Tag Archives: COVID

Vaccines, Restrictions, and the Church

As areas of Southern Manitoba continue to lag behind the rest of the province and country in vaccination rates, Providence will be hosting a Zoom Panel Discussion on July 13 entitled, “Vaccines, Restrictions, and the Church.”  A recent news story that ran on all of the major networks highlighted the plight of a local pastor who has been bombarded with complaints on social media for his involvement in a recent vaccination advertising campaign.  Joining me on the panel will be:  Dr. Rebecca Dielschneider an immunologist who serves as Assistant Professor of Biology at Providence University College; Dr. Chris Burnett, a local physician who was recently honored with the medal of excellence from Doctors Manitoba; and Terry Kaufman, a longtime pastor and current denominational executive within the Evangelical Free Church in Canada.  More information about the event and registration can be found here.

Vaccine Hesitancy among Christians

I was pleased to get my COVID vaccination a couple of weeks ago.  I view getting vaccinated as part of my missional calling as a Christian to love my neighbour.  Unfortunately, many Christians do not see things in the way I do, with the potential risk that we do not reach herd immunity as a society.  Southern Manitoba, where I currently reside, is often considered to be one of the Bible-belts of Canada, yet it has the lowest vaccination rate in the province. Continue reading Vaccine Hesitancy among Christians

The Church Post Pandemic Forum on YouTube

Recordings of the sessions from the recent Zoom forum on the theme “The Church Post Pandemic” hosted by the Biblical and Theological Studies Department at Providence Theological Seminary are now available on YouTube.  These include excellent presentations from my colleagues Lissa Wray Beal and Joshua Coutts and three Southern Manitoba pastors.  Alongside of these presentations is my paper that  draws upon the work of St. Augustine of Hippo as a resource for understanding ourselves, our world, the identity of the church, and the vocation of pastors in the time of the COVID pandemic.

You can watch the videos here.

The Church Post Pandemic Zoom Forum

There is still time to register for “The Church Post Pandemic” forum offered by Providence Theological Seminary on Monday, October 19.  Due to recent COVID restrictions the forum will now be offered completely on Zoom and will be free to all participants.  However, you do need to register to ensure your spot and to receive the Zoom invitation. Continue reading The Church Post Pandemic Zoom Forum

Eye Witness Magazine

I have a few pieces appearing in the recently published Eye Witness: The Magazine of Providence, including a theological reflection upon the current COVID pandemic, excerpts from a forthcoming interview with singer-songwriters Steve Bell and Glen Soderholm, as well as a few brief remarks about Minding the Web.

You can read the current issues of the Eye Witness here.