*****
ADVENT SUNDAY EDITION
GLOBAL AND ECUMENICAL IN SCOPE
CANADIAN IN PERSPECTIVE
Wayne A. Holst, Editor
My E-Mail Address:
waholst@telus.net
Colleagues List Web Site:
http://colleagueslist.blogspot.com
"Quicklinks" are included with many items
at the beginning of this issue. To get a more
complete picture, however, scroll down to
find your special selection in the body of
the blog.
Note that not all items here have links.
*****
Dear Colleagues:
We begin the four week season of Advent
that can help us prepare for Christmas.
I hope your preparation this year will be
meaningful and I too will devote time and
energy to it.
My Special Item today is a book notice for:
"Vanishing Grace" - a sequel to an earlier
title on the grace theme by Philip Yancey.
He is a favourite author of mine, who helps
to bridge gaps between Christian traditions.
http://tinyurl.com/k8bogda
http://tinyurl.com/pv8sl5g
To read the full notice, please scroll down.
--
Colleague Comment:
This week is from my seminary classmate
Clinton Rohr who lives in St. Jacobs. ON.
Please scroll down to read his thoughts.
This reminds me of the fact that the
Globe and Mail reported this past week
that Clint's brother-in-law Walter Hackborn,
also of St. Jacobs, will be inducted into the
Canadian Business Hall of Fame next May.
Walter was a founder of Home Hardware.
http://tinyurl.com/nwvsy4f
Walter team-taught me in Sunday School
at St. James Lutheran, St. Jacobs. He and
my father Alfred Holst did this together
almost sixty years ago.
--
Colleague Communications:
Ron Rolheiser (San Antonio, TX)
This week, Ron writes about:
"Two Churches, Sacred Places, Struggles"
http://tinyurl.com/q9rehjm
Jim Taylor (Okanagan, BC)
This week, Jim reflects on:
"Confirmation -
You Don't Have to Believe Everything"
http://tinyurl.com/ldqhhog
--
Net Notes:
"Faith's Defender" - Prince Charles has taken
on a special focus at this stage of his life and
as he waits to become king (The Tablet, UK)
http://tinyurl.com/nggmb3b
"EFC Celebrates Fifty Years" - The Evangelical
Fellowship of Canada is half a century old as an
organization that brings denominations and
service agencies together (Christian Week)
http://tinyurl.com/pvs7vxc
"Pope Francis Heads to Turkey" - a major
papal trip to a bridge-nation between
East and West, Muslim and Christian
(National Catholic Reporter, The Tablet, UK
and UCA News)
http://tinyurl.com/jwprhb3
http://tinyurl.com/pvz9xwj
http://tinyurl.com/q5dd5bt
"Muslim Hopes High for Papal Visit" -
not only Christians, but also many
moderate Muslims and secularists
are anticipating good things from this
visit by Francis (The Christian Post)
http://tinyurl.com/nkz6sw7
http://tinyurl.com/omhuzk3
"Inter-Muslim Violence Hits Nigeria" -
this land of multiple tragedies also
suffers from intra-faith rivalries
(BBC News) http://tinyurl.com/qx9lstl
"The Ten Best Places to be a Student" -
if you were a student, where on earth
would you like to study? Canada ranks
two places out of a total of ten in an
English survey (The Guardian, UK)
http://tinyurl.com/mfa2ttr
"Dissidents Pay a Heavy Price in China" -
Chinese leaders seem unaware of the
fact that "the blood of the martyrs is
the seed of the church" even today
(UCA News) http://tinyurl.com/ocp5ma4
"Turkish President Erdoğan Termed Sexist" -
the president probably doesn't think so,
but western feminist reporters beg to
differ with him (The Guardian, UK)
http://tinyurl.com/nmlcu8z
"Indian Nun's Killer Claims He Didn't Convert" -
the religious climate in India today is very
conflicted and here is an example of it
(UCA News) http://tinyurl.com/qywt7u9
"Aslan Claims Dawkins, Harris Not True Atheists" -
we have all heard of Muslim Aslan's book on Jesus.
Here he takes on several "new atheists" with views
quite similar to many Christians (Christian Post,
Salon.com) http://tinyurl.com/ofe2xkr
http://tinyurl.com/pmyzhsb
--
Wisdom of the Week:
Reflect with me on words from -
Stanley Hauerwas, Cornel West, James Baldwin
and W.T. Purkiser
They come to us from Sojourners online.
Scroll down to read them.
