by Peter James | Mar 31, 2026 | St. Anselm
We use the word “brilliant” much too often. “He pitched a brilliant game.” “She gave a brilliant performance.” Enough already! Yet Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109) was, by all accounts, a perfectly brilliant theologian. He was widely regarded as the most original...
by Peter James | Mar 30, 2026 | George Duffield
It was his first Sunday at Old Pine Street Church in Philadelphia. The congregation voted by a strong majority to call George Duffield (1732-1790) to be its pastor in 1771. A large crowd gathered to hear his inaugural sermon, but the old guard (called Old Siders)...
by Peter James | Mar 29, 2026 | Mozarabic Liturgy
I’ve always had mixed emotions about leading worship on Palm Sunday. The day was festive enough as choirs processed into worship, followed by adorable children waving palm branches as everyone sang, “Ride on! Ride on in Majesty!” The very next line...
by Peter James | Mar 28, 2026 | Ernest T. Campbell
Political activist James Foreman asked Pastor Ernest T. Campbell (1923-2010) for permission to read the Black Manifesto in worship the next morning at Riverside Church in Upper Manhattan. The manifesto called for five hundred million dollars in reparation from white...
by Peter James | Mar 27, 2026 | Maltbie Babcock
Suicide is on the rise in our country, yet we still don’t know how to talk about it. We speculate in hushed tones about the deceased mental state and rush to conclusions, yet we are hard-pressed to know what to say to grieving family members. Our reluctance over...
