The Rev. Terry Fullam, Rector Emeritus of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Darien, Connecticut and internationally known Bible teacher from the 1070′s through the year 2000,  recorded three videos for us in the late 1990′s prior to his retirement and move to Florida. These DVD’s are very solid teaching on the titles,  real sources of encouragement and great discussion starters for teen and adult Christian Ed classes.

FAITH FOUNDED ON SCRIPTURE explores the historic place of Scripture and the high authority the founders of Anglicanism placed on it. From Cranmer to today. What precepts was Anglicanism founded upon? 34 minutes DVD or VHS $10.00

INTO HIS COURTS WITH PRAISE will brighten any day. This is Terry Fullam’s ebullient teaching on worship and praise. Especially good for worship leaders and praise teams; and shut ins. 34 minutes DVD or VHS $10.00

AMBASSADORS FOR CHRIST demystifies the “E” word: Evangelism. Terry teaches that we are not wearing a great big “E” on our chests but instead are Ambassadors for the Lord we have come to know, love and trust.  This is a simple primer with background information on the basics of the Gospels.  It helps individuals learn to talk about their faith in a conversational way that is effective.  Good for teens and adults. 40 minutes DVD or VHS $10.00

The Authority of Scripture  by the Rev. Dr. Peter C. Moore
$10.00

The Rev. Dr. Peter C. Moore, is the Associate for Transformational Discipleship at St. Michael’s Church, Charleston, South Carolina. He recorded this video for us in the late 1990′s while still President and Dean, Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry, Ambridge, PA.

Most of us live in revisionist dioceses and increasingly a culture where the Bible is treated as an archaic document that needs a major revision. Arguments include language usage changes, including referring to God as “mother”, that render the Bible as “untrustworthy in application to today’s living.” This video approaches that intellectual bias and refutes it. For adults and teens. 22 minutes DVD or VHS $10.00

This is the book of reference for all scriptural passages on marriage by the Rev. Dr. Stephen Noll.  Dr. Noll wrote this book for us in 1997 when he as the Professor of Biblical Studies and Academic Dean at Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry, Ambridge, PA.  in 1999 He became the Vice-Chancellor, then Chancellor of Uganda Christian University, Mukono, Uganda.  Dr. Noll retired in 2010 and splits his time between Pittsburgh and Mukono.

The Episcopal Church has been discussing gay marriage since the 1997 General Convention.  This discussion has necessitated an authoritative work on scriptural references to marriage and why the Church must not approve gay marriage.    This book is that authoritative work.   While complex biblical and scientific issues are reduced to sound bites and demand for a national  gay marriage ceremony has increased, the essentials of scripture still require citation.

This large format book is 120 pages with Biblical indexes and references at the end of the book.    It is the perfect resource for bishops, clergy, academics and  libraries.  The price is $15.00 per copy.  No quantity sales and no discounts available on this title.

Excerpt is from Chapter 2: Thinking Biblically about Marriage, p. 33-35

REVISING BIBLICAL AUTHORITY

How is it possible, given the Anglican formularies and the plain meaning of the texts which speak of marriage and homosexuality, that the issues surrounding homosexuality should be so controverted?  The reason has to do with another approach to authority that can be labeled as “revisionist”.  Revisionists begin from the assumption that Bible has since the eighteenth century been dethroned as a document of propositional authority.  They see Scripture as a “mass of strange delights which we may wish and take” or even refuse if we so choose.  The Bible, they contend, contains religious insights and metaphors, some good and some bad, strung together in a story of “narrative.”  The core authority of this story lies in its testimony to human liberation and the evolution of religious consciousness modeled on the purported radical spirituality of Jesus.  Given the vast diversity of historical contexts and theological viewpoints found in the Bible, the idea of “proving” doctrine or establishing moral norms directly from specific texts of Scripture is considered at best naive and at worst, fundamentalistic….

