I’ve had more than a month to process this year’s General Assembly (GA). While each annual gathering of commissioners representing every presbytery from coast to coast to coast is unique in that never do we get exactly the same people each time, it’s still a fairly accurate cross-section of our denomination. I think of it … Read more
What can the faithful do when the church is spiritually adrift? When the authority of Scripture is being challenged over sexuality and ordination — what better opportunity to remind ourselves to be anchored in Christ and look for a safe harbour. For inspiration, we turned to our new friends at Cruxifusion, a network of ministers who are centred on Christ … Read more
Don’t let anyone convince you that history has no bearing on the future. While doing some research for my congregation’s anniversary service, I found out that there was once a Presbyterian church in a nearby hamlet. It had to have been torn down because there’s no sign of it today. What amazed me was that … Read more
As I write this, the March issue of the Record has been available for only a couple of weeks. In that time I have had more feedback about my article, Minding the Minister, than I have received for all the things I have ever written for public consumption combined. I hit on something significant: many ministers in our denomination are burning out. This is a problem worthy of our attention. What is needed is focus and strategy. After consultation with our national board over the past year … Read More
We love what’s new – cars, homes, clothing, technology. It’s what fuels the entertainment industry and the news business. It explains the vast success of the Internet, social media, fashion and entertainment industries, and our appetite for news. It also (partially) explains why many in the church are so vocal in their campaigns to change … Read more
By Jason Kenney You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” … Read more
When suffering happens because of natural disasters, it is because "the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth". Nevertheless, people never seem to expect tragedy, and they are unprepared, or else they assume that God will protect them from it. … Read More
There are fewer things more joyful than talking about our faith. It’s the stuff which keeps us together. Traditional, historic, evangelical, Christ-centred faith – preservation of orthodoxy, for want of a better name – is why Renewal Fellowship exists. What exactly is orthodoxy? In the view of the Oxford English Dictionary, it’s “belief in or … Read more
Classic 1923 text by J. Gresham Machen comes to life again. In this diverse world of ours, we live side-by-side with colleagues, friends, neighbours and even family members who hold sometimes radically different political views, lifestyles and opinions about life. The Presbyterian Church in Canada has never been wholly unified. Progressives and traditionalists have been … Read more
It is the work of the Spirit to create faith. Faith is confidence and trust that the benefits of Christ are mine, that what happened back on the cross and at the empty tomb achieved salvation and that it applies to me here and now. The Holy Spirit is the means by which this salvation reaches even us. … Read More