Author: Kathy Vandergrift

The mandate letters for three federal cabinet ministers this year include finding a way to “better incorporate quality of life measurements into government decision-making and budget processes.” While this may sound like another frivolous, feel-good Liberal talking point, it could have profound implications. And it is in line with Biblical teachings. The Bible is full of warnings about letting wealth and economics dictate our lives, at the expense of other factors that are equally important for our well-being – or flourishing, to use a Biblical word.

To improve my mental health, I decided to stop reading stories about Christians and U.S. politics. High anxiety and loss of hope were affecting my work. I’m glad, however, that I couldn’t resist the Christianity Today editorial just before Christmas. It was a bold call for evangelical Christians to end the un-questioning allegiance to Donald Trump. Two things made this a prophetic moment and lifted my spirits. First was its focus on the impact for the gospel message, not for U.S. politics: “Consider how your justification of Mr. Trump influences your witness to your Lord and Savior.

In two days, the wooded path close to my house became a trail of stumps. The only crime of the trees was being in the path of a Light Rail Transit (LRT) extension designed to bring people from the suburbs to downtown Ottawa. Within hours of the first cut, grieving and angry messages flooded the email account I manage as chair of my community planning community. Emotions ran high as videos and photos were shared on our local Facebook page.

Do churches have a unique role to play in our current Canadian context? Yes, said many participants in a recent cross-country dialogue on the future of Christianity in Canada. To honour its 75th anniversary, the Canadian Council of Churches (CCC) hosted cross-country dialogues on the future of Christianity in Canada. The dialogues included a focus on some of the social divisions that were reinforced in the recent federal election. Church leaders from Indigenous, Francophone and minority cultural communities brought different perspectives to round tables where the themes of the youth alienation, social isolation and care for creation were highlighted for attention.

Is Zwarte Piet an example of blackface and racism or a fun-loving Dutch Christmas tradition? That was dinner conversation in our house last month as my children reflected on the controversy surrounding photos of Canada’s prime minister in brown and blackface. Zwarte Piet is the black servant of the Dutch Sinterklaas who brings gifts to children on December 5. Discomfort or support for continuing this tradition in Canada seems more influenced by attitudes toward one’s Dutch heritage than understanding white privilege and the negative impacts of such portrayals for neighbours of African descent.

Can climate change also change the political climate in Canada? Many who care for creation hope it will. Reducing extreme partisanship is almost as important as taking global warming seriously to get to solutions that care for creation.