When Ordination Vows are Broken

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Progressive Christians continue to react with shock and dismay over the decision by the United Methodist Church to uphold the traditional definition of marriage. It didn’t take long for those who are opposed to the decision by the worldwide body to declare their next move: to continue defying church law. “We are not going anywhere,” … Read more

Executive Director’s Advent Message

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Everywhere I go these days, I see giant inflatable Christmas characters: Santa, snowmen, reindeer, elves, Grinches, and even a Christmas dragon (whatever that means.) Every year, it seems to get a little more creative: an inflatable Santa clinging to the side of a chimney, kickboxing gingerbread men, and a Jedi warrior with a candy cane. Seriously. … Read more

Support For Anti-Racism Petition

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Support is growing for the landmark petitions by Korean-speaking congregations which accuse The Presbyterian Church in Canada of racism by "demonizing" ethnic congregations. This week, a coalition of Chinese congregations, known as the Chinese Consultation, issued a statement in support of the petitions. "We thank the members of the Han-Ca Presbyteries for calling attention to the … Read more

Christianity and Liberalism

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Classic 1923 text by J. Gresham Machen comes to life again. In this diverse world of ours, we live side-by-side with colleagues, friends, neighbours and even family members who hold sometimes radically different political views, lifestyles and opinions about life. The Presbyterian Church in Canada has never been wholly unified. Progressives and traditionalists have been … Read more

A Christmas to Remember

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I had the opportunity to hear Rodger Nishioka (Associate Professor, Christian Education, at Columbia Theological Seminary) speak this past fall. One story he told was about a research interview he did with a woman who lived in an apartment building across from a church. She told him that nothing that happened there had any effect on her life. She said that if that local church ceased to exist, it wouldn’t make any difference to her. Dr. Nishioka then challenged us to think about whether … Read More

He is Risen!

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He is risen, indeed! It is an ancient liturgy translated into countless tongues and spoken by billions since the historical event of the resurrection. It is the core of the Church’s Easter worship. It is the centre of Christian belief over the past two millennia. It is the announcement that reminds us that Jesus is … Read more

150th General Assembly Report

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General Assembly Report Day 1 June 2 – 6:02 p.m. After the first day and a half, this has been the most collegial General Assembly I’ve attended. My experience goes back only a decade, mind you. Courtesy abounds. Part of the reason may be that there’s been nothing theologically contentious so far. Opening worship was … Read more

Powerful, Spirit-led Prayer

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We begin life with the human instinct to connect to our Creator. Children, whether they’ve been raised in a Christian home or not, reach out to God in their thinking. And it continues throughout our lives. Even a professing non-believer might say, “O please, please, please let me find my wallet” as they’re desperately searching … Read more