Who picks the pictures?
|

Who picks the pictures?

Last April, as Russia’s invasion into Ukraine was still fresh on the news and the reports of war crimes were leaking out, I received a folder of images from a news correspondent with the permission to print them in Christian Courier. The images were gut-wrenching, taken by civilians as ground-level evidence of Russian war crimes….

Contagious strength
|

Contagious strength

“Do it scared,” Karene-Isabelle Jean-Baptiste tells entrepreneurs. After almost 20 years as an engineer, Montreal-based Jean-Baptiste became a full-time photographer in 2019. She couldn’t have known that covid would hit the world a year later. Nor could she have known that a photography series she “did scared” would get national media attention, launching her new…

Co-creating an EP with God and community
|

Co-creating an EP with God and community

What does community look like for creatives in the church? We asked Ruth Chan, a Toronto singer-songwriter musician and artist. Chan’s artist name is “Heather is Growing,” and she is releasing her first EP, Heather is Growing on April 28th. Christian Courier talked to Chan about her songwriting journey ahead of the EP release.  Chan:…

Can art conquer war?
|

Can art conquer war?

Given spray paint, a broken wall and 15 minutes, what would you say to the Taliban? Ukraine erased Afghanistan from our news. Many people are entering 2023 weary of news of war and worried over inflation. Our lack of attention doesn’t mean that atrocities stop. Ukrainian, Afghan, Yezidi, Rohingya and Nigerian individuals are still living…

Net zero ethics
|

Net zero ethics

Last month, world leaders convened in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, for COP27. COPs have been held annually since 1995 by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. This year’s was the fifth to be hosted in an African nation. Africa is increasingly the focus in climate related news, and not for the normal reasons. Last…

Advent
|

Advent

I fainted this morning. For a few seconds, the world stopped spinning,as planets hurricane-whippedthrough winter air. Heaviness. Darkness.Memory skipped a beat, time two beats,life suddenly shown up, a scratched audio CD.I opened my eyes, cheek on cement. Today was the coldest yet.Each boot thrust through icesplintered the memory of hills. At work, I utter this…

Stone, paper & screens
|

Stone, paper & screens

There is a labyrinth in the cathedral of Chartres in France. The centre of the labyrinth is reached by walking (or going on your knees) on a deceptively long path. Look up, and you will see a mirror copy in the great West Rose of stained glass above. The centre of the West Rose is…

Mrs. van Gogh
|

Mrs. van Gogh

Jo van Gogh-Bonger: The Woman Who Made Vincent Famous by Hans Luitjen just came out in English on November 3, 2022. Jo van Gogh was a sister-in-law to Vincent, married to his brother, Theo. After both brothers died she single-handedly made Vincent a household name and redefined the world’s definition of an artist at the…

Praying in Schiphol airport
|

Praying in Schiphol airport

“The Qur’an is a masterpiece of language,” my tour guide says, her face radiant. “It’s a miracle.” “I experienced some of that beauty,” I say shyly. “I memorized al-Fatihah.” “You memorized al-Fatihah?” I don’t blame her incredulity. I had cold called a mosque in downtown Oshawa, and my tour guide was the founder’s wife. She…

Made for Flourishing
|

Made for Flourishing

I play flute; my sister Joanna plays violin. We find that duets written for different instruments rarely share the melody. We’ve become adept at swapping parts. Bowing marks become creative suggestions for my breathing and Joanna lowers those soaring flute melodies by an octave. Not all duets are created equal. In our relationships large and…

‘Can the Holy Spirit indwell a cyborg?’
| |

‘Can the Holy Spirit indwell a cyborg?’

Daily advances in science and engineering are making it possible to alter humans mentally and physically. Our technological advances are quickly outpacing our ethics. Betty Spackman, an installation artist currently residing in Langley, B.C., is drawn to the gaps between our philosophies, belief systems and technological abilities. We accept pacemakers and functional eyes, “the crumbs…

‘On the flip side …’
| |

‘On the flip side …’

Editor’s note: This article is based on a group Zoom interview that took place on February 17th. Ian, Jake and Jocelyn each represent a different perspective on covid-19 vaccination. Ian’s father, 78, won’t get vaccinated, which greatly concerns Ian’s vaccinated brother. “That whole internal processing of complex, simultaneous and competing priorities is a challenge we’re…