Welcome to Sundays at All Hallows.
This Sunday is the Fifth Sunday of Easter for those Christian denominations that have adopted a version of the three-year Revised Common Lectionary. For churches following the one-year lectionary of the classical Anglican Prayer Book, The Book of Common Prayer of 1662, it is the Fourth Sunday after Easter. In either case, we are in the midst of Eastertide, a season devoted to the celebration of the Lord Jesus Christ’s victory over death and the remembrance of the events that followed his resurrection.
In this Sunday’s message we address two questions related to the worship, ministry, and life of the church with the help of 1 Peter 2: 2-10.
Readings: Deuteronomy 6: 20-25; 1 Peter 2: 2-10; and John 14: 1-14
Message: A Spiritual House, a Holy Priesthood
Link: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2026/05/sundays-at-all-hallows-may-3-2026.html
Please feel free to share this link with anyone who may be interested.
If you are new to Sundays at All Hallows, you may find these directions helpful:
-It is recommended that after reading or hearing each lesson to take time to reflect on what you read or heard during the period of silence which follows each lesson. It is also recommended that you do the same thing after reading or hearing the message.
-When you open the link to a video in a new tab, check auto-play to make sure it is in the off position. Otherwise, a second video with a different song will follow the first.
-If an ad plays when you open a link to a video in a new tab, click the refresh icon of your browser until the song appears.
-If a song begins partway through the video, click pause, move the slider to the beginning, and then click play.
-An ad may follow a song so as soon as the song is finished, close the tab.
May Sundays at All Hallows be a blessing to you.
Every Church Needs the Global Church
From the day of Pentecost, when the Spirit blew into the upper room, the church has been a global people. It can be easy for Western Christians, however, to forget that they need the global church just as much as the global church needs them. Listening to fellow believers from around the world can help Western Christians assess their own theological formulations with a critical eye, better understand Scripture, more faithfully engage in mission, and learn what faithfulness under persecution might look like. Adopting a posture of mutual edification helps the Western church to receive these good gifts from global brothers and sisters.
Christian Nationalism and the Crisis of Church Unity
In the aftermath of 2020, many church leaders continue to navigate fractured relationships and deep political division within their congregations. In his book Disarming Leviathan: Loving Your Christian Nationalist Neighbor, Caleb Campbell calls pastors to respond not with hostility, but with a missionary posture shaped by the way of Jesus.
Also See: Part 1 — “Loving Across the Divide: Conversations on Christian Nationalism” featuring Caleb Campbell and Rachel Williams; Part 2 — “Loving Across the Divide: Conversations on Christian Nationalism” featuring Caleb Campbell and Rachel Williams
Anti-Christian bias task force blasts Biden for targeting 'traditional Christians'
The 500-page report offers an array of incidents to depict a clash between the Biden administration and what the report calls 'traditional Christians.'
The Myth of the Devout Immigrant: Why immigration won't reverse America's secular drift
There’s another argument for increased immigration that I see every once in a while on my social media feed, though. It’s that immigrants tend to be more religious than people whose family has been in the United States for generations. So, if we bring in a lot of new immigrants, that will move the needle on overall religiosity in this country and stem the tide of secularism that has been increasing since the late 1990s.
But is that actually the case, though? I mean the entire presupposition of that argument is that immigrants to the United States are significantly more religious than folks who already live here. I can test that.
Also See: What Pulls Christians Toward Trump: Abortion or Immigration?
How to Welcome Gen Z Men to Your Church: Some dos and don’ts
I ran across a link to this articles on the Reformed Episcopal Church Discussion Group's page on Facebook. The Reformed Episcopal Church (REC) is one of the founding organizations of the Anglican Church in North America and forms a sub-province of the ACNA. The REC was founded in the late 19th century in reaction to the spread and growth of the Oxford Movement and ritualism in the then Protestant Episcopal Church. The REC is composed of conservative traditionalist clergy and congregations of various stripes. The REC is one of the subdivisions of the ACNA opposed to the ordination of women in that ecclesial body.
Both the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church are reportedly attracting Gen Z men. I would like to see more research on what kinds of churches are attracting Gen Z men and why.
A note on Anglican ecclesial understanding
It is necessary to address certain assertions that misrepresent both the ecclesiological self-understanding of the Anglican Communion and the nature of inter-ecclesial relations within historic Christianity.
Finally! A satisfying answer to why God sometimes seems absent
Christians love to talk about feeling God’s presence, especially in the highs and the lows. But there’s a quieter, more uncomfortable reality most believers don’t volunteer: the moments when God feels nowhere to be found … right when you need Him most.
Ever been there? I have.
What If Church Leadership Isn’t about Doing More?
Is the church’s biggest problem decline—or distraction? Craig Meek says that the answer may be unexpected. He engages with When Church Stops Working by Andy Root and Blair Bertrand, challenging common assumptions about leadership, innovation, and growth. Rather than offering another strategy for success, the answer may be to slow down, discern, and recover a way of being rooted in God’s action.
4 Ways Pastors Can Successfully Lead Change in Ministry
Great leaders manage change well. Great pastors also manage change well. But it’s not easy. In my research for my book, Brain-Savvy Leaders: the Science of Significant Ministry, I learned that brain insight can help us navigate change successfully. Consider these 4 ways to successfully navigate a change you’re facing. (Reprinted by permission from Brain-Savvy Leaders).
The Best Board and Trustee Structure for Churches
While some church power struggles stem from bad actors, a more common cause is blurred lines. In this episode, Thom and Sam tackle one of the most common sources of church dysfunction: confusion between what the board should do and what the staff should do.
Are Mainline churches on the brink of extinction?
“The religious landscape of the United States has never looked starker than it does today. There are huge geographical swaths of America where the only place a Protestant can worship on a Sunday morning is an Evangelical church that takes a literalist view of the Bible and believes that women have no role in spiritual leadership....”
“The vibrant religious marketplace that was pervasive for most of U.S. history has been replaced by a type of faith that certainly appeals to a subset of the country but is objectionable, if not downright repulsive, to a significant number of Americans....”
“In short, American religion has become an ‘all or none’ proposition — conservative Evangelical religion or none at all. This leaves tens of millions of theological and political moderates with no place to find community and spiritual edification, or to work collectively to solve societal problems.”
