Snapshot of an Episcopal Theologian

He was born and died in South Carolina Appalachia.  He started out with wealth, fought in the Civil War, lost his health, wealth, and survived the death of his wife and son.

With only intelligence and Holy Orders to his credit he accepted the call to be chaplain to a small Episcopal University in Tennessee.  Once at Sewanee his faith grew; he established its School of Theology - yes, that School of Theology at Sewanee, The University of the South, so famous now for its widespread EFM (Education for Ministry) program.

William Porcher Dubose wrote amazing books during his lifetime, including The Gospel in the Gospels.   He was appreciated abroad for his insights, Oxford movement proponents praising him as "the wisest writer on both sides of the Atlantic".  Like his Lord before him, Dubois was 'a prophet without honor in his own house', even to the point of being threatened with a heresy trial in America.

The Rev. W.P. Dubose died on August 18, 1918 neither famous nor rich.  Much later a biographer caught his gift and essence in this observation: "He was a live voice in an age of many echoes."

-source Saints Galore by Forward Movement

EVERYONE IS CALLED by Madeleine L'Engle

Everyone is Called


We are not all called to go to El Salvador, or Moscow, or Calcutta, or even the slums of New York, but none of us will escape the moment when we have to decide whether to withdraw, to play it safe, or to act upon what we prayerfully believe to be right, knowing that with all our prayers we may be wrong, and knowing that we will probably be punished by those who do not want universe-disturbers to stand up and be counted.

Perhaps what we are called to do may not seem like much, but the butterfly is a small creature to affect galaxies thousands of light years away.


- from  Glimpses of Grace; Daily Thoughts and Reflections HarperSanFrancisco, 1996

n.b. Here's a snippet on 'the butterfly effect' : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly_effect 

The Hours of Mary

Today being the Feast of St. Mary the Virgin, or according to other traditions, The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, I thought I'd call your attention to a wonderful series written by the Rev. Suzanne Guthrie in her blog The Edge of the Enclosure.  For a series of meditations on different times in the remarkable life of Mary, Mother of Christ, I commend you to check out: http://edgeofenclosure.org/hoursofmaryintro.html