it's not what we make it; it's not about what we think might offend or not offend people; it's about the truth, the reality of God's goodness and his good creation and his purpose to set it and us to rights revealed in the good news about Jesus.  Tie that on and the rest follows naturally. Second, as a breastplate, put on God's justice or righteousness—remember in Greek they're the same word.  It's a reminder that at the heart of the gospel is God's plan to set this broken world to rights—to undo everything that's wrong, to undo all the sad things, to wipe away all the tears—ultimately and eventually to wipe every last bit of evil and sin and darkness from creation and even death itself.  And it's a reminder that when God raised Jesus from death, he overturned the world's false verdict against him and declared him to be in the right—and that if we are united with him, then we share in that verdict, in his vindication. And then for our shoes: peace.  “How beautiful are the feet of the one who announces peace…who says to Zion, Your God reigns.”  This is the place where Paul changes that Old Testament image from Isaiah.  Instead of vengeance, he calls us to put on peace.  The Jews wanted vengeance on their enemies, but Paul's reminding us that the Messiah, through his death, has reconciled us to God.  He's given us peace.  And that peace isn't just for us; it's for everyone.  And it's on our feet.  We stand on it.  The enemy will try to knock us down by making us think we're in this for vengeance—that we need to go after the Greeks or the Romans or the Communists or the Muslims, but if we stand on peace, on reconciliation with God, we will stand firm and remember that our fight is not with flesh and blood, but with the devil. The fourth bit of armour is the shield of faith.  In the ancient world an enemy might shoot flaming arrows at you, so you soaked your wooden shield in water.  We soak our shield in faith.  That means in the faithfulness of Jesus the Messiah and in our own responding faith—remembering that he's won the victory and trusting that he will empower us to stand firm in this gospel battle and win in the end.  And that goes with the helmet of salvation—like a gospel thinking cap, it reminds us Jesus has rescued the captives.  You and I no longer belong to sin and death, but to the Messiah.  It reminds us, too, why we're waging this battle: to free the men and women still captive, still slaves to sin and death. So far this armour is all for defence.  The Christian has only one offensive weapon and that should remind us about the nature of this battle.  It's not against flesh and blood, but against the unseen forces of evil that infiltrate the systems and institutions of the world.  Our sword, the weapon by which we advance the kingdom of God is the word.  In Isaiah 11:4 the Messiah smites the earth with the rod of his mouth and slays the wicked with the breath of his lips.  It's a wonderful illustration of the power of God's word and God's Spirit—not violence, but his creative and life-giving word—to free and to transform and to set the broken world right as it confronts the great lie with God's truth. But our Epistle doesn't quite end there.  Truth and justice, peace and faith, salvation and the word are all essential if we are going to stand firm.  To take up these things is to be the people that Jesus has made us through our union with him.  But union is about more than putting these things on, it's about real, literal union—or communion—with him.  We need to talk with our commander.  And so, in verses 18-20 Paul writes: “Pray on every occasion in the Spirit, with every type of prayer and intercession.  You'll need to keep awake and alert for this, with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints.  And also for me.  Pray that God will give me his words to speak when I open my mouth, so that I can make known, loud and clear, the secret truth of the gospel.  That after all, is why I'm a chained-up ambassador.  Pray that I may announce it boldly; that's what I'm duty-bound to do.” Paul was in prison because of his preaching, because he'd put on the armour of God and because he'd proclaimed God's truth.  But he knew that prison could not stop the march of the gospel and so he asked his brothers and sisters to pray for him—and not only for him, but live prayer, because that's what it means to be united to Jesus and to be baptised in God's Spirit—to be in constant communion with God.  It's not just about formal prayer—like when you sit down with your Prayer Book and your Bible and you prayer the prayers and pray the Psalms.  It's a life saturated with the presence of God and with communion with him. I don't know how it works.  I don't think anyone does.  I've read books and books on prayer and it remains a mystery, but the best ones all conclude: I don't know how it works, but I know it works.  Prayer doesn't change God—as if somehow hearing from me causes him to realise that my ideas and my plans are better than his.  But prayer changes things and it changes me and it changes us and things—kingdom things, grace things, glory things—happen when we pray and live in that communion with God. Brothers and Sisters, to pray is to act on and to live out the reality of Jesus' cross and of the new creation he's made us.  It's to know that, through Jesus and the Spirit, we can now walk with God the way Adam and Eve once did.  That we live in his presence and in his grace and in his love.  It's to know that he is our strength.  And so to pray, is to be what he has made us, it's to consciously reject our rebellion and sin, and to be his new creation.  The mice—they know nothing of sin, nothing of rebellion.  Mice have always been what God made them in the beginning.  And, like I said, because of that, mice give him glory even when they're just doing the ordinary things mice do.  We, on the other hand, rejected that life.  Jesus has given it back, but it's a struggle.  That's why Paul urges us to put on God's truth and justice, his righteousness and peace.  And it's why he urges us to pray without ceasing.  Because reliance on God is the only way we'll put to rest our old nature and be able to live into the new one he's given.  To pray is to look back to the cross in gratitude and to look forward in hope to God's new world, and find our life and our strength and everything else that matters in him—so that we can stand firm and so that we can glorify him. So, Brothers and Sisters, stand firm.  Stand firm and be the new creation that Jesus has made us.  Remember that we stand with our king in the battle, but that this battle is not against flesh and blood.  It's against the dark powers that corrupt flesh and blood, that make us hate and that make us enemies of one another.  Stand firm in God's truth and justice, stand firm in his peace and his salvation.  And confront the world with the good news of Jesus, crucified and risen.  And pray, pray, pray, remembering that he is with us and that he is our strength and our hope. Let's pray: Merciful Lord, grant to your faithful people pardon and peace; that we may be cleansed from all our sins, and serve you with a quiet mind; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.

