John G. Stackhouse Jr.'s Blog, page 28

Face Coverings in Public? Civil Rights Aren’t Enough

A few times now I have criticized the public regulation of face coverings such as has been imposed this week by the Quebec government: here in the Vancouver Sun, here for “Context,” and most recently here for American readers of … Continued

I Don’t Like Niqabs and Burqas — but They Should Be Legal

Just as Quebec has outlawed the public wearing of face coverings, those laid-back, liberal-libertine Scandinavians have found a similar place to draw the line. Denmark will soon become the latest country to ban face coverings for women — which is … Continued

One Hour at a Time

[The following is my address to the academic chapel of Crandall University this past September.] “The lyf so short, the craft so long to lerne.” In his famous poem “The Parliament of Fowls,” Geoffrey Chaucer quotes the ancient Greek sage … Continued

Why Isn’t Christianity Simpler?

When I moved to Vancouver in 1998, once people found out I had been a guest of various radio hosts in Winnipeg and elsewhere, the question was always the same: “Have you been on Rafe Mair’s show yet?” Outside of … Continued

The Purveyor of Pleasure Brought Nothing but Pain

The Washington Post’s Theresa Vargas reminds us of the murder of Playmate Dorothy Stratten as “the dark side of Playboy.” And it is a sad, tawdry tale indeed. But what in the world was the bright side? Hugh Hefner is … Continued

The New Atheists Should Get Out More

One of the more astonishing claims made over and over by Richard Dawkins (you can start with his bestseller, The God Delusion) is that Christian faith is simply incompatible with reason, with natural science being viewed as the paragon of … Continued

Which God?

Convocation Hall at the University of Toronto recently provided the stage for a debate between celebrated Christian apologist Alister McGrath and noted skeptic Michael Shermer. By all accounts, the evening was civil, thoughtful, and well attended—and for the vast majority … Continued

Christian Universities: Moving Ahead by Standing Still

The fall term has begun in North American universities and colleges, and what’s increasingly distinctive about Christian institutions is that as North American secular universities continue to evolve, the Christian ones aren’t changing. To be sure, some of that refusal … Continued

Keeping Relationships in an “Unfriending” World

Perhaps you can help me with this. I’m trying to decide whether to find a new mechanic for my car. The problem with my current mechanic is not, I should say, mechanical. He seems to be able to figure out … Continued

What “Orthodoxy” Is and Isn’t: Some Questions about Statements

When someone sits down to specify orthodoxy, he is up to something. Count on it. No one ever—at least, no one of note I can think of, in the entire global history of the Christian church—takes up stylus, pen, or … Continued