“What do Canadians think of when they picture Brazil?” The question came from a fellow pastor in a crowded family restaurant serving churrasco, a variety of barbequed meats sliced at the table, rodizio style. As a server arrived with more meat (clearly not a great place to visit if you’re a vegetarian!) and thick cuts…
On more than one occasion I have remarked to my students, “the hardest part about preaching heaven in Vancouver, is that most people think they are already there!” As we move further into a North American culture where fewer people are born nominally Christian, many are finding their expression of transcendence, beauty and longing in…
This summer my friends and colleagues in ministry Albert Chu and Jason Byassee and I published a book based on interviews with Asian Christian lay people in Vancouver. This research project flowed out of an earlier work entitled Better Than Brunch: Missional Churches in Cascadia. Jason and I completed the field work for that in…
“Who are these people?” I asked excitedly as I walked down the aisle, my eyes darting left and right, taking in the scene. “Oh,” my friend replied casually, pausing to rest his hand on a nearby pew, “those are . . . the saints.” I stared back at him blankly. It was after school, and…
Growing up and growing older biologically is something that we all experience as human creatures. But growing deeper in our discipleship to the risen Lord Jesus has a particular emphasis in the Christian life, whether we call it Christian maturity or sanctification or growth in holiness. In this edition of Christian Courier the theme is…
For those who crave certainty and are comforted by unchanging traditions, these past two years have been unkind. The experience of living through a global pandemic has disrupted most of our routines and heaped anxiety and uncertainty upon our everyday living. Churches have not been immune to this disruption and many congregations now find themselves…
At first, it felt a bit surreal. After two years of pandemic restrictions, Christian summer camping was finally returning to normal. One of the highlights of each summer for me is serving for a week as chaplain at Camp Douglas, the Presbyterian camp on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast. After checking in at Horseshoe Bay ferry…
As we emerge from the two years of global pandemic, many congregations are trying to figure out how to connect with people in their neighbourhoods again, as well as encourage church members to return in person for worship and programs. This is especially challenging in parts of the country such as Vancouver, where pre-pandemic church…
We are living through some challenging, “unprecedented,” and even discouraging times. I recently watched the Oscar-nominated film “Don’t Look Up”, featuring an astronomy grad student and her professor who make the shocking discovery of a planet-killing comet on a collision course with Earth. When they share the urgent news with the United States president, the…
The sound of carols playing in the shopping malls and coffee shops is a sure sign that Christmas is coming. “Do You Hear What I Hear?,” “Mary Did You Know?,” and “What Child is This?” are familiar questions that help us ready our hearts and minds for what’s to come. One of the unspoken questions…
“How many times have we done this, Dad?” my son asked as our little car rolled off the B.C. ferry and onto the narrow roadway of Mayne Island. “Good question,” I replied, “I’ve kind of lost track over the years.” Our car rumbled in second gear up a hill surrounded on each side by old…
Years ago, I developed a course entitled “Catechesis and Community,” looking at new forms of Christian community and how the faith was being transmitted in a post-Christendom world. I included a whole class on “online church.” At the time, the inclusion of a digital Christian presence was met with raised eyebrows as some openly asked,…
|
Uploaded
Failed
|
 |
