Category: Uncategorized

A Friendly Review of _Blessed are the Undone_: A “Nuanced and Holistic” approach to Faith Deconstruction

May 10, 2025

This guest blog has Pastor Nicole MacLeod give her impressions of _Blessed are the Undone_ from her perch as a missionary kid and now pastor in the Greater Toronto Area. She invites the reader to enlarge their capacity for understanding those for whom deconstructing faith has been an arduous journey. … More A Friendly Review of _Blessed are the Undone_: A “Nuanced and Holistic” approach to Faith Deconstruction

Educating for Life: Professors Professing Their Faith as Well as their Disciplinary Knowledge

May 10, 2024

A REVIEW OF: Jonathan Pettigrew and Robert H. Woods, Jr. (eds). Professing Christ: Christian Tradition and Faith-Learning Integration in Public Universities. Pasco: Integratio Press, 2023, pp. xxxii +199, £13.67/$17.00 (ISBN: 978-0-9991463-3-0). (A version of this review first appeared in the Society of Christian Scholars Book Review page.) “If I fail as a professor to include religion and … More Educating for Life: Professors Professing Their Faith as Well as their Disciplinary Knowledge

Deconstructing Deconstruction: Jersak’s Chronicle of Spiritual Detox

May 17, 2023

He is one of the key Canadian voices when it comes to the notion of faith deconstruction, and he’s just published his 18th (or so) book entitled Out of the Embers: The Great Deconstruction this past fall. Angela Bick and I interviewed him for our own forthcoming book on deconstructing Canadians with New Leaf Press. He gave us a friendly, personal, and at times poignant conversation about his de/reconstruction with Jesus, “history’s all-time, hinge-point proponent and practitioner of de/reconstruction.” … More Deconstructing Deconstruction: Jersak’s Chronicle of Spiritual Detox

Why I Changed My Mind: The Perils of Highway Charisma and the Megachurch

June 7, 2022

News of pastor Bruxy Cavey’s arrest, which comes after other sad news of his sexual transgressions, prompts me to take a more critical look on the liabilities of megachurch charisma. “Highway charisma” is my new term for the runaway power of personality fostered by megachurches and the technology that built them. … More Why I Changed My Mind: The Perils of Highway Charisma and the Megachurch

Engaging the Global Polylogue: Why Listen to Christians in the Majority World When it Comes to Sexual Ethics?

December 1, 2021

Is the majority world on the wrong side of history when it comes to sexual ethics? Where harsh laws exist criminalizing homosexual acts, it seems to be true. But Western arrogance in declaring the direction of history could be seen as the vestiges of colonialism. What about the church? Who is having their ethics sullied by their social context? Here I don’t give all the answers, but I do raise some issues and say we can at least start by listening to each other. … More Engaging the Global Polylogue: Why Listen to Christians in the Majority World When it Comes to Sexual Ethics?

Accented Antithesis: Rich, Creaturely Life or Ruinous Hell in the Book of Proverbs

March 27, 2021

If you dare, crack open this book and be ready for a jolt. It’s a book that strives to refresh the “literary verve and contentious bite” of Scripture. It’s a call to get with the Holy Spirit in obedience to God’s creation ordinances, his Word for life, or ruin your life in a slide down to hell. … More Accented Antithesis: Rich, Creaturely Life or Ruinous Hell in the Book of Proverbs

Go to University and Get Rich: The Temptation to Seek Education as Upward Mobility

December 12, 2020

This guest blog was written by Global Scholar Dr. Stephen Ney, now serving in Sierra Leone. He maintains that “the neoliberal university encourages students to think about their entitlement and implicitly sanctions their consumeristic goals.” One of Ney’s students in Ghana adds: “One of the key driving forces of the University is money.” … More Go to University and Get Rich: The Temptation to Seek Education as Upward Mobility

Mixing Faith and Politics in Canada: Not a New Idea

October 23, 2020

It was refreshing to see an article this week in the Hamilton Spectator entitled “Mixing Faith and Politics Could Be a Good Thing for Canada” written by a former MPP John Milloy advocating for a larger public presence for Canada’s religious communities. It describes a conversation on the topic of faith and politics between three MPs representing three rival political parties. Here is evidence that “faith” can bring people together and help cooperation happen. … More Mixing Faith and Politics in Canada: Not a New Idea

Why Invest in the Work of Christian Professors? A Strategic Approach to Changing the World for Good

October 5, 2020

Today is World Teacher Day according to UNESCO, and my mother sent me this quote from Henry Adams: “A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where influence stops.” Its an appropriate moment to stop and think about why education matters, and since Thanksgiving (Canada) is coming up this weekend, to give thanks for teachers, and even give some encouragement and support if you’re able. … More Why Invest in the Work of Christian Professors? A Strategic Approach to Changing the World for Good