On today's program, an Oklahoma pastor was fired after reporting missing church funds—this, despite the fact that he followed denominational rules in raising his concerns. Now, his bishop has been arrested for embezzlement. We'll take a look.  And, Gen Z is bringing a new paradigm to traditional missions.  A new report examines what they value—and what they don't. We'll have details. Plus, churches and ministries are working to fill in the gap as SNAP benefits continue to be unpredictable amid the government shutdown. But first, ACNA Archbishop Steve Wood is taking a leave of absence amid allegations of sexual misconduct. Archbishop Steve Wood, who heads the Anglican Church in North America, is taking a voluntary leave of absence in the wake of allegations of sexual harassment, bullying and plagiarism. Those allegations will be investigated by a 10-person Board of Inquiry, made up of ACNA clergy and laypeople, that will assess whether there are reasonable grounds to initiate a church trial. The producer for today's program is Jeff McIntosh. We get database and other technical support from Stephen DuBarry, Rod Pitzer, and Casey Sudduth. Writers who contributed to today's program include Kathryn Post, Bob Smietana, Tony Mator, Kim Roberts, Shannon Cuthrell, Cheryl Mann Bacon, Daniel Ritchie, Aaron Earls, and Christina Darnell. A special thanks to The Christian Chronicle and Lifeway Research for contributing material for this week's podcast. Until next time, may God bless you.

The Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) is a small but mighty denomination. As I have written elsewhere, Anglicanism has the potential to breathe new life into the evangelical movement. But the denomination is facing challenges on many fronts, some of them self-inflicted. Archbishop Steve Wood, the senior leader of ACNA, has been credibly accused of sexual harassment and other offenses. Another bishop, Stewart Ruch, is currently facing a church trial for his handling of a sex offender in his diocese. Bishop Derek Jones, who has led the military chaplain corps, is now behind a rancorous attempt to leave ACNA and take more than 300 chaplains with him. All of the current controversies — those involving Archbishop Wood and Bishops Ruch and Jones — have also highlighted the inadequacy of the church's canons to deal with matters of conflict and discipline. Over the past few years, MinistryWatch has covered several scandals in the denomination, and the process has been tentative and clunky at almost every level. For example, ACNA first made formal charges against Bishop Stewart Ruch — known as a “presentment” — in December of 2022, three years ago. After many fits and starts (some of which you can read about here), the trial finally took place this week, and we still don't have a verdict. I have heard from credible sources that the cost of the trial will exceed a million dollars.  More than a year ago, just before ACNA's provincial meeting in Latrobe, Penn., I wrote what I think the denomination should do to graduate from organizational adolescence into adulthood. Those recommendations included: Make a final decision on women's ordination. Eliminate non-geographical dioceses, including Church for the Sake of Others. Revise and expand the canons of ACNA. Pick a leader with a strong arm and a velvet touch. Issue a clear statement on sexual issues. Perhaps the biggest fumble, though, was ACNA's selection of a new archbishop. Not only has he proven himself to be not up to the task, he has become a part of the problem. Even if he is found “not guilty” of the presentment against him, the process itself has already been damaging to him and the church. That is why I would add one more recommendation to the list above: Steve Wood should resign as archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America. There is no way forward for him that doesn't do further damage to the church. If he is exonerated of the charges in the presentment, many in ACNA who already distrust his leadership and the inadequacy of the canons will cite that exoneration as proof of a rigged system. If he is found guilty, he is unfit to serve. I continue to believe that ACNA has great promise. The 15 years of its existence — especially when considered in the long arc of church history — is but a moment. Anglicanism offers much to the world, and to evangelicalism in particular. But it must face this moment with decisiveness and integrity. ACNA faces an existential crisis that grows more acute by the day, and before Anglicanism can save evangelicalism, it must first save itself. The producer for today's program is Jeff McIntosh. Until next time, may God bless you.

Philippians 4:2-7; Matthew 6:25-34 The Rev. Dan Marotta

Rev. Steven Breedlove // Isaiah 1:10-20; Psalm 32; Luke 19:1-10

Should Christians pray for the dead? In this edition of Ask the Church, we explore what the Bible and church history say about the practice and why the Anglican church rejects the medieval idea of purgatory. We discuss the difference between prayers for the dead (seeking to shorten suffering) and prayers about the dead (thanking God for their lives and commending them to His mercy).

The bumper music for this episode, chosen by our Presbyterian producer, comes from the 1964 comic rendition of an Anglican homily by Alan Bennett ("My Brother Esau, Beyond the Fringe"). The subject discussed by pudcast co-hosts, Korey Maas (Lutheran), Miles Smith (Anglican), and D. G. Hart (Presbyterian) may be the same -- Anglicanism -- but the approach is not comedic. Anglicans around the world have been in the news, from the appointment of a new (and female) archbishop of Canterbury, to the decision by a prominent Baptist historical theologian to join ACNA. All the recent news deserves way more than roughly 55 minutes of banter. But with the help of our resident Anglican, Miles Smith, we learned about the choppy water in which the bishops, clergy, and laity find themselves.

Rev. Justin Hendrix // Jeremiah 14:7-10, 19-22; Psalm 84; II Timothy 4:6-18; Luke 18:9-14

Philippians 3:17-21; Matthew 16:24-26 The Rev. Dan Marotta

How can Christians resist temptation and stay faithful? This edition of Ask the Church explains the three sources of temptation— the world, the flesh, and the devil— and the two biblical responses: resistance and flight. It also explores why prayer and fellowship with other believers are essential in the struggle against sin.

Philippians Philippians 3:12-16; Luke 9:51-62 David Bailey

Philippians 3:12-16; Luke 9:51-62David Bailey

Rev. Steven Breedlove // Psalm 121; II Timothy 3:14-4:5; Luke 18:1-8

Why should Christians confess their sins to a priest? In this edition of Ask the Church, we explore why the Bible assumes confession happens in community and how God works through others to assure us of His forgiveness. Drawing on James 5 and John 20, we learn how Jesus entrusted His Church with the authority to declare forgiveness and how Anglican priests exercise that ministry.