Church Attendance Increases for the First Time in Decades
In 2025, the median congregation welcomed 70 attendees, up from 65 before the pandemic, according to the Hartford Institute for Religion Research.
Also See: Median worship attendance highest since COVID lockdowns: report
Attending multiple places of worship is the norm for many Americans
Surveys about religion often ask a single question about how often people go to services. That means researchers miss an important piece of the puzzle.
The Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act. Black churches know exactly what to do.
We have been here before, and each time the Black church did not simply encourage participation. We enabled it.
Also See: Supreme Court further dilutes Voting Rights Act
Growing in Grace
Growing in Grace, an initiative of Discipleship Ministries, exists to research, equip, and empower churches, denominational leaders, and parachurch organizations to form all children as anti-ableist Christians through worship by helping them learn and believe that all God's creation is God's good creation.
What Does the Bible Say About Angels and Demons?
What guidance does the Bible give for what Christians in modern culture should believe about angels and demons?
4 Axioms for Leaders
...in this article, I want to extract four axioms from Spurgeon’s teaching on leadership. If we boil down his profound insights on leadership, we can create four simple axioms or truisms that apply to church planting and all of pastoral ministry.
Also See: 3 Elements of Spurgeon’s Spiritual Leadership
Advice on How to “Preach the Gospel” to Yourself
Preaching the gospel to ourselves is a discipline that we should consistently practice in order to mature in Christlikeness. But what does that actually look like? Practically, how do we “preach the gospel” to ourselves? Recently, a young woman in our church asked me those very questions—ones you may be wondering about as well. If so, I hope the advice I gave her will be helpful to you too.
12 Reasons Why Correcting with Gentleness Is One of the Hardest Parts of Pastoral Ministry
The idea of gentle instruction with repentance as a goal might seem straightforward. “How difficult can it be?” The answer is, “It’s incredibly difficult.” And considering some of the reasons why this is the case motivates pastors to pray, dig daily for wisdom, and to be less surprised by the interpersonal challenges of pastoral work (Prov. 2:4; 1 Pet. 4:12–19).
Here, then, are twelve reasons why gentle correction is one of the most difficult aspects of pastoral ministry.
Book of Common Prayer draws Gen Z to the Anglican, Episcopal tradition
In St. Luke’s Chapel at the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale in New Haven, Connecticut, Books of Common Prayer slump in chair pockets, their spinal integrity lost to decades of common worship. Every day, seminarians pray liturgies that connect them to Anglican and Episcopal tradition.
The Book of Common Prayer is the primary liturgical resource of The Episcopal Church. It was last revised in 1979, but supplements and trial liturgies have since been authorized. The prayer book’s preservation of church history, communication of Episcopal theology, and evolution as a symbol of unity draws Gen Z seekers interested in an inclusive Christian community grounded in tradition.
I have read similar claims for the 1662 BCP, the 1928 BCP, the REC's 2005 BCP, and even the ACNA's 2019 Proposed BCP. As the author of this article does, those making the claims cited only anecdotal evidence to support their claims. In the recent past claims that the younger generations were flocking to liturgical churches were not backed by research findings. It was wishful thinking.
‘Suggested for You’: 5 Values AI Suggests Christians need wisdom to discern what any given technology suggests, what’s good and bad about those suggestions, and how we might use the technology for God’s glory.
One of the most powerful technologies mankind has ever created is generative AI. What are some of its suggestions?
Are we losing our minds to AI?
While past tools let us externalize discrete mental processes—notebooks for memory, calculators for computation, maps for navigation—AI widens the aperture. Now, summarizing and analyzing information, generating ideas, and making decisions can all be offloaded too. “It's starting to creep into the things we thought were cognitively ours,” says Evan Risko, a professor at the University of Waterloo who studies “cognitive offloading,” or the practice of taking external action to make mental tasks easier.
Although the creators of these AI tools describe them as “thought partners” and “collaborators,” the role AI plays in our lives is often stranger. With its jagged but expansive knowledge, ceaseless attention, and persuasive tone, AI dotes on us while asking for nothing but our data in return. This produces a structural asymmetry: no prior relationship, with tools or people, has this shape.
High trust in AI leaves individuals vulnerable to cognitive surrender, study finds
A recent study posted as a Wharton School Research Paper provides evidence that people increasingly rely on artificial intelligence to make decisions, a phenomenon scientists call “cognitive surrender.” The findings suggest that individuals tend to adopt computer-generated answers without critical thought. This habit boosts human accuracy when the software is correct but significantly harms performance when the system makes mistakes.
OpenAI tells ChatGPT models to stop talking about goblins
ChatGPT-maker OpenAI has had to instruct some of its AI tools to stop talking about "goblins", after finding the term had randomly crept into responses.
In a blog post on Thursday, the company said it spotted increased mentions of the mythological creatures, as well as "gremlins", in ChatGPT, powered by its latest flagship model, GPT-5.
Train Students To Be ‘In but Not Of’ the World
What strategies does our enemy deploy against us? One is to make faith in Christ irrelevant to the “real lives” of children and teenagers.
When Jesus used fishing, farming, money, or common cultural practices to unveil his good news (bad news to some), he was bridging God’s transcendent truths into the everyday world of the people. We must do the same.
Let the Little Children Hang with Church Grandmas
he U.S. Isn’t Just Getting Older,” argued an article at the Harvard Business Review. “It’s Getting More Segregated by Age,” and “the extreme degree to which we’ve shunted young people into educational institutions, middle-aged adults into workplaces, and older people into retirement communities, senior centers, and nursing homes has come with costs.”
This is sometimes true inside the church as much as out. Children spend much of their time with peers, whisked away from the worship service to kids’ church or sent off to youth group while their parents do a Bible study. And even when different generations are physically together, not all adults feel comfortable—or permitted—to meaningfully engage kids who aren’t their own. Communal discipline is no longer the norm.
But our children need intergenerational relationships, and not only for healthy growth in social skills. This kind of fellowship is a beautiful reminder, as pastor Cameron S. Shaffer notes in Keeping Kids Christian, that the church is a place for all generations, together.
Image Credit: St. Thomas Episcopal Church , Louisville, Kentucky (Closed. Last Service on Sunday, April 26, 2026)
Welcome to Thursday Evenings at All Hallows.
In this Thursday evening’s message, we take a look at the meaning of Jesus’ words in John 13: 20, at what they means for those who do not yet believe as well as those who are believers and have become disciples of Jesus.