ABSTRACTING FORM FROM CONTENT

From the earliest times, the Church has had to resist those who held the form of religion while denying the binding power of its content (cf. 2 Timothy 3:1-5).  Contemporary revisionists who “support” their view of homosexuality from the Bible tend to divorce general forms from the specific content of biblical teaching.  William Countryman, for instance, is his oft-cited book Dirt, Greed and Sex, consistently distinguishes abstractions like purity, property or inclusivism from their embodiment in specific teaching, even applying them against the plain sense of the text.   Countryman’s logic works like this:

• The content of moral norms as a part of biblical purity codes and of marriage norms as a part of family property codes, is irrelevant to modern Christians…
• Purity now has nothing to do with avoidance of specific practices…  Purity now has to do with an attitude toward sex as a “blessing of creation” received as part of the kingdom of God…
• Property,  now separated from a specific social order, is defined as ownership of oneself or one’s body.   …While Countryman admits that “marriage creates a union of flesh, normally indissoluble except by death,” but in the same breath he commends pre-and post-marital sex , cohabitation, no-fault divorce, adultery, and prostitution.  Marriage is only one of several possible fleshly unions which the individual may endow.

Booklet is 24 pages

Cost is $1.00 per copy with quantity discounts  at $.75 per copy available.

This excerpt is from the 8th section on the parochial nature of the Episcopal Church.

8. El Anglicanismo es parroquial

En la Reforma, todos quienes vivían en Inglaterra pertenecían a una iglesia de la parroquia. Si uno vivía dentro de las fronteras de una Parroquia, una vez que fuera bautizado, era un miembro. A diferencia de las congregaciones Puritanas posteriores, la iglesia de parroquia no aplicó una prueba de medición ideológica*, salvo el  bautismo para la membresía. La parroquia no era un lugar donde sólo se reunían personas del mismo sentir.

Este ideal de una Iglesia que comprendió una gran variedad de personalidades, no fue un compromiso en el sentido moderno de la palabra. La nación se compuso de ciudades, pueblos y aldeas y la unidad geográfica más pequeña, la parroquia, llegó a ser el fundamento de la Inglaterra Cristiana. Pero las parroquias se diferenciaron como varias personalidades se diferencian entre sí. Por lo tanto la Iglesia entera dio amplitud*. A diferencia de la Reforma del Continente, la Reforma Inglesa nació en las universidades y fue mantenida viva por profesores y estudiosos obispos. Ellos fueron la generación nueva de sabios y obispos para quienes un ensanchamiento en una variedad de conocimientos, ahora les estaba disponible a través de libros ya impresos. Los obispos creyeron que si la gente fuese educada por medio de la recitación de memoria de oraciones comunes, y leyendo las Escrituras en una manera que conectara las estaciones del Año Cristiano a la historia de la vida de Jesús, y el amor y fidelidad  de Dios, ellos crecerían en la fe y serían buenos vasallos de la Corona.

Hasta hoy en día, el anglicanismo mantiene el hecho que tiene una misión evangélica a todas las personas, no importando su ideología, raza, etnia, sexo, ni aún su estado en la vida. El edificio de la iglesia santifica el lugar como las campanadas santifican el tiempo. La parroquia está formada correctamente por todos los que son bautizados y desean ser formados* a la Fe cristiana.

Cada domingo los anglicanos se encuentran a ellos mismos sentados en sus bancas junto a otras personas, cuyos modos de ver la vida y formas de ser, puede diferenciarse del suyo propio. ¡Si la fragilidad humana a usted lo sacude, la parroquia es un lugar que debería evitar! En otras palabras, los anglicanos creen que la Iglesia es el lugar de reunión para los pecadores, no es un palacio para santos.

La parroquia permanece como una ilustración poderosa de la Cristiandad del Nuevo Testamento. Domingo a domingo nos reunimos. Escuchamos la Biblia que se nos lee. Escuchamos los sermones bíblicos*. Oímos la descripción de nuestros pecados habituales dominantes* y nuestras debilidades. Si escuchamos con gracia, podemos aprender acerca de nosotros mismos. Arrodillados al lado de nosotros hay otros seres humanos que también se sienten movidos a esta parroquia. Ellos también luchan con el proceso del diario vivir. Podemos quererlos o tener rechazo hacia ellos, aplaudirlos o evitarlos. Tenemos diferencias, más compartimos la necesidad común de arrepentirse y recibir de la Gracia de Dios.

