Canterbury Trails

What do such metaphysical concepts as Nominalism, Realism, and Voluntarism have to do with the trans movement, woke politics, and anxiety about one’s salvation? You’ll find out on this week’s episode of Canterbury Trails, as hosts C. Jay Engel and Jared Lovell welcome back to the show Dr. Thomas Price to discuss these matters and much more. Don’t overlook this one just because it sounds too abstra...

If you want to understand some Christian denominations or churches, you will likely be pointed to a systematic theology or a confession or catechism. In short, you will be given a set of propositions to compare with other systems. Anglicanism has propositions, to be sure, but to really understand it, you have to understand the history, the unfolding of the actual, dramatic experience of the Church...

One issue that continues to divide Christians is the question of spiritual authority. All Christians agree that the Holy Scriptures are the Word of God. But what about other authoritative voices and claims within the Church? Which authorities have the right to bind the conscience? Is the Protestant doctrine of Sola Scriptura valid, and if so, what is the proper understanding of it? What about past...

On today’s Canterbury Trails, Jared Lovell and C. Jay Engel introduce a new series for the podcast: Anglicanism 101, tackling questions that those new to Anglicanism—or those who are just curious—might ask. For this first installment in the series, we’ll talk about Worship and Liturgy. Why do Anglican (and other high worship) traditions seems so strange to modern Evangelicals? Is Sunday morning ju...

The Dead are Not Gone. They are simply further ahead on the journey than you are. In Episode 21 of Canterbury Trails, C. Jay Engel and Jared Lovell discuss Jared’s new article in The North American Anglican: “Because I Could Not Stop for Death: A Study of the Evangelical Decline of the Burial Rites in the English and American Prayer Books”. Scripture speaks of the Great Cloud of Witnesses; Chester...

You can’t miss Christmas when you’re talking about English faith and culture! Despite the busy-ness of the past couple of months that has prevented the production of new episodes of the Canterbury Trails podcast, the boys are back in town, just in time for Christmas! Join us as our hosts, C. Jay Engel and Jared Lovell, talk about why “The English do Christmas Best.” This fun and engaging episode t...

Who were the Tractarians? What was the Oxford Movement? Was this a good, necessary, and salutary development for the Anglican Church? Or not? C. Jay is away today, but Jared is joined by Dr. Charles Erlandson, his former professor and mentor at Cranmer Theological House to discuss the Oxford Movement of the nineteenth century. For some new to Anglicanism (like Jared in his early days), the first i...

Few hot button issues are hotter than the question of the Jewish people and antisemitism. But that’s the very question on the table in today’s episode of Canterbury Trails. Our listeners know this podcast is dedicated to the cultural apologetic for Anglicanism, so why are we talking about this subject? We're responding to a recent article in The Christian Post (“New Antisemitism Rising Among Chris...

In Episode 17 of Canterbury Trails, Jared and C. Jay discuss an important upcoming conference sponsored by Jared’s church: Building Generational Wealth: Preparing Heirs for the Unexpected Journey. But this is no mere promo video: join us as our hosts engage in a fascinating conversation about the conference topic and related matters: vocation, the Medieval view of wealth, intergenerational living,...

You’ve heard the Puritan narrative of the history of America—the Pilgrims, the Mayflower Compact, the Great Awakening, all leading up to Independence and the Revolution. But are you ready for the Anglican version of the story? In the early days of America, few outside New England would have even heard of the Mayflower Compact. But Anglicanism was not merely a regional denomination: it extended acr...

What defines American Protestantism? Recording this episode of Canterbury Trails the week after the American Independence Day, Jared Lovell and C. Jay Engel reflect on this question, and delve into the impact especially of language on the theology of our Anglo-American faith. Perhaps the two most popular books in early American history were the King James Bible and the Works of William Shakespeare...

What is the purpose of preaching? Is it just something to endure while waiting for the Main Event of Communion? Or is preaching itself the Main Event, with Communion merely a monthly or quarterly extra? Or does the truth lie somewhere in the via media? On this week’s episode of Canterbury Trails, Jared (without C. Jay, who is out this week) answers these questions with our special guest, Father Ma...

