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By Haley Cameron Photos by Noriko Nasu-Tidball Reverend Jeremy Clark-King, priest at St. Mary’s Anglican Church, barely hesitates when I ask if there’s a specific verse that inspires him on a daily basis. “The glory of God is a human being fully alive,” he recites, before admitting right away that it isn’t actually a biblical excerpt. The line comes instead from Saint Iraneus, a second century theologian. “John 10:10 is practically the same thing,” he offers, ready to provide the biblical version he knew I would be expecting. “I’ve come that you may have life, and have it abundantly.”   It strikes me as surprising that Rev. Jeremy’s first instinct isn’t a biblical reference, but I quickly learn to abandon all expectations when it comes to St. Mary’s. The century-old building that would appear in all ways conservatively traditional from the exterior proves to be impressively open-minded, progressive, and ultimately welcoming within its stained glass doors.   Perhaps this progressive nature shouldn’t be so unexpected. The Church of England acquired autonomy in the sixteenth century, when the country broke free of Papal association and instead combined Catholic and Protestant practices to produce a new branch of Christianity. A somewhat rebellious inauguration, this set the precedent for an opinionated religion that encouraged critical thinking and welcomed modernity. As Jeremy outlines, “We take the Bible seriously, but not literally. We learn from past successes and failures and place a high value on reason.”   As we spend some time covering the basics of the Anglican Church, for instance the correct terminology for Sunday congregations (service, Holy Eucharist, or Communion, he tells me), Rev. Jeremy mentions that one of the ministers on staff until recently is female. Female ordination isn’t the only surprise of this Christian offspring....