Oak & Altar. ☩

"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and mammon ."  Matthew 6. 24. 1.— Introduction. The scripture above has been so included precisely because it summarises the purpose of these essays.  Any Christian involvement in politics should be done so on the grounds that political belief is informed by faith, and not the other way around.  In fact, the latter has created many issues for the Western Church for some time now.  Nevertheless, the words of Christ are to be kept in mind when proceeding, on the understanding that any theoretical developments, suggestions, and opinions are done so with the intention of creating a more harmonious, organic social order— and not simply for the purpose of what appears to be most profitable.  Prosperity is good for civilisation, but must also necessarily have its guardrails, lest we fall int...

" My people will dwell in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places, " Isaiah 32. 18. Within the modern-day concord of economics, the concept of a mutual-savings bank is one not often heard.  It has been relegated to the pages of economic history and largely forgotten.  Despite this, it is worth noting that during the latter-half of the nineteenth century and in the first quarter of the twentieth, mutual banks had enjoyed a period of relative strength and security against economic downturns akin to a tidal wave, destroying asset wealth in the millions.  Those who took the bigger risks upon the stock market are those who gambled and, in some senses, lost everything.  The very structure of the mutual bank is what enabled its resilience and capability in preserving the dignity of its members' financial security against uncertain market forces.  People's wealth was safer in those hands.   With this in mind, we should a...

   " Out of the belly of the grave I cried, and You heard my voice. "  (Jonah 2. 2.) One thing that remains constant throughout the Christian way of life is the struggle to keep to the demands placed upon the shoulders of those who follow Christ.  To deny this is to fall victim to cheap grace, which is considered "the enemy of our church."  (1.)  It is made seemingly difficult by sitting within the context of a fallen nature; we are at all times open to the evils of the world and the ways in which it effects us; without God, we are liable to commit ourselves to its yoke.  If, however, we call forth to God, we must remember that He hears us and does not abandon those who hold fast in the faith— even from the very lowest of our condition (2 Samuel 22. 6, Jonah 2. 6); more, He delights in mercy and pardons iniquity for those who love Him and keep His commandments (Micah 7. 18-19, Deuteronomy 7. 9).  This latter point is what hinges the very...

Today, April 10, is Good Friday.  It is arguably the darkest day in the Christian calendar, as it is the day on which Christ was crucified, and died, at Calvary.  The collects, reproduced below from the Book of Common Prayer, send a petition for the mercy of God on those who profess their faith in He who was crucified today, as well as to those who deny the salvific purpose of his crucifixion.   In offering himself up for crucifixion, the Lamb of God demonstrated a perfect obedience and love, opening the path for a connection between the human race and God.  For it is only through him that we may go to the Father (John 14: 6), and this is the Gospel emphasis in no uncertain terms.  Today's epistle, too, reminds us that this sacrifice was offered perfectly to take on the sins of the world, and there is no other means to this (Hebrews 10: 1-25; more specifically, 1: 10-14).   But, I believe, there is yet more set by this demonstration of Ch...

1. Introduction.  Collect: " Almighty and everlasting God, who, of thy tender love towards mankind, hast sent thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ, to take upon him our flesh, and to suffer death upon the cross, that all mankind should follow the example of his great humility: Mercifully grant, that we may both follow the example of his patience, and also be made partakers of his resurrection; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen. "  (Book of Common Prayer.)   Yesterday — Monday, 06 April — was Holy Monday.  It is, within the western and eastern church traditions, celebrated as the day on which Jesus Christ cleansed the temple of money-lenders and traders.  The narrative appears in all four Gospels (Matthew 21: 12-17; Mark 11: 15-19; Luke 19: 45-48; John 2: 13-16), and detail the way in which Christ physically drove out iniquity and sin from the Father's House, and accused them of having made it a " den of thieves. "  (Matthew 21: 13...