Behind the scenes
God’s care for us, felt through people
Welcome to summer. Let’s hope it’s better than spring, and leads to an even better fall. We can’t help ourselves. We have high hopes for a fall when the daily rhythms of life might be even more fully restored and renewed.
Most of us have not lived through such a challenging societal time before where we collectively endured disappointment, hardship and for some of us great loss. We hope you felt surrounded by your faith community and continue to feel that. We aim for Faith Today to provide you with some comfort and inspiration, and a reminder we are never alone, but part of a great, sprawling Church that receives and reflects the love of God to our neighbours.
The trials of Covid-19 scared many of us, and hopefully the profound call for an end to racism in our communities and countries continues to stir us. Through both of these great disruptions in our lives and culture – one bad, and one long overdue – the Church was challenged and called to respond.
We had long planned for some essays and feature articles around the theme of hospitality, but even as we put this issue together, we wondered if it was too soon. Too soon to imagine throwing open our doors to welcome others and step into the beauty of giving and receiving hospitality?
But we also know hospitality means more than sitting around a dining room table indoors, even if that is how we most often seem to enact it. Hospitality is really a work of the heart and a living out of the gospel, which our writers explore well.
At Faith Today we have two new forms of hospitality to tell you about. Online, we’ve started hosting a new blog series by the Peace and Reconciliation Network co-ordinated by Phil Wagler of Kelowna, B.C. There’s amazing new food for thought every two weeks at www.FaithToday.ca/Reconciling.
And in print, as you may have noticed last issue, we’ve put an end to paid subscriptions for Canadian home subscriptions. Please help us serve more of the Church in Canada by inviting your Canadian friends to sign up at no cost (find our contact info below) and your friends in the U.S. to check our website for the trial offer that gives them two free issues or the special student discount.
Wherever you are reading this issue of Faith Today, we pray you are safe and sheltered by the hospitality of God’s love and also the love of community.
Palliative care
Re: Behind the curtain of assisted dying (May/Jun 2020) i am in full agreement with this article. We should also stress the importance of palliative care. It has come a long way to reduce the fear of pain and suffering at the end of life, which seems to be the reason why so many feel MAID is a viable choice even though it is not biblically supported. Perhaps it would be good to commission an article on the advances in palliative care over the past decades. I remember how little could be done in 1985 when my mother was dying of a brain tumour. How far we have come in offering wonderful compassionate care at end of life. Hospices, thanatology as a study of death and dying, and best practices in palliative care have made what can be offered a much better solution to MAID. Thanks also to the EFC for all the excellent resources you continue to provide on these issues.
Ed Clements, Toronto
i agree with what you had to say and wanted to comment on how well written it is – a beautiful blending of truth, knowledge and compassion.
Jane Brooks, King City, Ont.
when my father was in hospital in February we went through the experience of one of the staff suggesting MAID to us. We also had pressure put on that he stop his dialysis as what kind of life did he have. Several doctors put pressure on us. They did not see him as a person, simply a bed they wanted.
I sent a letter to the hospital and various MP/MPPs about it. The hospital’s comment was that this was not the values of the hospital and would be looking into it. Whether they did or not, I have no idea as it was at the time of the shutdown for Covid-19.
I know seniors who are petrified they will be forced to commit assisted suicide. They are worried family members will put pressure on them. I can see family who don’t like to see suffering pushing for it, family who are tired of taking care of the person, and people who simply want the money putting the pressure on – and the elderly finally giving in.
May the EFC continue the work of fighting it and not allowing the MAID program to get extended to more people with less time to think about it.
Gloria Johnston, Elmira, Ont.
Christian education
Re: Done high school. Now what? (May/Jun 2020) i wanted to express my appreciation for the stories that highlighted Christian education, at the elementary and especially the postsecondary level. Bible institutes are also an important part of Christian postsecondary education. Keep up your good work.
Justin Cooper, Ancaster, Ont.
God as Santa Claus
Re: Christ & Culture (Mar/Apr 2020) good column! I just want to add that many Canadians see God as some kind of Santa Claus. God’s job is to make everything easier and keep us from any problems or harm. If some hard things enter our lives, then God has failed in His job, and we can’t trust him. He was supposed to keep us from any problems, so since He didn’t do that, He is obviously not worth trusting. So God gets blamed for hard things, when I think they should be attributing these things to Satan’s doings.
John Hoess, Melfort, Sask.
He will provide
Re: Go with God (Mar/Apr 2020) always enjoy the articles by Carolyn Arends. In the phrase “take up His cross,” it’s important we clarify His cross was to be crucified, but my cross is whatever cross He places on me. He will provide.
Keep up the great ministry. I love reading Faith Today cover to cover and have done so from very beginning.
Hal Willems, Kelowna, B.C.