Philippians 3:1-11; Matthew 5:17-20 The Rev. Dan Marotta

The Rev. Steven Breedlove // Psalm 113; 2 Timothy 2:1-15; Luke 17:11-19

Who can serve on the vestry of an Anglican church, and how are they chosen? In this edition of Ask the Church, we endeavor to explain the role of the vestry in church governance, its historical roots, and the different models Anglican churches use today. We also explore the biblical and diocesan criteria for those nominated to serve on our vestry, and how prayer shapes the final selection.

Send us a textJoin Fr. Aaron & Marissa Burt for this week's episode, in which they consider the readings for Proper 23, the Sunday between 10/2-10/8: Ruth 1:1-19a; Psalm 113; 2 Timothy 2:1-15; Luke 17:5-10.They discuss the story of Naomi and Ruth, Paul's letter to Timothy, and the healing of the Samaritan leper.Mentioned in the episode:--The NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible--Beth Moore's Entrusted Bible study on 2 Timothy--Canterbury House offerings--Link to sermon for Proper 21 we mentionedNotes:--Dwell App--Prayers of the People for Pentecost--2019 Book of Common PrayerPentecost: A Day of Power for All People, by: Emilio AlvarezThe Bible ProjectThe Bible Project video on 2 TimothyThe Bible Project video on Ruth1:18Collect1:56 Ruth 1:1-19a22:54 Psalm 11326:24 2 Timothy 2:1-1542:57 Luke 17:5-10 Our outro music is an original song by our friend Dcn. Jeremiah Webster, a poet and professor whose giftedness is rivaled by his humbleness. You can find his published works, including After So Many Fires, with a quick Google.

Philippians 2:19-30; John 14:12-20 Will Clark

Rev. Justin Hendrix // Habakkuk 1:1-13; 2:1-4; Psalm 37:1-17; 2 Timothy 1:1-14; Luke 17:5-10

Why do Anglicans use real wine at Communion rather than grape juice? In this edition of Ask the Church, we trace the story from the temperance movement and the invention of pasteurization, to the historical reasons Port became common in Anglican churches. We also address the question of what to do if you struggle with alcohol or gluten, and discuss why, if receiving only bread or only wine, we still participate fully in Communion.

Philippians 2:12-18; Matthew 5:13-16 The Rev. Dan Marotta

Rev. Steven Breedlove // Psalm 146; 1 Timothy 6:11-21; Luke 16:19-31

On today's program, St. Andrew's Chapel in Sanford, Florida, has refused to reveal the salaries of its pastors—even to its own board of elders. But a new whistleblower report shows that at least three of its pastors receive compensation that's raising eyebrows. We'll take a look. Plus, the use of celebrities to promote causes is not new—but ministries are increasingly turning to social media influencers to tout their missions. We look at their uses—and misuses—plus cautions to consider. And, former SBC professor David Sills drops his defamation suit against the late Jennifer Lyell, who accused him of sexual abuse before her death this summer. Meanwhile, other SBC-related defendants in the case are seeking summary judgment. Finally, we'll have an update on the health of popular speaker Christopher Yuan, who was injured in an accident this week. But first, military chaplains are attempting to leave the Anglican Church in North America en masse.  The producer for today's program is Jeff McIntosh. We get database and other technical support from Stephen DuBarry, Rod Pitzer, and Casey Sudduth. Writers who contributed to today's program include Kim Roberts, Daniel Ritchie, Tony Mator, Diana Chandler, Bob Smietana, Adelle Banks—and you, Warren. A special thanks to Baptist Press for contributing material for this week's podcast. Until next time, may God bless you.

