tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-126261182024-03-13T06:48:09.009-04:00A Country ParsonMostly theology & ministry from an Anglican perspectiveLenny Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08907566803627708028noreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12626118.post-111669645212951692010-09-14T08:28:00.005-04:002010-09-14T08:48:08.398-04:00Beyond Justice to MercyThis morning, I decided to catch up on some blogs, when I noticed this graphic at Episcopal Cafe. In the Lectionary, I've been concentrating on the Jeremiah/Lamentations passages in my sermons, and I couldn't help thinking how scary justice is. Justice is the setting of things right, the rectifying of wrongs. And as much as justice is necessary, by itself it destroys relationships because it Lenny Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08907566803627708028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12626118.post-39841291184909519472010-08-10T21:45:00.003-04:002010-08-10T22:29:48.654-04:00Anne Rice and HubrisAnne Rice's recent denunciation of the Church has brought to the fore, once again, Western culture's disaffection with organized religion. Any quick Google search on the effects of organized religion will produce a plethora of negative, even vindictive sites to wade through. And I will be the first to lament the tragic associations of religion with all sorts of vile evils throughout history. Lenny Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08907566803627708028noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12626118.post-85069673938288616022010-05-17T06:39:00.004-04:002010-05-17T07:15:38.770-04:00Glasspool Happened, and No Apocalypse YetWell, it's happened--the Episcopal Church once again acted upon its Communion-dismantling trajectory and did not hinder Mary Glasspool from being consecrated. Not that anyone expected it not to happen. And the whole thing went by with little attention, as noted in a less-than-charitable entry from Matt Kennedy. I've been combing to see if there are any official statements in reaction so far, Lenny Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08907566803627708028noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12626118.post-48221968233559007042010-04-23T12:40:00.003-04:002010-04-23T13:28:27.045-04:00The Irony of Valuing UnityJust recently, a meeting of Global South Anglicans produced a document in which they uphold ACNA and Communion Partners as the two official ways they recommend maintaining ties of intercommunion with Anglicans in North America. It's kind of funny. ACNA was formed as a means of maintaining a "pure" expression of faith (sounds like every other church split since the Reformation, heck since 1054 Lenny Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08907566803627708028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12626118.post-51711676282563993752010-03-18T09:23:00.004-04:002010-03-18T09:55:33.181-04:00Meandering Thoughts on the Event of the Glasspool ConsentsThe Rev. Mary Glasspool, a partnered non-celibate lesbian priest, was elected by the Diocese of Los Angeles back in December to be their Suffragan Bishop. The Episcopal News Service, has announced that she has received the necessary number of consents from bishops and standing committees to move ahead with her consecration on May 5. This has severe ramifications in terms of further strain on Lenny Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08907566803627708028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12626118.post-60634196049258675612010-03-16T16:36:00.002-04:002010-03-16T16:45:55.865-04:00Sermon: March 14, 2010The Greatest Universal Hero (Lent 4C)When I was a kid, I used to love watching the Greatest American Hero. Ralph a teacher with a group of students on a desert field trip is given a suit by aliens in order to save the world. Of course, he loses the instructions in the desert, and the silliness ensues as he learns to use the suit by trial and error to fight the bad guys. People have all sorts Lenny Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08907566803627708028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12626118.post-58850228866260660292010-03-10T16:54:00.002-05:002010-03-10T17:05:13.844-05:00Church VitalityRecently some leaders in my church and I were at a meeting with other church leaders in our diocese who are "kind of" nearby. It was the first such meeting in about 10 years, and it was great to be able to catch up on news together, meet with one another, and be inspired for ministry. Yet, I was also scared as one my parishioners said wonderful things about me. I embarrass easily, and Lenny Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08907566803627708028noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12626118.post-2579098566419797702010-03-02T17:13:00.003-05:002010-03-02T17:23:11.023-05:00Hit the Reset ButtonOkay, so I've been off the blogosphere for a while. I am hoping to hit the reset button with more success than American foreign policy has. Happy amidst. the mounds of snow in Somerset, PA here in the rectory of St. Francis-in-the-Fields. As are my wife Kelly and our two beagles. Here's to more fun in the near future!Lenny Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08907566803627708028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12626118.post-48268400418326509882009-07-22T20:18:00.002-04:002009-07-22T20:41:40.274-04:00Psychology