A users' guide for Episcopalians

The Anglican approach to reading and interpreting the Bible was first articulated by Richard Hooker, an Anglican priest and theologian, in the 16th Century. While Christians universally acknowledge the Bible as the Word of God and completely sufficient to our reconciliation to God, what the Bible says must always speak to us in our own time and place.

Listen to this podcast of Wayne Floyd describing his upcoming Alban Institute 2-day workshop in Jacksonville, Florida, on February 29-March 1: "Weekday Spirituality: Unleashing Faith in Everyday Life." For more details and how to register, click here 

Monday, January 21st will be a day when we will remember the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. But in the Book of Lesser Feasts and Fast, it is also a day that the Episcopal Church sets aside to remember Agnes, a Christian martyr who died at Rome around 304 in the persecution of Diocletian. She is said to have been only about twelve or thirteen when she died and that her execution, so horrific, shocked many Romans, and thus helped to bring an end to the persecutions.

Matthew wrote primarily for a Jewish audience grounded in the Hebrew Scriptures, so when Jesus says, "it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness," his words imply that some aspect of the Hebrew Scriptures were fulfilled in his baptism by John. Compare the words of Isaiah with the words of the heavenly voice in Matthew to better understand this connection.