Theology matters – more than you might think. In 2016, a group of university professors published a groundbreaking study which linked mainline congregation growth to traditional, conservative theology. It compared the demographic and religious characteristics of ministers and attendees of growing mainline Protestant churches in southern Ontario with those of declining churches from the same … Read more
Here’s a trivia question, “What do Paul Simon and Savatage share in common?” Okay I’ll let you Google “Savatage”. The answer: both express similar skeptical sentiments (in wildly different musical genres) about our human capacity to filter or shape the world to fit our predetermined biases. In ‘The Boxer’, Simon writes, “A man hears what … Read more
NOTE: The roots of renewal are in our congregations. We hope that sharing the brief story of a vibrant congregation may be encouraging to you. Zion, as it’s commonly referred to in PEI, has been serving its congregation for the past 172 years. There has been a distinguished cadre of senior ministers occupying its pulpit … Read more
I recognize the possibility of autoanthropomorphism whenever one seeks to discern the core (and secondary) messages in the scriptures. Perhaps this risk is most acute when one’s imagination is activated. Nonetheless as I have been pondering various themes for this piece, I began to wonder what feelings God was experiencing as the scene in Genesis … 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 Each year, our computers and cell phones become outdated.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
Discontent can be a destructive energy that harms us physically, emotionally, and relationally. It may be a symptom of ingratitude or an inability to accept one’s lot in life – never having “learned to be content whatever the circumstances”. At its root, one is shaking an angry fist at God, accusing Him of failing to satisfy one’s expectations. This kind of discontent is … 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
Dal Schindell’s death on August 6, 2019 in Vancouver leaves us saddened at the passing of a unique Canadian evangelical who made a significant contribution to the establishment of The Renewal Fellowship within the Presbyterian Church in Canada. Dal had a vision for a publication of the organization which had been founded in May 1983. … 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