and SacramentDuring CPE this Summer, I have been learning how chaplaincy in a non-sectarian institution (A.I. Nemours Children's Hospital in Wilmington, DE in this case) functions as an expression of common grace--the grace that is a sacramental extension of God's soteriological grace, but not intentionally aimed at preaching the Gospel directly. As I explained it to friend, common grace is like the perfume Lenny Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08907566803627708028noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12626118.post-31271011253911940082009-01-14T14:56:00.002-05:002009-01-14T15:14:37.077-05:00Poetic TheologyToday, my rector and I were formulating a plan for me to teach a special Lenten study on Christian Spiritual Classic Writers. We talked about Augustine (Hippo not Canterbury), Thomas a Kempis, John Bunyan, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and (from the contemporary scene) Rowan Williams. I must admit my lack of familiarity of Rowan's theology except the bits I have gleaned since he's been ABC. But I have Lenny Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08907566803627708028noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12626118.post-8635489565633922892008-12-13T12:50:00.004-05:002008-12-13T13:08:12.785-05:00Blue Christmas?Not long ago, our Roman brethren celebrated the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, and yesterday was the commemoration of Our Lady of Guadalupe. This got me thinking. I am not a typical Mary-bashing Protestant, being an Anglican evangelical. However, I have many reservations about those practices that are not grounded firmly in Scripture. I can affirm the Virgin Birth (talking about Mary Lenny Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08907566803627708028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12626118.post-73634553388235392772008-08-20T12:11:00.002-04:002008-08-20T12:59:43.660-04:00Conflict and SacramentThe news is always consumed with conflict--Iraq, Georgia, Afghanistan, the Anglican Communion, the ramp-up to the November election. Where is God to be found in this? Marcion was a heretic who denied a loving God could stomach much less instigate conflict. Yet we are remiss in our biblical and theological understanding if we do not look to reconcile the "war" imagery of ancient Israel with Lenny Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08907566803627708028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12626118.post-9985509255893641532008-06-13T09:17:00.003-04:002008-06-17T11:14:15.721-04:00Sacramental PainPerhaps one of the most disconcerting issues for Christians is how they are to address pain and suffering. We find promises in Holy Scripture about how God blesses His children with health, long life, wealth, and respect. At the same time we find the stories and psalming cries of those who suffer and are yet faithful to God. How is this to be reconciled?This past Sunday I had the opportunity Lenny Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08907566803627708028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12626118.post-62254368284358454692008-05-27T09:49:00.004-04:002008-05-27T10:26:18.170-04:00Anglican Left/Right Battles and the Moral High GroundI carry considerable despair concerning the future of the Anglican Communion and the Episcopal Church at times in light of what I'll call "the troubles." Dan Martins posted a suggested solution to the botched "abandonment" charges brought up against bishops Schofield and Cox, and Greg Griffith responded forthwith that the move was quite calculated. Then there is the ongoing legal battles over Lenny Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08907566803627708028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12626118.post-35867448283112375032008-05-14T12:56:00.002-04:002008-05-14T13:22:15.565-04:00A Sacramental View of ScriptureIf indeed all things in creation are ways by which God desires to engage us with grace, then it would make sense that Scripture is sacramental. There is a grace intended to be communicated to us through the the pages of the Holy Bible. What is that grace? The grace of God's decision to reveal his will, to speak to his people and his creation. we find the very "speaking" act of God Lenny Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08907566803627708028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12626118.post-84665340128825230422008-05-08T12:38:00.002-04:002008-05-08T13:00:39.481-04:00Components of a SacramentIn order to understand our Sacramental God, we must understand all that is necessary for something to be sacramental. I'll be honest in saying that I do not purport in portraying a comprehensive view of sacraments. And frankly, I am uncertain as to how connected my beliefs are with any let alone Anglican view of sacraments. My draw to Anglicanism has been chasing the reverberating echo I sent Lenny Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08907566803627708028noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12626118.post-68118604638242071422008-05-01T13:00:00.002-04:002008-05-01T13:10:38.755-04:00The Sacramental GodI have been taking a class on John Henry Newman, focusing on when he was still an Anglican, reading primarily from his Oxford sermons and his Parochial & Plain Sermons. For my most recent paper, I read his sermon on the Eucharistic Presence of Jesus in holy