William Portman, Author at Anglican Journal

Devotions for Christian unity

William Portman — Tue, 20 Jan 2015 20:46:00 +0000

The subtitle says it all: Prayer and reflection texts for Christian reconciliation and unity.This collection of private and corporate devotion gathers resourcesfrom across the whole spectrum of Christianity from every age-RomanCatholic, Anglican, Orthodox through United, Baptist, Pentecostal. Itcarries the endorsement of Christian leaders from Saskatoon,Saskatchewan, home of the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism.

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The stark reality of Jesus’ birth

William Portman — Tue, 23 Dec 2014 12:30:00 +0000

A few years ago, an English bishop suggested adding a bucket of fresh manure to the traditional Christmas decorations in churches, to remind people what the first Christmas was really like.

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Two Christian leaders different in theology, united in love for their Lord

William Portman — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 04:00:00 +0000

TWO CHRISTIAN leaders – one from the 19th century, the other from the 20th – vastly different in theology but united in love for their Lord – are featured in these books. William Booth made his mark in the 19th century as founder and autocratic “General” of the worldwide Salvation Army. Michael Ramsey was an […]

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Audacious Anglicans reflects on heroes of faith

William Portman — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0000

According to a young Church School pupil, a saint is “someone the light shines through” – speaking of the figures in stained glass windows that adorn many churches. But the saints described here – so labeled by the Archbishop of Canterbury himself in the foreword – are anything but stylized pictures in glass. They are […]

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BCP: a finished product or a work in progress?

William Portman — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 05:00:00 +0000

These two books are different in content and purpose. One is a devotional commentary on the 1962 Canadian Book of Common Prayer (BCP), which appeared in substantially finished form 450 years ago in the Church of England. The other is a historical and theological overview of the evolution of Anglican worship from 1549 until the […]

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Marriage canon relaxed

William Portman — Tue, 01 Jun 2004 04:00:00 +0000

St. Catharines, Ont. Divorced Anglicans hoping to re-marry in church may soon have to deal only with their parish priest instead of having to apply to a diocesan matrimonial commission for approval. General Synod gave second reading to an amendment to Canon XXI (the church’s marriage canon or law) allowing each diocese to decide if […]

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Church examines licensing law

William Portman — Tue, 01 Jun 2004 04:00:00 +0000

St. Catharines, Ont. General Synod has begun the process of softening a canon or church law that allows a bishop to fire a priest for any reason without right of appeal. In response to a directive from the 2001 synod, aimed at limiting arbitrary use of power by a bishop, three amendments to Canon XVII […]

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Synod says ‘not now’ to a unified prayer book

William Portman — Tue, 01 Jun 2004 04:00:00 +0000

Rev. Stephen Andrews asked synod to “have mercy” on committee. St. Catharines, Ont. Faced with a tongue-in-cheek threat by one delegate to launch a “BAS Society of Canada,” General Synod accepted Rev. Stephen Andrews’ advice to “let sleeping dogs lie” and defeated a motion calling for work to start on a unified Book of Common […]

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Suggestions for future

William Portman — Fri, 01 Jun 2001 04:00:00 +0000

ELEVEN YEARS as Books Editor of the Anglican Journal have convinced me that the biblical author was right when he said “of making many books there is no end.” He might have added something about there being a much smaller output of good books. Each year, our reviewers were able to cover between 60 and […]

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Books for Lent

William Portman — Thu, 01 Mar 2001 05:00:00 +0000

LENT BRINGS with it new books intended to deepen faith and enrich spirituality. Here is a selection of the best of this year’s offerings. The Fingerprints of God Tracking the Divine Suspect Through a History of Images Robert Farrar Capon 163 pages paper $22.95 Eerdmans 0-8028-4768-4 This novel presentation of salvation history traces images – […]

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