Digging for you
Going deep to feed your mind and spirit
One of the important jobs of Christian journalism is to tell stories other people aren’t telling, and research the perspectives of believers interacting with the issues of the day.
Our cover story this issue is about how pastors are being stretched and challenged to meet the extremely difficult challenges brought by the availability and expansion of medical assistance in dying in Canada.
As you’ll read, it’s not just church leaders who must choose how they’ll walk alongside someone choosing assisted death. It’s also families and friends who must sort out how best to love someone through a process that might contradict some of their most deeply held beliefs about the sanctity of life.
That challenge might touch many of us one day as more and more Canadians choose this way of ending their lives.
We hope this article – and its companion piece coming in the next issue that investigates doctors and conscience protection – will be helpful. Part of the challenge it mentions is to think through a practical and workable theology of suffering.
Suffering is part of life and a way for us to know Jesus even better, says author Ann Voskamp in the FT Interview. We enjoyed speaking with her, as always, and we think you’ll appreciate what she says, including her reflections on recent news about sexual abuse by Christian leaders.
That reality prompted us to reach out to Melodie Bissell, head of Plan to Protect, who earned a DMin degree researching spiritual healing among adult victim-survivors of child sexual abuse. She brings us a solid list of steps churches should take to protect victim-survivors of all ages in their community.
This is a hearty meat and potatoes issue of Faith Today. We intentionally lightened things up a bit with a practical piece on hospitality, and . . . how about those Christian protesters who joined the trucker convoy in Ottawa in January? What’s up with that?
As we interviewed protesters and researched, our prayer has been that we do not add further to the polarization that seems to define Covid-related church talk. But only time (and you maybe!) will tell if we succeeded or not.
Faith Today has a lot more for you in terms of webinars, videochats and right now an important reader survey. Our website is the easiest place to learn more and sign up, or simply email us. Thanks for reading and engaging in Canada’s Christian conversation.
We tell stories other people aren’t telling, and research the perspectives of believers interacting with the issues of the day.
Recent and upcoming episodes from season five of the Faith Today Podcast, hosted by senior editor Karen Stiller, include:
How to write your life story, with Carla Funk
Thank you. I’m sorry. Tell me more, with Rod Wilson
What are you free to do because your dream died?
with Scott Erickson
On the Ukraine border
with World Vision’s Michael Messenger
Our sister podcast, Faith Trends, hosted by Lindsay Callaway and Rick Hiemstra, also has new episodes, including:
Does it matter if outsiders trust us? with Carole Ardell Equipping women to lead in ministry, with Marilyn Draper