“Following Jesus is irreducibly and inescapably migratory.” This is a bold statement that my guest blogger J. David Stark elaborates on in ways that understand migration as more than just geographical. … More Into the (Un)known: The Spirit’s Leadership and the Geography of Following Jesus
Tony Campolo died in the fall (Nov. 19th) of 2024 and he was a significant influence in my life as he, too, was a sociology/religion professor and pastor. His memoir is called _Pilgrim_ and reading it revealed to me more than it probably intended to reveal. He has shifted from my adolescent hero to a true pilgrim. … More The Tricks We Play in Autobiography: Tony Campolo
Religion is not just a private matter, and secularism is a religious orientation, says Dr. Leo Van Arragon in his latest book. Follow a dialogue on this book between four experts on the subject of religious literacy, and see the contentiousness of the dominant secular paradigm, its historical promise, and its current malaise. Is there a better way to acknowledge our religious plurality in Canada (and around the world?) … More The Contentious Fourth “R” in Education: Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, and RELIGION in a Polarized World
Usually we leave nature to go into church and leave church to return to nature. In this blog I show that theology and biology, the Bible and creation, church and nature are actually on a similar wavelength. In theological terms, I will make a key connection between special and general revelation, and the link between the two is found in Jesus Christ. … More Nature and Church, Biology and Theology: Closer than You Think
Unity in diversity has been the life-work of Peter Noteboom, who is moving into semi-retirement after completing two terms as the General Secretary of the Canadian Council of Churches (CCC). Here I ask him about changes he has seen on the national church front through the decades and what has sustained him through this time. … More ‘The Best Job in Churchland’: Peter Noteboom’s Testimony in the Canadian Council of Churches
What is this epidemic so many are talking about, and what might be our way into deeper understanding of loneliness? Here I explore the experience and suggest a few things that may lead to better belonging. … More Epidemic of Loneliness and the Covenants We Make and Break: Finding Hope at the Table
If education is like art, a good education should turn your younger self’s black and white world to colour. But not only primary colours. … More Education as a Spiritual Discipline: From Black and White to Full Colour, Including the Shadows
Dr. Andrew Yan is the newest scholar to join Global Scholars Canada. He is a specialist in Christian-Chinese dialogue, especially in the areas of Daoism and Confucianism. Here he examines the famous Nestorian Stele. … More The Xi’an Stele as Inter-faith Dialogue: Nestorianism Meets Daoist Thought
A short biography and some quotes from Shiao Chong, the new Associate Director at Global Scholars Canada. Chong grew up in Malaysia, came to Canada to study a British poet, and now after campus ministry and denominational work has landed with GSC. … More Shiao Chong: A New Redemptive Influence Through Global Scholars Canada
In the West, especially in academic circles, there is sense that this world is all there is. The Christian insists with many others, however, that there is more to the world than just the world, and it is not all benevolence and love. Here I meditate on the unholy trinity of the world, the flesh, and the devil. … More The World, The Flesh and the Devil: Ephesians for a Polarized World
Sensus Divinitatis 