James Anderson

James Anderson

Co-founder, Alban Institute

"On Faith" panelist James Anderson is a retired Episcopal priest, an almost full-time volunteer in the community, a part-time farm manager, and independent writer. Anderson was one of four founders of the Alban Institute in Washington, D.C., and served as first president of its board. The Institute has grown to become one of the most respected sources of help in the nation to local congregations. Anderson is the author or co-author of three books on ministry in the local church: To Come Alive (1973) and The Management of Ministry (1978), co-authored with Ezra Earl Jones, have been widely used in the training and education of clergy. Anderson, who has wide experience as an advisor and consultant to a variety of religious organizations, also served as assistant to the Bishop for Congregational Development for the Episcopal Diocese of Washington and director of Field Studies for the Cathedral College of the Laity at the Washington National Cathedral. He's currently writing a book with Bishop Jane Holmes Dixon examining the 40-year history of the effort to fully integrate women into the ordained ministry of the Episcopal Church. Close.

James Anderson

Co-founder, Alban Institute

"On Faith" panelist James Anderson is a retired Episcopal priest, an almost full-time volunteer in the community, a part-time farm manager, and independent writer. He's currently writing a book with Bishop Jane Holmes Dixon examining the 40-year history of the effort to fully integrate women into the ordained ministry of the Episcopal Church. more »

Main Page | James Anderson Archives | On Faith Archives


Peering Into the World of the Dead

Between the living and the dead is a great gulf, a mystery to all.

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All Comments (16)

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Moody:

THE WORST WAY OF CALLING NAME TO THE ALMIGHTY CREATOR:
When Christians say that Jesus(A.S) was the only BEGOTTEN and not MADE like Adam (A.S) or like all other creatures or creations?
What are you insinuating??? That God Almighty Him self came down to perform the lowest form of animal act like dog, donkey or monkey,i.e., sexual reproduction?
And on top of it Jesus(A.S) was His begotten son not ligitimate!!!!!!!!!!
THAT IS THE WORST KIND OF ABUSE AND NAMING ANY BODY COULD HAVE DIRECTED TOWARDS THE GOD ALMIGHTY!!
Well down you so called CHRISTIAN believers??
You are getting your rewards in this world and will definitely get infinitely here after!!!!!!

YOUR BEST OF BEST ARE PREIST, BISHOP, CARDINAL AND POP AND NUNS RIGHT!

You say Nuns don't marry there whole life b/cause they are married to the Father. Alright!

My Question is Your Preist up to Pop, are they also married to the Father?????

Extremely Natural concept, behaviour or shall I say believe!

WHAT?:

Current concepts of heaven and hell were borne of superstition ages ago. These deceptions have been carried down to today. Overall, people really dont know any different. Such is the reason why what is said at funerals, etc. Scripture tells us that confusion would be the outcome of mankind making their own choice about life, including about God. Rev 12:9 shows a whole world deceived. But scripture also tells us that no man has ascended to heaven, there will be 2 resurrections, a new heaven and earth (where Jesus Christ will return and reign on earth for a 1000 years), and no red-horned devils and demons with pitchforks spinning souls on a spit over a fire, etc. There will be a consuming fire, scripture states, after the final Great White Throne judgement, not a fire to live in for eternity.

yoyo:

If mice could think,it wouldn't be long before
they'd think-up a Mousegod because it feels so good.
"There's just gotta be Mousegod out there somewhere.
I can feel him in my heart.Don't tell me we're all alone down here.I refuse to believe it you bad mouse."
They'd invent a cozy Mouseheaven on the whitest cloud in the bluest sky,where good mice go to die,and where cats are not allowed.
In Mousehell bad mice are thrown to the cats to be
ripped apart forever and ever and ever.
Maybe they're just as well off not being able to think.

Tim:

Not to be too technical but I googled Samhain and it starts November 1st. Close enough but technically October 31st is Halloween. Halloween be a more fitting day for communing with the dead, ya.

Blessed indeed.

We all miss our dead family and friends and my condolences to the author. We carry an image of them. I miss my older brother so much. He is a clear image in my mind; his voice, his smile, and his advise. In this way, he talks to me anytime and anywhere I want to hear from him. This is not a voice from the other world. For me to think so would be silly.

Paganplace:

"Diarmaid MacCulloch, in his masterful history of the Reformation, makes the comment that Protestantism created “a division between the dead and the living much more radical and impermeable than Catholicism.” I have now experienced the reality of this judgment."

And on Samhain night in Egypt.

Doesn't get much more fitting than that.

I'm sorry for your loss, author.

In all these problems 'defining' 'what happens to' the dead, we often give short shrift to the simple human fact that we, the living, miss them.

Blessed be.

BGone:

How do you know they are in heaven? Could it be? Nah? Couldn't possible be that. http://www.hoax-buster.org/sellyoursoul is a reasonable interpretation of the Bible that says they, according to your faith in God are with {the being Moses made the deal with} wherever His kingdom may be.

The notion of hell is completely removed from the funeral. Am I the only one to notice that? Yes, they argue over what to say and the notion of praying to or at least praying for the dead but how about the other place. No one ever mentions hell at the funeral.

Since we're discussing writers, how about "The Devil and Daniel Webster" as a topic? The Devil has a huge bank account and does as many good deeds as possible to fool us into thinking He is God?

We can be sure, saying Devil is God does not make Devil God but does make Devil happy. Can't help but notice that the big money goes to those who lead the multitudes. Would that be to heaven or might that be to hell?

Check out the pictures of the universe at the HB site and you can see where they went, according to the oldest religious authority there is. Earth, nebol birdge, next earth and hell below the bridge. Who said there is a demon on the nebol bridge? Why did he say there is a demon on the nebol bridge? Probably wasn't at a funeral he said it, or were they feeding their murder victims' bodies to the jackals?

john:

He may be inferring the chasm between the living and the dead is not necessarily mutually exclusive.

I imagine many heart attack survivors, such as myself, have experiences drastically different from the religion v. atheism linguistic debate. When you go through something like this, it's not something you necessarily feel eager to share. It'd be nice to hear more from these people, rather than the current selection whose primary concern is to hear themselves talk.

Anonymous:

'BETWEEN THE LIVING AND THE DEAD"! so that means you have the living and the dead scoped out - its only the between that is an unknown to you.
So i can be up to speed, and inasmuch as i only know about the living - tell me the dead part - because the only person i know that was dead and came back was jesus - but he did not appear to talk too much about what it was like to be dead.
so maybe you can tell us.

Patricia:

Jim, thank you for such an inspirational and reflective word.

Yes, I very much believe in the intercessory power of those who have gone before us. Those who have loved us on earth certainly do not abandon us after death. For me, their power is intensified as they petition in person before God's throne.

I feel that our friends do just that for us still "fighting the good fight" here on earth.

God bless!

Gratefully,
Sister Patricia Gamgort

E Favorite:

Rev. Anderson - What are you saying, really? I'm trying to understand. Are you saying you believe the nuns -that your friends are pulling strings in heaven to help their earthly cause? Do you think they do that better dead than alive? Was this all part of God's plan? Another sacrifice, a la Jesus on the cross? I know you didn't say any of this, but it sort of sounds that way, so that's why I'm asking.

Or are you saying that thinking they are influential in heaven helps you feel better about their sudden deaths? Or both? Or something else?

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