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 […]
The Rev. John Shuck, Presbyterian Church (USA), Letter of Support
August 21, 2015 The Right Reverend Jordan Cantwell Moderator, UCC 3250 Bloor St. West, Suite 300 Toronto, ON M8X 2Y4 Nora Sanders General Secretary, UCC 3250 Bloor St. West, Suite 300 Toronto, ON M8X 2Y4 Canada David Allen Executive Secretary – Toronto Conference 65 Mayall Avenue, Toronto, ON M3L 1E7 The Reverend Bryan Ransom President […]
Visionary Support …
… and how you can get involved It has been a challenging few months since Toronto Conference of the United Church ordered that I be reviewed due to concerns over the effectiveness of my ministry. But I have been uplifted by the wonderful support I’ve received and I wanted to share some of that with you and […]
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 […]
Alien Invasion
Nones Emerge as Major Religious Category “Ladies and gentlemen, this is the most terrifying thing I have ever witnessed . . . Wait a minute! Someone’s crawling out of the hollow top. Someone or . . . something. I can see peering out of that black hole two luminous disks . . are they eyes? […]
Denmark Bans Ritual Animal Slaughter | TIME
“Animal rights come before religion” As the world’s anger rages in response to the senseless (and illegal) killing of Cecil the Lion in Zimbabwe by American dentist Walter James Palmer, an avid trophy hunter, Denmark takes a provocative step toward limiting religious freedoms and preventing what it terms animal cruelty. Jewish and Muslim leaders have […]
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 Girls Are Finally Seen
Often statistics and media coverage of current events continue to mirror the decades-old assumption that “men” means everybody. Rather than exploring the distinctions between how a system responds to women and girls and how it responds to men and boys, the reflections and projections are simply presented and the lack of clarity continues without anyone […]
What God is Supposed to be Saying
This and That It’s a confusing world out there if you’re attempting to discern what a supernatural, divine being is trying to do and say in this world. Between, on the one hand, the millions of Seventh Day Adventists meeting to argue over whether the Bible permits or disallows the ordination of women, and, on the […]
Witchcraft and Sorcery
We thought it would be hard not to become immobilized by fear as the acts of terror associated with religious extremism spurred on by anti-imperialist sentiment began to scroll through our Twitter and Facebook feeds and captivate our shuddering attention with alarming regularity. And yet, for many of us, as the news of beheadings slips closer and closer to […]
American Atheist: An Oxymoron?
Before you get all excited about the Pew Research results and begin thinking that the rising number of those who report no religious affiliation means a more rational approach to all things religious, think again. Yesterday’s release of research by the Public Religion Research Institute shows that fifty-two percent of the American population (52%) believe […]
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 […]
The Complexities of Language: Atheist
On Sunday, I shared the following with my congregation. You’ll get the point as you read it. It has to do with the pastoral care of the congregation, as you’ll see, but it may also be a helpful piece for you to share with others as you have the conversation about beliefs, perspectives, and the […]
Culture Change – Bahro
This was taken off the coast of the Great Ocean Road in 2010. It was a wonderful trip. And those who, throughout my entire journey, have modeled that ability to face insecurity without fear, well, they are my heroes and with me every day.
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 […]
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