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,…
With a fresh face mask for the day hanging off the gear shift, I worked my way through morning traffic heading to St. Andrew’s Hall at the University of British Columbia. The radio crackled with an interview with a CEO from a large online shopping platform. With the echoes of an Old Testament prophet, he…
Innovation in theological education has always been an essential part of equipping leaders for Christ’s church in the world. Many of our theological colleges across North America have stories of hard-scrabble beginnings, quick pivots, and adaptive responses to the context through various twists and turns along the way, before becoming the more established institutions we…
Early on in the COVID-19 Pandemic, when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau advised people to not “speak moistly on others,” for fear of spreading the virus, it nudged me to think about the theological significance of incarnation for us as Christians. As a Reformed Christian I am mindful of our common faith in the risen Christ that takes both human flesh…
Where do you normally find yourself at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve? Are you a stay-up-late-and-party kind of person? Perhaps you prefer to keep things low-key in the peace and quiet of your own home? Or maybe you acknowledge a new rotation around the sun by gathering with friends at church for a time of worship? Being on the west coast, we have the advantage of celebrating New Year’s with church friends at a more reasonable 9 p.m., as our kids watch the ball drop at midnight in New York City.
In a remote corner of my college office sits two full shelves of ‘tacky religious merchandise.’ Surprisingly, I have not purchased a single item of the collection ranging from the rubber ducky nativity set to the John Calvin bobble head doll. Instead, I simply curate the odd assortment of items that friends and fellow faculty members bring back from their treks around the world. Instead of gold, frankincense or myrrh, these wise men and women present their gifts to me andwait to see whether they will be deemed trick, treat or just plain tacky.
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I picked my daughter up from youth group one night and asked her how they spent their evening. “We played lots of games, had some snacks and a bible study.” I smiled and said, “sounds like fun, what was the bible study about?”
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“What was that guy talking about?” the young man asked his friend, as they sat down in front of me and the bus pulled away from the University of British Columbia.
I’m an early riser. Not because I want to be, but because I’ve trained myself to do so. I’m usually up around 5:30 a.m., stopping in the kitchen to grind the coffee beans while trying not to wake the children, and then off to the gym before the sun is up.
The telephone rang in the midst of a busy day at the college, jarring my attention away from grading papers. I recognized the voice of the caller right away as my friend Rev. Victor Kim, pastor at Richmond Presbyterian Church in Richmond, B.C.
“Hi Ross,” he said. “I’m putting together a Friday night program next month for the families in our church and I wondered if you would be free to come out and speak on Christian parenting?” The question caught me off guard as I am used to presenting to local churches on topics in my theological wheelhouse – missional theology, church leadership, evangelism and preaching.
Assuming the Senate doesn’t hold up the process in Ottawa, on July 1, 2018, pot smoking will be legal for recreational use beyond the system already in place for medical marijuana. O Cannabis! In many ways this is the logical next step in a long march toward social values that focus on freedom of the will and self-determination
Tanzania was the perfect place to host this latest gathering of the CWME with its theme, “Moving in the Spirit: Called to Transforming Discipleship.” The vibrancy and diversity of the Christian church and its witness in Africa was evident to the 1,000 participants who gathered to worship the Triune God, participate in study of God’s Word, hear from inspiring plenary and workshop speakers, discuss and debate the concepts of mission and evangelism and affirm the “Arusha Call to Discipleship.”
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