Of the £27 he was paid for his first year of ministry, he used £20 to buy the freedom of a young slave girl.
would go if they thought it best. They decided to send him.
“I was thunderstruck by this decision of Synod,” he later wrote. “I had considered it a case clear . . . that I was called to preach to the Highlanders of Scotland, and of course that I could not be sent abroad . . . . That night I slept none, but tossed upon my bed, till it was time to rise next morning.”
In the end he answered the call of duty, reasoning “that souls were equally precious wherever they were.” The synod’s decision was made May 4, 1786. On May 31 he was ordained, and on June 3 he set sail for the New World after tearful goodbyes to family and friends. He had more than a month crossing the Atlantic to absorb the immensity of what he was doing.
Despite this unexpected turn in his life, MacGregor served energetically among the settlers of the Pictou region – some of whom had lived there for more than a decade with no religious services. He preached four times each Sunday – first in both English and Gaelic in one place, and then again in both languages 20 km away.
Life could be hard. His flock could not pay him much, so he also farmed to support his large family. His first wife Ann MacKay, with whom he had six children, died in childbirth in 1810 – a devastating blow. His second wife Janet Gordon was a widowed single mother. They had three more children together.
MacGregor’s personality combined a humble, gracious manner with rock-solid convictions. He preached for two years before he felt the settlers were ready to take part in the Lord’s Supper. Unlike many pastors in the colony, who would baptize any child presented to them, he insisted on evidence of Christian knowledge and commitment from the parents first.
At the same time he was willing to minister to people of any denomination in the outlying settlements, who were like “sheep without shepherd.” He undertook more than ten long-distance missionary journeys through Nova Scotia and New Brunswick over the course of three decades. Gradually he won the respect and deep loyalty of the people.
MacGregor’s zeal extended to various causes. He was a tireless supporter of the Bible Society and foreign missions, including a Baptist mission to Burma. He furthered plans for improved farming techniques and a local college for training clergy. Of the £27 he was paid for his first year of ministry, he used £20 to buy the freedom of a young slave girl, and he publicly rebuked another Nova Scotian minister for owning slaves.
In 1828 MacGregor suffered a stroke that left him paralyzed on one side and affected his memory. He continued to preach and visit, though his health was failing. The unexpected turn in his life had proved a blessing to many, not least himself, but now he was ready for the next journey to an unknown land.
A few days before a second stroke took his life, his 15-year-old daughter told him, “Oh father, I dreamed that you were a king, and that they were putting a crown on you.” “Oh,” he replied, “I will soon be better than a king and wear a crown of glory.” www.FaithToday.ca/HistoryLesson.
My colleague Brian and I were discussing the work a promotional agency was doing to encourage people to visit articles on Renovaré’s website. (Renovaré is a Christian spiritual formation organization. I serve there as the director of education.)
“This agency means well,” Brian said, “but they keep suggesting headlines like ‘Four easy steps to spiritual growth.’ If we want to be accurate, what we really need is ‘How to become more like Jesus in 70 challenging years.’ ”
I laughed, but I knew he was right. The longer I’ve lived, the more I’ve become convinced of two important things.
First, it’s truly possible for a human being to undergo genuine spiritual transformation, evidenced in tangible, positive changes in character, behaviour and inner peace.
Second, such transformation almost always happens at a pace slower than we would expect or desire.
Maybe Brian and I are both so clear on this because we report to Chris Hall, Renovaré’s president, who is fond of saying (quoting one of his mentors James Houston), “Spiritual formation is the slowest of all human movements.”
It’s not a message that sells. But it’s the truth.
God is much more patient than we are. As a general rule He works incrementally – a shift in perspective here, a small breakthrough there, slowly enlarging our capacity to see and receive what He has for us.
Of course, God can and sometimes does transform people on the spot. It’s thrilling to hear about folks who are suddenly cured of an addiction, or healed of an ailment or burden in a flash.
And yet, I wonder if even those folks would testify that after the miracle, it takes a lifetime to fully inhabit the healing.
In his helpful new book God Walk: Moving at the Speed of Your Soul (Zondervan, 2020), Canadian theologian Mark Buchanan argues, “Becoming like Jesus doesn’t happen quickly for anyone.” And, while he acknowledges our transformation can be hampered by our own resistance, he also points out the evidence suggests, “God made people to grow slowly.”
After all, where most animals transition from babyhood to adulthood in about a year, it takes the average human 18 years (at least) to grow into an adult body.
“As in the physical, the emotional, the intellectual, so in the spiritual,” Buchanan writes. “We are made to mature at a snail’s pace. Though snails, of course, mature much faster.”
I’ve carried two babies to term. During many stretches (forgive the unfortunate word choice) of those pregnancies, I longed for time to speed up and the baby to arrive.