Todavía, en cada Eucaristía llega el momento cuando, lado a lado, a través del Pan y Vino, el Señor vivo nos toca por un momento y nos permite pisar los tribunales del Cielo con ‘los ángeles, los arcángeles y toda la compañía del cielo’. Como San Pablo lo dice, la culpa que sentimos cuando la Palabra expone nuestros pecados y la falta de entendimiento, es el maestro que nos trae a Cristo. El nos llena tanto con la Palabra como con el Sacramento.

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This 24 page booklet is a great overview of Anglicanism. Written by the Rev. Mark Clavier of the Anglican Province of America, with comments by the Rev. Dr. Peter C. Moore of the Episcopal Church and the Rt. Rev. Dr. Ray Sutton of the Reformed Episcopal Church.  The history and modern day attributes of Anglicanism and its universal appeal through the Communion, is carefully noted and explained.  The book is apolitical.

This booklet is great for tract racks and new member classes.  It is written in an appropriate style for Confirmation classes, to get them talking and thinking about the Communion they are preparing to join.  It is a good reference for teens and adults alike. This easy to read booklet is a great discussion starter.  Even reluctant readers find it to be an interesting read.

Many have commented that the glossary at the end of the book is  a jewel in itself.  Taking the words in context through the 18 pages of description, the glossary defines and explains Anglican terms and customs.

Cost is $1.75 per copy with quantity discounts  at $1.50 per copy available for orders of 20+ copies.

The excerpt below is Chapter 1.  Each * indicates a phrase that is explained in the glossary.

1. Anglicanism is Historical

The roots of Anglicanism* come from the height of the Roman Empire.  At that time, the Church was united under Patriarchs* and Bishops* who were in direct succession to the original twelve Apostles*.  As early as the fourth century, there are records of bishops in the remote corner of the Empire called Britannia* and, sometime during the third century, St. Alban became the first known British martyr.

When the Germanic tribes overran the Roman Empire, the Romans abandoned Britannia and largely forgot the Christians there.  But the Celtic Christians* in Wales, Ireland, and Cornwall continued to flourish and develop their own distinctive customs.  Soon, they emerged to convert the Scots and the Germanic tribes that had invaded England.  Ss. Aiden, Cuthbert, and Hilda – and others – left behind a vibrant, English Church.

In 597 AD, St. Augustine was sent to England to restore contact between the British Church and the Church of Rome.  He established his See* at Canterbury and became the first Archbishop of Canterbury*.  In time, he not only converted the Anglo-Saxons* of southern England but also brought the Celtic Christians under the authority of the Pope.  Under the Anglo-Saxons, the English Church produced artistic marvels, moving religious poetry, and The Ecclesiastical History of St. Bede.  Also, remaining true to its Celtic roots, the English Church retained a distinct character.

Then in 1066, the French/Norman king William the Conqueror defeated the Anglo-Saxons at Hastings and took the English crown for himself.   He replaced the Anglo-Saxon clergy and bishops with those from his own country, Normandy*, and changed the Church of England, bringing it more into the fashion of the rest of the Roman Catholic Church.

The first great theologian of this Anglo-Norman Church was St. Anselm, then Archbishop of Canterbury.  A later successor of his, Thomas Becket, was murdered at the foot of the altar for refusing to submit the Church to the Crown*.

During the Middle Ages  (400’s – 1400’s A.D.), the Church of England spread into every aspect of daily life.  Thousands of priests* ministered to the needs of peasants, merchants, and nobles alike while monks and nuns dedicated their lives to God and hand-copied the Bible and other ancient Christian documents.  Beautiful cathedrals were built in Lincoln, Salisbury, and York Minster.  Monks, who valued knowledge and learning, founded the now-famous universities at Oxford and Cambridge.

