The Flourishing Congregations Institute reported a few years back that the United Church in Canada was closing a church every week. That can’t continue very long. Religious “nones” are the fastest growing religious group in the country–up to 25 percent of Canadians, and even a higher percentage of the younger generation. If churches contribute to … More Campus Ministry: Deep Roots, Wild Branches
In my last post I explained John Calvin’s contentious claim that everyone is somehow wired for God–a phenomenon he called the sensus divinitatis. But it leaves our modern mind with a number of questions. For one, a logical pushback would be: if everyone is hardwired for God, why are there so many atheists through history … More If we are all wired for God–why is atheism the modern option?
The Reformed tradition within the Christian family is somewhat odd when it comes to apologetics—defending (and more recently, apologizing for) the faith. I was talking with one of our global scholars and I asked what angle he approached apologetics—a practise attached to what 1 Peter 3:15 implores believers: “Always be prepared to give an answer … More Wired for God: Sensus Divinitatis
Wendy Elgersma Helleman and Musa A. B. Gaiya. Early Christianity: A Textbook for African Students. Langham Press, 2019. Wendy Helleman’s co-authored textbook on early Christianity has been called “significant,” “timely,” “substantive,” “indispensable,” “in-depth,” and “comprehensive.” I would also like to add the words “a redemptive influence” to the mix as this is the centre of our … More A Christian Textbook for Africans, Muslims, Women and Martyrs
Sermon Series for a church near you… … More Preaching on Character, Formation, Spirituality, and Advent
Dr. Van Belle brings together his faith, this therapist’s heart, and his philosophical mind to invite us to faith in a secular age.
… More A Christian Psychologist’s Spiritual Legacy: Something Sacred for Secular People
I recently co-hosted a conference at Queen’s University on “Engaging the University”–a symposium on the integrality of faith and academics. One professor spoke up at one point when the discussion was centred on expressions of faith in the public university classroom. She said: “Something as simple as the practise of starting off the semester with … More Scholarship as a Spiritual Discipline
I’m Calvinian in my faith in Christ, which I believe nurtures in me a cosmos-wide faith—really a cosmopolitan faith. We love the world, because the world belongs to God. But does this tradition shape me to love Jesus as both divine friend and the hope of the world? In other words, does the weight of tradition overwhelm the heart of our spirituality–our prayerful connection to God? … More Loving Jesus: The Spiritual Heart of a Cosmopolitan Faith
Wolterstorff’s goal: to establish the place of religion in the public university in a liberal democracy. Not its legal or moral place, but its place within the role-ethic of a scholar in such a context. … More Diverse Diversity in the Public University: A Book Review of Wolterstorff’s “Religion in the University”
I just had an article published with The Christian Courier in which I review some recent books on youth, faith, and church. The subject, of course, is close to the heart of the university, as it is dedicated to the formation of youth for wisdom and service in society. To be for higher education is … More Dying to the Genius of Youth: Andrew Root vs. John Seel on the Future of the Church
Sensus Divinitatis 