Don’t put Family First

1 March 2016stephenfarris

Other than as an alliterative phrase meaning that healthy families of various sorts are immensely important for human wellbeing, or that Christian worship should be welcoming to all ages, “family first” can be idolatry.

Service and Witness

1 June 2015stephenfarris

The church in Taiwan maintains the missionary zeal of its founders.

A Good Set of Instructions

1 May 2015stephenfarris

If the love of God actually means anything to us, we will want also to show our gratitude to God. We don’t want to sink back into a warm bath of piety and do nothing for God or for others.

Asking Over the Back Fence

1 April 2015stephenfarris

The question I am asked most frequently when I preach is some version of “What can we do to bring new people into our church?” I usually tell them a story…

The Patty Test

1 March 2015stephenfarris

When my wife Patty accompanies me on a guest preaching engagement, she normally does not actually enter the church building with me. She enters a few minutes before worship as an anonymous stranger to the church.

Sovereign Grace

1 February 2015stephenfarris

I have come to the conclusion that even some future ministers don’t have a firm grasp of the meaning of many words we use regularly in the church.

Freedom From Hatred

1 February 2015stephenfarris

We have all been shocked by the attacks in Paris on the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and on shoppers in a Jewish grocery. They are […]

We Pray for the Same Things

1 January 2015stephenfarris

As I write this, I look east over the hills of Jerusalem.

Christmas in the Garage

1 December 2014stephenfarris

Our son Allan was a typical, grumpy 14-year-old. He would attend the youth group, led by a theology student named Doug, under protest; but attending under protest is probably as good as it gets with boys.

The Wineglass

1 December 2014stephenfarris

A job, or better, a ministry, an assured income, a home to live in; who could ask for anything more? Well, it turns out that a family setting up a home for the first time does demand a few things more.

On Fighting Fair

1 November 2014stephenfarris

My successor as Moderator of the General Assembly will have a much tougher job than I did. Human sexuality looks as if it will be a major topic on the docket.

Are You Saved?

1 October 2014stephenfarris

From time to time some earnest soul will ask me, “Are you saved?” There is a biblically correct answer to that question.

Upping the Coolness Factor

1 September 2014stephenfarris

I am renowned for what is technically known as a “low coolness factor” and normally people sedulously keep me away from anything having to do with youth; but if you are elected moderator, they have to invite you to events like Canada Youth 2014.

The Roots Approach

1 July 2014stephenfarris

Individuals have a natural life span. We are also becoming accustomed, with pain, to a parallel notion, that congregations have life spans. It may be time to ask whether denominations—in fact, our denomination—might have a life span also.

The Sacraments – Theology 101 Reflections

1 September 2013stephenfarris

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

1 September 2013stephenfarris

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.