--
On This Day:
Provided for us from the Archives
of The New York Times -
"Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin
Meet in Tehran During WWII"
http://tinyurl.com/nx3fpyh
"UN Partitions Palestine Between
Arabs and Jews"
http://tinyurl.com/cnu3rhd
--
Closing Thought - William T. Cavanaugh
Please scroll down to read him.
--
A blessed Advent to you and your's!
Wayne
(end)
NEW YEAR PROGRAMS
Winter 2015 Adult Spiritual Development
ACTS Ministry Programs at St. David's
and at the University of Calgary
Find this information at the end of the blog.
*****
SPECIAL ITEM
Book Notice -
VANISHNG GRACE
Whatever Happened to the Good News?
by Philip Yancey, Zondervan. paper.
2014. $14.00 CAD. 291 pages.
ISBN#03-1033-9324.
Publisher's Promo:
'Why does the church stir up such negative
feelings?' This is a question that Philip Yancey
has been asking all his life - for himself, as a
pilgrim; for others, as a journalist. The question
is more relevant now than ever: in the UK
Christianity continues to decline, even as it is
increasingly thought to be linked with intolerant,
fundamentalist attitudes. Yet while identification
with traditional forms of Christian religion is
dropping, indicators show that interest in
spirituality is rising.
Why the disconnect? Why are so many asking,
'What's so good about the "good news?"'
Yancey's lifelong writing career has always
focused on the search for honest faith that
makes a visible difference for a world in pain.
In his landmark book "What's So Amazing
about Grace?" he issued a benchmark call
for Christians to be as grace-filled in their
behaviour as they are in asserting their beliefs.
People inside and outside the church are still
thirsty for grace, Yancey points out. Perhaps
what the church seemed to lack in its heyday
is now, in its increasingly marginalised stance,
exactly what it needs to recover in order to
thrive. Grace can bridge the gap across the
movement away from Christianity, inviting
outsiders as well as insiders the chance to
take a deep second look at why it matters
and what could reignite its appeal to future
generations. How can Christians offer grace
in a way that is compelling to a jaded society?
And how can they make a difference in a
world of such wrenching need?
"Vanishing Grace: Whatever Happened to the
Good News?" is a milestone book for all those
who are striving to make sense of their faith
and live it out amid the changing landscape
of our day. Philip explores how Christians may
have contributed to hostility toward them by
presenting the gospel in ways that come across
as strident and judgemental. Then he explores
what kind of news is good to a culture that thinks
it has rejected the Christian version. And finally,
he offers illuminating stories of how faith can be
expressed in ways that disarm even the most
cynical critics - through pilgrims, activists, and
artists rather than through preachers, evangelists,
and apologists.
--
Author Interview:
"Vanishing Grace" -
Yancey's New Look at an Old Theme:
Christianity Today, November 14th, 2014
http://tinyurl.com/pv8sl5g
(complete review requires subscription,
but you get a taste of Yancey's ideas)
--
My Thoughts:
Philip Yancey is an American evangelical
Protestant Christian with conservative
roots. His career of investigative writing,
however, has often placed him in a role
that has prophetically challenged his own
Christianity and made him a favoured
writer across a broad spectrum.
His voice has always been fresh, because
he never writes as a member of the
theological or spiritual guild. Yancey has
never been one to "toe the party line."
At the same time, however, he has always
shone a positive light on classic Christian
faith that has helped a broad cross-section
of people.
Seventeen years ago, Yancey authored
a first book on his current subject. It
was entitled "What's So Amazing About
Grace?" It is still in print and selling well.
http://tinyurl.com/lazrym3
Now, after significant changes in America,
the world, the church and his own life,
he takes a second look at this important
subject.
This reality helps us to understand that
we can never fully fathom important
theological and spiritual truths. We need
to continue revisiting them at various
stages in our lives.
Still, his theme continues to be constant.
"We as Christians need to create pioneer
settlements that show the world a different,
grace-based way of living," he says.
It has always been ironic to me that many
who claim "grace" as pivotal in their lives
are often slow to truly understand it. That
applies to themselves and to their treatment
of others. I must admit the same about it
myself. I am constantly reminded of my flaws
with grace active in my own life.
For a long time - non-Christians have called
us hypocritical in our witness to grace.
We tended to ignore that criticism, saying
such critics just didn't understand the Way
we followed. We cannot continue to ignore
such criticisms. Too many of us have fallen
badly and we have no excuse for it.