Reading: John 13:16-20
Message: A Promise Given, a Promise Kept
Link: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2026/04/thursday-evenings-at-all-hallows-april_30.html
Please feel free to share this link with anyone who may be interested.
If you are new to Thursday Evenings at All Hallows, you may find these directions helpful:
-It is recommended that after reading or hearing a lesson to take time to reflect on what you read or heard during the period of silence which follows the lesson. It is also recommended that you do the same thing after reading or hearing the message.
-When you open the link to a video in a new tab, check auto-play to make sure it is in the off position. Otherwise, a second video with a different song will follow the first.
-If an ad plays when you open a link to a video in a new tab, click the refresh icon of your browser until the song appears.
-If a song begins partway through the video, click pause, move the slider to the beginning, and then click play.
-An ad may follow a song so as soon as the song is finished, close the tab.
May Thursday Evenings at All Hallows be a blessing to you.
Why Most Church Discipleship Plans Stall (And 6 Practical Ways to Fix It Fast)
Most church discipleship plans don’t fail because of bad strategy. They stall because they’re not clearly communicated.
3 Essential Steps to Clarify Your Church Planting Vision
Seasoned church planters understand that extensive preparation is required long before a public launch. This article outlines three essential steps to clarify your church planting vision before you announce a date or recruit a launch team.
Reformed firestorm
A simmering conflict at the church founded by theologian R.C. Sproul has spread repercussions to nearby Reformation Bible College and Ligonier Ministries.
Pope Leo signals shift away from Catholic Church's focus on sex
Pope Leo's four-nation Africa tour featured firm denunciations by the pontiff of despotism and war and also unprecedented attacks from U.S. President Donald Trump that grabbed headlines.
But a smaller moment, in which the pope said the Catholic Church should prioritise questions of inequality and justice over those of sexual ethics, may prove to be of longer-lasting importance for the Church's 1.4 billion members, said experts.
Catholicism has lost people to religious switching in many countries, while Protestantism has gained in some
Christianity has experienced some of the largest losses from religious switching of any faith group around the world, according to our 2024 surveys. Religious switching refers to when people identify with a different religion in adulthood than they were raised in as a child.
Within Christianity, however, religious switching has affected the two largest subgroups – Catholicism and Protestantism – differently....
Tim Keller Did Not Avoid Difficult Topics for the Sake of Being ‘Winsome,’ Says Kathy Keller
Contrary to what some people have claimed in recent years, the late Dr. Tim Keller did not avoid difficult topics for the sake of being “winsome,” said Keller’s widow, Kathy Keller. Speaking to Collin Hansen on the “Gospelbound” podcast April 20, Kathy said that from the beginning of her husband’s ministry in New York City, he graciously faced challenging questions and a hostile environment head on.
Personal change thresholds may explain why popular policies fail to spread
Why do widely supported solutions to major problems, such as climate change, so often struggle to gain real traction? A new study suggests that part of the answer lies in understanding why people resist change, and how the combination of their preferences and social networks can help overcome that resistance.
8 Reasons the Church Is a Light in a Troubled World
Cultivating hope, expressing encouragement and maintaining an authentically positive spirit are vital to your leadership. People need to sense your optimism as a leader.
But that’s not always easy, is it?
What Happens When the Pastor’s Kid Leaves the Church?
On most Sundays, the work of a pastor is unmistakably public: preaching sermons, offering prayers, counseling families, and guiding congregations through the rhythms of faith. Yet behind that visible calling lies a quieter, more complicated reality that rarely makes its way into sermons: what happens when a pastor’s own child walks away from the church or from Christianity altogether?
Why you don’t want your AI chatbot to be nice to you
Friendly AI chatbots are less accurate, a study has found.
AI Makes Research Easy. Maybe Too Easy.
ChatGPT and other “large language models” promise to make learning easier than ever. But new research suggests that lessons learned so easily are less likely to stick.
AI agent deletes company's entire database in 9 seconds, then confesses
An AI coding agent designed to help a small software company streamline its tasks instead blew a hole through its business in just nine seconds.
Evolving AI may arrive before AGI and create hard-to-control risks
Evolutionary biology holds clues for the future of AI, argue researchers from the HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research, Eötvös Loránd University, and the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts. In a new Perspective published April 20 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the team warn that evolvable AI (eAI) systems that can undergo Darwinian evolution may soon emerge, and they will generate special risks that can be understood, and mitigated, based on insights from evolutionary biology.
Babies exposed to air pollution during pregnancy take longer to learn to speak, research finds
Babies exposed to higher levels of air pollution in the early stages of pregnancy take longer to learn to speak than those exposed to lower levels in the womb, new research suggests.
A study by researchers from King’s College London found exposure to nitrogen dioxide and fine and ultra-fine particulate matter during the first trimester of pregnancy delayed speech development at 18 months.
Why it’s good to admit when you’re wrong – and how to improve
You may be familiar with the feeling. Someone factchecks you mid-conversation or discredits your dishwasher-loading technique. Heat rises to your face; you might feel defensive, embarrassed or angry. Do you insist you’re right or can you accept the correction?
Admitting to being wrong can be difficult and uncomfortable. But the ability to admit to incorrect ideas or beliefs – what psychologists call “intellectual humility” – is important. Research shows that people with higher intellectual humility think more critically, and are less biased and less prone to dogmatism.
Former Georgia church properties become hubs for outreach ministries, community activities
The Diocese of Georgia is finding new life for two repurposed church properties after the congregations that had worshiped there disbanded.
One is now the diocesan headquarters. Last year, staff moved into the second floor of the parish hall at the former St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church in Savannah. The main space in the parish hall has become an active hub for community events, and an Episcopal worshiping community that had held services in secular spaces in the city has begun gathering regularly in the former church’s nave.
And in Augusta, a building formerly occupied by Christ Episcopal Church until it closed in 2020 is now home to the Byllesby Center, a collection of community ministries overseen by the Rev. Larry Jesion, the center’s executive director.
5 Things We Lose When We Subtract Evangelism from the Christian Life
What’s the real reason Christians often avoid evangelism? Some would say they’re afraid of being asked hard questions. Others might mention the inappropriateness of pushing religion on people. We might blame it on the busyness of life or on our social inadequacies. But I have observed that in my own life and in the lives of others, the problem is much simpler than that.
