The church is resilient, not fragile. There are signs of decline, but also of renewal. Religious congregations contribute billions of dollars to the good of our nation. Such are the findings of two recent studies by WayBase and Cardus, and…
First United Church is in the midst of a major redevelopment – and they want to make sure the final result visually represents the local community. The church has been serving their Downtown Eastside neighbourhood for nearly 140 years. Here…
This is my second round-up of 2024, covering 11 newly published books from the local Christian community. Again there is a range of topics. The write-ups are generally from Amazon and publisher / author sites. I often begin with academic…
One highlight at last weekend’s Missions Fest was hearing from a couple of city officials about how Christians, and faith groups in general, can have a better rapport with their city. The How Can We Inspire City Officials with God’s…
Church-goers know the many benefits of participating in a congregation. Outsiders might not be convinced – and sometimes even feel that churches (mosques, synagogues, temples) are parasitic and should be paying taxes. Now there is a good way to assess the…
This comment first appeared in the April issue of the Tamarack Institute’s online magazine Engage! The Tamarack Institute highlights research and stories which encourage community change and help to end poverty. One of the significant challenges that community development faces today…
A new book and a just-released study offer some fascinating insights into the positive role of religion in Toronto – and suggest some avenues for exploring the role and value of local congregations in Vancouver. Revisiting ‘Toronto the Good’ demonstrates…
This must be one of the busiest seasons of the year, with a cornucopia of concerts, plays, conferences and other gatherings. I’ll run through a few highlights before looking back at a couple of significant events from the last week…
A poll conducted in time for the Thanksgiving weekend showed that only about one-third (34 percent) of Canadians believe that “religion has a positive influence on societal values.” And that percentage is even lower in British Columbia, where 28 percent…
‘Canadians consider religions more damaging than beneficial: survey.’ That’s the headline Global News came up with as they reported on a new Angus Reid Institute survey. And that’s not the only bad news. The survey, conducted in partnership with Cardus,…