Historian Keith Sewell (my neighbour and colleague at Dordt University) once argued that the decline in church attendance, especially in England, began with the Billy Graham crusades, which emphasized a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. One could experience this outside the church, making church attendance unnecessary. Many contemporary Christian worship songs reflect this shift as…
Iran has had an outsized influence in the Middle East since ancient times. The Persian empire figures prominently in several books of the Old Testament, primarily because of King Cyrus’ role in permitting the Jews to return to their homeland and rebuild the Jerusalem temple. Since then several dynasties have ruled Persia, extending their influence…
Even as the dark rumblings from down south continue and some Alberta separatists meet with Trump officials (an act that – while not strictly treasonous – could be seen as treasonish), Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has resisted calls from other leaders (most notably B.C. Premier David Eby and Ontario Premier Doug Ford) to take a…
One of the most discouraging phenomena of the past ten years has been watching evangelical Christians continue to support Donald Trump despite an ever-intensifying stream of immoral behaviour they wouldn’t have tolerated from any other candidate. By now it seems there may be no limit to how far this will go. Trump’s myriad moral shortcomings…
I’ve been surprised by mending. I’ll start the story by saying that when I wrote my January column about mending, forgiveness and Louise Bourgeois’ spider sculptures, I did not expect it to be a personal prediction. I didn’t expect much of January at all. Despite the new year, January can drag on like an old…
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in…
Based on my experiences in Christian leadership over the past 30 years, I am confident that one of the clearest indicators of future organizational success is the qualitative experience you provide to currently serving or soon-to-depart leaders. If departing leaders are speaking well on the way out, your future looks bright! For example, in both…
The city bus pulled up to the stop and a woman dressed in a pressed skirt, a collared blouse and heels climbed on board with a cell phone in hand. It was clear she was busy in conversation with her phone, her thumbs quickly texting. I was already sitting on the bus with Blake, our…
Jack and I took a hotel room near the airport to make the morning drive short. We still had to get up at 4:30 a.m. The in-room coffee maker wasn’t working, so I was operating on a caffeine deficit. No matter – we’d arrive at the airport three hours ahead of our flight. Plenty of…
Sponsored Content: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the organization and do not necessarily represent the editorial perspective of Christian Courier. Peter Timmerman’s journey into international development began with a heart for service and a deep sense of calling. Now stepping into a leadership role at World Renew Canada, Peter…
Recently, I wandered into the Vancouver Art Gallery to see the work of Tamio Wakayama, a Japanese-Canadian photojournalist. He was born in 1941 in New Westminster, B.C., and died in 2018 in Vancouver. Shortly after his birth, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and Wakayama’s family was forcibly moved into an internment camp. According to the…
“That’s not fair!” Have you ever said that? I’m guessing that you probably have. Maybe you said it when you went to an ice cream store, and your brother got a cone with two scoops of ice cream, and your cone only had one scoop. Another word for fairness is justice. We usually think it…
|
Uploaded
Failed
|
 |
