Knox Explores Dead Sea Scrolls
Knox College will hold a seminar in October on the Dead Sea Scrolls, which are on display at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto until […]
News
Afghanistan Needs Life
The general secretary of the Canadian Council of Churches, Rev. Dr. Karen Hamilton, visited the Canadian Forces base in Kandahar in July, meeting with soldiers […]
Conflict in Afghanistan ‘Unnecessary’
When it comes to what’s wrong with the war in Afghanistan, Remmelt Hummelen isn’t exactly lost for words. A former national church staff person, he […]
Indian Youth
Abhishek Tomar (not pictured), Deepika Tomar, Deepak Baghel and Jaklina Parmar, from Jobat and nearby villages in Northern India, share a traditional song and dance […]
Voices from the Assembly Floor
The Bigger Picture The assembly truly made a joyful noise. by Harvey Self Lighting Committee Report A Young Adult Representatives skit Try The Unthinkable The […]
The Bigger Picture
For me, the greatest experience in this assembly was to catch a glimpse of the bigger picture of the church. We can all so very […]
Consistent, Persistent Voice
It is the task of the church to proclaim a hopeful imagination for the world. That was the overriding message of Faith and a Sustainable Economy, a forum held by the Canadian Council of Churches in Ottawa in May. The forum was hosted by the council’s Commission on Justice and Peace, and the day was composed of three panel discussions: community and policy, theology, and churches. There were economic and ecological updates to give context to the discussion of current issues facing the world and the Church. There were theological dissections of the role to which the Church is called in this time of global uncertainty and transition. And there were challenging reflections from church leaders, grounding change optimistically in spiritual formation, deep biblical reading and an abiding sense of human dignity.
Indiginous Theology
Most indigenous communities in Taiwan have experienced and continue to experience identity crisis. In the process, some develop a ‘meeting place’ identity in which postcolonial […]
Impressive Partnerships
It is a tale of loaves and fishes. As stories of refugees and other displaced persons in Pakistan hit the newspapers in May, Presbyterian World Service and Development’s Guy Smagghe called the Pakistani branch of Church World Service and asked if there was some way the Presbyterian Church in Canada could help.
There was. The two organizations drew up plans to reach 4,500 families. (An earlier rapid response program reaching 300 families was implemented quickly.)
Don’t Say Gay
The Scotsman—A General Assembly decision has barred clerics in the (Presbyterian) Church of Scotland from speaking publicly about homosexuality for at least two years. The […]
God’s Out for Guides?
Girl Guides of Canada—Emotions flared in late May as adult leaders and parents received an email survey that suggested Girl Guides of Canada may remove […]
To Suffer For
Some people might say the words ‘passion’ and ‘Presbyterian’ do not belong together. Perhaps to some, passion might be a bad thing. But the root […]
Another Almanarah
Almanarah, a new Arabic-speaking congregation, was constituted in London presbytery in May. The group has been meeting since 2004 and began as a satellite mission […]
The Good Land
I am reminded of the story found in Numbers 13. Here we are at assembly and… we see that although the land is good, there […]
KAIROS Cuts Jobs
Church-supported KAIROS: Ecumenical Justice Initiatives, announced on April 26 that four of 26 staff positions will be lost, along with refugee and anti-poverty grant programs. […]
And Another New, sorta, Face
For two years, Diana Kellington has worked at national offices “temporarily” as she filled in for staff members on parental or sick leaves. But as […]
Court Tales
FORTY YEARS OF YARs Young adult representatives, celebrating their 40th anniversary at General assembly, received an advisory vote on motions of their choice. The “green […]
Beyond Heather and Ploder
Our denominations have stories: tales of how the Lord formed us, how He led us through times of peace and conflict, times of abundance and […]
Techno Ministers
ENI—To stem a nationwide shortage of full-time clergy, the Church of Scotland is considering the use of “virtual ministers” who would preach over a live […]
Spiritual Questions
Today an elder from Brampton Presbytery asked Harvey [Self ],“Why are we … not discussing the spiritual condition of our churches?” A young minister from […]