Earth & Altar

Lenten Devotional from APA Clergy

What the Bell?! That's right, even bells have meaning...

Theology of Bells By Fr. Corey French I spent the past couple of weeks in Wisconsin continuing my education at Nashotah House Theological Seminary. There are many reasons why I love to be up there—the natural beauty, the intellectual and spiritual community, the liturgical richness of the worship. The beautiful cha...

The way that we understand the relationship between Christian faith and work life and consumer culture is deeply unsettled. Can the sacred and the secular be brought back together? Should they be? Listen to this four-part series by Dr. Kyle Williams on Catholic social teaching.

What Is Capitalism Good For? By Dr. Kyle Williams The way that we understand the relationship between Christian faith and work life and consumer culture is deeply unsettled. Can the sacred and the secular be brought back together? Should they be? Given at All Saints Anglican Church in Charlottesville, Virginia, this series of t...

Fr. Grant Brodrecht on the Ascension, tragedy, and hope:

https://www.earthaltar.org/post/the-end-of-all-things-is-at-hand

Do you think the Missal and Prayer Book are gnostic?

(spoiler alert: no)

https://www.earthaltar.org/post/is-the-missal-and-prayer-book-gnostic

Are the Missal and Prayer Book Gnostic? By Fr. Glenn Spencer Editor’s Note: the following is adapted from a dialogue among clergy related to Bishop Chad Jones’s address on the theology and practice of the Missal. You may find Bishop Chad’s address here. In his address on the practice and theology of the Missal, Bishop Chad Jones cla...

https://www.earthaltar.org/post/earth-altar-resources-for-advent

Earth & Altar Resources for Advent By Fr. Sean McDermott The new Church year has come upon us again, thank God. This week is known as Sunday Next before Advent, the week that the Church has given us to prepare for the season of preparation. In the spirit of preparation, then, here is a whole host of resources for Advent from Earth &....

Mary Willis Fife reviews a wonderful book for Anglican families: https://www.earthaltar.org/post/the-christian-year-in-story-the-church-s-year-by-charles-alexander

The Christian Year in Story: "The Church's Year" by Charles Alexander By Mary Willis Fife I have often said since becoming Anglican that sanctification seems to me to be much more like erosion and much less like lightning. As the river runs steadily across rocks, wearing them down, so do Daily Prayer and the Mass and the Sacraments run over me, slowly rounding the rou...

Happy feast of St. Michael and All Angels! Read more about why you need to study angels from Fr. Sean McDermott:

"In brief, knowledge of angelology brings greater depth to our core Christian prayers and statements of faith, and this greater knowledge enhances our participation in God’s love, which is our final end. Of course, this could be said about knowledge of anything, but angelology in particular affords unique insights about ourselves and our place within God’s creation."
https://www.earthaltar.org/post/why-we-need-to-study-angelology

Why we need to study angelology By Fr. Sean McDermott O EVERLASTING God, who hast ordained and constituted the services of Angels and men in a wonderful order; Mercifully grant that, as thy holy Angels always do thee service in heaven, so, by thy appointment, they may succour and defend us on earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord.....

Fr. Mark Perkins' series on ordination of women--part III.

"We cannot avoid the obvious. Either we serve a God who wished to include women in the priesthood but was extraordinarily dense in communicating that to us, or God did not intend for women to exercise priestly office."
https://www.earthaltar.org/post/jesus-christ-the-apostles-and-ordination

Jesus Christ, The Apostles, and Ordination Ordination and Embodiment, Part 3 By Fr. Mark Perkins Editor’s Note: In this four-part series, Fr. Mark Perkins evaluates the debate around women’s ordination in conversation with William G. Witt’s Icons of Christ: A Biblical and Systematic Theology for Women’s Ordination (Baylor UP, 2020). ...

Fr. Mark Perkins' series on ordination of women--part II.

