The Angus Reid Institute recently released the results of a polling study it conducted into the state of faith and spirituality in Canada. (You can read the report here.) As one might expect, the role of institutional religion in Canada seems to be continuing to diminish in many respects. However, the study also suggests that Canadians may be “much less hostile toward religion than declining church attendances might imply.” Continue reading Faith in Canada
All posts by Robert Dean
Upcoming Christian Unity Worship Service
A former student of mine has drawn my attention to an upcoming ecumenical worship service which she has been involved in planning. The service, to be held at the Church of St. Andrew Anglican (2333 Victoria Park Ave., Scarborough, ON) this coming Sunday, June 4th at 7:00 pm, is hosted by the Ministerial Association of North East Toronto. The theme of the service is “One Spirit, One Church.” Continue reading Upcoming Christian Unity Worship Service
Kuyper Lecture: “Answering Lesslie Newbigin”
Yesterday, in the midst of a seminar on the life and work of the missiologist Lesslie Newbigin, one of my students directed me to the Kuyper lecture that was recently delivered by the New York City pastor and church planter Tim Keller. Keller’s selection as this year’s Kuyper award winner had previously generated controversy among sections of Princeton’s constituency on account of his affiliation with the Presbyterian Church in America, which holds opposing views from the seminary’s denomination (PCUSA) on the question of the ordination of women and LGBT people. (If you missed the controversy when it broke, you can read a couple of takes on it here or here.) Continue reading Kuyper Lecture: “Answering Lesslie Newbigin”
A Modest Proposal
I came across this quote this morning from Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536). Erasmus, who is sometimes described as “the prince of the humanists,” was a reforming voice within the church in the 16th century, although he never formally broke from Rome. His critical edition of the Greek New Testament was highly influential for Reformers across the continent. Unfortunately, the Magisterial Reformers in appealing to the secular authorities for assistance in reforming the church in some ways contributed to the further entrenchment of the competing national loyalties Erasmus is attempting to combat in this quotation: Continue reading A Modest Proposal
“Early on the First Day of the Week . . .”
A Guest Post by Robyn Elliott
This is the thirteenth in a series of posts engaging with the sermons in Leaps of Faith: Sermons from the Edge. This post is a reflection upon an Easter sermon entitled “Early on the First Day of the Week . . .” (pp. 125-132). The Scriptural text for the sermon was John 20:1-18. Continue reading “Early on the First Day of the Week . . .”
A Tale of Two Jesuses
A Guest Post by David Schuchardt
This is the twelfth in a series of posts engaging with the sermons in Leaps of Faith: Sermons from the Edge. This post is a reflection upon a Good Friday sermon entitled “A Tale of Two Jesuses” (pp. 116-124). The Scriptural texts for the sermon were Matthew 27:11-26 and Isaiah 52:13-53:12. Continue reading A Tale of Two Jesuses