Despite all this, the medieval English Church gradually grew corrupt, and many began to press for reform. Protests came from scholarly priests like John Wyclif, at Oxford in the fourteenth century.  In the sixteenth century, King Henry VIII challenged the authority of the Papacy within Britain.  A formal break with Rome came when the Houses of Parliament passed the Act of Supremacy declaring Henry VIII to be the “supreme governor” of the Church of England.  For the first time since the sixth century, the Church of England was not under the authority of the Pope.

After a brief return to Rome under Queen Mary from 1553-1558, the Church of England continued the long process of reformation*. Using Scripture and the teachings of the Early Church Fathers* as guides, the English Church retained bishops, sacraments*, ceremony* and vestments*, while dispensing with indulgences*, enforced celibacy of clergy*, and services read in Latin*.  The Authorized Version of the Bible and The Book of Common Prayer, written in English,  made Scripture and worship comprehensible to all people.

Not coincidentally, the refreshing reforms of the Church of England occurred at precisely the time of expansion into the new world. The settlers who founded Jamestown, Virginia were members of the Church of England.  Later, Church of England parishes* were founded throughout the Thirteen Colonies, especially in Virginia, Maryland, and New York.  When the colonies gained independence after the Revolutionary War, those churches came together to form the Protestant Episcopal Church of the United States of America.  They chose the title “Protestant” as opposed to “Roman Catholic.” The anti-British sentiment was so high after the Revolutionary war that, they chose to replace the name “Anglican” with “Episcopal, ” which means governed by bishops. The Puritans*, who also established many churches in the colonies, were “congregational” which means the churches were run by members of the local congregation, not a central governing body.

Bishops in Great Britain consecrated* the first Episcopal bishops.  The Episcopal Church flourished for over a hundred and fifty years. Godly Missionary Bishops spread the Gospel all across America, establishing new dioceses and influencing generations of future leaders. For example, many of our nation’s presidents—such as George Washington, James Madison, and Franklin Roosevelt—were Episcopalians.

Sadly, starting in the 1950s, the Episcopal Church, like many other mainline churches, became increasingly involved in social and cultural agendas*.  The church began its recent history of splintering.*  As Anglicans, our faith remains in solidarity with the Celtic and Anglo-Saxon Christians, the saints of the Middle Ages, the first Anglican Reformers, and all traditional Anglicans and Episcopalians throughout the world, grounded in the traditional formularies*, Constitution and Canon Laws*.

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This book has limited availability.  Please call the office to order at 1-800-553-3645.

Steadfast Faith was written by the Rev. Todd H. Wetzel, Executive Director of Episcopalians United/Anglicans United in 1997.  The 1997 General Convention, elected Frank Griswold as Presiding Bishop – the second revisionist Presiding Bishop –  indicating that the Episcopal Church was on a new trend that would affect our future.  This book was published following that Convention.

The 23 chapters cover such topics as “A Rich Inheritance” of the Christian Church throughout the ages, to “A Time for Candor,” a willingness to speak frankly about the situation in the Episcopal Church.  “Divorce is not the Answer” follows “A House Divided” and “Understanding Christian Marriage.”

The book costs $12.00 per copy and is limited in its availability.  There are no quantity discounts on this title.

Sadly, much of that said about the Episcopal Church in this book has proven to be prophetic.

A slippery slope?  Yes.  Standing firm on this slippery slope has been the goal of orthodox seminaries, clergy and parishes since 1997.

This excerpt is from Chapter 7:  In the Dark,  pg. 47-48

ROUGHLY HALF THE POPULATION OF THE U.S. IS NOW UNCHURCHED

Fifty years ago, everybody had at least a vague notion of what church was about.  Most people were nominally Christian and part of a Christian culture.  Today that is no longer true.

