An Arduous Journey: The Making of an Appropriate Tool for Biblical Literacy in Africa

February 29, 2024

We give thanks to God and to a persistent scholar whose faithfulness in the task of book-making has opened up channels for the expansion of Christian ministry in Africa – through the training of new ministry leaders. This is the story of the development of a Greek language textbook for Africans to learn the original language of the New Testament. … More An Arduous Journey: The Making of an Appropriate Tool for Biblical Literacy in Africa

Eschatology 101: The Problem with Saying “We Go to Heaven When We Die”

February 12, 2024

Many Christians live with a distorted understanding of death and heaven, and it is mostly because we get our cues from near-death experiences and other Platonic stories of the after-life. Here I explore some Reformed, Biblical teaching on “the new heaven and the new earth.” … More Eschatology 101: The Problem with Saying “We Go to Heaven When We Die”

Holden Caufield vs Holling Hoodhood: Teens as Alienated or Mentored into Adulthood?

January 25, 2024

The novel Catcher in the Rye was written by American author J. D. Salinger in 1951 and has been standard high school fare since, with a million books still sold each year and a place on the top 100 books of the century. But it has been one of the most censored books in America and I think it is time to put it on the shelf. … More Holden Caufield vs Holling Hoodhood: Teens as Alienated or Mentored into Adulthood?

Church Music, Conflict and Reconciliation: Scriptural, Spiritual, Sonic, and Symbolic Implications

December 7, 2023

Music is a common conflict source within congregations, but worship wars are not the only reason for Sunday morning to be tense. How can we work toward reconciliation through music and other parts of our worship services? In a world so torn by conflict, can the church model some peace-making? … More Church Music, Conflict and Reconciliation: Scriptural, Spiritual, Sonic, and Symbolic Implications

Reformation Day Math: Dividing, Subtracting, and Adding as God’s Messy Arithmetic

November 1, 2023

This Reformation Day, I’m thinking about reformation as a form of deconstruction. “Always reforming” can too easily feel like it’s about re-shaping something, renovating it, giving it a make-over. It sounds too clean, maybe even bureaucratic — like a policy change. But if reformation is like deconstruction, it can be messy. … More Reformation Day Math: Dividing, Subtracting, and Adding as God’s Messy Arithmetic

Discordant Notes on a Scandalized Hillsong Music Industry: When Praise Becomes Performance

October 23, 2023

Why do we sing so many songs produced by Hillsong in our churches? I did some investigating, asking lay people and experts on the value of these songs, and put it all in the context of recent scandals in this church. Is there nothing else we can sing? … More Discordant Notes on a Scandalized Hillsong Music Industry: When Praise Becomes Performance

Why Enter A Temple of Another Religion? Crossing the Threshold into Your Neighbour’s House of Prayer

September 25, 2023

I teach World Religions at Redeemer University and require my students to visit a non-Christian house of prayer: a temple, mosque, gurdwara, or synagogue. Many of them are conservative Christian students, and many have never been to such a place, and some are worried and anxious about the assignment. Here I delve into the reasons why this is such an important experience for a Christian. … More Why Enter A Temple of Another Religion? Crossing the Threshold into Your Neighbour’s House of Prayer

Science and Faith Conference Tackles Wicked Problems: 50 Years of Christian Scientific Discussions

September 12, 2023

“Moving Forward Together: The Future of Science and Faith” was the title of the annual conference for the ASA and the CSCA July 28-31 2023 at the University of Toronto Mississauga campus. Attendees engaged each other over a host of wicked problems that confound and intrigue humanity today, and did so with a depth of realism and hope. … More Science and Faith Conference Tackles Wicked Problems: 50 Years of Christian Scientific Discussions