Faith Today - July/August 2016

TALKING POINTS

MILESTONES

APPOINTED

Stephen Andrews as principal of Wycliffe College, a graduate theological school affiliated with the University of Toronto and Toronto School of Theology. It has approximately 300

students. The Rt. Rev. Dr. Andrews has worked in ministry, theological scholarship and higher education for more than 30 years, and is currently the Anglican bishop of the Diocese of Algoma in Ontario.

Stephanie Fennelly as executive director of the Wilberforce Project, formerly known as Alberta Pro-Life. She has held this position previously. She succeeds Rosey Rosenke.

OPENED

An Ottawa office for Cardus, a Christian think tank based in Hamilton, Ont., that focuses on “social architecture.” The new office near Parliament Hill is intended be a gathering place for political, public, business, associational and cultural institutions. Cardus also launched a new research division called Cardus Family.

Cardus is led by president Michael Van Pelt.

REVISED

Alpha, a popular course for those interested in exploring basic religious questions, has released a revised Alpha Film Series of 16 new

30 min documentary-style episodes. More
than 29 million people globally have already
experienced older versions of Alpha. Alpha
Canada is reportedly working toward a goal of
a million Canadians experiencing Alpha. The
series was released free online and will become
available in DVD format also in Spanish, Arabic,
Mandarin and Hindi by the end of 2016.

Concordia University of Edmonton will no longer operate as a religious institution to better reflect its population and values, president Gerald Krispin announced in April. The school has 2,000 students and wants to be known as accepting people from all backgrounds, he says.

The decision was finalized last fall in a board meeting. The school has been facing reduced donations from the Lutheran community, which has been dealing with its own financial troubles. Robert Bugbee, president of Lutheran Church – Canada, gave a media interview to express his understanding of and disappointment with the choice.

AWARDED

Dan Bremnes of Salmon Arm, B.C., won this

Placed her own call

Re: Tangled and Troubled Times at Gospel for Asia (May/Jun 2016)

WHEN I finished reading your article, I called Iris at the GFA office in Stoney Creek, Ont. My first question was: Is the author of this piece a believer in the Lord Jesus? Iris said yes and everything she said was positive about you. She did tell me that this is a battle in high places (fight against powers – Satan who wants to affect this ministry).

Here are a few of my concerns. Some places in the article you use the word “alleged.” Such items should have been taken out when you didn’t give us evidence. We are all sinners. Only God can see/know a person’s heart.

I agree Cluley does have a responsibility to donors. If it can be proven that donated money was not used for its stated intention – that is serious. Some money needs to be held back, but not $250 million.

Since I believe in the soon return of the Lord, all money should be spent fairly quickly, especially since the Lord owns all of it. I’m dumbfounded that money was sent to Asia, then part was sent back

New at Blog.Faith Today.ca

good and bad: good because I do think in some important ways it has allowed us to protect society from the worst excesses of secularism; bad because it has led many Christians to rely on political, rather than spiritual, power to achieve their goals. –from “An American and Canadian Evangelical Dialogue” by George Yancey

FOR THE people of Nepal, the earthquake continues to shape their lives. Many will never be able to return to now unstable homes and have been forced to adjust to a new normal. The journey is well under-way in Nepal and agencies like Good Friends of Nepal play a vital role in the long-term road to recovery. As their work continues, we must continue to pray for Nepal. –from “Nepal One Year Later” by Luke McKee

I BELIEVE all people who are in prison are there for a spiritual reason. –from “How a Correspondence Ministry Helps Inmates Know Jesus” by Rosemary Redshaw

THERE ARE many different ways to address pornography from a spiritual perspective. The most important initial step is to eliminate the secrecy. We need a culture in our churches that allows for James 5: 16

to become a reality. Every man needs relationships where he can confess his sin, have another man pray for him, and experience the healing power of God in this area of his life. –from “Pornography Most Common Sexual Sin of Christian Men” by Kirk Giles