The real reason many of us avoid evangelism is the relational risk it brings. We don’t want people to avoid us. We fear losing friends. We dread the awkward Thanksgiving with a relative who mocked our gospel presentation, or the cold shoulder of a coworker who ridicules our belief in the resurrection. We tell ourselves that our commitment to maintaining relationships—at all costs—is to protect opportunities for future gospel conversations, while our highest priority is actually our own comfort—at all costs. If we’re ever to overcome our fear of evangelism, not only must we love others more than ourselves, but we must also believe that evangelism’s benefits outweigh any risks involved. But what are the benefits associated with sharing the gospel? Rather, what might we lose if we subtract evangelism from our lives? Here are five things to consider.
From Friend to Friend
The gospel has always had a way of moving in the most beautiful and ordinary way.
Have You Been Making Disciples or Just Keeping Members?
What do you do when you run a playbook on discipleship that’s worked for years, and it stops working? That led Robby Gallaty to a place of despair, and out of that, revival and renewal came. Robby Gallaty and Replicate CEO Vick Green explain how to renew your ministry through revival and discipleship.
Many churches, synagogues and mosques are built around families – and they’re struggling to respond to rising singles
The increasing percentage of Americans who are not married or in a long-term partnership is testing employers, marketers and religious institutions.
The psychological reason we judge groups much more harshly than individuals
New research published in Journal of Personality & Social Psychology finds that people see themselves as moral, individuals as decent, and groups as falling short.
How God Uses Worship to Reach Unbelievers
Pastor, you’ve likely heard this question again and again: How can a service be both a worship service and seeker friendly? At Saddleback, we learned you can have both without compromising either. A clear message paired with genuine worship will not only attract unbelievers. It will also open their hearts to the power of the gospel.
What Posture Should I Use When I Pray?
Posture is not something we talk about very often. In fact, to talk about posture—how to orient one’s body in various settings for various purposes—may sound silly today. In a society that prizes free expression and throwing off the bonds of old manners, including biblical values, traditions, and practices, being purposeful in our posture is not a high priority. Yet, disciples of Jesus Christ understand the importance and great privilege of coming before our holy and just God in prayer. As such, in communing with our Lord, we ought to consider how our posture affects our prayers.
AI Is Replacing Leaders Who Can't Do This One Thing
AI can write your emails, summarize your meetings, and generate your content. But there's one leadership skill it will never replace — and most leaders are quietly losing it.
In this video, I'm breaking down what's actually happening to your brain in a distracted world, what it's costing your leadership, and the practical steps I've taken to get my deepest thinking back.
If you're leading a church, organization, or team, this one is important. The future belongs to leaders who can still think in paragraphs while everyone else is thinking in captions.
Hope for the Algorithm-Shaped Self: How AI Deepens Our Identity Crisis
According to Harvard Business Review’s 2025 analysis of generative AI usage, the top three applications are no longer technical or productivity-focused but deeply personal: therapy and companionship, organizing one’s life, and finding purpose. We’ve shifted from asking AI to help us become more productive at work to asking it to just help us become. AI has moved from being a mere tool to help us complete our work faster to being part of identity formation itself.
The challenge facing anyone concerned with human flourishing isn’t that AI is creating entirely new problems. Rather, AI compounds the problems of modern identity formation, exacerbating modern identity’s fragility, incoherence, and hidden moral frameworks. AI acts as a catalyst, intensifying each problem while making the symptoms feel like solutions.
Stanford experts say you should avoid using AI chatbots as a personal guide
Stanford researchers are warning that using AI chatbots for personal advice could backfire. The problem isn’t just accuracy, it’s how these systems respond when you’re dealing with complicated, real-world conflicts.
Political operatives are weaponizing a new tool that could reshape elections forever
In an op-ed/essay published by the New York Times on April 28, journalist Thomas B. Edsall talks to political scientists and strategists about the "upheaval" AI could cause in the future.
Also See: When Large Language Models are More PersuasiveThan Incentivized Humans, and Why
Global Christianity faces major challenges in 2026 despite signs of growth, new report finds
A new global study has highlighted fresh developments affecting Christianity worldwide, with researchers pointing to demographic shifts, persecution and urbanisation as some of the key areas of focus for church leaders.
The findings come from the Status of Global Christianity 2026 report by the Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary’s Center for the Study of Global Christianity.
What Does the Decline in Americans’ Religious Engagement Mean for Churches?
Religious engagement in America is lower than it has been in living memory. But that isn’t a reason to panic. It’s a reason to work.
Charles Spurgeon: 8 Clear Convictions about Evangelism in the Local Church (Part 1)
Charles Spurgeon died in 1892, but his influence on churches is still pervasive today. Thom looks at one major aspect of Spurgeon's ministry: his emphasis on evangelism in the local church. He takes two episodes to share Spurgeon's eight convictions.
Also See: Charles Spurgeon: 8 Clear Convictions about Evangelism in the Local Church (Part 2)
The Christian DNA of suspected White House Correspondents’ dinner shooter
President Donald Trump described the would-be assassin as anti-Christian. The evidence hints at a complex faith background.
Archbishop of Canterbury risks Donald Trump's wrath after praising Pope Leo's anti-war stance
The Archbishop of Canterbury risked the wrath of Donald Trump after praising Pope Leo for speaking out against injustice.
NAE urges church participation in Good Neighbor Day America
A nationally coordinated day of volunteerism next month is an opportunity for congregations to live into their callings to serve others at a time when issues of religion, government and society are hotly debated, said Walter Kim, president of the National Association of Evangelicals.
“Rather than engaging in these contentious debates about a national religion or Christian identity, let’s actually just be the church by getting engaged in transformational ways and in courageous ways that speak to the truth of who Jesus Christ is,” he said.
One way to do that is to join the coalition of faith communities and nonprofit organizations that have partnered with America250 to hold Good Neighbor Day America May 16. The NAE is an organizing partner of the project.
What Is Sin? Is Your Definition Missing the Mark?
Sin is a fundamental concept in Christianity. In English-language Bibles, words for sin appear over a thousand times. Salvation is frequently explained as the forgiveness of sins. Whether certain activities are sinful and how to avoid sin are common questions among Christians. Understanding sin is, therefore, a necessary part of understanding Christianity itself.
So what is sin?
