A View from the Back Pew

A View from the Back Pew Margaret J. Howell A paper to be presented at the Gathering of Traditional Anglicans in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, June 1 – 4 2011.   The author was born in Exeter, Devonshire, and educated privately there.  Later she studied at Indiana University in the United States, from which she graduated with the B.A. and M.A. degrees in English.  She has taught English at the Universities of Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia and was for twenty-two years a teacher of English and History at Crofton House School in Vancouver.   Her special interests are English literature and the study of texts, including the Bible, the history… Read More

Continue Reading

Palestine in Prophecy. A Short Review.

Palestine in Prophecy.  A Short Review. M.J. Howell   Recently, a local parish publication ran a small item announcing that the Chairman of the “Temple Mount Faithful” had written to the Pope (22 January 2004), declaring that “today, Israel is the most exciting fulfilment of God’s end-time prophecies and promises.  The climax of this prophetic time will be the soon rebuilding of the Temple exactly as the prophets of Israel prophesied.” That the modern Israeli state fulfills Biblical promise, that this land was given in perpetuity to the Jews, and that their “return” there actually heralds the end of the world, has been reiterated very often to demand Christian sympathy… Read More

Continue Reading

Which Way the Church?

Which Way the Church?   The May-June issue of The Traditional Anglican carried an interesting article by Bert Dantu about Deacons, tracing their origins to Acts 6:2, where Stephen and Philip appear as among the first appointed.  However, although this account is usually cited as the source of this church office, the noun, diakonis, never appears; only the phrase diakonein trapezais (=serve at tables)[1].   After referring briefly to the Rubric from the ordination of Deacons in the Book of Common Prayer, the article says that such men are to be addressed as “Father Deacon”.  Actually, the BCP nowhere states that a Deacon should be so addressed; the Rubric says that… Read More

Continue Reading