Of course, if half of our population does not participate in a local church, that means the other half does.  Even among the half of our population which does not (about 125 million people), one-third of them are still able to identify a church home if pressed for the information: “Yeah, I go to Parker Road Methodist Church.”  But this is really a statement of the church they don’t go toregularly, the one where they show up once or twice a year, perhaps Christmas and Easter, or possibly for an occasional baptism, wedding or funeral.

Another one-third of our unchurched population can’t identify a specific church, but can name their denominational affiliation or at least declare whether they are Protestant or Roman Catholic.  But ask them what it means to be a Protestant or Catholic and they have no idea.  They only know that some time ago their parents attended a Protestant church, or their grandparents were Roman Catholic.

The final one-third of our unchurched, roughly 41 million, have no sense of what church is about at all.  They don’t really know what people are talking about they they mention “the church.”  They represent a wide-open field for evangelism.

What do these statement mean in terms of church life?  Through the 1950′s, church grew pretty much on their own, and very little evangelism needed to take place.  Families were at least nominally Christian and we didn’t have to spend much time explaining what it meant to be Christian, except in Sunday School and confirmation or adult ed. classes.

Today, society is ignorant of what we’re talking about when we mention the mission of Jesus.  When we declare that Jesus died on a cross for sins or died in order to give life abundantly, the culture stares blankly and says, “Huh?”  That means today’s churches have really become missionary bases, sending members out to their communities to do basic evangelism.  Both clergy and laity alike must begin to see themselves as missionaries in a culture alien to Christianity.   In today’s culture, the church which is not involved in that mission is a dying church.

Most Episcopalians are in what could be loosely categorized as progressive-liberal churches, and they believe that their congregations are typical/normative.  The facts confirm that the very things many members in our churches have been taught to debunk and devalue, are the very things which plant and grow healthy churches both at home and in other parts of the world.

In the broader context of 20th century international Christianity, there is a wonderful story of faith to be told.  The Anglican Church and the Christian Church are each growing at an unprecedented rate.  Africa is founding churches every week, and new dioceses every month.  In Asia, the Church is growing on a massive basis.  (Along with this growth comes persecution.  There have been more martyrs for Christ in the 20th century than in all previous centuries put together.)  Fundamentalism – defined as an affirmation of the fundamentals of faith – is growing.  AND where the fundamentals are affirmed, the Church grows.

• Perhaps you are not sure of the Christian faith and want to examine the core of Christian doctrine
• Perhaps you have been “in church” all of your life but want a brief refresher course on the “Basics”
• Perhaps you’ve realized that there are gaps in your Christian education and you want to fill them
• Perhaps you have experienced a spiritual “high” and time of renewal or new relationship with the Lord and want to be grounded in solid Biblical teaching and practice

This book is for you. 85 pages of simple reading, the  chapters have discussion questions at the end. Used for Confirmation classes, home fellowships, new member classes and as an adjunct title for Alpha classes. Also good for tract racks.   Priced at $8.00 a copy, quantity discounts available for 20+ copies of the same title. Send me an email for more details on quantity pricing.

This excerpt is from Chapter 1:  What is the Gospel?  pages 2-4

…But something went wrong.  We certainly do not have this carefree existence – this freedom from sickness, pain, strife, and death, or perfect fellowship with God.  What went wrong?

2.  We sinned, choosing our own ways instead of what God commanded.

What is sin? Sin is the seeking of our own will instead of the will of God, thus distorting our relationship with God, with         other  people, and with all creation. How does sin have power over us? Sin has power over us because we lose our liberty when our relationship with God is distorted. As we seek to “play God,” we lost fellowship with God and one another.

Our sin is what traditional theologians call “original,” both because it comes from the beginning of the human race and because every human being is flawed by it as a spiritual inheritance.  Our sin is also “actual,” because we add our own sins to the sinful state we have inherited.  The Bible tells us that this describes each person: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

No one is exempt from the category of “sinner.”