The Back Forty and the Cure of Souls
Scripture is thick with agricultural connections, metaphors, and lessons. Around this time of year, something in my blood wakes with the sun, and I feel again the impulse to prepare the ground in addition to the soil of my heart for Christ’s resurrection. I am a son of the soil, a fifth-generation farmer. Farming formed my imagination long before the Church ordained me, and many of the lessons the land taught me have proven just as true in the cure of souls.
‘Proclaim Every Atom’: On Courage in the Pulpit
Last year, I had the privilege of participating in a preaching conference at Beeson Divinity School with the British theologian Alister McGrath, who gave three lectures on preaching. These were followed by responses from me and other scholars.
In building on one of McGrath’s lectures, I offered several takeaways, including this one: Know your people well enough to anticipate their objections.
I Don't Know
Ideally as the pastor you should be one of the better-educated people in your church. You have likely gone to college and then studied for three or four years to earn your MDiv. During that time you’ve probably read thousands upon thousands of pages of theological literature. For your sermon preparation you ideally read a great deal each week, and that’s not counting your leisure reading. For these and other reasons I suspect that people regularly come to you with their questions, and I suspect that you regularly dispense answers. This is a good thing. But never be afraid to use three words, “I don’t know.”
CDC delay of infant hepatitis B shot likely to raise infections, studies show
The Trump administration’s decision to drop the long-standing recommendation that newborns receive a hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours of birth will likely lead to hundreds of additional infections among children, along with more cases of liver cancer, deaths and millions in added health care costs, according to studies published Monday in JAMA Pediatrics.
Image Credit: Holy Cross-St. Christopher Episcopal Church, Huntsville, Alabama
Why First-Time Guests Don’t Return—Even When They Say They Will
Thom Rainer draws attention to a critical factor in determing whether first-time guests return--"something deeper—something memorable, something personal, something that quietly says, 'You need to come back,'” must happen during their first visit.
The Essential First Steps to a Healthy Small Church
The biggest problem with small churches is not that they’re small. It’s that we think being small is a problem.
Ordering the Church for Ordinary Growth
Most pastors agree on what spiritual health looks like. Christians should grow in holiness, love God’s Word, participate in the life of the church, give generously, serve faithfully, share the gospel, and invest in one another. The difficulty is not defining the goal, but ordering the life of the church so that members actually pursue and achieve it.
How Church Structure Fuels Disciple-Making
Polity can play a significant role in disciple making in the local church. Church polity—or simply the way a church is structured—can either hinder or motivate disciple making.
Why It Might Be Good That Your Church Isn’t Growing
Caleb Davis encourages pastors to consider God’s good purposes in not growing their church rather than being discontent with their church’s size. God may be helping a church’s leaders to focus on the flock that is there and equip them to carry out his mission. A season that feels stagnant may be an opportunity for self-reflection, and it should lead to greater dependence on God.
3 Ways to Cultivate a Congregation That Exercises Faith
According to Lifeway Research, a mature believer exercises faith as opposed to living by their own strength.
Median US worship attendance rebounding after pandemic
Median in-person worship attendance in U.S. congregations has increased for the first time in a quarter century as post-pandemic church shows signs of rebounding, according to a new study by Hartford Institute for Religion Research.
Remaking the UMC brings ‘aura of hope’
When The United Methodist Church was formed in 1968, eminent theologian Albert C. Outler preached an opening sermon in which he extolled “an aura of hope” for the new denomination despite its challenges.
Facing new challenges today, United Methodist leaders recently announced several proposed innovations that many clergy and church members say rekindle an aura of hope after years of dissension and decline.
Joint Statement from Bishop Owensby and Bishop Duckworth on Gun Violence in Louisiana
"We, the Episcopal Bishops of the state of Louisiana, grieve with you in the wake of the recent shootings in Shreveport and Baton Rouge, and give thanks for our law enforcement who successfully averted a potential attack in the city of New Orleans. Our hearts are broken for those who have died, for those who are wounded in body and spirit, and for the families and communities whose lives have been forever altered...."
7 Ways to Transform Your Church’s Children’s Moment
What if the most overlooked four minutes in your worship service hold some of the greatest potential for formation? Erin Reed Cooper provides us with seven intentional shifts that can transform the children’s moment into a theologically rich experience for the entire congregation.
AI Is Coming For Your Systematic Theology
I want you to know about these books because I want you to be aware that this is happening. I want you to know it’s happening because it’s likely that things will get far worse before they get any better. I’ll first introduce you to this slop theology, then discuss the threat these books represent, and then tell you how you can identify them.
Artificial intelligence flatters users into bad behavior
Artificial intelligence systems tend to excessively agree with and validate users, even when those users describe engaging in harmful or unethical behavior. People who interact with these highly agreeable chatbots become more convinced they are right and less willing to apologize during interpersonal conflicts. The research, published in Science, points to an emerging societal risk as millions turn to technology for everyday advice.
'The end of an era': St. Paul's Church gets deconsecrated
On Sundays, when the pews should have been packed, the Rev. Dennis Morgan would walk into St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Vienna and, at most, see two parishioners prepared for sermon.
That is until Sept. 21, when the parish had its final service and St. Paul’s closed its doors for good. The church’s closure was not the town’s first this year.
Church Multiplication: 5 Paradigm Shifts to Move Beyond Addition
Why are we seeing so few churches that are actually reproducing and multiplying and not simply adding?
The Burge Report: Gen Z and the Church: Lonely, Cautious, Skeptical, But... Open
Institutional trust has collapsed nationwide across all age groups, but Gen Z is entering adulthood at historically low levels of trust toward institutions and toward other people. Yet there is a surprising glimmer of hope when it comes to religious institutions. Compared to Millennials, Gen Z shows slightly more openness to trusting the church, suggesting the story is not over. On this edition of The Burge Report, we discuss what pastors and churches can do to build bridges with Gen Z.
Also See: The Hunger for the Real
Methodist-Episcopal dialogue heads to full-communion vote in 2027 at General Convention
What was not mentioned in this article is that the United Methodist Church also authorizes licensed local pastors to administer the sacraments. UMC licensed local pastors are lay persons.
Worship attendance at churches up for the first time in decades, according to new report
Researchers from the Hartford Institute for Religion Research said the median congregation grew from 65 in 2020 to about 70 today. That is not enough to erase earlier declines, but it is noteworthy.
Do I choose an old or new church?
How do I discern what church to join?
