You’re more likely to see a beard in the pulpit today than at any time since the 1800s. But beards—especially among clergy—were once serious, symbolic matters. They separated East from West during the Great Schism, priests from laity during the Middle Ages, and Protestants from Catholics during the Reformation. Some church leaders required them; others […]
What Does Baptism Actually Do?
by Fr. John Whiteford Question. “As a former Evangelical, I have a question. Where do many protestants get the idea that baptism is “only an outward expression of an inward change”?” Roman Catholics and Anglicans have historically used the phrase “outward sign of an inward grace” to describe the sacraments, but by this expression, Roman […]