Title: Unsettling Truths: The on-going, dehumanizing legacy of the Doctrine of Discovery.
Author: Mark Charles and Soong-Chan Rah
This book shines a damning light on the “Doctrine of Discovery,” the legal framework that grounded and justified European colonial rule of the Americas, and whose fallout continues to impact Indigenous lives to this day.
A month after attending #ChurchToo, Columbia Bible College’s conference on professional sexual misconduct, there are a number of voices still echoing in my ears. Those of us in attendance heard many angles of a painful story from long ago, as well as solid teaching on how to respond and establish safeguards. We heard plenary speakers, workshop leaders, and members of panels. All were worthwhile. But a couple of voices in particular have lodged in my memory.
Title: Rescuing the Gospel from the Cowboys: A Native American Expression of the Jesus Way
Author: Richard Twiss
Rescuing the Gospel is essential reading for Canadian evangelicals. This is especially the case as we are now called to ponder and respond to our nation’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, both as individual citizens and as faith communities. The book is inspiring, informative, provocative – and often frustrating.
title: Come Back
author: Rudy Wiebe
Rudy Wiebe’s latest novel Come Back is a gripping memoir of grief. Wiebe comes full circle in his more than half-century of literary production, returning to one of his first (minor) characters, and elevating him to a central role.
Apparently not all deeds can be brought into the open. Even the psalmist recognized that some wonders might remain hidden: “How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land?” (Psalm 137:4).
The sacrificial death of Jesus must shape not only our thinking, but also our praying. When we look at the cross through the lens of the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9–13),…
Shalom and the Community of Creation: An Indigenous Vision
Prophetic Christianity Series
Author: Randy Woodley
Growing up in B.C.’s Fraser Valley, I knew no First Nations peoples. All I knew was that “Indians” made totem poles, and were chased by cowboys. They were exotic, irrelevant, and absent.
“I just want a hug from my sisters.” The pain in the grandmother’s voice is heart-rending, as she gives voice to the hurt and estrangement that has splintered her family. It’s a story all too familiar to thousands of First Nations families across Canada,
At the Scent of Water: The Ground of Hope in the Book of Job Author: J. Gerald JanzenAt the Scent of Water is a rare gift for those who want to explore the mysteries of Job.
Ecclesiastes: Believers Church Bible CommentaryAuthor: Douglas B. MillerAt a certain MB church I once attended, a large plaque hung in the foyer, with the rather daunting welcome: “Guard your steps when you go to the house of God, to draw near to listen” (Ecclesiastes 5:2, RSV). That, and the occasional reading (always at a funeral) of the famous poem “For everything there is a season…” (3:1–11, RSV) make up almost the sum total of my encounters with Ecclesiastes in public church life. Rather ironic, given that the book’s name derives from the Greek word for church, ekklesia.
Over the last several months, we’ve been shadowing the Dawn Treader as it adventures eastward. We’ve let C.S. Lewis entertain us with a rollicking story, but we’ve also let him sow seeds of theological truth in our imaginations as we unpack some of the symbols he uses to tell this story.
Among the many memorable phrases in the Anglican Book of Common Prayer, we find the following petition: “from all the deceits of the world, the flesh, and the devil, Good Lord, deliver us.” These three form a deadly trinity of deception often called the “enemies of the soul.”
The storyline of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (VDT) begins not on the ship – an enduring symbol of the Christian church – but with someone who doesn’t want anything to do with such a ship. His name? “Eustace Clarence Scrubb – and he almost deserved it”!
This December, the third movie in the Chronicles of Narnia series will be released. Many of us are looking forward to the appearance of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (VDT hereafter) but right now, I’ve got a novel suggestion for you: read the book this summer.
Biblical Text Examined: Psalm 29: “Our home has an ongoing seasonal conflict: when do you play the first Christmas CD? I’m a bit more traditional, and try to hold out until the first Sunday of Advent. My wife, however, is more connected to the world around us and will crank that music when the first snowflakes hit the ground. This year, that meant the week before Thanksgiving!”