The Case Against Complementarianism That's Harder to Dismiss
Preston Sprinkle studied the full biblical narrative on women in ministry inductively, without an agenda. From Genesis to Paul, we discuss what he found and where it led him.
We also tackle what faithfulness to scripture looks like, and how opening your mind and changing your view can make you more biblically faithful rather than less.
Southern Baptists have become what they once feared Catholics would be
Baptists have become imposers of their morality, bulldozing through the separation of church and state.
Filipino, Mexican Food Unifies San Diego Parish
On the first Sunday of every month at 10 a.m., St. Matthew’s Church in National City, California, holds a bilingual service that brings together parishioners from its two weekly services. On a regular Sunday, the 9:30 a.m. English service is attended mainly by Filipinos, while the 11:30 a.m. Spanish service comprises Latinos and Spanish-speaking members.
Welcome to Sundays at All Hallows.
This Sunday is the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Good Shepherd Sunday for those Christian denominations that have adopted a version of the three-year Revised Common Lectionary.
The structure for this Sunday’s service is an adaptation of the Church of Ireland’s structure for A Service of the Word. This form of service has its roots in the synaxis of the early Church and the Ante-Communion service of the sixteenth century reformed Church of England and Ireland. Both are non-Eucharistic services of Scripture readings, a sermon, and prayers. A number of Christian denominations have similar forms of service.
In this Sunday’s message we will unpack John 10:1-10 and consider its implications for believers and those who do not yet believe.
Readings: Nehemiah 9:6-15, 1 Peter 2:19-25, and John 10: 1-10
Message: The Gateway to Life
Link: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2026/04/sundays-at-all-hallows-april-26-2026.html
Please feel free to share this link with anyone who may be interested.
If you are new to Sundays at All Hallows, you may find these directions helpful:
-It is recommended that after reading or hearing each lesson to take time to reflect on what you read or heard during the period of silence which follows each lesson. It is also recommended that you do the same thing after reading or hearing the message.
-When you open the link to a video in a new tab, check auto-play to make sure it is in the off position. Otherwise, a second video with a different song will follow the first.
-If an ad plays when you open a link to a video in a new tab, click the refresh icon of your browser until the song appears.
-If a song begins partway through the video, click pause, move the slider to the beginning, and then click play.
-An ad may follow a song so as soon as the song is finished, close the tab.
May Sundays at All Hallows be a blessing to you.
2 Forces That Shape Every Church
Church shopping often comes with an unspoken question: Why do churches have such different personalities?
Church trial date set for ACNA Archbishop Steve Wood
Wood has filed a motion to dismiss the case, and the church court will hear arguments on that motion in May.
Pope Leo speaks out against cardinal ordering blessings for gay couples
Pope Leo XIV spoke out against Cardinal Reinhard Marx, who had instructed priests to give blessings for same-sex couples.
What’s the real story with Gen Z and religion today?
Are young men becoming more religious, while young women continue to move away from organized religion?
Discomfort with modern technology shapes Gen Z's desire to live in the past
Some members of Gen Z are feeling so pessimistic about the future of the country and modern technology that they want to hop in a time machine.
Israeli attacks on Christians and Christianity demand answers
Without serious accountability, follow-up and a credible investigation into alleged incitement in some religious schools, the attacks against Christians and other people of faith will not stop.
All In: Immersive Worship for Everybody
This essay is part of a series (April 20-24) on Disabilities, Ministry, and Inclusion. A Series Round Up will appear later in the spring.
The Six Major Views of Baptism
There are several ways we could divide the different positions various churches and denominations hold for baptism. To keep things brief and simple, we’ll break this exercise up into the six major views of baptism that exist in the church today to discover the recipients, mode, and meaning of baptism for each one.
Grace Doesn’t Grab: Why Consent Belongs In Worship
A church that asks first is not less affectionate. It is more trustworthy. And in a time when trust has been shattered in so many sanctuaries, that may be one of the most radical forms of evangelism left.
The media mandate: How wise use of communication can strengthen the Christian church
From the earliest days of the Church, the people of God have used the tools available to them to share truth, encourage believers, and reach those outside the faith.
Helping Students Transition From Children’s Ministry to Youth Group
Last week I looked into the eyes of some very apprehensive 11-year-olds. It was their last Sunday in “KidzTown.” Even though we made a big deal about “graduating them” up to youth group, still some pulled me aside and asked if they could have just “one more week” before they aged out of children’s ministry. I genuinely thought most would be ecstatic to be growing up and into youth group; I was wrong. The faces looking up at me were babies, and all they have every known is children’s ministry.
Children’s Ministry: Here’s Why What You Do Matters
Dear children’s ministry leader: Know that the kids and families you serve are thankful for you! You make an eternal difference in kids’ lives. So thank you!
Image Credit: St. Francis Episcopal Church, Piney Point Village, Texas
9 Discouraging Trends for Global Christianity in 2026
These nine discouraging trends in global Christianity in 2026 should collectively challenge church leaders to renewed prayer and action.
The Great Divide: American Morality Perception and Why We Judge Our Neighbors
According to a 25-country survey, Americans are more likely than people in other countries to question the morality of their fellow countrymen. This American morality perception makes us an unfortunate outlier.
In nearly every other country surveyed, the opposite was found. More people said that their neighbors have somewhat or very good morals than those who said they displayed somewhat or very bad levels of morality.
But again, not in America.
Extreme heat threatens global food systems, UN agencies warn
Extreme heat is pushing global agrifood systems to the brink, threatening the livelihoods and health of more than a billion people, according to a new report by the U.N.'s food and weather agencies.
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said heatwaves are becoming more frequent, intense and prolonged, damaging crops, livestock, fisheries and forests.
Making ‘All Are Welcome’ Tangible
This essay is part of a series (April 20-24) on Disabilities, Ministry, and Inclusion. A Series Round Up will appear later in the Spring.
The backstory to St George and his flag
23 April marks St George’s Day, which often passes unnoticed. But who was St George and why is he England's patron saint? This is the story....
Pastors, Churchgoers See AI as Concerning and Confusing
Pastors and churchgoers aren’t completely opposed to AI, but they have concerns about its implementation and potential influence on Christianity.
Certain chatbots vastly worse for AI psychosis, study finds
Think something weird is up with your reflection in the mirror? Allow Grok to interest you in some 15th century anti-witchcraft reading.
