Anselm Ministries

Who is Anselm of Canterbury?

Anselm of CanterburyAnselm (1033–1109) was an eleventh century monk and theologian who had a profound impact on Christianity. Despite almost one thousand years since his life and death, his thinking on many subjects remains fresh; speaking to the spiritual issues of our day, particularly the idea of a god or higher power of my understanding. His was a teaching and, in the context of his time, a “biblical counseling” ministry of discipleship where he strove to promote the spiritual and intellectual growth of those who believed as he did in God.

In his book the Proslogion, Anselm put forth a logical argument or proof that God exists as “a supreme good, requiring nothing else, which all things require for their existence and well-being.” He said that even a fool who denied that God existed understood the idea of a being of which nothing greater could be conceived. “And whatever is understood, exists in the understanding.” If this idea, that God is “a being than which nothing greater can be conceived” existed in the person’s understanding alone, “then it can [also] be conceived to exist in reality; which is greater.” So he concluded there is no doubt that there exists a being “than which nothing greater can be conceived.” And this being, this God, existed both in human understanding and in reality. This was Anselm’s famous ontological argument for the existence of God. You can learn more about Anselm of Canterbury and his teachings here.

Learn more about Anselm of Canterbury and his teachings

About Anselm Ministries

Anselm Ministries draws its name from the eleventh century monk and theologian who had a profound impact on Christianity. I have adopted his motto – Faith Seeking Understanding – as the name of this web site and the following prayer from his writings as the vision statement for Anselm Ministries:

Grant that I may taste by love, what I apprehend by knowledge, that I may feel in my heart what I touch in the Spirit. (Anselm of Canterbury, Meditations on Human Redemption)

Anselm Ministries is a church-based teaching organization whose purpose is to support the pastoral care of the local church. It seeks to help individuals grow in their faith and their understanding of how to live Godly, Christ-centered lives. This progressive sanctification is demonstrated by the growth of “good fruit” and the decay of “bad fruit,” the sinful works of the flesh (i.e., Gal. 5). The ultimate ministry goal is for people to pass on what they have received by becoming instruments of change in the lives of others.

The services Anselm Ministries offers to accomplish these goals include:

  • The Faith Seeking Understanding website and blog
  • Pastoral consultation
  • Seminars on addiction recovery and relapse prevention
  • Seminars on how to think biblically about counseling-related issues

Contact

Anselm Ministries
Charles Sigler, D.Phil.
5157 Wexford Run Road
Wexford, PA 15090-7547

Email: anselm.ministries@faith-seeking-understanding.org