Evangelical leader complains about silence from the pulpit George Orwell once wrote that he lived in an age when stating the obvious was the first duty of intelligent men. I believe that activists and lay people are rising up and carrying out prophetic work in the culture because pastors and priests by and large are not carrying out a prophetic calling in [...]
On June 15, several dozen academics, students, church leaders and other interested parties met to participate in a one-day seminar entitled "Religious Liberalism and Public Reason" hosted by the Institute for Christian Studies in Toronto. As an organization grounded in the Reform tradition that offers a host of graduate- level programs to future Christian leaders and academics, the seminar was timed in [...]
A vote in a Vancouver diocese to bless same-sex unions is threatening to tear asunder not only the diocese but also the Anglican Church of Canada and the worldwide Anglican Communion. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. George Carey, has sharply rebuked Bishop Michael Ingham for undermining marriage and for causing schism in the global communion. On June 14, the synod of New [...]
Pro-life groups plan events before and during World Youth Day World Youth Day is fast approaching and promises to be one of the largest events in the history of Canada. The opportunity to attend an event of this magnitude is an awesome prospect. Toronto will see upwards of 500,000 people sweep onto its streets and crowd its exhibitions sites for this 17th [...]
LifeSite News In an interim ruling May 10, Ontario Superior Court Justice Robert MacKinnon ruled that a Catholic School and the Catholic school board could not forbid a 17-year-old male student from bringing his homosexual "boyfriend" to the school prom. The prom was held that night and the injunction ruling was expedited so as to allow Marc and his "boyfriend" to attend [...]
We live in a society of opinion. It is opinions that shape our world and define who we are in relation to others. Yet, despite the declaration we make, we often confuse the difference between fact and opinion. Fact cannot be changed no matter what view is placed on it. Despite the inherent nature of a fact, many people still strive to [...]
A U.S.-based front group, that claims to represent at least a small number of Catholics, angered orthodox and mainline members of the Catholic church recently when it arranged to have billboards hoisted at two locations in Toronto claiming that the church's stand condemning contraception has led to deaths from AIDS. The billboards, erected by Pattison Outdoor Advertising and located at Front Street [...]
As I write this it is the feast of the Epiphany, the coming of the Wise Men to visit Jesus, one of the most beautiful and meaningful feasts in the calendar of the Church. The word epiphany means "manifestation" or "showing forth". The reason is that this was the showing forth of Christ to the Gentiles. Who were these Wise Men? Almost [...]
The Anglican Church of Canada is the third-largest denomination in Canada, with 700,000 members. Only the Catholic Church and the United Church of Canada are larger. On issues such as abortion, homosexuality and euthanasia, the ACC is more liberal than the Catholic Church but more conservative than the UCC. The United Church permits abortion on demand, the ordination of practising homosexuals, the [...]
"God so loved the world that He sent his only Son, that we might have life through Him" - The First Letter of St. John. There is a story, really a parable, about a very rich man who had a little daughter of six or seven, whom he loved with all his heart. When Christmas came around, he wanted to really let [...]
I wasn't sure whether to write this one or not. Sometimes it's best to simply leave a subject alone, wait for the fog of ignorance to evaporate. But there just has to be comment this time. The issue is that of religion, and the attacks on it in the media since the tragedy of Sept. 11. The thesis is that all religions [...]
On Sept. 14, Rev. Billy Graham gave the following sermon during the National Day of Prayer and Remembrance at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. These are excerpts from his remarks. President and Mrs. Bush, I want to say a personal word on behalf of many people. Thank you, Mr. President, for calling this Day of Prayer and Remembrance. We needed it [...]
Because I spent the month of August in Ireland, I missed the 119th annual meeting of the Knights of Columbus, which was held in Toronto, August 7-9. But I have just been reading a report of what took place at the meeting and it has given me great encouragement. The reason for this is that I believe it was the most positive [...]
It was 1870 and the Franco-Prussian War had just begun. A 25-year-old philologist, on his way to the front, observed a cavalry battalion exhibiting impressive clatter and pomp as it passed through the town of Frankfort. Taken by the spectacle, the young scholar had a vision, out of which was to grow his entire philosophy: "I felt for the first time that [...]
The abortion issue was front and centre when some 600 delegates from Canada, the U.S., Mexico and several other countries came to Toronto for three days in early August for the 119th annual meeting of the Knights of Columbus. The organization's New York chapter put forth a resolution calling for the running of newspaper, radio and television advertisements that publicize elected officials' [...]