Culture (Page 3)
Culture of Beauty
Culture is a word we use often yet rarely consider its meaning. The English word culture, is derived from the Latin word cultura which speaks of “cultivating, tending, caring, tilling, and honoring.” We see the immediate application to farming and the caring for the land to produce a harvest—the goal of cultivation. The Latin word cultus is also part of the same word group and overlaps in meaning but focuses on the cultivation of customs of worship and veneration. This…
Online Streaming Act
The Online Streaming Act (aka Bill C-11 or “An Act to amend the Broadcasting Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts”) has garnered attention in the news and in the Christian world. It’s been dubbed by critics as a censorship bill with some warning that it will fundamentally change the availability of information in Canada through the internet and the many platforms that depend upon it. You can read the bill for yourself here, but how…
The Lord Is King
God Is Sovereign The Scriptures are replete with examples of the rising and falling of rulers and nations. What is clear in every case is that it is the Lord God who humbles the proud, judges the nations, sends great calamity, appoints rulers, and does all these things to accomplish his purposes. “Remember this and stand firm recall it to mind, you transgressors, remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am…
The Emergencies Act and our Hopeful Endurance
This week our Prime Minister made an historic decision to invoke the Emergencies Act which is designed to give the government power to quickly handle matters of national security. The Act will give the government and police extended powers and also grant them the ability to direct financial institutions to freeze accounts they believe are a threat to national security. While it seems that all provinces are quickly moving away from COVID mandates, the federal government clings to its stance…
Good News for Truckers (and other lovers of freedom)
The following is example of sharing the gospel with those who love freedom but do not yet love Jesus. May it encourage you to be faithful in caring for the oppressed and needy, while offering the hope that is found in Jesus Christ. The Desire For Freedom You want freedom. You value freedom. You are willing to fight for freedom. We both know this is not a freedom to hate or do wrong, but a responsible-freedom to visit loved ones,…
Pastoral Reflections on the Freedom Convoy
The following video offers pastoral reflections on the Freedom Convoy and the protesting of COVID mandates that have affected so many people over the past two years. Some Christians have too much hope in the result of this protest and others think it sinful. Here are a few points to consider. 1) “Protestant” Christians shouldn’t be immediately repulsed by protest. 2) Supporting freedom, whether for informed consent or the livelihoods (i.e., lives), is loving your neighbor. 3) Standing for truth…
A Statement on the Criminalization of Conversion Therapy
The following is a loose transcript of the video above. This past week, Bill-C4 has become law in Canada. It is now a criminal offense to advertise, promote, or engage in conversion therapy. What is conversion therapy? The law states, “conversion therapy means a practice, treatment or service designed to (a) change a person’s sexual orientation to heterosexual;(b) change a person’s gender identity to cisgender;(c) change a person’s gender expression so that it conforms to the sex assigned to the person at birth;(d) repress…
How Churches Are Responding to Conversion Therapy Criminalization
On Friday, January 7th Bill C-4 which seeks to criminalize conversion therapy will be the official law of the land in Canada. (You can read the details of the law, how it was passed, and my initial reflections here. Also, when conversion therapy was banned in Calgary in 2020, I preached this sermon.) The question that many are wondering: How will churches respond? There are two initiatives that I’ve been made aware of. The first is a letter put together…
Political Unity, Divine Judgment, and “Conversion Therapy”
The political landscape of our country is polarized. I can’t remember a time of such division between political parties and ideologies. Yet, in this climate of division there is one issue that has united every party in Parliament across the political spectrum: banning conversion therapy. In both the House and Senate, the opposition party (the Conservative Party of Canada) moved to fast-track Bill C-4, An Act to amend the Criminal Code with regard to Conversion Therapy. In expediting the process,…
Cannabis Legal in Canada
Marijuana becomes legal across Canada this Wednesday, October 17th. As marijuana use becomes normalized—including a host of products containing THC (the active ingredient in marijuana)—how are Christians to react? Is it permissible for Christians to smoke marijuana or use any cannabis products? For these questions, like any other, we must turn to Scripture, God’s word and our authority as followers of Christ. Now, if you tried looking up smoking, marijuana, or cannabis in the Bible, your search would come up…
Medical Assistance in Dying: An Issue of Morality before An Issue of Legislation
It must be conceded that the topic of medical assistance in dying is first and foremost an ethical question that must be carefully considered. Is there a basis for morality? Is morality derived from public opinion? Lobby groups? The vocal minority? A God-given ethic? No matter how one answers that question, it must be conceded that the western world has been built on a Judeo-Christian ethic. God’s law was given in the desert of the Sinai peninsula where he said,…