Atheist What?
Hi there and welcome to my website. Many of you have been here for awhile but there are others for whom this is your first visit. I hope this short post helps you find what you need and encourages you to engage. I know it sounds crazy to many people to think an atheist filling […]
The Longest Night
I recall the longest night as one of almost utter darkness when, in my early twenties, I lived north of the Arctic Circle for three years. The sun set over the white landscape surrounding Inuvik on the sixth of December. It didn’t rise above the horizon again until the sixth of January; a month of […]
Between Tradition and Altruism
A tribute to Dr. James Fowler, 1940-2015 I was alerted to the death of James Fowler by this cartoon by David Hayward. Like David, I, too, was highly influenced by Fowler as was the late Marcus Borg who focused the attention of liberal Christians on three of Fowler’s mid-stages, renaming them “Pre-critical Naivete, Critical Thinking, […]
“Call your church back from this precipice.”
An open letter to the Moderator of the United Church from Bishop John Shelby Spong Dear Moderator Cantwell, I write with some alarm at what is happening in the United Church of Canada, a church that I have long admired. I recall your history. Your church decided that women were not to be excluded from […]
You take on a heavy responsibility
Munroe is a friend who visits West Hill regularly. Over the past couple of years, he’s been working on a play created almost entirely from the words of the great orator, Robert Ingersoll. It is an honour for him to have written this wonderful letter. I’ve written to CBC Archives to see if we might […]
Dividing the United Church
Today, at its meeting in Cornerbrook, NL, the General Council of The United Church of Canada (UCC) sent two petitions to a Commission rather than dealing with them with all its Commissioners in attendance. The two proposals had been triggered by both the review of my effectiveness ordered by Toronto Conference’s sub-Executive Committee and the sending of […]
A Progressive Path
I was delighted to see that Clair Woodbury referred to the Canadian Centre for Progressive Christianity’s points in his article in the Edmonton Journal today, Christianity for the Questioning Generation. Clair undertook to write a response to his granddaughter’s request for a brief outline of Christianity that she could share in her pluralistic school. It took him […]
When Integrity Comes Calling
I have long argued that my evangelical colleagues often appear to have more integrity than colleagues within my own liberal tradition. Rick Warren and Bill Hybels, (mentioned in With or Without God) have been hanging out since forever on the wrong side of the fence, in my opinion, but they have done it because the things they […]
Out of One Sea We Came
This past week, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission recognized the end of its work with a ceremony in Ottawa. For six years, its commissioners, the Honourable Justice Murray Sinclair, Dr. Marie Wilson, and Chief Wilton Littlechild, met with, listened, and recorded the narratives of those who had been affected by Canada’s Residential Schools. The recorded […]
For Our Humanity
The song Nearer My God, to Thee is a classic. Often claimed to be the last song played by the band on the deck of the Titanic as it sank, it clings to the idea that we come closer to God through death, particularly if we’ve suffered a tragic one. Many a time, just as I’ve arrived […]
Shucking God: Interview with a Non-Believer
Almost two months ago, Presbyterian minister, John Shuck, posted a guest blog on Hemant Mehta’s Friendly Atheist Patheos Blog. It was titled, I’m a Presbyterian Minister Who Doesn’t Believe in God. I was delighted. It is always a celebration when someone comes and stands in the field with you. And it’s humbling to have that someone […]
why should i?
This week at West Hill we are celebrating the tenth anniversary of “Our Words of Commitment” which were originally known as “The Children’s Prayer.” It has shown up in many places. We made a video of it and accompanied it with the song As I Live by Anne Walker, who set it to music. I recall being amazed when, […]
Clarington Answers Clarion Call
The council meeting in Clarington, Ontario, opened this past Monday with a time of reflection. It always does. This week, however, Regional Councillor Willie Woo, rather than invoking the god called God, read a reflective piece that made no mention of the town’s previously favoured deity. Mayor Adrian Foster, who felt no one would be harmed by the […]
All Roads
For this Sunday, the service is looking at privilege. So my hymn writing challenge veered off in that direction. An abrupt shift in the first verse might be disconcerting but it evidences the kind of “scales falling from our eyes” reality that consciousness raising so often is. And I hope that the song ends with […]
to the glory of good
On Sunday, March 15th, Eric Andrew-Gee of the Toronto Star joined us in our weekly gathering. It was a busy morning. We’d removed half the pews that Saturday in one of our first efforts at continuing our work toward creating a barrier-free community, this time focused on the challenges that traditional forms of gathering as […]
what is a theologically barrier-free church?
I am often asked questions about the work that I and the congregation I serve do. These quick answer videos are meant to help you understand that. If you’ve any question you’d like answered, don’t hesitate to ask me through the contact page. I’ll be happy to consider it for a quick answer video. Thanks […]
the moral of the story
Our final installation in the Academy Award series is Into the Woods, a film that didn’t get nominated for Best Picture Oscar. Still, it has much to say. I captured its relativistic approach in the new words to the old hymn tune Blaenwern – also singable to Hyfrydol – Nothing Once for All. The truth is […]
nothing once, for all
A new hymn written to the tune Blaenwern, one of the tunes most often used for Love Divine. Scott named it this morning as one he wanted new words for, so this is what came in the late afternoon. I’ve been preparing for Sunday’s reflection on Into the Woods, the first film I’ve ever picked for […]
a letter to gary paterson regarding paris
January 8, 2015 Gary Paterson Moderator The United Church of Canada 3250 Bloor St. West Toronto, ON Dear Gary, I write with deep concern for the world’s community as it reels following the religiously motivated attacks in Paris this week and as diverse groups respond with courage and a renewed commitment to ending acts of […]
we’d watched it come …
< p style=”text-align: center;”>I almost didn’t recognize it. The description was of something strange, yesterday’s materials, old clichés, and my little sister’s sorrows. Like a movie of your favourite book, all the characters transformed their faces not at all the ones you’d held so close. Or all the talking animals of your childhood books walking upright, disneyfied […]