Imagine a better future that is feasible and work heroically to achieve it. That is the essence of a Commanding Hope to address the combined threats of climate change and growing inequity, according to Thomas Homer-Dixon. At first, I found it a slim basis for hope. On second thought, however, why did I consider an…
Part COVID response and part post-COVID recovery, the federal Canadian Budget 2021 resembles a long, expensive shopping list more than either a clear future vision or a blueprint out of a COVID-recession. The budget is organized under three themes: 1) Finishing the job against COVID-19; 2) Creating Jobs and Growth; and 3) A Resilient and…
Tulips are poking through the soil. My seed order has arrived. Even the thought of returning to the garden renews my spirit. Fresh, nutritious food during the summer and fall, with enough to share, is an extra blessing. Easy access to local, nutritious food should be true for far more people than it currently is….
“Return to Normal” and “Build Back Better” are the two dominant mindsets for COVID-recovery. Any suggestion of more disruption would invite stone-throwing, but that may be our future. High levels of present anxiety and fear for the future lead to equating hope with more tranquility. Is there another kind of hope? Is hope possible in…
COVID-19 has achieved one positive change that four decades of advocacy failed to achieve. It has forced society to recognize that care work is essential and needs to be considered part of a well-functioning economy. Care work can be broadly described as work, paid or unpaid, that helps others meet their basic needs. The pandemic…
Many current controversial ethical issues lead back to Genesis. Climate change. The role of women in church and society. Treatment of Black and Indigenous peoples. Who should be allowed to get married. The problem is not the text itself. Christians so often find themselves having to apologize for harms done because of the filters used…
“Peace on Earth” rings out from Christmas carols and greeting cards at this time of year. It echoes the good news of the angels long ago; it expresses the hope for shalom as a result of God coming down into our world. We cherish the serenity of a crèche and singing Silent Night by candle…
Waste reduction motivated two major initiatives in my early social justice work. Both became national success stories; over time, however, both enabled more waste and had other unintended consequences. Reflecting on that, I wonder if more than stewardship is needed to ground our approach to care for God’s creation. Edmonton’s Blue Box program was cutting-edge…
I find it a challenge to balance staying informed about news and thinking within my faith community, being alert to other perspectives, and engaging in the public conversations that are shaping our society. This month, Christian Courier celebrates 75 years of connecting and building a community. Without it, we readers would be less connected and weaker in…
Flags at the front of churches and Bibles waving at political rallies are common place in the United States, and two thirds of Americans agree with the statement “America is a Christian nation” (according to a 2013 poll). That level of fusion between love of God and love of country, however, does not explain why many, in the name of Christ, reject non-white immigrants, refuse to recognize racial injustice in spite of overwhelming evidence, oppose equality for women, defend gun culture, and excuse killing civilians…
What explains the continuing strong support by evangelical Christians for a president whose actions are the antithesis of following Jesus? Dr. Kristin Kobes Du Mez answers that question in her new book, Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation.
In 2017, Nedira Mustefa sought refugee protection at the Canadian border and found herself in solitary confinement in a small cold cell with no blanket and little food in a U.S. prison, without being charged for any crime. Her story is the real-life outcome of something called the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) between Canada…
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In uncertain times, we need hope-filled news!