"According to egalitarians, the meaning of a critical strand of biblical theology is knowable neither by Tyndale’s ploughboy nor by the traditions of the Church. It is known only to a handful of scholarly experts of the last half century."

https://www.earthaltar.org/post/ordination-and-embodiment-part-2

Ordination and Embodiment: Part 2 By Fr. Mark Perkins Editor’s Note: In this four-part series, Fr. Mark Perkins evaluates the debate around women’s ordination in conversation with William G. Witt’s Icons of Christ: A Biblical and Systematic Theology for Women’s Ordination (Baylor UP, 2020). Unless otherwise specified, parent...

Fr. Mark Perkins' series on ordination of women--Part I.

"The question is not whether Witt actually opposes same-sex marriage (he does), but whether he can coherently do so — and whether we can expect that those who come to share his views will generally do so themselves."

https://www.earthaltar.org/post/ordination-and-embodiment

Ordination and Embodiment By Fr. Mark Perkins Editor’s Note: In this four-part series, Fr. Mark Perkins evaluates the debate around women’s ordination in conversation with William G. Witt’s Icons of Christ: A Biblical and Systematic Theology for Women’s Ordination (Baylor UP, 2020). Unless otherwise specified, parent...

Fr. Kevin Fife has put together a wonderful guide to Confession. Read and download for free here:
https://www.earthaltar.org/post/making-your-confession-a-guide

Making Your Confession: A Guide By Fr. Kevin Fife Editor's Note: Fr. Kevin Fife has designed and published a short and helpful guide to Confession. You may download the guide here. The following is a description of the guide. Earth & Altar has more resources for Confession here. "...came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unt...

The entire Saint Dunstan Psalter has now been recorded and is online! Read more and listen!
https://www.earthaltar.org/post/entire-st-dunstan-psalter-recorded

Entire St. Dunstan Psalter Recorded! By Fr. Sean McDermott One of my favorite resources from the past couple of years has been the St. Dunstan Psalter, published by Lancelot Andrewes Press. As Ken Myers writes over at Cantica Sacra: The St. Dunstan’s Plainsong Psalter includes all elements necessary for the recitation of the Daily Of...

Having trouble remembering what Gesimatide is? Read this and get ready!

"Due to the busyness of these months, it’s easy to welcome this respite and let Gesimatide slip by without appreciation. Yet the season — first mentioned in a homily by St. Gregory the Great in the late 600s — is rich with meaning and purpose. So what does Gesimatide mean to Anglicans?"

https://www.earthaltar.org/post/get-ready-for-gesimatide

Get Ready For Gesimatide By Fr. Sean McDermott Last year, Julie McDermott wrote a helpful piece on Gesimatide: "Due to the busyness of these months, it’s easy to welcome this respite and let Gesimatide slip by without appreciation. Yet the season — first mentioned in a homily by St. Gregory the Great in the late 600s .....

What can we learn from St. Thomas Aquinas as the Master Teacher?

"What is less known is that Thomas was a masterful teacher — and how. In fact, his genius lies as much in his incredible ability to teach than in what he actually wrote."

https://www.earthaltar.org/post/what-we-can-learn-from-thomas-aquinas-as-the-master-teacher

What We Can Learn From Thomas Aquinas As The Master Teacher By Fr. Sean McDermott We all know that St. Thomas Aquinas was a great, perhaps the greatest, theologian of the Western Church. What is less known is that Thomas was a masterful teacher — and how. In fact, his genius lies as much in his incredible ability to teach than in what he actually wrote. Th...

Have a hard time invoking the saints? Well, Fr. Wesley Walker and Thomas Aquinas will help you work through your issues...

"In debates about invocation, two objections are commonly leveraged against the practice. The first objection revolves around the issue of mediation. Dissenters argue that the practice impinges upon Christ's role as the sole mediator between humanity and God. The other objection pertains to the knowledge saints have in heaven; because those Christians who have died are not omniscient or omnipresent, they cannot know everything or hear the prayers of the Church Militant. These objections are not new nor have they gone unanswered. In fact, Thomas Aquinas provides us the necessary means to answer the question pertaining to the question of saintly knowledge in a way that sharpens our understanding of Christ's mediatorial work."
https://www.earthaltar.org/post/invoke-your-saints-using-aquinas-to-understand-mediation-and-epistemology

Invoke Your Saints: Using Aquinas to Understand Mediation and Epistemology By Fr. Wesley Walker At Earth & Altar, we've spent a significant amount of time arguing for the devotional practice of Invocation of the Saints.This is not merely because it is a practice we enjoy, but rather because it is a practice undergirded by important ecclesiological presuppositions. In debat...

