India was ranked 11th on Open Doors’ World Watch List 2024, an “annual ranking of the 50 countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution.” That and the fact that we have a large South Asian population in the Metro…
Ross Lockhart, Vancouver School of Theology Professor of Mission Studies, along with colleagues Albert Chu (Tapestry Church and Director of the Centre for Missional Leadership) and Jason Byassee (Senior Minister of Timothy Eaton Memorial Church and former VST Butler Chair) recently published their…
Should the new St. Paul’s building accommodate MAiD [Medical Assistance in Dying]? Can city councils continue to open their deliberations with prayer? Does the Canada Summer Jobs granting process still discriminate against religious groups? What about public Christmas celebrations? A…
Bill 21 applies only in Quebec, but outrage and opposition remains strong across the nation, including from Christian groups. The controversial Bill is front page news again since the Quebec Court of Appeal began hearing a constitutional challenge November 7.…
Creating Conversation is a weekly editorial, curated by the Centre for Missional Leadership (CML), and gives opportunity for people to speak about issues they believe are vital for the church in Vancouver. One of the goals of this weekly article is…
The Executive Director of First United Church will become Moderator of the United Church of Canada next month – although she has not yet been elected to the three-year position. Here is the explanation of that slightly unusual situation from…
On Palm Sunday morning, while I was speaking to my small group about the readiness of Jesus Christ to face His death (Mark 15), one of the older youths suddenly broke into tears. She then explained that that particular gospel…
A Cardus report released February 9 – Reasonable Limits: How Far Does Religious Freedom Go in Canada? – considers how to lessen the polarization surrounding issues of religious freedom. Following are the Executive Summary and a portion of the Conclusion.…
After driving by battalions of puffed up, sagging and deflated Santas surrounded by candy canes, baubles and Christmas lights, it is refreshing to see a hint of the original Christmas story from time to time. One such display can be…
Tim Dickau: Forming Christian Communities in a Secular Age: Recovering Humility and Hope (Tyndale Academic Press, 2021) Tim Dickau has written an important, wide-ranging book about what it means to be God’s people in this time of unraveling and ferment. The…