There has been too much abuse of the
sacred gifts we claim to possess as
Christians. Every day, the news bears
witness to that reality. The way we
treated and continue to treat our First
Nations is but one aspect of that abuse.
Canadians may read Yancey and claim
that he lives in a different religious
orbit than we do. After all, he still
writes from an American evangelical
Christian environment that grows
stranger to us in Canada as time
goes on.
But Yancey's prophetic voice speaks
from his context to our own in many
ways. We just need to change some
of the contextual terminology to see
it apply.
That is why it is good to follow Yancey
in this new investigation and, as usual,
I recommend to you what he has to say.
---
Buy the book from Amazon.ca:
http://tinyurl.com/k8bogda
*****
COLLEAGUE COMMENT
CLINTON ROHR
St. Jacobs, ON
November 23rd, 2014
Hi Wayne,
I appreciated you carrying the news of
Bill Hordern in this latest blog (Nov. 23rd).
http://tinyurl.com/psmve95
I too appreciated his book "Living By Grace"
and I can fully understand your relating to him
as a mentor. I had not known he initially was a
United Church minister. He sure contributed a
lot to our Lutheran community.
I also appreciated scanning your regular
communication and the range of material
you present.
Trusting you and Marlene are well.
Cheers,
Clint
*****
COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS
RON ROLHEISER
San Antonio, TX
Personal Web Site
November 23rd, 2014
"Two Churches, Sacred Places, Struggles"
http://tinyurl.com/q9rehjm
--
JIM TAYLOR
Okanagan, BC
Web Log
November 26th, 2014
"Confirmation - You Don't
Have to Believe Everything"
http://tinyurl.com/ldqhhog
*****
NET NOTES
FAITH'S DEFENDER
Prince Charles Knows
Global Inter-Faith Issues Well
The Tablet, UK
November 27th, 2014
http://tinyurl.com/nggmb3b
--
EFC CELEBRATES FIFTY YEARS
Evangelical Fellowship of Canada
Christian Week
November 25th, 2014
http://tinyurl.com/pvs7vxc
--
POPE FRANCIS HEADS TO TURKEY
Dialogue With Islam a Key Concern
National Catholic Reporter
November 26th, 2014
http://tinyurl.com/jwprhb3
"Muslim Leaders Must Denounce Persecution
of Christians" says pope in Turkey
The Tablet, UK
November 28th, 2014
http://tinyurl.com/pvz9xwj
"Turkish Christians Dream of Better Days"
UCA News
November 25th, 2014
http://tinyurl.com/q5dd5bt
--
MUSLIM HOPES HIGH FOR PAPAL VISIT
Moderate Islam Supports Francis
The Christian Post
November 28th, 2014
http://tinyurl.com/nkz6sw7
"Door to Talks With ISIS Should Never Close"
says pope to European Parliament
The Christian Post
November 26th, 2014
http://tinyurl.com/omhuzk3
--
INTER-MUSLIM VIOLENCE IN NIGERIA
Many Killed During Friday Prayers
BBC News
November 28th, 2014
http://tinyurl.com/qx9lstl
--
THE TEN BEST PLACES TO BE A STUDENT
Canadian Cities Make Two of Ten in World
The Guardian, UK
November 23rd, 2014
http://tinyurl.com/mfa2ttr
--
DISSIDENTS PAY HEAVY PRICE IN CHINA
Review of Cases Yields Sad Story
UCA News
November 28th, 2014
http://tinyurl.com/ocp5ma4
--
TURKISH PRESIDENT IS TERMED SEXIST
Comments Not Appreciated by Western Women
The Guardian, UK
November 25th, 2015
http://tinyurl.com/nmlcu8z
--
INDIAN NUN'S KILLER DENIES HE CONVERTED
Claims He Remains Hindu in Explosive Climate
UCA News
November 27th, 2014
http://tinyurl.com/qywt7u9
--
ASLAN CLAIMS DAWKINS AND
HARRIS AREN'T TRUE ATHEISTS
Muslim Author of "Zealot"
Calls them "New Atheists"
and Not Like the Old Ones
The Christian Post,
November 24th, 2014
http://tinyurl.com/ofe2xkr
Aslan's Salon Article:
November 21st, 2014
http://tinyurl.com/pmyzhsb
*****
WISDOM OF THE WEEK
Provided by Sojourners
and Bruderhof Online:
Saints cannot exist without a community,
as they require, like all of us, nurturance
by a people who, while often unfaithful,
preserve the habits necessary to learn
the story of God.
