The Front Page
I have appreciated the prominence given in Theology 101 to exposition of some major world religions. It affords an important learning for Christians in the Canada of today. Dr. McLelland’s learned and discerning accounts avoid the relativism suggested in the traditional designation: Comparative Religion.
Reports from GA 2010 which took place June 6-11 in Sydney, Cape Breton.
by Ian Victor
“Where in the world are we heading?” is a question dogging the best and worst of minds these days. Canadian Presbyterians, among others, anxiously visit palliative care wards to comfort our dying friends, Impact and Importance, all the while hoping that we can nurse our shaky Passion for Mission back to health.
by Clyde Ervine
Presbyterian worship often oscillates between those seeking the liturgical precision of written prayers and prescribed texts, and those who like their worship free of set forms.
by Jonathan Dent
Dr. MacKenzie has once again given the church and all individuals who love the scriptures a chance to look at them with fresh eyes. He brings his academic background in biblical studies and the joy of being a grandparent to his work.
by Minho Yoo
What can I do to prepare a sermon that will be well-remembered by the listeners? How can I make a balanced or consistent sermon, which is not draggy, nor a mosaic from the lectionary readings? How can I approach and preach four different gospel stories while preserving their own peculiar flavour?
by Elizabeth Albrecht-Bisset
Once upon a time, there was a Christian who wanted to find a comfortable church — one that was just right. Her name was Goldilocks.
Goldilocks went to a church around the corner from her home. The pews were comfortable and the music was pleasant. People were friendly.
"Family Reunion", by Jennifer O'Farrell.
There’s a great scene in the movie Invictus in which the newly elected South Africa president Nelson Mandela is justifying his policy of including the whites under whose racist policies he was imprisoned for 27 years. In his characteristic short, declarative sentences, he says:
Forgiveness liberates the soul.
It removes fear.
That is why it is such
a powerful weapon.
His name is Percy.
He is a frequent visitor at the Saskatoon Native Circle Ministry Centre, dropping in for a cup of coffee and a sandwich or some homemade bannock. His home is a makeshift tent he has erected on the banks of the Saskatchewan River.
My reflections on General Assembly can be found on presbyterianrecord.ca. In this space I’d like to share a conversation I had on the plane with a commissioner.
The lady sitting beside me is a Mom and Grandmom from a central Ontario town. Her husband passed away some years ago and she lives in an apartment. Her sons live in near enough towns.
by Nancy Cocks
Picture yourself outdoors, in a place that takes your breath away. What are you picturing? Impressive mountain peaks glistening with snow? A misty rainforest with ancient trees so tall you can’t see the sky? Perhaps it’s an expanse of ocean or sparkling stars which draws you into wonder.
by Laurence DeWolfe
One Sabbath as Jesus preached, he saw a sermon illustration, right there in the synagogue! What if, in the middle of the assembly of the righteous men, a cursed, deformed person appeared? What if that person were a woman?
by David Webber
It was my chore to pack the water. For me, like most 10-year-old boys, chores were an abomination. Chores sucked, literally sucked the life out of you. Chores were the one part of life that you were allowed to hate. It didn’t matter if it was chopping wood, lugging it in, shoveling the snow, doing the dishes or hauling the water, chores were a dreaded part of life.
