Communicating and Communing
True theology is dialogue, not monologue. It is conversational and dynamic, not monolithic and static. In our forthcoming Theology 101 series, we seek to model […]
True theology is dialogue, not monologue. It is conversational and dynamic, not monolithic and static. In our forthcoming Theology 101 series, we seek to model […]
I called to have a little dialogue; you know, a friendly exchange with a friend who would listen to my complaints and then agree with […]
Christianity has been wrestling with the “arts question” for some time. It is already difficult to decide how to integrate artistic expressions into church life, […]
In our particular life in the world — from the slow breakdown of a relationship, to years of physical abuse, from sudden accidents which devastate […]
If you are looking or listening or watching for God in church, you may well find God in the words, the liturgy, the order of […]
Picture yourself outdoors, in a place that takes your breath away. What are you picturing? Impressive mountain peaks glistening with snow? A misty rainforest with […]
In major cities and small towns of Canada, the presence of a wide variety of peoples, religions, and cultures presents opportunities and challenges. One advantage […]
Ministers, ordained and lay, have always known that shorter sermons are generally more difficult to craft than longer ones. I should have been the wiser […]
“Do you think that God might be speaking to me?” he asked. This young man was new to the Presbyterian Church and to Christian faith, […]
I made my way onto the subway one cold December morning. I found myself squished amidst the crowds, tense about the fellow who was yelling […]
Judging by how much ink is being spilled these days on books about the divine, God is alive and well, at least in print. Visit […]
The 2009 series Theology 101 offered two distinct views, one on Christian theology, the other on world religions. We follow this with a series presenting […]
Relativity theory does not mean that nothing is stable; rather that everything is relative to an Absolute. Is there a theory of relativity for religious […]
“…we have to look at death before we can be brought to God” — John Calvin One of my favourite theologians is John Mellencamp, whom […]
Beyond the Indus valley lies a vast land of long history and manifold experience, offering alternative ways to escape suffering and to find one’s true […]
The Christian faith teaches that Jesus saves. The question is, “How?” If Jesus is Saviour, then what does Jesus save us from, and how does […]
Question: What do you call someone, other than a Christian, who believes Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary and will judge the world at […]
The Holy Spirit has sometimes been referred to as the Cinderella of Christian theology; when the other two “sisters” of the Trinity were taken to the party, the Spirit was left at home.
We begin, therefore, by asking whether the Holy Spirit is an invited (dare I say welcome!) guest in our churches. The Canadian Presbyterian theologian Walter Bryden once offered this friendly provocation: “The average church member would not be a little upset were a fellow worshipper to insist on speaking to him in regard to the ‘joy’ to be had in the Holy Spirit.”
It is true that speaking about the Holy Spirit, even amongst ministers, elders, and theological students, is sometimes met with an awkward silence or a blank stare. But perhaps we come by this honestly. Our creeds and confessions are frequently silent on the subject, with the result that we ignore what the Bible says. (Have you ever noticed, for example, that the Westminster Confession of Faith has no chapter on the Holy Spirit?)
Religion began both East and West long before the Hebrews appeared. Before their covenant and law, myth-and-ritual emerged around the globe with evolving humanity. In Mediterranean lands the great mysteries arose, with liturgy and sacraments and union with the god (the books of Ephesians and Colossians have them in mind: Christianity is the true Mystery). Then came a different sort of faith, a response to certain traumatic events in the life of the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The call of Abraham to leave home and journey to the promised land becomes a metaphor for three religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Abraham’s sons Ishmael and Isaac feature in the drama in which God made covenant promises that both should beget many faithful children, and father great nations. (You can read all about it in Genesis 15-18).