And yet, I see clearly that the duration of a pregnancy is a necessary mercy. Time is not only required for a new life to develop, but also for the mother’s body to accommodate it. If either of my babies had gone from zygote to newborn in a day, my body would have quite literally exploded.
As in the physical, so in the spiritual. Is it possible God is growing
of simply ignoring conspiracy theories, we are wiser to educate ourselves about them.
Misconception: Conspiracy theories are a recent phenomenon enabled by mass media.
Fact: While nothing spreads wild theories like Twitter and Facebook, historians have tracked conspiracies throughout history. Even ancient Athens had its share, as Joseph Roisman has shown.
Misconception: Conspiracy theories are usually right-wing creations. Fact: Conspiratorial opposition to fluoride in drinking water has been rooted occasionally in left-wing politics. Likewise, liberal media regularly advance conspiracy theories against evangelical Christians.
Misconception: Conspiracy theories are mostly American.
Fact: Conspiracies exist over the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan. The recent explosion in Beirut has led to huge conspiracy theories throughout the Middle East.
In our uncertain and conspiracyprone world today, Christians have all the more reason to “test the spirits” (1 John 4:1). This means taking time to sort through claims, examine opposing views and have reasonable skepticism along the way (like the Bereans of Acts 17:11).
In the face of lies, half-truths and propaganda, Christians can trust the Holy Spirit to help us discern and ask God to give us wisdom. And we can take comfort in the time-tested, rock-solid truths about Jesus – more than enough to anchor our lives on.
Outcry over Hagia Sophia decision
Religious groups including the World Council of Churches and the World Communion of Reformed Churches wrote to Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in July expressing grief and dismay at the decision that the Hagia Sophia can only be used as a mosque and not for any other purpose.
The architectural wonder was first built 1,500 years ago as an Orthodox Christian cathedral and was converted to a mosque after the Ottoman conquest in 1453. In 1934, however, it became a museum.
“We are worried that the change will aggravate religious tensions,” writes the WCRC. “In many places in the Middle East and beyond, religious sites are contested. Peace depends on successful arrangements that accommodate all stakeholders.”
The WEA thanked Spain’s representative Cristóbal GonzálezAller Jurado for committing to address these issues. issues with refugees. Her interest in this area grew so that she has now received a scholarship to pursue migration patterns, international law and human rights.
In addition to promoting a wider understanding of how God’s calling can be worked out in harmony with professional interests, the movement is also amplifying the voices of Brazilian youth in discussions about missionary movements in the country.
Attacks on churches increase in Europe
Faith Today: Tell us about the work of Open Doors for people who might not be familiar.
GARY STAGG: In the world’s most dangerous places, we come alongside Christians who are being persecuted. We provide discipleship, safe houses, trauma support, job training – we equip and train leaders. We still also distribute Bibles and Christian literature. When the need is there, we provide to help meet basic human needs.
FT: You’re also known for the World Watch List that each year ranks the top 50 most dangerous countries to live in as a Christian. Where are the hardest places right now to live as a Christian?
GS: The hardest place for the past 18 years is North Korea. If you’re found to be a Christian, you and your whole family will most likely be sent to a brutal labour camp. If you are found in possession of a Bible, you quite likely will be put to death. So that’s a very brutal place.
I encourage people to go and look at the World Watch List. It is ranked according to severity and the level of persecution in the countries. There are countries that are really escalating up the ladder as well, in particular India. India is seeing a lot of persecution arising since 2014 with the election of a new government sympathetic to Hindu extremists. The government really has declared that by the end of 2021 they want to see India reverted to a completely Hindu nation. So, in their minds, to be Indian is to be Hindu, and so they turn a blind eye to anybody that will put pressure on Christians to convert to Hinduism.
FT: Does persecution always look the same in different countries? Or does the nature of it really depend on the place?
GS: It really depends on the place. And there are different drivers of persecution. A misunderstanding people have is equating persecution with violence. We do see violence. I just mentioned India, which is seeing a lot of violence toward Christians. Pakistan and places like that, that see a lot of violence. In Nigeria we recently saw horrific things happening.
But for the most part, across the spectrum, the biggest thing is the daily pressure and the daily squeeze on Christians. We use the words smash and squeeze. In some areas it’s the smash, and those are the violent areas. But for the majority it’s the squeeze. They’re being discriminated against. They’re marginalized. They’re made to wait at the end of the line and always they’re relegated to the lowest jobs in society. Their children can’t get into proper schools all because they’re Christians, and so they feel that constant pressure and squeeze all the time.
The squeeze would be a pressure to give up their Christian faith because life is so much harder with it. A lot of persecution is driven by a religious nationalism. They’re told that if they will recant, then things will be different for them.
FT: You’ve done work to shine the light on that double kind of persecution that women can undergo. Can you explain that?