Blessed Epiphany! Read a beautiful devotion: https://www.earthaltar.org/post/epiphany-meditation

Dr. Paul Owen responds to Anglican Compass article: "So what is really at stake here is the question of whether or not the sacraments are ordained by Christ to confer the grace that is proclaimed in the Word of God. Hence, the debate strikes at the very heart of the Church’s spiritual life in Christ. In other words, is baptism really a sacrament, or is it only an ordinance?"

https://www.earthaltar.org/post/should-anglicans-allow-space-for-dual-practice-baptism-a-response-to-andrew-messmer

Should Anglicans Allow Space for Dual-Practice Baptism? A Response to Andrew Messmer By Dr. Paul Owen In the spirit of dialogue, Anglican Compass has published a thoughtful argument by Andrew Messmer (December 17, 2020) in favor of the acceptance of what some call “dual-practice” baptism—the tolerance of both infant baptism and believers-only baptism within a given ecclesiasti...

It is the final day of the O Antiphons! The antiphon for December 23 is O Emmanuel. Listen to a devotion by Fr. Creighton McElveen and more over at our "O Antiphon Project."

https://www.earthaltar.org/o-antiphons

O Antiphons | Earth & Altar The "O Antiphons"  provide a wonderful source of meditation to help prepare us for the Nativity. Traditionally chanted before and after the Magnificat in Evening Prayer during the last week of Advent, they help connect Old Testament prophecy to the Messiah born in a manger. Listen first to this won...

The antiphon for December 21 is O Oriens. Listen to a devotion by Fr. Kevin Fife and more over at our "O Antiphon Project."

https://www.earthaltar.org/o-antiphons

O Antiphons | Earth & Altar The "O Antiphons"  provide a wonderful source of meditation to help prepare us for the Nativity. Traditionally chanted before and after the Magnificat in Evening Prayer during the last week of Advent, they help connect Old Testament prophecy to the Messiah born in a manger. Listen first to this won...

Fr. Mark wraps up his series on Nicea II: "Accepting Nicea II does require letting go of the Homily on Idolatry, but the exchange is unbalanced: you give up a shabby residuum of 16th-c English history & receive the Catholic & Apostolic faith of the undivided Church in the Anglican tradition."

https://www.earthaltar.org/post/enfolded-within-some-great-living-being-whose-tracks-we-see-everywhere

“Enfolded Within Some Great Living Being, Whose Tracks We See Everywhere” Part 6 of Nicea II and You: Conciliar Authority and Iconographic Devotion By Fr. Mark Perkins Editor’s Note: This piece concludes Fr. Mark Perkins’ no-longer-interminable series responding to Fr. Ben Jefferies’ essay “All That Is Not True About Nicea II,” which was in turn part of our ongo...

The antiphon for December 20 is O Clavis David. Listen to a devotion by Fr. Mark Perkins and more over at our "O Antiphon Project."
https://www.earthaltar.org/o-antiphons

O Antiphons | Earth & Altar The "O Antiphons"  provide a wonderful source of meditation to help prepare us for the Nativity. Traditionally chanted before and after the Magnificat in Evening Prayer during the last week of Advent, they help connect Old Testament prophecy to the Messiah born in a manger. Listen first to this won...

The antiphon for December 19 is O Radix Jesse. Listen to a devotion by Fr. Ray Davison and more over at our "O Antiphon Project."
https://www.earthaltar.org/o-antiphons

O Antiphons | Earth & Altar The "O Antiphons"  provide a wonderful source of meditation to help prepare us for the Nativity. Traditionally chanted before and after the Magnificat in Evening Prayer during the last week of Advent, they help connect Old Testament prophecy to the Messiah born in a manger. Listen first to this won...

