Only when Henry was succeeded by Edward VI, in 1547, could the reform that Cranmer wanted truly proceed. Cranmer’s Book of Common Prayer was revised in 1552, three years after its publication, in order to intensify the Protestantism of its theology. Ecclesiastical committees had worked on the revision, and this version became the established collective liturgy of the Church of England for the next four hundred and sixty years

In the coming years, who knows what medium we’ll be in reporting in, as the newspaper, magazine and broadcast models have been merged and diverged, mixed and matched to try to make magic on the internet. It feels like a Buzz Lightyear moment: "To infinity and beyond!" or something like that.

I wonder what would happen if America had a culture that simply taught children that doing something big for God and His Kingdom is nothing more and nothing less than loving God and neighbor.

"Someone told me I was sitting where their family sits. That really ticked me off. I didn't see a reserved sign there. If I was not getting paid to do this, I would have said a few words to them and walked out of the service before it ever began."

Young people today too are searching for some sense of purpose to which they can apply their gifts. They too can be tempted to avoid great conflicts that threaten their personal peace. But often they will find God’s will, and their own purpose, only as they engage the conflicts. They must be prepared to pay a price, as Calvin did, in leaving the places that are comfortable to them and sometimes being parted from dear friends who go in different directions.

When I called D’Souza, he confirmed that he was indeed engaged to Miss Joseph, but did not explain how he could be engaged to one woman while still married to another. When asked when he had filed for divorce from his wife, Dixie, D’Souza answered, “Recently.” According to San Diego County (Calif.) Superior Court records, D’Souza filed for divorce only on Oct. 4, the day I spoke with him

If I am reading the current situation correctly, we often seem to be living in the past, trying to recapture the halcyon days of Calvin’s Geneva, or the Puritans, or the continental Reformed scholastics, or the Dutch Second Reformation, or the southern Presbyterians, or the Afscheiding, or whatever. Here the temptation to hagiography that avoids critical treatments or pesky discussions of historical development is great.

In a Gospel perspective, this is a healthy development. It is good that non-believers know that they are, in fact, not believers. Cultural Christianity is not Christianity, and no one will find salvation through merely identifying as Christian. The disappearance of cultural Christianity will weaken the culture, but it should strengthen the church. The church, after all, had better know the difference between authentic Christian faith and “fuzzy fidelity.”

A little dignified respect is in order, for the sake of God’s image if for nothing else. And most crucially, as we look at the fine print of some present controversy may our eyes not become so squint that we can no longer behold the wonders of being God’s children and the beauties of God’s world.

A couple of months ago, I made a joke and asked if there were any yankees (or maybe non-Southerners) in the crowd (don't remember the exact words). But, I do remember that more than half of the attendees raised their hands, much to my surprise. When I asked several, they explained why. As new people in the community, they found it hard to connect in established churches, but here they found relationships in the church plant and are now growing in their faith (or taking steps toward faith).