When I was young, WASPs (White Anglo-Saxon Protestants), considered themselves to naturally be the epitome of all that was right and good. It was the privilege of the WASPs to grant each other entrance to the best schools, the best jobs and the best clubs. The Orange Lodge bears a large share of the responsibility … Continue reading WASPs and other Canadians
Cloud based writing
One morning almost 60 years ago I entered a classroom to write my Grade 11 Composition final exam. I breezed through the first few pages, confident that I understood English grammar. The last page stopped me cold. It called for an essay on one of the topics in a long list. None of those topics … Continue reading Cloud based writing
Adopted
I remember the last time my father blew up at me. He was 80, I was 30 and it was the same tirade that I had heard so many times before during my 30 years. I knew there was no use trying to argue, change the subject or yell back at him. He was not … Continue reading Adopted
Bravo, Mr Farron
“To be a political leader – especially of a progressive, liberal party in 2017 – and to live as a committed Christian, to hold faithfully to the Bible’s teaching, has felt impossible for me.” “I seem to be the subject of suspicion because of what I believe and who my faith is in. In which case we … Continue reading Bravo, Mr Farron
If you are a writer . . .
If you are a writer . . . - you love words, you study words, their origins and all the nuances of their meanings. You don’t aim to dazzle readers with the knowledge you acquire, you want to be able to select the best words to make your readers see what you are seeing. - … Continue reading If you are a writer . . .
Sin
“Almighty and most merciful Father, We have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep, We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts, We have left undone those things which we ought to have done, And we have done those things which we ought not to have done; And … Continue reading Sin
Collateral damage – or the real target?
I have been musing about the Islamist terrorist attacks in Europe and North America; who are these attacks really targeting? Is it the terrorists goal to make Western nations more favourable to the aspirations of Muslim people and nations around the world? I think we can give them credit for being smart enough to know … Continue reading Collateral damage – or the real target?
The empowerment of women
For as long as most people now alive can remember, abortion has been considered a means of empowering women. The inconvenience of an unexpected pregnancy can be quickly eliminated and the woman can carry on with life as she pleases. But it is precisely the motherly trait of womankind that men stand in awe of, … Continue reading The empowerment of women
Manchester and the Crusaders
Islamic extremists are telling Muslim youths that it is their religious duty to strike back at Christian nations because they are descendants of the Crusaders who wreaked havoc upon Muslims many years ago. There are serious flaws in this simplistic approach: 1. The Crusades were efforts by the popes to expand their political influence. Religion … Continue reading Manchester and the Crusaders
Have we misdiagnosed the problem?
It is at least 50 years since C.S. Lewis wrote: “The greatest barrier I have met is the almost total absence from the minds of my audience of any sense of sin . . . We have to convince our hearers of the unwelcome diagnosis before we can expect then to welcome the news of … Continue reading Have we misdiagnosed the problem?
Flatlander Faith 