Good news! The church is growing! The latest annual statistics from the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary indicate that there are fewer atheists around the world today (147 million) than in 1970 (165 million) and the report expects the number to continue to decline into 2050. Almost 2.56 billion … Read more
Category Archives: Blog
Prayer and Care
In recent weeks, many Canadian provinces have ended their mask mandates. For the first time in almost two years, we see each other’s faces in grocery stores and perhaps also in church. And yet for the most part there is no feeling of liberation or great cry of joy. To be sure, we like it. … Read more
Prayer and Care in a Divided World
As we work towards the renewal and revival of the church in accordance with Biblical orthodoxy, The Renewal Fellowship is focusing on two priorities in 2022: prayer and pastoral care. To be effective in those two things, we need to understand our church and the world in which we exist. The following essay is intended … Read more
No Middle Ground
A recent survey from Renewal Fellowship asked readers where their minds were at four months after the historic change in doctrine of the Presbyterian Church in Canada (PCC). It was hardly a scientific survey, but the responses mirrored what we’ve been hearing in conversations: In general, “We are staying in the PCC for now, while … Read more
Drawing Guidance From Nature
Lessons from Squirrel Land. Picture a collection of old trees, filled with squirrels darting up and down the trunks and back and forth across the branches. They are frenetically active. Two squirrels are chasing one other with a walnut in its mouth. Theft? Covetousness? Fun and games? Squirrels just do what they are wired to … Read more
How Now Do We Talk?
The 2021 federal election marked a new low for civil discourse in postmodern times. Leaders being confronted by protesters from other parties is par for the course but hurling eggs and handfuls of gravel at them was something new. We should not be surprised. It was the logical next step from the online anger which … Read more
Fresh Focus for a New Season
I read a frightening statistic recently. "Only 29 per cent of Christians believe that reaching unreached people around the world is 'very urgent.' " It's a quote from the Barna Group, the American research firm which specializes in faith and culture. I don't believe that it's far from the truth. (It could be even worse in Canada.) It holds up against recent research. In 2017, Barna asked churchgoers … Read more
Departure Gate, Destination Unknown
Precisely 60 seconds after the adoption of Remit ‘C’ by General Assembly, which allowed the call, election and ordination of those in same-sex partnerships, a motion was made to investigate the establishment of a separate theological synod for those who adhere to traditional standards. The timing spoke volumes. … Read more
Hungarian Congregations Speak Out
What’s inclusive for some is having the opposite effect for others. A group of Hungarian Presbyterian congregations is the latest to go on the record about feeling excluded by the ongoing liberal theological drift in The Presbyterian Church in Canada. “We sadly observe and experience that our beloved Church … Read more
PresbyCan at a Quarter Century
As the world enters a second year of physical distancing and restricted travel, PresbyCan Daily Devotionals promise to become more important than ever. For many devoted readers, the online ministry is a vital daily dose of scriptural wisdom. As some readers attest, this ministry has kept ... Read more