Culture

In the USA, some Christian leaders are debating the nature and place of social justice. One side wants to define the Gospel as a proclamation that does not entail social justice. The other side affirms that the Gospel alone saves while also emphasizing those saved by the Gospel will necessarily live by the Gospel, which means doing justice. As might be obvious, the difference here is slight but significant enough to warrant discussion.*

My observation here is that the debate partly revolves around how the Old Testament applies to the church today. By grasping this point, parts of the dispute become much clearer. And it is worth exploring how the Old Testament relates to us today because this knowledge will help believers live their life as they ought to (2 Tim 3:16). The discussion matters. [Read more…] about One Reason Why People Disagree on Social Justice

[Read more…] about Episode 05: When You Need to Hire a Gang to Preach

Canadians seem to lack the statistical studies that our neighbours to the South have. And this means we find it harder to understand our nations religious mood and sensibilities. Yet the Angus Reid Institute, Statistics Canada, and a recent study of churches in Southern Ontario provide fascinating insights into our nation’s religious sensibility.

Here are ten interesting statistics about religion in Canada. [Read more…] about Ten Statistics You Should Know about Religion in Canada

Christians tend to oppose the political left because the left often conflicts with certain key convictions of Christianity. For example, politically left-leaning people tend to advocate the possibility of a utopia, created on the basis of the perfect societal system.

But Christians maintain that apart from God’s grace humans tend towards evil. So, creating a utopia apart from God’s grace is impossible (but will happen at the second coming when Christ will rule). For reasons such as this, Christians find it hard to support politically left-leaning groups.

The alternative is often a politically right-leaning group. In the USA, the Republican and Democratic parties represent the two sides of the equation and many Christians gravitate to the Republican view of things. As the reasoning goes, Republicans believe in the centrality of the family, small businesses, fiscal conservatism, and the pro-life position. Consequently, Christian should support the right because it is right.

I understand this point of view. But I want to suggest that supporting the political right may not be any better than supporting the political left.  [Read more…] about Why Christians Should Not Uncritically Support the Political Right