The antiphon for December 18 is O Adonai. Listen to a devotion by Fr. Myles Hixson and more over at our "O Antiphon Project."

https://www.earthaltar.org/o-antiphons

O Antiphons | Earth & Altar The "O Antiphons"  provide a wonderful source of meditation to help prepare us for the Nativity. Traditionally chanted before and after the Magnificat in Evening Prayer during the last week of Advent, they help connect Old Testament prophecy to the Messiah born in a manger. Listen first to this won...

Our Advent O Antiphon Project is now complete! Devotions, original recordings, poetry and more for each of the seven O Antiphons.

https://www.earthaltar.org/o-antiphons

O Antiphons | Earth & Altar The "O Antiphons"  provide a wonderful source of meditation to help prepare us for the Nativity. Traditionally chanted before and after the Magnificat in Evening Prayer during the last week of Advent, they help connect Old Testament prophecy to the Messiah born in a manger. Listen first to this won...

Fr. Mark Perkins on how the Seventh Ecumenical Council demands Anglicans to use images:

"While there is something a bit incongruous about the post-Reformation Church of England presuming to know the Scriptures better than the voice of the undivided Church in Ecumenical Council, it is nevertheless important to demonstrate not merely the authoritative interpretation and universal application of Nicea II but also its fidelity to the faith delivered once for all — so that we might deepen our confidence in Christ’s Church, and so that Nicea II may exercise in practice the authority over all Anglicans which she already has in reality."

https://www.earthaltar.org/post/what-does-nicea-ii-require-of-you

What Does Nicea II Require of You? Part 5 of Nicea II and You: Conciliar Authority and Iconographic Devotion By Fr. Mark Perkins Editor’s Note: In this series, Fr. Mark Perkins responds to Fr. Ben Jefferies’ essay “All That Is Not True About Nicea II,” his latest salvo in our ongoing discussion of the invocation of the saints...

Fr. Sean McDermott on babies, birding, and Advent attentiveness: "Recently I was asked to give a talk for the school at which I used to teach middle and high school Latin. Due to Covid restrictions, I made a movie for the high school students to watch. The school is a Christian school but has students from all different denominations and some unchurched as well. With that audience in mind, I show how attentiveness is the first step in the act of love by looking at babies and birding. Second, I connect the habit of attentiveness to Advent itself. Enjoy!"

https://www.earthaltar.org/post/babies-birding-and-advent-attentiveness

Babies, Birding, and Advent Attentiveness By Fr. Sean McDermott Recently I was asked to give a talk for the school at which I used to teach middle and high school Latin. Due to Covid restrictions, I made a movie for the high school students to watch. The school is a Christian school but has students from all different denominations and some...

Fr. Paul Rivard reminds us of the great work and example of Athanasius: "He grasped at an early age that the doctrine of the incarnation is worth standing up for, even alone and “against the world” if need be. He saw that our salvation in Christ depends above all upon who it was that grew in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Everything depends upon the paradox of who Jesus Christ is."

https://www.earthaltar.org/post/why-the-incarnation-athanasius-and-the-meaning-within-advent

Why the Incarnation? Athanasius and Advent By Fr. Paul Rivard If St. Athanasius (296-373 AD) is known for one thing above all else, it is that he stood for Christian orthodoxy contra mundum, against the world. When the time came to show resolve, he set his face as a flint against the onslaught of heresy that began to overtake the fourth-cent...

Dr. Paul Owen reviews Pitre's book on the Jewish roots of the Eucharist.

"Through reverent biblical interpretation informed by a masterful blend of rabbinic and patristic tradition, Pitre’s work shows that the Church’s historic understanding of the Eucharist as the supernatural presence of the resurrected Lord is found in the teachings of the historical Jesus, who as the master Teacher drew upon the best Jewish traditions of his day to interpret the meaning of the Hebrew Scriptures—traditions which are still preserved in the Talmud and other rabbinic sources."

https://www.earthaltar.org/post/jesus-and-the-jewish-roots-of-the-eucharist-a-review