Moderator, in my brief time before the court, I will provide several reasons to vote against these remits. I will demonstrate that they will not bring peace to our divided denomination. They will not advance the Kingdom. And they are not in God’s will. I will approach this from three points of view: theological, practical, … Read more
The court rendered its decision. Before sentencing, the victims were allowed to speak. One by one, they opened their hearts and bared their souls, sharing how the decision had impacted them. Many prepared carefully-worded statements. A few were off the cuff. All were spoken from the heart and testified to something which had changed their lives – and the lives of those around them … Read more
Since the early 1980s, The Renewal Fellowship has striven to be a voice of encouragement to those who stand for orthodoxy. Our vision has been the renewal of the Presbyterian Church in Canada by adhering to authentic Reformed hermeneutic, Spirit-led prayer and effective Gospel witness. That dream remains – even though some tell us … Read more
A renewed call to prayer for The Presbyterian Church in Canada has been answered. Nine new prayer groups — in varying stages of development — are in the works in reaction to decisions by General Assembly in June to redefine marriage. The proposed changes — in the form of remits— still require the approval of … Read more
Renewal’s response to the remits — the full text is printed here — was released in late July and is being distributed not only to supporters but to the wider church. That’s a challenge for us, as we do not have official standing in the denomination. We have to rely on our membership, supporters and … Read more
The world is changing – fast. Every week, there’s a new advance in technology. Each year, our computers and cell phones become outdated. Trends come and go like the flavour of the month. On the one hand, change is good. Growth is impossible without it. Any farmer will tell you that. And Christ tells us to turn from our selfish ways. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to press a pause button and … Read more
What’s the first thing we give up when life gets busy? Time for ourselves. We can easily ignore our personal needs with fewer immediate repercussions than skipping commitments at work, church, in the community and with family. But I’m going to suggest there’s something that’s pushed aside even before our personal downtime. Take my life as an example. … Read more
Dear Renewal Friend, In its 5th sederunt, the 145th General Assembly of The Presbyterian Church in Canada (PCC) approved Pathway “B” as presented by the Special Committee of Former Moderators*. In the 10th sederunt, remits to enable this change in doctrine and practice were approved for consideration under the Barrier Act (see below for the … Read more
Like many of you, I am tired. I’m tired of the negativity, the toxic spin on the Gospel, the lack of Holy Spirit submission in so-called Christian ministry, the butting of heads. I yearn to rediscover what it is to be the church. It’s been so long. So I’m not going to dwell on the conclusion in the “Report of the Special Committee Regarding Implications of Option B” at 2019 General Assembly” which began: … Read more
This blog represents the thoughts of the author. While they may reflect the theological position of The Renewal Fellowship, they should not be seen as an official statement. We call it “the issue” – code for the tortuous wrestling with our official response to same-sex attraction. Long after the secular world and most other mainline … Read more