Love, Prayer, and Academic Life
It’s been too long since I have spent any concentrated time with the writings of Søren Kierkegaard – but this summer saw something of a […]
theology
Losing Self? — Faith, Memory, Identity
We’ve all had that feeling of disorientation at some point. Perhaps you are staying in a hotel somewhere, or visiting family for a few days. […]
A Generous Theology
One of my favourite authors, Northrop Frye, claims that if imagination is stoked (educated) with ideas from other times and places, you quickly realize there are better worlds than the one around us right now; there are worlds we want to live in.
Reaching for an identity (Urban Art #002)
I was at a recent meeting of the Borough Council for my neighbourhood of Côte-des-neiges/Notre-dame-de-Grâce, at which the council approved a new mural for a […]
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.
Wisdom Calls
One day I saw an old car illegally parked in downtown Halifax. A bumper sticker demanded to know: “If yer so darn smart, why ain’t ya rich?” Well, why ain’t I rich? I’m pretty smart after all.
Ministry and Ministers
As believers, we’re all called to ministry. We’re all called to enter into Christ’s work. So why go beyond that? Why have ministers? Why have elders?
Generous Orthodoxy
The “little green book” can be found in church pews and ministers’ studies across the country. But what does this confessional statement mean for us today? How does Living Faith speak to us in the midst of an ever-changing world?
Face to face
Palm Sunday. The beginning of Holy Week – the week that saw a fickle crowd shout, “Hosanna!” on Day 1, and five days later, “Crucify!” […]
Along the Way
Christians don’t have all the answers. Are we willing to have thoughtful—even difficult—conversations?
Encountering God is the Goal
My German classics professor, trying to explain to us how a verb in Greek could have two apparently opposite meanings, put it ever so succinctly: […]
Jesus. Himself. Alone.
Last Sunday in Epiphany March 6, 2011 reading: Matthew 17:1-9 It’s a long, hard climb up Mount Tabor, where tradition says Jesus was transfigured. The […]
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 […]
A Communion of Voices
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 […]
We’re In This Together
When I was about 10, I received a gold star in Sunday school for reciting the Beatitudes, the introduction to what we call the Sermon […]
Finding God
For this past year, the Record‘s Theology 101 column has been asking the question, Where in the World is God? Throughout the year, Presbyterian theologians […]
Gifts
When we think of Christmas, we think of gifts. There are many kinds of gifts. Most common is the exchange gift. Someone gives you a […]
Reading the Bible
With a stack of Kung, Armstrong, Frye and others by my side, I embark on a voyage of biblical exploration. I imagine hearing pitiful screams of tiny angels losing their grip on the crowded heads of pins. Often a phrase will cause me to lift my eyes and gaze out the window. Why didn’t Jesus tell his disciples about the universe his Father created?
“Our Church”
During my years within the Presbyterian Church in Canada, I have noticed we have a bad habit when it comes to our use of the […]
Thiswordly and Otherworldly
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 […]