communion. And it got me thinking about how I have been framing my theological ideas for some time now, at least the past 5 years. I Lenny Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08907566803627708028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12626118.post-33519364118052427332008-04-21T09:22:00.003-04:002008-04-21T09:52:45.943-04:00Finding the CoreKelly and I got into a discussion yesterday about whether certain beliefs/actions were necessary to be a Christian (and maybe which ones). Particularly the centerpiece was the idea of a kind of pluralism, potentially embodied in a pop culture icon like Bono who in many circles would be discounted as a genuine Christian, in others a wishy-washy Christian, and in still others a model of Christian Lenny Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08907566803627708028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12626118.post-83566607769710865522007-08-01T14:37:00.000-04:002007-08-01T15:57:38.977-04:00What Kind of God Is Worth It? (part 5)Last post, I tried to tackle the goodness of God as one of two assumptions for the basis of my argument in favor of a relational plurality within the unity of God. Today I would like to address the other assumption: that human beings are made in the image of God.This is perhaps more difficult without relying upon revelatory sources for drawing such a conclusion. I do believe, however, that Lenny Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08907566803627708028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12626118.post-73272929346200172262007-07-25T14:47:00.000-04:002007-07-25T15:32:45.022-04:00What Kind of God is Worth It? (part 4)In part 3, I argued for the necessity of a plurality in unity due to the relational nature of God based upon the propositions that 1) God is good, and 2) God made human beings in His image. However, is it possible that God is not good? Or is it possible that human beings are not created in God's image? Today, I only want to touch on the first question.Let us consider whether or not God is goodLenny Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08907566803627708028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12626118.post-58562449754965063082007-07-18T15:45:00.000-04:002007-07-18T16:50:03.104-04:00What Kind of God Is Worth It? (part 3)Another issue that the debate over Jesus' divinity brings up is the subject of the Trinity. First off, let's dispel the Muslim misinformation of what the Trinity is. The Trinity has nothing to to do with the Virgin Mary. It has been and always will be a reference to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as being co-equal, co-eternal "persons" of the Divine Unity of God. The Trinity has also been Lenny Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08907566803627708028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12626118.post-14578581990056360202007-07-17T16:13:00.000-04:002007-07-17T16:59:19.130-04:00What Kind of God is Worth It? (part 2)Recently an Episcopal priest was asked by her bishop to take a year's time out from ministry because she recently went public with her claim to be "100% Christian, 100% Muslim." The crux of the dilemma is the antithetical ways the two religions regard Jesus. Is Jesus merely a human prophet, or the Divine Son of Go--fully God and fully human? It's not like chocolate and vanilla, folks; it's Lenny Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08907566803627708028noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12626118.post-27562897836441445072007-07-16T13:14:00.000-04:002007-07-16T13:29:27.880-04:00What Kind of God Is Worth It? (part 1)I've been thinking about fellow monotheists of late--Jews, Muslims, Deists, maybe even Zoroastrians--and contemplating the always rehashed question, "We all worship the same God, right?"No, we don't. We have a few options. We can worship the one true God. Or we can worship the God we construct out of our own fallible and fallen imaginations (which is what most people worship, knowingly or not)Lenny Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08907566803627708028noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12626118.post-54299413850965824892006-12-22T16:03:00.000-05:002006-12-22T16:30:07.683-05:00'Twas the Blog Before Christmas'Twas the blog before Christmas, and all through the nation,No eye was left untouched by holiday commercialization.The ads multiplied on the TV without care,Except to sell products and show holiday flare.I could've complained with the rest of the sotsAbout "how will they know--that next generation of tots--Of the 'true meaning of Christmas;' 'the reason for the season;'"And other cliches of Lenny Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08907566803627708028noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12626118.post-8970388866032836952006-12-20T12:34:00.000-05:002006-12-20T12:47:39.923-05:00The Secret Theology of AnglicanismFor decades, the 39 Articles of Religion, the basic statement of Anglican doctrine (you can never convince me Anglicans are NOT confessional!), has been relegated to a little noticed section called Historical Documents in the back of the Book of Common Prayer. Article 35 (XXXV) states, "The Second Book of Homilies, the several titles whereof we have joined under this Article, doth contain a godlyLenny Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08907566803627708028noreply@blogger.com1