A review of “Canoeing the Mountains – Christian Leadership in Uncharted Territory” by Tod Bolsinger. Canoeing the Mountains Truth be told, I dismissed this book without reading a single page. It was a freebie, handed out at the PCC Pastor’s Conference back in 2019, which screamed “remainder bin.” And the title — way too cute. … Read more
Our congregation began in 1962 in the gymnasium of a local public school. In 1964 we marched across a field to turn the soil at our new location in a nearby area of the city while singing “Onward Christian Soldiers.” Now an active group of about 400 people of all ages gather for weekly Sunday morning services … Read more
Questions are like tools. Good quality instruments used with skill and care can loosen the machinery and allow a glimpse into the soul of a machine. Or a person. So it is with the question and answer section of the 2021 General Assembly moderator nominee profiles. Kudos to whoever developed this skillful line of questioning, which starts with the comfortable … Read more
“Where is God in all this?” If there’s a defining theological question for these times, that’s it. In any time of crisis, we search for meaning. Do a search of sermon titles preached in the wake of 9-11 and odds are that is what you will find. In 1938, Rev. Martyn Lloyd-Jones was called to the pulpit at Westminster Chapel … Read more
In the beginning, God sent one Rev. Robertson in 1896 to start the Presbyterian ministry here in Trail BC. And the Lord God continued to send faithful servants to keep up the ministry through the years of the first century of the life of the congregation. In 1925, the continuing Presbyterians were the minority … Read more
A Review of A Presbyterian Requiem – Rev. Don MacLeod’s personal memoir. An almost-legendary figure in the PCC, MacLeod had an extraordinary career which touched no fewer than eight decades … Read more
Recently, PCC denominational staff announced a workshop entitled “Rainbow Pathways: exploring LGBTQi2 welcome and inclusion.” It will be led by two individuals: a pastor and social worker who identify as a “Queer Trans Masculine person of faith” and a “femme lesbian.” Here’s an opportunity to hear first-hand how others think, I thought … Read more
Who is Jesus? Who am I? Who is the church of Jesus Christ? None of these questions are straightforward to answer; indeed, many spend their entire lives pondering them. It is not by accident either that I write these questions side-by-side. It seems to me that, from the standpoint of a Christian worldview, these questions … Read more
The headline We Need to Create New Wineskins (Renewal News, summer 2020, p. 2) caught my attention. It seems theologically inaccurate, for Christ Himself created the New Wineskin. The best we can do is design new versions of the old wineskin. But that can’t hold the “wine” Christ offers to cure the root heart malady. … Read more