What do sanctification, basketball, playing guitar, and plumbing have in common? And why does our special guest have “ora et labora” tattooed on his hands? On today’s episode of Canterbury Trails, C. Jay Engel and Jared Lovell talk to plumber, writer, and postulant in the Reformed Episcopal Church, Nathaniel Marshall, about trades, repetition, the mechanical arts, manual labor, and how they all re...

C. Jay is away this week, but Jared carries on with a fascinating conservation about Time. With returning guest Jesse Nigro of The North American Anglican, Jared talks about how the way we think about Time can serve catechetical purposes. One reason Christianity was able to survive through the Middle Ages is how they thought about Time, and the rituals in which they engaged throughout the day, wee...

What does it mean to be an Anglican? Or even a Christian? The Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion, written and adopted by the Anglican Church in 1571, have a lot to say on the subject. But today, The Thirty-Nine Articles are regarded as more of a formulary, little more than an interesting historical document Anglicans use for reference. Thus this important confession has been relativized, diminished,...

What exactly are “The Stations of the Cross”? Is that a Roman Catholic thing, or does it have roots in the Protestant tradition as well? And if Protestant, what about Anglican? Join Canterbury Trails hosts Jared Lovell and C. Jay Engel as they welcome Fr. Justin Clemente, associate priest at Holy Cross Cathedral, and author of the new book, At the Cross: Reflections on the Stations of the Cross. L...

Today on Canterbury Trails, hosts Jared Lovell and C. Jay Engel welcome guest Dr. Tom Price to talk about St. Anselm, an Italian Benedictine monk who lived at the turn of the twelfth century, and served as the Archbishop of Canterbury in England. Anselm’s time as archbishop was marked by controversy and even exile, as he often clashed with the kings of England over the extent of royal power into e...

Music is important to almost everyone's life, and the Anglican tradition has given us a rich legacy of music. On Episode 8 of Canterbury Trails, our hosts, C. Jay Engel and Jared Lovell, are joined by guest Billy Jenkins to talk about music in the Anglican tradition. The discussion covers music from the English Reformation, English hymn writers, and ranges into a variety of subjects, including the...

We’re in a rediscovery phase of American religious life. Many are turning from the shallow worship and church life of contemporary evangelicalism and finding older paths. One of those paths is the Anglican Church. On today's episode, Jared Lovell and C. Jay Engel welcome Joseph Colleti, creator of the Young Anglican YouTube channel, and author of the recent article, "'Old High Church' Planting" in...

Was the English Reformation all about theological differences? Or was it strictly a case of political maneuvering? Does the truth lie somewhere between these two extremes? And if the English Reformation did include a significant political component, does that make it any less legitimate? Join C. Jay Engel and Jared Lovell for Episode 6 of Canterbury Trails, as they discuss these questions and more...

Does Narnia reflect Anglican cultural structures? Is it a story-world that can only be created by an Anglican? And why has C.S. Lewis been called the last exit before atheism? On today's episode of Canterbury Trails, hosts Jared Lovell and C. Jay Engel welcome Jared's brother, Micah Lovell, a classical educator and Director of Operations at Anglican Church of the Good Shepherd in Binghamton, NY, t...

Is the Anglican tradition more Reformed, more Lutheran, or a true Via Media? In Episode 4 of The Canterbury Trails, hosts Jared Lovell and C.J. Engel talk about the influence of Lutheran theology on early Anglican theological development. To better understand this important subject, Jared and C.J. welcome their special guest Jesse Nigro, classical educator and editor-in-chief of The North American...

Jared and CJ discuss the Anglo tradition in education, focusing mostly on the reforms of Alfred the Great. Join the discussion, and consider why our educational reform efforts today would benefit from the wisdom of a ninth century English king known most for his military victories. Image of Anglo-Saxon map By Hel-hama - Own work using:InkscapeSource: England and Wales at the time of the Treaty of...

What role (if any) should spiritual discipline, written prayers, and fasting play in the Christian life? What does the Anglican Way have to say about it? And what does a sixth-century Italian monk have to do with English Christianity? C.J. Engel and Jared Lovell talk about all this and more on Episode 2 of The Canterbury Trails. Image of Anglo-Saxon map by Hel-hama - Own work using:InkscapeSource:...

An introduction to the Canterbury Trails podcast