Christian Hope
What do we do while we wait for God? Some critics of the faith say that this kind of hope is an opiate, a pacifying pharmaceutical.
Theology 101
Thinking About God
For five years and over nearly 60 articles, the column has attempted to address some of the 1,000 questions of faith.
Living Hope in the Present Tense
When reading Living Faith, I can’t help but wonder how these words relate to faith that is alive in the day-todayness of the believer’s life. In many ways it seems so lofty, so distant.
Mission Dualism
Living Faith’s treatment of mission seems to suggest a dualistic relation between evangelism and service, with no suggestion of any areas of overlap.
Pray for Peace
Somehow we expect God’s justice to always be fair. And, in turn, we expect that we should be fair as well.
The Question is Coming
We rarely stop and give thanks to John Calvin, one of the founding theologians in the Presbyterian tradition, for the gift of divorce. We should.
Walking the Talk
Sometimes we wonder about Simon Peter, Andrew, and the long succession of disciples who also consented to be called away. Did Jesus not care that they may have had families to clothe and feed, mothers and fathers to honour, boats to be maintained and kept seaworthy?
The Sacraments – Theology 101 Reflections
In this and last month’s Theology 101 columns – Servants of the Word & Visible Words Rev. Dr. Stephen Farris looked at the sacraments of […]
Visible Words
In the distant days of my first ministry, an elderly woman was transferred into the local seniors’ home. She was bedridden, somewhat deaf, nearly blind… and alone.
Servants of the Word
“Remarkable” is not always the first adjective we connect with preaching. I think I know why.
Our Highest Calling
Church, ministry and worship are not simply categories or activities that affect some of us, some of the time.
Maturing Your Faith
Is it possible that faith and doubt can exist together?
Reading The Bible
How do we interpret Living Faith’s affirmations about the Bible, that it is “given to us by the inspiration of God to be the rule of faith and life?” How do we distinguish between the Bible as the word of God and Jesus Christ as the living Word of God?
God and the Holy Spirit
We tend to be quite casual when it comes to the Holy Spirit. It is not that we don’t believe in the Holy Spirit; we do, but we generally tend to pay less attention to the Spirit than to other aspects of our doctrine and church life.
Do You Need to Be Saved?
I was sitting in my office looking out at teenagers making their way to school. I thought to myself, “How many of them think about salvation?”
Saviour and Lord
We do well not to overlook the reality of human sin, nor to dismiss it. If we were not sinners, Jesus would have died for no reason.
Comfort and Joy
After the Council of Nicaea, Christians were so happy about saying “Jesus is God” that they forgot the other fact the old confession emphasizes—Jesus is also truly human.
Blessing and Restoration
According to individualistic Christianity, Christians find reconciliation with God through their own efforts alone. Because of this Christians can miss out on the richness of the Christian faith and our historic connection with ancient Israel.
Living in Sin
We look around the world and easily see that things are not as they should be. Something has gone terribly wrong with how God made the world to be.
Creation Fully Alive
What does it mean to be created in the “image of God?” Rev. Dr. Richard Topping considers the way we think about our humanity—and each other.