Faith Today - March/April 2016

BEHIND THE SCENES

Karen Stiller of Port Perry, Ont., and
Bill Fledderus of Hamilton, Ont., are senior
editors of Faith Today.

As we read through this issue one final time be- fore sending it to our printer, authenticity was a theme that jumped out at us.

People here are not interested in pretending it’s easy to be a Christian in today’s world.

Here are a few of our favourite
lines:
“I was shocked. How could my
friend be teaching college kids to
love language, ideas and themselves,
and not think she was doing things
for God?” From Carolyn Arends,
page 19.

“You do feel you are being competed with if . . . a new church moves into town. I think it’s important . . .

to go the extra mile and give honour to the people who have been there all along, trying to serve and putting in decades of work.” From our interview with Patti Miller, page 24.

“Many of . . . us spend our lives avoiding the real questions of being, identity and essence, and fall prey to the seductive message of both the culture and our hearts that doing and having are all that matter.” From Rod Wilson’s essay, page 30.

And how’s this for transparency: “But the road is so pitted with frustration – with administration, courts and the criminal element – that many officers become cynical, jaded, burnt out, depressed and even suicidal.” From Alex Newman’s interviews with Christian police officers, page 42.

We love that our writers are digging deep. Within the struggles laid bare are wonderful victories and moments of hope we can rejoice in.

Like this one: “Ever since our pizza night, Sally and I have begun to envision a less abridged version of God’s story. We worry less about ‘doing things for God.’ We’re far too busy delighting in the things God is doing for His creation – even through us.” Carolyn Arends, page 19.

Such moments are part of why Christian community is so important, why an exclusively me-and-God relationship is short-sighted.

Faith Today aims to better connect you with the Body of Christ in all its diversity. We keep trying to improve that connection, to facilitate more timely interactions.

Since 2013 we have been posting weekly on our blog, more than 150

posts and 50 reader comments at last count. And lots more on our Facebook and Twitter streams.

Now we’ll begin posting more letters to the editor on Facebook, as soon as they come in, inviting writers and readers into more timely, healthy, positive dialogue. (If you’re not on Facebook, no worries. We’re not changing the printed letters.)

Thank you for using Faith Today

to participate in the Body. We’re glad to call you sisters and brothers in Christ. /FT

Don’t miss

Love Is Moving, our sister magazine for youth.

Issue 14
is on the
theme
“Tempted?”
Good and complicated
Honest reflection in the Body

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editor@faithtoday.ca

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Faith Today, Box 5885 West Beaver Creek Post Office, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 0B8

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March / April 2016

Volume 34 • Number 2

PUBLISHER

The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada

SENIOR EDITORS

Bill Fledderus, Karen Stiller

ART DIRECTOR

Janice Van Eck

SENIOR WRITERS

Jeff Dewsbury, Debra Fieguth, Alex Newman, Patricia Paddey

COLUMNISTS

Carolyn Arends, James A. Beverley, Bruce J. Clemenger, Kevin Flatt, John G. Stackhouse Jr.,

CONTRIBUTORS

Ken Badley, Allison Barron, Jessica Darmanin, Julie Fitz-Gerald, Meagan Gillmore, Phil Irish, Harold Jantz, Will Lew, Adena Lowry, Craig Macartney, Ali Matthews, Dorene Meyer, Deanna Smid, Kory Sorensen, Janet Straker, Ron Wassink, Robert White, Rod Wilson

COPY EDI TOR

Janet Dimond

ADVERTISING MANAGER

Brian Shephard

905-481-4275 or ads@faithtoday.ca

MARKETING

Gina Waugh

DISTRIBUTION

Anita Kwan

DISCLAIMER

Faith Today does not endorse every opinion or event reported or every product advertised.

Faith Today does not endorse any advertiser, nor does it take responsibility for the accuracy of any claims made in the advertisements.

TO WRI TE AN ARTICLE

Send a query letter first to editor@faithtoday.ca describing a proposed manuscript. Unsolicited manuscripts and poetry are not accepted and will not be returned. Read our guidelines at www.faithtoday.ca/writers.