Theological discourse is necessary but dangerous. Necessary because, as John Stuart Mill reminded us many years ago, truth is strengthened through dialectic. A good discussion, wherein points are made, challenged, refined and restated is a God-glorifying part of how we grow as followers of Jesus Christ. Dangerous though, because it creates a context and a temptation in which we may experience and express contempt for our theological or ideological opponents. There is a world of difference…

Civil disobedience isn’t always right and it isn’t always wrong. One of the most helpful passages in the Bible with respect to this issue is found in today’s RMM reading from Acts 5[1]. In Acts 5:20 the Apostles are given a direct charge from God via an Angel of the Lord: “Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life.” (Acts 5:20 ESV) This contradicted a direct command from their civil authorities, as recorded in Acts 5:27-28: “And the high priest questioned…

On January 7th, 2022 Bill C-4 will become the law of the land in Canada. Christian pastors, parents, counsellors and mentors may all be affected. Canadian Christians need to understand this law and they should be prepared for coordinated action. This brief summary has been created to serve that end and should not be understood or construed as legal counsel. Background And History A similar Bill known as Bill C-6 was first introduced in October 2020 and was last discussed in the 2nd session of…

In March of 2020 I told a younger pastoral colleague that I expected the lockdown due to COVID19 to last somewhere between 2-3 weeks. Obviously, I was wrong. We are now nearly 2 years in and seeing the highest new infection rates at any point in the pandemic due to the incredibly contagious Omicron variant. That being said, thanks to the effectiveness of the various vaccines and other counter measures, hospitalization rates do not appear to be rising at anywhere near the same steep pace. Many…

On Tuesday, December 7th the Canadian Senate passed Bill C-4, effectively banning the practice known as conversion therapy. The bill had been introduced to the House of Commons on November 29th and was approved on December 1st without further debate or study. It received Royal Assent today and will become the law of the land in 30 days. The vast majority of Christians are opposed to the sort of coercive practices that many associate with conversion therapy; however, the language of Bill C-4 as…

Every year around this time I write a blog encouraging people to read through the whole Bible in the coming year. I’ve been doing it since 2012 and I believe in the value of this discipline wholeheartedly. But this year feels different. It almost feels as though words like “encourage” and “commend” are entirely inadequate to a need of this urgency and immediacy. I think we are well past the time for “resolutions” and “good intentions”; I think we are at the place where a practice like this…

Human beings are creatures of enormous dignity and worth. They are embodied souls – of the earth and uniquely inspired by God (Gen. 2:7). They are more like God than anything else he has made.[1] In Genesis 1:26 the Creator says: “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” (Genesis 1:26 ESV) There is…

I write this not as an anthropologist, a sociologist, a philosopher or a politician. I write this as a white father to a black teenage girl. My middle daughter came to our home when she was just 3 months old. Her biological mother made a difficult but brave decision, the end result of which was a new addition to our family in the form of the most beautiful, expressive and delightful baby girl you could ever imagine. Her stay with us was originally supposed to be short term, but as Providence…

Apparently on Sunday I gave a few people the impression that Job may have been a closet communist. When I first heard of that confusion I laughed and assumed that the person had simply misheard me. When a second person raised the same question, it occurred to me that I may have accidentally misspoken. Rest assured, our dear brother Job was not a communist. I think what I actually said was something along these lines – the sentence isn’t in the manuscript so I can’t reproduce it exactly: “Job…

Evangelicals over the last decade have done a poor job of sticking to the centre of the road with respect to marital sexuality. The abuses and excesses being detailed in exposés like “Jesus And John Wayne” and “The Rise And Fall Of Mars Hill” have launched a (predictable) overreaction among some, leaving many confused as to what the Bible does, in fact, say about proper, kind, and loving sexual conduct within marriage. Here is a good place to start: “The husband should give to his wife her…

On September 22nd Ontario residents will have to show proof of vaccination in order to dine indoors, go to gyms, theatres, sporting events and conference centres. The release and associated press conference made clear that: “Essential retail, like grocery stores, are exempt, as are places of worship and hair salons, alongside other personal care businesses.”[1] Nevertheless, the mandate is likely to affect churches in a variety of significant ways. Leadership Retreats And Conferences Given…

Over the last 6 months, I’ve had multiple people contact me asking if the church they are going to is “a cult”. The frequency of the inquiry is itself cause for interest and may be related to the increasingly tribal nature of the evangelical church in North America.