Tag Archives: pastoral ministry

Radio Interview and Other “Breaking News”

Upon returning from holidays last week, I found myself thrust back into a series of meetings and obligations.  As things settle down, I hope to catch up on a few posts that I have had in mind. This past Sunday I had the privilege of preaching at First Presbyterian Church in Kenora.  While some significant challenges lay before the city of Kenora, it is a beautiful spot and home to my family’s favourite town mascot/statue:  Husky the Muskie!  This morning, in the wake of Tullian Tchividjian’s announcement that he was starting a new church, I talked with Alissa Moffit at CHVN 95.1 FM in Winnipeg about the potential of pastors being restored to ministry after abusing their authority.  You can read excerpts from the interview here.

Gregory Nazianzus on the Pursuit of Wisdom

A rich, but very busy semester has cut into the frequency of my blog postings this year.  However, a spring “snow day” here in Manitoba has provided me with the opportunity to share a quote from the 4th century Church Father Gregory Nazianzus.  I was lecturing on the Cappadocian Fathers last week in my “Reading with the Fathers” class and we will be discussing Gregory’s “Defense of His Flight to Pontus,” as well as his “Last Farewell” (delivered at the Council of Constantinople in 381 A.D.) this coming week. Continue reading Gregory Nazianzus on the Pursuit of Wisdom

Teaching Preaching in a Time of Cultural Change

The Canadian Society of Presbyterian History has released videos of the papers that were presented this past Saturday at the CSPH annual meeting at Knox College in Toronto.  Here’s the video of my presentation of a paper entitled, “Teaching Preaching in a Time of Cultural Change: The Forgotten Story of John J.A. Proudfoot, Knox College.”

“Livin’ on a Prayer”: A Prescription for Pastoral Ministry

This past Sunday (June 10, 2018) I had the great privilege of preaching at the ordination of my friend and former student Robyn Elliott at Yorkminster Park Baptist Church in Toronto.  The following is the text of my sermon.  The Scripture readings were Isaiah 50:4-9 and 2 Timothy 1:3-14. Continue reading “Livin’ on a Prayer”: A Prescription for Pastoral Ministry

Series: Newbigin on “The Call to the Church” – 3. A Declericalized Theology

[This post is the fourth in a series of posts on what could be called “Newbigin’s marks of the missional church” as outlined in his book Foolishness to the Greeks.  The previous posts can be found here:  introduction, mark #1, mark #2.]

“The missionary encounter with our culture for which I am pleading,” Newbigin writes, “will require the energetic fostering of a declericalized, lay theology.”1  Upon returning to England after years of missionary service in India, Newbigin observed that theology in the modern West had become largely isolated from the lives and concerns of average Christian men and women. Continue reading Series: Newbigin on “The Call to the Church” – 3. A Declericalized Theology

  1. Lesslie Newbigin, Foolishness to the Greeks: The Gospel and Western Culture (W.B. Eerdmans: Grand Rapids, 142.