Wayne Holst

ARTICLES

Anglicans and Lutherans hold a prayer service on Parliament Hill in 2013, urging the government to provide clean water for all. File photo: Art Babych

Canada’s churches: A conscience for social and eco-justice

It’s old news that many of Canada’s traditional mainstream churches are experiencing institutional decline. What is not widely acknowledged is that those same churches have maintained a strong influence as this nation’s social conscience.

Illustration: Nina Rys/Shutterstock

Changes

This spring, I will celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of my graduation from theological college, which was a big step in my preparation for ordination into

Mending wall

  More than a century ago in 1914, American poet Robert Frost published “Mending Wall,” and I believe its message is as relevant now as

From souq to shopping mall

We have spent the last three weeks visiting family in Oman, a busy, modern sultanate located on a peninsula, with Saudi Arabia to the west

Worship or entertainment?

As a Christian living in our increasingly secular and pluralistic nation, I am finding it ever more difficult to distinguish between worship and entertainment. The

What is truth?

“Truth? What is that?”-Pilate (John 18:38 New Jerusalem Bible). “The lie is a contradiction of the word of God, which God has  spoken in Christ

What autumn leaves teach us

Nature is a wonderful teacher and it offers many valuable spiritual lessons. Here are a few personal insights that came to me after time spent

The mystery of the child

This past summer offered a special occasion for my partner Marlene and me. We welcomed the arrival, between us, of our eighth grandchild. Her name

William Hordern, Canadian theologian

Few preceded him. He had only several like-minded contemporaries and today, he has many successors. To my mind, William Hordern was a pioneer theologian who helped

Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard in the movie classic, Brief Encounter. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

‘Brief Encounter’

What movies do you enjoy and why? My partner Marlene and I watch a lot of first-run films; but recently we’ve viewed some of the

Photo: Birdgal/Shutterstock

‘Look at the birds of the air’

In his Sermon on the Mount (Mt. 6:26), Jesus advises us to consider that—even as the Creator cares for the birds of the air—we humans

Photo: Twittter/@albertawildfire 

Armageddon

“I looked at the sky,” said a young man as he pointed his iPhone in the direction of a wall of flames, ominously challenging easy

Pope Francis on his way to greet pilgrims during his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican.  Photo: Giulio Napolitano/Shutterstock 

Pope Francis joins the human quest

Modernity has not been kind to those upholding the truth of the gospel as well as the authority and unity of the church. Global Christian

Photo by: Sana Design

On becoming less self-absorbed

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a recent interview on American TV thathe wishes the United States “paid somewhat more attention to the world.” Many

Image: R. Formidable/Shutterstock

A shared Lenten experience

As part of my Lenten journey this year, I engaged in the rewarding practice of listening to several CDs from my treasured box of sacred

From darkness to light

Recently I reflected on darkness and light-a major Advent theme-while my wife and I, like many Canadians, were engaged in our annual yuletide home decoration.

Modern life in a global village

Near the end of a recent two-week tour of the Holy Land, we 29 Canadian pilgrims from British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan spent quality time

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