Catholic originally meant a faith accessible to all people, in all countries, in all eras. Early in the Christian era, imperial pretensions developed in the church at Rome toward other churches in the empire. That process sped up when Constantine issued the Edict of Milan in 313, granting religious freedom in the Roman empire. Again it was … Continue reading A pure faith
France
The origins of the Waldensians
One thing that is clear is that there were Waldenses before Peter Waldo, thus it cannot be said that he founded the Waldensian movement, or church. Waldenses, Vaudois in French, means “people of the valleys,” referring to the valleys in the Alps which form the border between France and Italy. Peter Waldo, Pierre de Vaux … Continue reading The origins of the Waldensians
Blood lines
I received my DNA test results yesterday, then signed up for a 14 day free trial with ancestry.ca. I spent the rest of the day filling in the gaps in my family tree with the information they already have on file from kinfolk near and far. It's a fascinating exercise. I am a mix of … Continue reading Blood lines
A disinherited generation
This week I read a book that I feel to be tremendously important. Many people are disturbed by the disorder in the world today, but we have very different ideas about the cause and an even sharper difference in our ideas about a remedy. This book shines a clear light on the roots of the … Continue reading A disinherited generation
Lessons about writing from Claude Monet
This is the time of year when many businesses give out free calendars, with illustrations in varying shades of kitsch. As a counterbalance, I like to buy at least one calendar each year with pictures I will enjoy looking at as the months go by. This year it is a calendar with photographs of paintings … Continue reading Lessons about writing from Claude Monet
The Emperor’s New Clothes and Donald Trump
In the tale The Emperor’s New Clothes, by Hans Christian Andersen, a vain emperor is approached by two men who claim to be master weavers. They offer to make him a marvellously fine set of clothes from material that only they know how to make. This material has a unique characteristic, it is invisible to … Continue reading The Emperor’s New Clothes and Donald Trump
Charles de Gaulle and Christian apologetics
(First posted four years ago.) Why do I think that talking about Charles de Gaulle will help to understand the purpose of Christian apologetics? Follow me as I try to explain. The First World War was mostly fought on French soil, meaning that the people of France bore the greatest share of the war’s death, … Continue reading Charles de Gaulle and Christian apologetics
He gave his life for others
Last Friday a young Muslim in France, inspired by jihadist propaganda on social media, was moved to action that he thought would glorify Allah. He hijacked a car, killing one man in the process, drove to Trèbes, a town of 5,000 in the south of France and ran into a supermarket shouting Allahu Akbar (God … Continue reading He gave his life for others
Chapter 3 – My father
The time has come for me to write about my father, but I don’t want to. I’m afraid that I’m going to make him sound like an ogre, and he really wasn’t. Most of the time he was a pretty decent sort, but I grew up living in dread of the times when his internal … Continue reading Chapter 3 – My father
Setting education free from the bureaucracy
It was the practice at one time to teach swimming by getting the learner to lie belly down on a footstool and practice moving his hands and feet in the way that would propel him through the water. That’s not done anymore, for the simple and obvious reason that it really didn’t work. After making … Continue reading Setting education free from the bureaucracy
Flatlander Faith 