The consequences of our sin are manifold:

1.  Sin dishonors God.  When I was little my father told me that my misbehaving to public might bring disrepute on our family’s good name.  Similarly, our sin dishonors God before the world.  We hold God up to mockery if people know we are Christians and see us behaving in ways contrary to our faith.

2.    Sin harms others.  Clearly many of the sins committed in purlic harm others – but what about the activity of consenting adults? Adults are not immune to harm just because they consent to an activity.  When we participate in behavior contrary to God’s will, we enable other people to commit sin.  We also render ourselves less able to fulfil Christian responsibilities to others.

3.  Sin harms us.  Eventually, the soul that persists in sinning drifts away from God.  The soul becomes less a reflection of God and more a reflection of something God does not mean the soul to be.  The divine image grows faint…

The Good News of the Gospel is not that you are a sinner.  The Good news is that God has already done something about it. 

Redemption is possible, not through who we are or what we have done, but through what Christ ha done for us.

The remainder of the chapter talks about God’s plan for the redemption of the world through Jesus Christ, revealing the plan from Cain and Abel to Golgotha.  Sin will not have the final say in our lives.  God will.

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Using the Apostle’s Creed from the Baptismal Service in the Book of Common Prayer as the skeleton, this book is a defense and interpretation of traditional Christian beliefs in the light of very contemporary challenges.  These challenges face those in the pews as well as those in the pulpit.

It is designed to help people understand and articulate their faith.  Taught as part of a teen or adult ed class, this book moved individuals from the silence of uncertainty in response to questions about their faith, to an informed and willing witness to the faith that lies within them.   I think I know what I believe.  With assistance, I can learn to tell others about “the faith that lies within.”

This book is used at St. Michael’s as a second level or follow-up to Alpha classes, “Beta” classes.  It is foundational on Christian formation and discipleship. Its purpose is to

• Clear up the confusing rhetoric heard today
• Give powerful new understanding and clarity to our lives
• Empower us for transforming changes in the lives of others by sharing the timeless essentials of Christianity

One Lord, One Faith is 147 pages, with 11 chapters.  It is an easy reading level for both teens and adults.  Each chapter ends with discussion questions.  An extensive Bibliography and footnotes is located at the end of the book.

This book is on an inventory reduction sale and is priced at S8.00 per copy, with no quantity discounts.  This is the book that Peter Moore’s DVD series “One Step Further” is based on. It is completely compatible for use with that series.  Email me to order or  for more information.

This excerpt is from Chapter 11: Finger in the Sand, pg. 127-128

HOLY INCLUSIVENESS

The special unity that the Cross brings is demonstrated principally by the Lord’s table at Holy Communion.  Here is inclusiveness in spite of sin, rather than inclusiveness ignorant of sin.  In my former church in Toronto this is vividly symbolized by an oval communion rail that completely surrounds the Holy Table.  People kneel together around the signs of Christ’s body and blood to receive in community the bread and wine.  All remain until all receive.

All Christians recognize the table of the Lord as the place symbolizing unity.  It is not by saying a creed, singing hymns, or by joining with one another in projects and programs that unity is demonstrated.  At the foot of the Cross, eating the Lord’s body and drinking His by faith, in the forms of the bread and wine, we are bound together.  This is why excommunication, separation from the very sphere where forgiveness is made tangible, is such a drastic act and so rarely used.  This is also why, when individuals refuse to join with the body in Holy Communion for whatever reason, they excommunicate themselves.  We are only members of that body with which we are prepared to go to the Lord’s table.  The ancient tradition of “passing the Peace” means more than merely saying “hello” to the next person in the pew.  Passing the peace symbolized our readiness to be reconciled with our brother and sister, to forgive and be forgiven.

