Wow. I’m in the New York Times
You’re probably thinking that it has got to be a total rush to have the weekend edition of the New York Times include a story about you. You’re right. It is. Sort of. When we read articles in newspapers and magazines, it’s easy to forget that there is an entire backstory the journalist couldn’t fit […]
Agreeing with Michael Coren. Sort of.
Christianity could address political chaos It is a rare occasion that I agree with Michael Coren but I do think he is bang on in this Toronto Star article, Perfect time for the church to show leadership. In it, he argues that in the political chaos we see arising both south of us and across […]
The reason I’m an atheist …
… in case you missed it. Last night, I celebrated with a family the first birthday of their beautiful, strong, one year old daughter. She was born here in Canada, far from her parents’ families and friends, the first Canadian in a refugee family. Her early birth, a year ago, brought them joy in a time of loss […]
Dividing the United Church
Today, at its meeting in Cornerbrook, NL, the General Council of The United Church of Canada (UCC) sent two petitions to a Commission rather than dealing with them with all its Commissioners in attendance. The two proposals had been triggered by both the review of my effectiveness ordered by Toronto Conference’s sub-Executive Committee and the sending of […]
Alien Invasion
Nones Emerge as Major Religious Category “Ladies and gentlemen, this is the most terrifying thing I have ever witnessed . . . Wait a minute! Someone’s crawling out of the hollow top. Someone or . . . something. I can see peering out of that black hole two luminous disks . . are they eyes? […]
What God is Supposed to be Saying
This and That It’s a confusing world out there if you’re attempting to discern what a supernatural, divine being is trying to do and say in this world. Between, on the one hand, the millions of Seventh Day Adventists meeting to argue over whether the Bible permits or disallows the ordination of women, and, on the […]
Witchcraft and Sorcery
We thought it would be hard not to become immobilized by fear as the acts of terror associated with religious extremism spurred on by anti-imperialist sentiment began to scroll through our Twitter and Facebook feeds and captivate our shuddering attention with alarming regularity. And yet, for many of us, as the news of beheadings slips closer and closer to […]
the perfect storm
At the CCPC conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia a few weeks ago, I spoke about the perfect storm into which I believe we are heading. It’s concocted, actually, by three other storms already raging: one brought about by environmental realities; one by social changes and challenges; and one by the lost of mainline religious institutions. […]
proud to be a member of the united church of canada
The following is an excerpt from my speech, The Perfect Storm, given at CCPC’s conference, Christianity: The Story Evolves, this week in Halifax. There are many other things that make me proud of the church of my heritage, but this brief synopsis got the point across. It was, of course, a prelude to a significant […]
preparing for halifax
It’s the day before I leave for Halifax to participate in the conference Christianity: The Story Evolves. I’m working on my speech. On Sundays, I speak without notes so writing a speech out is something I find challenging. I never know if I’m going to be able to be as intimately connected with my audience as […]
what is progressive christianity?
(Originally published, The Salt Shaker, Newsletter of West Hill United Church, March 2008.) There are a lot of different ways in which the term progressive is applied to Christianity. For many, a welcoming church that encourages the participation of others who were once barred from full participation—nowadays primarily either women or LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender)—is […]