Are we trusting in the wrong DNA?

Doesn't it almost seem that the church we belong to is determined by our DNA? Mom and Dad were Anglican, so were Grandma and Grandpa, so were my my great-grandparents, so I become Anglican too. For others it would be Baptist, Catholic, Lutheran, Mennonite and so on. But it is part of our heredity. With … Continue reading Are we trusting in the wrong DNA?

The church-state hybrid

Image by Rudy and Peter Skitterians from Pixabay  "We must begin by pointing out that with the launching of the New Testament vision a new idea was being broached; the world was being treated to a new and very revolutionary concept of society, namely, that men can get along peacefully in the market place even though they do … Continue reading The church-state hybrid

But they are different from us

When I was a boy I read historical novels by Canadian and English writers. The hero was always English, honest, brave, generous and kind. Other people were shifty-eyed, dishonest, traitorous scoundrels. As I was an English Canadian, I accepted this as self-evident truth. Later I learned to read French and found historical novels in that … Continue reading But they are different from us

NOISE

When I worked in the Post Office years ago, one of my coworkers was a man named Moe Bailey Moe. had major hearing loss and was oblivious to all the foolish and crude chatter going on around him. If I wanted to talk to him, I first had to get his attention. He would turn … Continue reading NOISE

The farmer and the salesman

Once upon a time there were two Bible study groups, one led by a farmer and the other by a salesman. Both groups studied the same portions of Scripture, but the discussions were not at all the same. The farmer spent his days alone, driving a tractor up and down the fields or repairing the … Continue reading The farmer and the salesman

Heart Health

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, health authorities have been telling us that elderly people are most in danger from the virus. Mortality counts appear to bear that out. However, studies of the data are refining that message, showing that heart health is the critical factor in whether or not one survives an attack … Continue reading Heart Health

A more intense exercise

The Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation recommends aerobic exercise to improve cardiovascular health. That kind of exercise also improves energy levels, alertness, helps maintain a healthy weight, or lose weight if necessary, and avoid diabetes. Aerobic exercise can be any physical activity that raises your heart rate and is sustained for some time. Heart and … Continue reading A more intense exercise

The Church of God is not racist

But members sometimes do and say inappropriate things Several weeks ago the French news magazine Le Point carried an interview with a man who had come to France in his youth from Togo. The title of the article was France is not racist, a point of view staunchly upheld by the man being interviewed, although … Continue reading The Church of God is not racist

Questions

The techniques for evangelism known as the Church Growth Movement, were first introduced to North America in 1961. I use the word techniques deliberately, as the movement sought to use sociological research to select social groups that could be reached through the use of modern marketing methods. The key assumption of the movement was that … Continue reading Questions

In Search of the Age of Gold

From postmillennialism to the social gospel to saving the world from weather For lo!, the days are hastening on, By prophet bards foretold, When with the ever-circling years Comes round the age of gold When peace shall over all the earth Its ancient splendours fling, And the whole world give back the song Which now … Continue reading In Search of the Age of Gold