By: Neale Adams

Neale Adams — Thu, 01 Mar 2018 07:05:30 +0000

Dear Bishop,
Thank you for pointing out that evil (or sin) is not only personal but also a communal and cultural . We may recognize when we sin, especially when it is from our own hearts, but we often fail to see how we fail as a human community. Despite our intentions, we miss the mark–and “missing the mark” (where the word sin comes from) can mean that we do evil, collectively. Our intentions do not excuse the sin. The intention of peremptory challenges was to make jury trials fairer, not to disadvantage First Nations defendants or victims; the result though has been to allow racism to enter the selection of juries. Likewise, the intent of some (not all) of those who worked in residential schools was to “help the Indian”; but the dominant Canadian society really “missed the mark” in that case and great evil was done that continues to resonate today. Thank you for your direction that we must “engage these [communal or systemic] evils with courage and hope, not backing down and not giving up.” God give us discernment to recognize the systemic evil that we do, the humility to ask for forgiveness, and the strength to make right the wrongs that our communal sins have created.

By: Tom Morgan

Tom Morgan — Wed, 28 Feb 2018 01:30:21 +0000

Dear Mark,
Thank you for your strong and helpful response to the Stanley Trial. We in Saskatchewan have felt the fall out acutely. It has become more difficult to hold the course in praying for peace and reconciliation, but we will continue praying and working for both. God bless you for your leadership!

Comments on: Spiritual struggle, systemic evil

By: Neale Adams

By: Tom Morgan