FINGER IN THE SAND

In the well-known story of Jesus and the woman taken in adultery, much speculation is centered on what Jesus wrote in the sand.  As John tells it, a married woman, caught ‘in flagrante delicto’, dragged from her lover’s bed and thrown like a heap of garbage at the feet of Jesus, is justly condemned by the leaders of the church.  According to the Law of Moses she should have been stoned.  However, the Scribes and Pharisees had no intention of seeing that happen.  For one thing, they could not exercise the power of capital punishment.  That rested with Rome.  Their goal was for Jesus to incriminate himself by openly declaring that he disagreed with the Law of Moses.  They were quite aware than if Jesus sided with Moses and approved her execution, he would ruin his reputation for compassion among the people.  Alternatively, if he argued for leniency he would appear to be lax regarding the Law.  Thrusting this situation on Jesus suddenly and publicly, they hoped in one way or another to discredit his ministry.

They said to Jesus, “Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned.  But what do you say?”

Jesus chose to ignore their question.  Bending down, he began to write with his finger in the sand.  But just what did he write?…  Many modern commentators though have followed Calvin, who said that Jesus wasn’t writing anything in particular, “but was only doodling….”

So then, as Jesus pondered his answer, he invited the one who was without sin to cast the first stone.  The Pharisees were skewered. They all fell silent.  Which could claim total purity in thought and deed? One by one, from the eldest to the youngest, they left.  At this point the story reads: “Jesus was left alone with the woman standing in the midst….  Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more” (John 8:9-11).

The cover photo for this book is Canterbury Cathedral, Canterbury, England, taken by Cheryl M. Wetzel at the 2008 Lambeth Conference in Canterbury.

The Second Edition is lightly revised and describes terms that have unnecessarily divided our church.   Six characteristics of Anglicanism present an exciting examination of the comprehensiveness of our faith, which may be the key to our future unity.

As Episcopalians who are part of the Anglican Communion, we are

• EVANGELICAL in experience

• CATHOLIC in spirit

• REFORMED in doctrine

• CHARISMATIC in ministry

• LIBERAL in ethos

• GLOBAL in scope

A varied selection of historic figures flesh out each characteristic, revealing a clear picture of the diversity of our tradition.  This is not done to diminish our differences but to point to the richness of our inheritance.  This comprehensiveness broadens the understanding.

An excellent resource for Alpha, newcomer classes and both teen and adult confirmation classes.  It presents practical encouragement in today’s challenging environment.

$12.00 per copy.   120 pages with discussion questions at the end of each chapter.  Extensive bibliography.  Quantity discounts available for bookstore and 20+ copies of the same title.  Send me an email for more details.

The following excerpt is from Chapter 2: CATHOLIC,  pg. 54-56

A MIDDLE WAY

…”Because it was historically the via media between Roman Catholicism and the radical Protestants, the Anglican church has sought to read Scripture with a careful, balanced, non-dogmatic mind.  This is also part of that catholicity of viewpoint which has sought to approach the text for what it says rather than for what we hope it says.  To see how this works, consider the folowing passage and join me in attempting to look at it with catholic, a opposed to Roman Catholic or militantly Protestant, eyes:

Is any among you suffering?  Let him pray.  Is any cheerful? Let him sing praise.

Is any among you sick?  Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him,

anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sick man,

and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.  Therefore confess your sins

to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.  The prayer of a

righteousness man has great power on it effects.  Elijah was a man of like nature

with ourselves and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for

three years and six months it did not rain on the earth.  Then he prayed again the the heaven

gave rain, and the earth brought forth its increase. (James 5:13-18)

  Someone in the early church was seriously sick.  The elders are called.  But who are these elders?  The Roman Catholic Church’s official translation of the Bible in English, the Douay version, says that the people called are priests.  However, nowhere is the Greek word for a sacrificing priest to be found in the text, or for that matter anywhere in the New Testament, as a reference to Christian ministers….

But, how might a catholic (with a small “c”) read this passage?  One would begin by singling out the fact that the church as a whole is asked to have a role in the healing of the sick.  Within the church, a group is seen to have the spiritual authority and the gifts to help the sick by visiting them and praying for them.  One might lay stress on the fact that those called are not office holders as much as ordinary people of faith, who, like Elijah, lived righteous lives and whose prayers were earnest….

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