A new study argues that certain frontier chatbots are much more likely to inappropriately validate users’ delusional ideas — a result that the study’s authors say represents a “preventable” technological failure that could be curbed by design choices.
Also See: Disclosing autism to AI chatbots prompts overly cautious, stereotypical advice
Nearly half of US children are breathing dangerous levels of air pollution, report warns
Nearly half of children in the United States are breathing dangerous levels of air pollution, according to a new report, as experts warned Donald Trump’s expansive rollback of protections will make the situation worse.
Diocese of Chicago church welcomes children to take part in the liturgy
As the congregation sang “God has filled us with laughter and music” on a recent Sunday, two joyful 5‑year‑olds broke into a spontaneous liturgical dance — much to the delight of all who witnessed it. Moments like these reflect a simple truth at St. Lawrence Episcopal Church: Children are not just present in worship; they are integral to it.
We pioneered child inclusive worship at St. Michael's, Mandeville in the Diocese of Louisiana in the late 1980s-early 1990s and I wrote an occasional paper (unpublished) on the topic for the Diocesan Commission on Liturgy and Music. I don't recommend giving small children percussion instrument to accompany the gospel procession! I do, however, recommend using simple gospel acclamations such as "Halle, Halle, Halle" and the "Happy Land Alleluia" in which small children can join. These acclamations should be sung unaccompanied so as not to drown out little voices.
Welcome to Thursday Evenings at All Hallows.
During the Easter Season and beyond we will continue our examination of Jesus’ teaching. In Great Commission Jesus commands us not only to make disciples of all people groups but also pass on to them what he taught.
The topic of this evening’s message is the necessity of God’s grace.
Readings: Acts 8: 26-40; John 6: 44-51
Message: The Necessity of God’s Grace
Link: https://allhallowsmurray.blogspot.com/2026/04/thursday-evenings-at-all-hallows-april_23.html
Please feel free to share this link with anyone who may be interested.
If you are new to Thursday Evenings at All Hallows, you may find these directions helpful:
-It is recommended that after reading or hearing a lesson to take time to reflect on what you read or heard during the period of silence which follows the lesson. It is also recommended that you do the same thing after reading or hearing the message.
-When you open the link to a video in a new tab, check auto-play to make sure it is in the off position. Otherwise, a second video with a different song will follow the first.
-If an ad plays when you open a link to a video in a new tab, click the refresh icon of your browser until the song appears.
-If a song begins partway through the video, click pause, move the slider to the beginning, and then click play.
-An ad may follow a song so as soon as the song is finished, close the tab.
May Thursday Evenings at All Hallows be a blessing to you.
It's Earth Day! Why it's celebrated and activities you can do
Earth Day is a celebration that comes at a time when climate change is affecting communities across the globe.
Earth Day, which falls on April 22 every year, began in 1970, after millions of protesters in the United States marched for change, following a series of disasters caused by climate change and pollution that impacted the country. It then grew to a global movement.
In 2026, the day continues to acknowledge our planet, how it provides for us and ways we can protect and preserve its beauty.
Also See: 'Nations need to prepare now': Key Atlantic Ocean current is much closer to collapse than thought
Rio Grande church more than doubles its congregation after expanding its mission
In Las Cruces, New Mexico, a city that’s more than 60% Latino, only a few Protestant churches offer Spanish-language worship services.
When in December St. James Episcopal Church began engaging in Latino outreach, its attendance went from 70 to over 150 members, including pledging families with small children. Several of St. James’ new members who were recently baptized are in the process of becoming confirmed in The Episcopal Church. Attendance and membership continue to grow.
Australian Bishop Ordered to Resign
An Australian bishop has been ordered to resign his holy orders or be deposed, by May 1, after he secretly wed a woman he had ordained as priest.
Former archbishop of Canterbury blasts Hegseth's 'diabolical' rhetoric, calls US political culture 'demonic'
Former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams said during a recent interview that he believes a demonic element is manifesting in the political culture of the United States, pinpointing the rhetoric of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth as a prime example.
Trump's assigned verse in Bible marathon is red meat for Christian nationalists
The choice of ‘Two Chronicles’ is not a coincidence.
The loneliest age group in America revealed
Middle-aged Americans are now the loneliest age group in the country, according to newly released research from AARP, which shows that adults in their 40s and 50s are more likely to experience feelings of loneliness than any other demographic— including older adults.
Former US officials raise red flag over looming widespread collapse of American agriculture. Why our farmers can't compete (and what it means)
According to a recent letter signed by a bipartisan group of 27 former agricultural leaders, President Donald Trump’s economic policies risk triggering "a widespread collapse of American agriculture” (1).
The letter, addressed to the leadership of both the House and Senate Agriculture Committees, paints a grim picture: "The policies of this Administration have caused tremendous harm to the U.S. Agriculture. Farmer bankruptcies have doubled, barely half of all farms will be profitable this year, and the U.S. is running a historic agriculture trade deficit."
Also See: Tariffs, war, and now a historic drought have converged into a 'perfect storm' for US farmers and food prices
What negatively impacts US farms also negatively impacts rural communities and their churches and the nation as a whole and will lead to growing food shortages, higher food prices, and spreading food insecurity.
Christian Doctrines and Accessibility for the Disabled
This essay is part of a series on Ministry, Disabilities, and Inclusion running April 20-25. A Round Up with links will be available later this spring.
The Non-Negotiables for Building a Disability Ministry in Your Church
So much of this conversation starts with our theology of disability. How do we understand disabilities and how they fit into our world? We start by understanding that every person is made in the image of God. And what that means is that every person has the potential to have a relationship with God. And so there’s this shift now that we’re seeing, in the disability ministry world, away from the idea of babysitting and toward a ministry of discipleship.
Every person with a disability that comes into our church is an image bearer. They have the ability to have a relationship with God, whatever that looks like and whatever we may understand that to be. So, the first non-negotiable is to see this as an evangelism and discipleship issue. We’re not just going to put people with disabilities in a room so that the rest of their family can be discipled. We’re going to disciple them too.
Wesley Huff Debunks Claim That the Bible Was ‘Voted On’ at the Council of Nicaea
Did the Council of Nicaea invent the divinity of Jesus? Did a group of bishops in the fourth century determine which books belonged in the Bible? These are questions that apologists Wesley Huff and Andy Steiger addressed in the latest episode of their series “Can I Trust the Bible?”