- Stanley Hauerwas
--
Indifference to injustice is more insidious
than the injustice itself.
- Cornel West
--
If I love you, I have to make you conscious
of the things you don’t see.
- James Baldwin
--
Not what we say about our blessings, but
how we use them, is the true measure of
our thanksgiving.
- W.T. Purkiser
*****
ON THIS DAY
Provided from the Archives
of The New York Times
"Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin
Meet in Tehran During WWII"
http://tinyurl.com/nx3fpyh
"UN Partitions Palestine Between
Arabs and Jews"
http://tinyurl.com/cnu3rhd
*****
CLOSING THOUGHT - William T. Cavanaugh
The way you buy has a lot to do with the
way you worship and who you worship
and what you worship.
(end)
*******
Winter 2015 Adult Spiritual Development
ACTS Ministry Programs at St. David's
and at the University of Calgary:
MONDAY NIGHT 'BOOKEND EVENT'
December 1st, 2014
7:00-9:15PM TM Room
Sponsored by the Bible Study Group
"From Jesus to Christ" -
How Jesus Became God
by Bart Ehrmann
A PBS Video Series - Part Two
(total of two hours in length)
http://tinyurl.com/iedt
Hospitality and discussion
Led by Jock McTavish and Wayne Holst
All welcome. Hospitality donation only
--
MONDAY NIGHT STUDY - WINTER SERIES
January 12nd – March 23rd, 2015
7-00-9:00PM TM Room. Ten Weeks.
(Family Day Monday exempted)
“Fields of Blood: Religion and
the History of Violence”
by Karen Armstrong
Led by Jock McTavish and Wayne Holst
Registration $60.00. Book only $25.00
---
THURSDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDYJanuary 15th - April 2nd, 2015. Twelve Weeks.
10:00-11:00AM TM Room
(Biblical study theme selected at first session)
Led by Wayne Holst
No charge.
Study resource -
The DK Complete Bible Handbook
http://tinyurl.com/odxlv7q
---
ST. DAVID'S SPIRITUAL TRAVELERS'
SPECIAL 2015 SIXTEEN DAY TOUR
"Jerusalem and the Land of Three Great Faiths"
October 16th - 31st, 2015
Tour Company: Rostad Tours Calgary
Tour Hosts: Wayne and Marlene Holst
Sponsored by: St. David's ACTS Ministry
Endorsed by: St. David's Church Council
(Tour itinerary/costs brochure
available early in the new year)
---
UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY
FAITH AND SPIRITUALITY CENTRE
Interfaith Chaplains' Book Studies
for faculty, students, staff, and
campus guests - Winter, 2015
A Book Study Co-Sponsored by:
The Faith and Spirituality Centre,
University of Calgary and
The ACTS Ministry,
St. David's United Church, Calgary
Native Centre Board Room
McEwan Student Centre
Fridays, 12:00 - 1:00 PM
Feb. 20th, 27th, March 6th, 13th, 20th
The study takes place during five Friday
sessions. Book to be selected by electronic
vote of those who are interested in joining
the study.
Participants are encouraged to attend
all five sessions. However, you may attend
one or more sessions on a drop-in basis.
Study Leader: Dr. Wayne A. Holst
Book cost $15.00
*****
SPECIAL 2015 SIXTEEN DAY TOUR
"Jerusalem and the Land of Three Great Faiths"
October 16th - 31st, 2015
Tour Company: Rostad Tours Calgary
Tour Hosts: Wayne and Marlene Holst
Sponsored by: St. David's ACTS Ministry
Endorsed by: St. David's Church Council
(Tour itinerary/costs brochure
available early in the new year)
---
UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY
FAITH AND SPIRITUALITY CENTRE
Interfaith Chaplains' Book Studies
for faculty, students, staff, and
campus guests - Winter, 2015
A Book Study Co-Sponsored by:
The Faith and Spirituality Centre,
University of Calgary and
The ACTS Ministry,
St. David's United Church, Calgary
Native Centre Board Room
McEwan Student Centre
Fridays, 12:00 - 1:00 PM
Feb. 20th, 27th, March 6th, 13th, 20th
The study takes place during five Friday
sessions. Book to be selected by electronic
vote of those who are interested in joining
the study.
Participants are encouraged to attend
all five sessions. However, you may attend
one or more sessions on a drop-in basis.
Study Leader: Dr. Wayne A. Holst
Book cost $15.00
*****
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