This wedding homily was delivered at St. Anne’s Anglican Church in Oceanside, CA on June 26, 2009. Jane and Alex were students of mine in the Torrey Honors Institute at Biola University and I had the privilege of performing, along with Jane’s father, their wedding
Greg is a native Virginian who loves to travel and read. He serves as an ordained Anglican pastor and spends time with his wife Christina and sons Brendan and Nathanael. Read more about Greg here.
Posts
Essay / Misc.
Faculty Wise Words
I wrote the following last month for Biola University’s weekly newspaper The Chimes. Perhaps it has something to say to readers of Scriptorium as well: Anyone who knows me knows that I like monks. Actually, I really like monks. I know a few monks (and
Essay / Misc.
Words, Words, Words: A Homily for Katherine and Peter van Elswyk
I write this while sitting in the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport, waiting for my flight back to Los Angeles after officiating at the wedding of and celebrating with Kat and Peter van Elswyk. What a great day, graced by an unseasonably early dusting of Minnesota snow.
Essay / Theology
Year of the Priest or (for Evangelicals) Year of the Pastor
I’m no Roman Catholic but I can certainly appreciate many of the things that come out of the Vatican. So much so, in fact, that I subscribe to the daily e-mail update from the Vatican Information Service. Nothing like knowing what Benedict XVI is up
Essay / Culture
Wanted: Humility
Well, another school year is starting here at the Torrey Honors Institute, which means there are about 375 students roaming the halls again. It’s good to see the returning students, hear what they did over the summer (if anything!) and start getting to know the
Essay / Misc.
Helpful New Series from InterVarsity Press
For those familiar with the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (ACCS), you’ll know how helpful of a tool it can be when studying a passage of Scripture. The good news is that the publisher of the ACCS, InterVarsity Press, has recently launched two new series:
Essay / Theology
Fundamentalism
“Fundamentalism” is a bad word in most circles and, perhaps, rightly so. No one minds being called “orthodox” or even “conservative” but being called a “fundamentalist” is like having the neighborhood bully call you names while you walk home from school. It’s derogatory and, most
Essay / Theology
Tantalus and the Pelican
I just finished reading Nicholas Buxton’s Tantalus and the Pelican: Exploring Monastic Spirituality Today. It is definitely a very interesting book. A mix between theology, biography and history, the book is mostly dedicated to an examination of themes from early Christian (and occasionally Buddhist) monasticism
Essay / Theology
A Reader's Guide to Calvin's Institutes
Anyone, regardless of denomination or Christian tradition, who fancies himself/herself a theologian or a student of Christian history should read the Institutes of Christian Religion by John Calvin in its entirety at least once in their lifetime. However, until you get around to that project
Essay / Misc.
To the Johnson House Class of 2009, Thanks
Four years ago this fall the Torrey Honors Institute of Biola University implemented a curriculum of the great literary classics that was thematic in its approach as opposed to being a chronological reading of the texts. My job as professor in Torrey was the result
Essay / Theology
Walter Cardinal Kasper at St. John's
Roman Catholic Cardinal Walter Kasper, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, gave a talk at my alma mater, St. John’s School of Theology, on March 23. The talk reminds us about the importantance of theology and the role that speaking about God
Essay / Culture
Economic Asceticism?
Today is Ash Wednesday. I’m sitting here with ashes on my forehead and the words ringing in my ears, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.†That’s a fact that none of us can escape. Of course, Lent is that liturgical