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Perpetua, killed in 203 A.D., was her era’s most famous martyr. Her fame came from being regularly mentioned in sermons by well-known bishop Augustine, as well as other third and fourth century preachers. Sarah Ruden’s biography of Perpetua is part of Yale University Press’s “Ancient Lives” collection, a series exploring stories of ancient thinkers, writers...
I was recently invited to be part of a conference in Guelph, Ontario with about thirty Canadian Christian leaders. During one personal conversation with a seminary president, I mentioned that my daughter had recently graduated from Regent College in Vancouver with a Masters of Divinity. He asked whether she intended to serve as a local...
“I believe that the Christian Reformed Church (CRC) is at a pivot point,” declared General Secretary Zachary King in his opening address at the denomination’s annual meeting in Grand Rapids, Michigan on June 13. As King called the church to renewal, he also acknowledged the disunity the CRC has experienced in recent years. At least...
Would you take a university course about ethics and artificial intelligence that was built by an algorithm? How about if the professor was an avatar and the marking was done by a machine? In 2024, six graduate students at Acadia Divinity College in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, said “yes” to these questions and embarked on a...
. . . Livea three-dimensioned life;stay away from screens.Stay away from anythingthat obscures the place it is in.– “How to Be a Poet,” Wendell Berry I woke early, and in the blue dawn my mind began to trace the contours of this editorial – my take as an educator, parent and interdisciplinary artist on the...
In my youth I cut my political teeth on the Watergate scandal, and this, along with the Turkish invasion of my father’s native island of Cyprus, moved me to study politics. Like many Americans at the time, I was incensed that a sitting president, sworn to uphold the constitution, would abuse his office to gain...
Online sports gambling is the new “cigarette” problem in Canada. Sports gambling is promoted as entertainment, while gambling addiction is fast becoming a major public health issue. Seductive, aggressive advertising makes gambling attractive and socially acceptable, while the well-known high risk of addiction is not acknowledged. Algorithms hook users into addictive gambling behaviour that…
James Mackay was known to be a brilliant lawyer and Presbyterian elder long before he became Lord Advocate of Scotland (1979-84) and then Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain (1987-97). He was, in the words of a past president of the Law Society of Scotland: “not only an outstanding man in his profession, but one...
In Matthew 6, Jesus told us to “look at the birds of the air” for lessons that birds can teach us about ourselves and God’s care for us. The word “ornitheology” was coined by theologian and avid birdwatcher John Stott, blending together ornithology (the study of birds) with theology (the study of God). It’s a...
In one wing of the vast West Edmonton Mall, a tiny chapel has stood for 40 years, tucked away by the Fantasyland Hotel and near the replica of the Santa Maria. Despite its long tenure, some people are still surprised to learn it is there. “You get to the other side of the mall, they’re...
I’ve always thought of algorithms as those sneaky things that monitor my every move online. Oh, it’s for a noble purpose – to filter the information and conveniently present the most relevant material, right? There’s no denying it’s easier than ever to find answers to burning questions like, “Who invented ice cream?” or “How old...
“I can’t be a coward at the pulpit.” These words, coming from Gerlyn Henry’s supervisor on the heels of the January 6th insurrection in 2021, changed Henry’s perspective on ministry. At the time, Henry was working as an assistant priest at a church in the Anglican Diocese of Toronto. New to preaching and unable to...
