There is at once joy and disappointment in slicing the unopened pages of a 173 year-old book. Joy comes in discovery of the text. Sadness comes in recognizing the volume hasn’t been read, despite previously belonging to a college library.

“Easy and Plain” takes its name from Thomas Cranmer’s preface to the Book of Common Prayer. He wrote that the words of the services were to be “most easy and plain for the understanding.” I hope to share reflections on the faith, simply and clearly.

Editing historical texts is not for the faint of heart. One quickly begins to see how printer errors, unauthorized revisions, and other changes creep in. Sometimes, I have to get deep into the weeds of historical research because of little things like parentheses or typos. Careful editing is very important when transmitting Christian confessions.

Enjoying the timeless words of J.C. Ryle. Daily devotions from “Our Great Redeemer,” compiled by Bryan Schrank.