Among the notable features of orthodoxy is the belief that God is always at work. He didn’t create the universe and walk away, nor does He just show up from time to time. Our triune God’s hands are in this world, constantly. In that light, what are we to make of the unprecedented reaction to COVID-19, the latest coronavirus that – we are told – is about to infect millions? We can immediately ... Read more
Category Archives: Blog
To the Life and Mission Agency
In June 2019, General Assembly approved the following recommendation regarding Remits B and C – “That as a matter of urgency, the Life and Mission Agency provide a means for those affected by this decision to express their concerns, views and pain in a safe environment and that the concerns be reported back to the 2020 General Assembly before the report on remits is received and its recommendations considered.” While the Feb. 15 deadline to file these expressions has passed, I am sharing my statement in an effort to encourage prayer ... Read more
Remarks to Essex-Kent Presbytery on the Remits
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
Share the Pain
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
A message the world doesn’t want to hear
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 Each year, our computers and cell phones become outdated.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
Dedicated Prayer: Let’s Make it Happen
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
My dwelling place shall be …
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
Tales from Assembly: Understanding the Other
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
Tales from Assembly: Why I Dissented
“Pragmatism or principle” was the duelling dynamic for commissioners as we wrestled with how we would rank the four pathways proposed by the Special Committee of Former Moderators. For many who hold onto classical theology, only two pathways – ‘A’ (tradition) and ‘C’ (three streams) – were seriously considered. ‘B’ (inclusion) and ‘D’ (accommodation) were non starters. … Read More
A Commissioner Scans the Pathways
What will best serve the Kingdom – politics or principle? That is one of several questions I have as I consider the four pathways laid out by the Special Committee of Former Moderators, whose long-awaited report was released May 21 (posted here). The committee’s report is in response to General Assembly 2018’s direction to “propose … Read more