Bangladesh
It is no secret that I first identified as an atheist in 2013 because of the arrest and threatened execution of four Bangladeshi bloggers following the brutal murder of Rajib Haider that February. My theological beliefs had long since morphed my understanding of God from a supernatural being who could intervene in the natural world […]
Half the World
West Hill was privileged to host a fundraiser this past weekend to raise money for Bangladeshi asylum seekers. The situation in Bangladesh is terrifying for secular authors and bloggers who each risk a brutal death whenever they are in public. Some have fled the country, others remain hidden. If you’d like to make a donation […]
Walrus Talks Spirituality
Beyond the Beliefs that Divide It was a privilege to be able to participate in the Walrus Talks Spirituality event that took place at Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre for Faith, Justice and the Arts early in April. Joining me on the dias were Bishop Michael Ingham, Bishop Lewis Cardinal, Joan Garson, Natalie Bull, Timothy Caulfield, and […]
Here All Belong
It has been months since I wrote new words to a well-loved tune but yesterday morning, three hours before the service started at West Hill United, I felt inspired to do so. It is the first song I’ve been able to write since the review of my effectiveness was initiated by The United Church of […]
Revisioning the Bible
A project based on the Bible For over a year now, I’ve been working on a project that has me reading the Bible on a weekly basis. I had to take a break for several months to deal with The United Church of Canada‘s review of my effectiveness simply because I could not write during the first many […]
How many atheists?
I received the following query from Richard Bott, a colleague in The United Church of Canada. Richard is exploring the question of how many clergy in the UCC may be atheists and invited me to share whatever knowledge I had. My response is also posted below. Please feel free to share your thoughts on these […]
Looking for a church like West Hill?
Let’s build a list for people looking for a church like West Hill. In the aftermath of my interview with Wendy Mesley, I wanted to make sure that anyone who checked out my page looking for a congregation in their area might learn about some places they may feel welcome. This post is to make sure […]
A Media Page – Finally!
I have so needed to do this and for so long! Finally, I managed to finish the job today and now have a single page with links to media sources listed on it! Yay! Say hello to my new Media Page! (You’ll need to click that link to get to it!) There are a number of links on […]
Torching the Bridge
Are we programmed to hang on when we should be letting go? [Tweet “Whatever life takes away from you, let it go. Miguel Ruiz”] I was on Goodreads, scanning for some quotes to use in two upcoming funerals and clicked that I liked this one by Miguel Ruiz. I had just copied a quote by Kate […]
A Letter to the Seekers after Truth
A Letter Modeled after Martin Luther King, Jr.’s, “Paul’s Letter to American Christians” This year, as we approached Martin Luther King, Jr, Day, something that, I know, is usually only celebrated in America, I returned to one of my favourite pieces of King’s writings, a sermon he preached in November, 1956. It […]
Sanctioned: The Episcopal Church
Twenty-eight years ago, I was in my first year of theological education at Queen’s. It was a vibrant time in The United Church of Canada whose General Council – the highest court of the church – was meeting that summer. The conversation was all about the ordination of gays and lesbians, as we then referred to […]
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 […]
Getting Your Religion at the Gym?
For many, something other than religion meets the definition of religion It’s true. Fewer and fewer people in North America are heading to church on Sunday morning. Religion, well, its Christian iteration, is on the wane. But for hundreds of thousands of those who avoid church, alternate sources of inspiration, engagement, community, and well-being exist. We […]
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, […]
You want dialogue? We’re happy to oblige.
I have not been able to blog much recently and apologize for that. It has been a hectic two months. It began early in August with Colin Perkel’s breaking of the story of Toronto Conference’s review of the effectiveness of my ministry, then moved into a hectic September as we prepared documents to file alongside […]
“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 […]
Do you really want to risk that?
A letter to United Church of Canada elected officials and senior staff from Ben Robertson, Windsor, NS To paraphrase Blaise Pascal, I apologize for writing such a long letter; I didn’t have time to write a shorter one. As a member of the United Church of Canada, I am writing to express my deep […]
Sir Lloyd Geering, Wellington, New Zealand
In Defence of Gretta Vosper. I understand that Gretta Vosper is soon to appear before a church committee to be examined concerning her beliefs. I do not know what her beliefs are but in my personal contacts with her I have found her to be a person of creative Christian faith, of which we have […]