Religious Particularity & the Cultural Canopy – Beyond Multiculturalism – David Goa w/ Brad Jersak
The words of Jesus Christ, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes unto the Father except by me” frame the backdrop for this conversation on particularity and universals.
The Jewish patrimony accents the gift of particularity. Christianity, like Islam and Buddhism, treasures its revelation and sees its significance for all times and places, a “universal” insight.
In modern liberal democratic societies the particularity of cultural gifts and the civil striving for universal rights and responsibilities is often confused and entangled.
David Goa and Brad Jerak, in conversation, walk into the thickness of religious particularity and think about the importance of the civil canopy of “universals.” The danger of absolutes and the importance of holding with care our ultimate concerns are tempered with and through friendship.
Of Crushed Angels and Single-Stringed Ouds by Karin Dart
Back in the late nineties I remember sitting at a table outside in our back yard pouring over two programs of study leading to two different Masters degrees. One was the counseling degree being offered at Trinity Western and the other, the Christian Studies...
Gandhi and Grant — Review by Brad Jersak
Barua, Arati (ed.), Gandhi and Grant: Their Philosophical Affinities. Delhi, India: Academic Excellence, 2010).ReviewI recently received a first edition copy of Arati Barua's collection of scholarly essays comparing and contrasting Canada's George...
The Prophetic Culture of the Kingdom (pt. 6) by Eric H. Janzen
Chapter Six Identity Storm I have suggested that the Church is in the midst of an ongoing identity crisis. It is a crisis that has arisen out of our disconnection with the culture and paradigm of the kingdom. We must face some significant questions as we...
Ron Dart’s Spiders and Bees – Foreword by William Christian
Ron Dart's Spiders and Bees - Foreword by William ChristianForeword to George Grant: Spiders and Bees by Ron DartThe image of Ron Dart that stands out most strongly in my mind is a tall, lanky, dark-haired man on a snow-covered peak in the...
To build up arms – by Brian Zahnd
To build up arms(And such arms!)Bombs that unleash hellThe fire of GehennaOn faceless enemiesFrom a safe distanceAt the push of buttonCutting edge technologyTo kill a million at timeCain's club to the hundredth powerAnd to want their existence at allWorse, to...
The Prophetic Culture of the Kingdom (pt. 5) by Eric H. Janzen
Chapter Five A Call to Citizenship At the outset of this book I said that the basic question the Church needs to answer today is what it means to be in the world but not of the world. In understanding that the community of Christ has a distinct culture in the...
Editorial: Fasting from Blown Metaphors by Brad Jersak
I write this as a reflection on Eric Janzen’s “Prophetic Culture of the Kingdom” (part 4). In pondering your well-thought, well-stated articles on the Kingdom of God, part 4 gave me pause to consider your admittedly biblical use of military and imperial metaphors....
Isaiah 50 – Passion Week Reading
1 This is what the LORD says: "Where is your mother's certificate of divorce with which I sent her away? ...
“Justice” by George MacDonald
From George MacDonald's Unspoken Sermons Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy; for thou renderest to every man according to his work.--PSALM lxii. 12. Some of the translators make it kindness and goodness; but I presume there is no real difference among them as...
Am I Missing Something by Joe Beach
'Christian' Militia in the NewsThis morning, I read about the arrest in Michigan of eight "patriotic Christians" who had plotted to bomb a funeral service of a policeman. On the same day, I received another email about the "pray for Obama"...