John G. Stackhouse Jr.'s Blog, page 17
July 18, 2019
Canadian Anglicans and Same-Sex Marriage: Why Can’t They Agree?
The Anglican Church of Canada, historically one of the two major Protestant Christian denominations in this country, last week came within a very few votesof accepting nationally the full validity of same-sex marriage (SSM). According to their tradition, the Anglican representatives … Continued
July 14, 2019
Should Street Preachers Be Arrested?
Contextrecently reportedon Toronto street preacher David Lynn, who continues to await charges following his arrest last June for disturbing the peace. He had taken a megaphone to the Church-Wellesley area of his city, a centre of LGBTQ+ identity, and loudly proclaimed … Continued
July 5, 2019
Beauty on Broadway
Fair spouse and I recently returned from a trip to New York City to enjoy our middle son performing at a Theater District cabaret. (We couldn’t get him to be quiet at home and now we have to pay a … Continued
June 27, 2019
It’s Such a Big, Needy World: What Can I Do?
Context features this week the appalling suffering of the Rohingya people at the hands of their fierce former neighbours in Myanmar/Burma. Meanwhile, our American cousins can’t believe that their governments are housing (if that’s the right word for it—and it isn’t) … Continued
June 20, 2019
Religion Is Good for You—or Is It Really that Simple?
Yet another round of research shows that religion is good for you. Or so it seems. But is that quite what’s being proven? In a studypublished by the American Journal of Epidemiology, Ying Chen and her team at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of … Continued
June 14, 2019
“On Earth as It Is in Heaven”—or Would That Be Boring?
The Lord’s Prayer teaches us to ask for more heaven on earth (Matthew 6:10). But that’s the last thing many people want—at least, it is if heaven is pictured the way so many of us picture it. Heaven, whether portrayed … Continued
June 7, 2019
The MCU as Morality Play
It’s another superhero summer filled with costumed crusaders. At the heart of the fabulous CGI, breathtaking stunts, witty dialogue, amazing physiques, and ever-new uniforms, however, is a timeless mythological core. And it’s a story Christians know well. No matter how … Continued
May 31, 2019
I’ll Take “Theology for $500,” please, Alex
His millions of fans are thrilled to find that game-show host Alex Trebek seems to be winning an uphill battle against pancreatic cancer. In a recent People cover story, he indicates that his chemotherapy is going remarkably well—so well, in fact, that … Continued
May 24, 2019
Top 10 Things Not to Say about Abortion
“There are only two kinds of people in the world: those who insist on dividing the world into two kinds of people, and those who don’t.” That old joke rings with fresh relevance now that our American cousins, and a … Continued
May 17, 2019
Another Adolescent Decision in a Time of Grown-Up Challenges
The Baby Boomers strike again. This week, the Ontario Court of Appeal—the highest-level court in the country to consider a case of physicians’ freedom of religion—endorseda lower court’s ruling that all physicians must enable their patients to engage in abortion, assisted-death, … Continued