Random Thoughts about Preaching and Being Preached To
In this article, I’ve simply collected some random thoughts on the subject and have alternated them so that half are for the ones preaching the sermons and the other half are for the ones listening to them.
Also See: How to Listen to a Sermon: Becoming a Better Hearer
Concern grows that AI is damaging users’ cognitive abilities
Last year, a team of researchers led by MIT research scientist Nataliya Kosmyna used electroencephalograms to monitor the brains of students while they were writing short, deliberately open-ended essays.
They split the 54 participants into three groups: one was told to use ChatGPT, one could search for information on Google (minus AI-generated summaries), and another had to rely on their own knowledge. As detailed in a resulting yet-to-be-peer-reviewed paper, each group was tasked with writing one essay per month for three months, while a subset of each group was asked to switch to or away from using ChatGPT for a fourth month.
The researchers’ EEG findings were ominous: the students using ChatGPT “consistently underperformed at neural, linguistic, and behavioral levels,” they found, and even got lazier with each consecutive essay.
It’s Never Too Early to Teach Theology to Kids
When we don’t purposefully teach theology to our kids, it reveals more about our own lack of faith than theirs.
Aim High. Repent. Often
We need to distinguish between the kind of hypocrisy Jesus excoriates and the stumbling attempts of sincere believers to live according to his commands. The world often conflates the two; the church should not.
Awakening Faith in Houston
Reagan Cocke was a child during the charismatic renewal movement’s peak in the 1970s, and he recalls his parents leaving for a few weekends a year to travel across the country for ministry’s sake. Cocke’s mother and father served with Faith Alive, a ministry that dispatched lay ministers to local Episcopal churches for weekend-long spiritual renewal events.
These events, which thrived in the latter half of the 20th century, encouraged Christians in their faith through personal testimonies, keynote sessions, musical worship, shared meals, and healing prayer.
Touched by the Wind: The Charismatic Movement in the Episcopal Church
My mother met me at the door, her face bursting with excitement. “You will never guess what has happened,” she exclaimed. Before I could respond, she continued, “Pentecost has come to the Episcopalians!” The year was 1961. I was a senior in high school. Mother had just returned from a “prayer luncheon” at the local Episcopal Church where David duPlessis had brought word of Dennis Bennett’s “Pentecostal” experience at St. Mark’s in Van Nuys, California, the previous year. Later as I looked through the several issues of Trinity magazine, edited by Jean Stone a member of St. Mark’s, which mother had brought home with her, I, too, experienced the sense of excitement that God was about to do something new in His Church.
Almost forty years have passed since that incident. I have followed the developments of the Charismatic renewal within the Episcopal Church with great interest since then: for ten years from the perspective of a member of a Pentecostal denomination, and for the past thirty years as an Anglican. It is out of this dual background that I have been asked me to write a critical evaluation of the Charismatic Movement within the Episcopal Church.
The Church of the Redeemer, Charismatic Renewal, and Music in Anglican Worship
One reader’s comment in response to the article was that the Church of the Redeemer was responsible for the introduction of Pentecostal worship, guitars and drums, and praise choruses in the Episcopal Church. This comment was a rather inaccurate oversimplification of the role that Redeemer played in the changes in worship in the Anglican Church in and outside of North America and the changes that have occurred in Anglican worship.
The type of worship seen at Redeemer in the early 1970s exhibited a number of significant differences from the type of worship seen in Pentecostal churches in the same period. The ubiquitous electric guitar and drum kit of today’s bands comes not from the charismatic renewal movement of the 1960s - 1970s but the Praise and Worship movement of the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The Real Reasons Women are Done With Church
Christine Caine returns to the podcast to discuss the real reasons she thinks women are done with the church, how to get them back, why playing the Holy Spirit’s role in other people’s lives has to stop, and the necessity of being pruned if you want to flourish.
A Church Facilities Wish List
Our community at Church Answers Central recently discussed their wish list for their churches' facilities. Jess and Sam supplemented the list from our consultations. Here are the wishes in order of frequency.
The Five Reasons Church Building Projects Fail – How to Lead Yours to the Finish Line
Jess and Sam talk with Mike Stadelmayer at Church Growth Services. Church building projects carry tremendous ministry potential—but many stall, scale back, or never happen. The difference between success and frustration often comes down to the following critical factors....
Power Made Perfect in Weakness
This essay is part of a series on Ministry, Disabilities, and Inclusion running April 20-24. A Round Up with links will be available later this spring.
Why Christianity is public faith by design
Modern Christianity has embraced a contradiction. We insist that faith is deeply personal — yet fiercely resist allowing it to be public. We claim Jesus is Lord of all — yet confine Him to the private sphere. We preach transformation — yet recoil when that transformation disrupts public life. This version of Christianity feels polite. It feels safe. It is also foreign to Scripture. Christianity was never designed to be private.
Creating Margin in Ministry Through a Side Hustle and Travel Hacking, with Tim Walker (Ep 126)
“We also need to have an equal investment in rest and replenishment for the sake of longevity.”
When baptism becomes a carnival
In some evangelical circles, baptism is a spectator sport.
It’s always about which pastor or church can baptize the most people or put on the most extravagant baptismal super event.
The Four Causes of Spiritual Formation
Spiritual formation has become a hot topic in Christian theology. Over the past half-century, a cottage industry in evangelicalism has emerged around practices, habits, and intentional patterns of discipleship—often traced, symbolically, to the publication of Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline in 1978. This renewed interest is frequently driven by dissatisfaction with “thin” accounts of the Christian life that reduce discipleship either to doctrinal assent or to episodic moral effort. In response, many have emphasized holistic habits, intentional practices, and even personal “rules of life” as means of apprenticing to Jesus and inhabiting the kingdom in the present.
While this renewed attention is a welcome corrective to “thin” discipleship, it has also generated a certain conceptual fog. Many contemporary models of formation appear more like psychological self-help or therapeutic habit-stacking than distinctively Christian sanctification. And some worry, not without reason, that this new passion for “thick” discipleship defined by ascetical practices can cultivate spiritual pride rather than Christ-reliant Christlikeness. To clear this fog, we need a precise grammar that can name what is being formed, into what pattern, by what agency, and for what purpose. For this, we can turn to a classic analytical tool: Aristotle’s Four Causes. This will help us clarify just exactly what Christian spiritual formation is.
