The quiet arrival of the Kingdom
|

The quiet arrival of the Kingdom

I didn’t grow up with itinerant preachers or tent revivals. I don’t belong to a charismatic tradition which regularly seeks outward manifestations of the work of the Spirit of God. So I am a bit mystified and, if I’m honest, cynical about the strange attraction of Christians with the revival at Asbury University in Kentucky…

To the saints in Canada
|

To the saints in Canada

“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…

Blackbirds in February
|

Blackbirds in February

There are three small trees in my garden and none of them is large enough for a bird’s nest, but whenever there is a flutter, I find I freeze and hope because February brings blackbird weather and blackbird song. Growing up in Ontario, the first redwing blackbirds were an early sign of spring. I remember…

Our fraught faith
|

Our fraught faith

Deconstruction is a couple of generations old now. It was originally formulated by Jacques Derrida in the late 1960’s to express the complexity of our relationship to our cultural traditions. It meant accepting that our confident knowing had to be reassessed. Today, deconstruction is having another moment in the spotlight. Specifically, among those who inhabit…

A mystical faith?
|

A mystical faith?

No one has ever accused me of being a mystic. For one thing, I don’t dress the part. No flowing robes or beard down to the belly. Corduroy trousers and tweed jackets are my style. But even apart from sartorial evidence, my writings show few signs of flirting with mysticism. I love the carefully constructed…

A Rule for Reconstructing
|

A Rule for Reconstructing

We live in a moment when many Christians are deconstructing forms of faith that don’t ring true to Jesus. A renewed faith fit for life in today’s world often involves sifting out the rot and keeping what is most precious. But if all you end up with is a scrapyard of dismantled pieces, what good…

Preaching the love and welcome of God
|

Preaching the love and welcome of God

By my early 20s, I had developed a spiritual disorder for which I don’t have a name. It consisted in the ability to wring from any biblical text the worst possible news, even when this meant adopting theological positions that I wasn’t wholly convinced of, or that contradicted each other. Be ye perfect, as I…

Your church might need a rummage sale
|

Your church might need a rummage sale

In Oshawa, Ontario, in 1978, an unremarkable mall called Five Points was built. I used to go there sometimes as a teen. Over time, business dried up as big box stores started cropping up on the outskirts of town. Eventually, Five Points was torn down and replaced, in 2017, with Dymon Self Storage – a…

Radical Hope
|

Radical Hope

At 76 years old, Bruce Cockburn is one of Canada’s most decorated musicians: 37 albums, 13 Junos and a recipient of the Order of Canada. As Cockburn makes his way around North America for his 50th anniversary tour (second attempt, due to covid), one of his encore songs may catch listeners by surprise. “When the…

Life, death and what comes after?
|

Life, death and what comes after?

J. Todd Billings’ End of the Christian Life is the most profound, challenging and comforting book I’ve ever read about death and life. As well it pulled me back to my grandfather’s death decades ago. Soon after immigrating to Chicago in the early 20th century, Jacobus Cornelis Dekker changed his Dutch name to James Cornelius;…

Loving Risk-Takers

Loving Risk-Takers

Our kids had endless fun this summer hurtling off cliffs into clear northern lakes, from rocks jutting out 10, 25, even 30 feet above the water.

Renegotiating Faith
|

Renegotiating Faith

On March 6, several hundred people gathered in Redeemer University’s auditorium to participate in a panel discussion about Renegotiating Faith, a report that has emerged from a research partnership between the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC), Power to Change – Students, InterVarsity, Youth for Christ and Truth Matters Ministries.