Justin Murff is one of those guys I turn to when I want to sort out what is going on in the world. He has been, or is currently, an Anglican priest, a media executive, and advocate for religious freedom, a former Southern Baptist pastor, and a whole lot more. His innovative work has reshaped how faith communities engage unreached or poorly reached people groups in the digital age.   Currently, He is the Canon for Global Affairs to the General Secretary of GAFCON, the global fellowship of confessing Anglicans, which is a network of conservative Anglican provinces from around the world. He is also Canon for the Middle East and North Africa for ACNA, the Anglican Church in North America. On point for our conversation today, Justin also leads the Digital Church Network, helping to create opportunities for people in restricted nations to connect with the body of Christ. In past lives he has been the Chief Development Officer for the Parental Rights Foundation, and official envoy to the Vatican for the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN). His passion for bridging cultural divides led him to serve as Executive Director of the MENA Collective, a digital initiative that empowered over 150 ministries across the Middle East, North Africa, and Pakistan. I had this conversation with Justin via zoom. He was at his home in Greenville, South Carolina. The producer for today's program is Jeff McIntosh. Until next time, may God bless you.  

Do Anglicans believe in Purgatory? Article XXII of the Anglican Articles of Religion rejects the medieval doctrine as “repugnant to the Word of God.” But that doesn't end the conversation. In this edition of Ask the Church, we explore what Anglicans believe about Purgatory, why Christ's sacrifice on the cross is sufficient, and how God's sanctifying work continues in the lives of His people.

Philippians 2:3-11; Matthew 20:20-28 The Rev. Dan Marotta

Some Updates to Our Sunday Liturgy Dear City of Light, I want to let you know about some small updates to our Sunday morning liturgy. I was delighted that earlier this year the Anglican Church in North America completed its Spanish translation of the 2019 Book of Common Prayer. We now have copies in English and Spanish available at our Welcome Table or online here. We had been using Spanish translations found in other places or translated ourselves. Now we can update our bulletin and prayers to align with Spanish speakers throughout the province. There will be a few differences, such as: We will now say “El Señor esté con ustedes” instead of “El Señor sea con ustedes.” We will now say “Cristo vendrá de nuevo” instead of “Cristo volverá.” While we update the Spanish, we're also going to update a few differences in English between our Sunday bulletin and the 2019 prayer book. When something changes in the liturgy, it may feel strange or awkward, we may not prefer it at first, and we will make mistakes and say the old words out of habit. This can remind us of several things: that it's not first about what we like or prefer, but about our entire church praying together that worship is not about getting all the words right, it's about offering our lives to Jesus that we and our kids have internalized these liturgies more than we realized and that's good And that the point is that our liturgies draw us to Jesus who is the living word behind all of our words and who is teaching us how to talk with him. The several main changes will be: And with your spirit Both of the responses “And also with you” and “And with your spirit” have long traditions. The ACNA returned to the “And with your spirit” as the primary one for its emphasis on reminding us that we are both physical and spiritual beings, and when we come together in worship we are engaging all of who we are, body and spirit. This is what we have been saying when we do the response in Spanish, “y con tu espíritu.” Making this change will also bring us more in “common” with the rest of the Diocese and Province. We lift them up to the Lord. At the beginning of communion when the celebrant says, “Lift up your hearts” the older liturgy had us saying, “we lift them to the Lord” but the newer liturgy says, “we lift them up to the Lord.” The Lord's Prayer (Mt 6:9-13 and Lk 11:2-4) The BCP2019 has two options for the Lord's Prayer. If you have been praying the daily offices from the prayerbook then you are familiar with these versions. We had been praying a translation that is a hybrid of the two. The biggest difference for us in the new version is that it translates “lead us not into temptation” as “save us from the time of trial.” I share more about this change and what we mean when we pray it in the podcast, so take a listen here. I'm eager to begin praying these prayers with you! Peace, Father Trevor

Philippians 2:1-5; Matthew 23:1-12 The Rev. Dan Marotta