By Calvin Brown. Although we value the beauty and dignity of the order in the present Book of Common Order, for a congregation of young people (especially those from non-church backgrounds), it is the product of a “foreign” culture. A service in their own culture that contains the essence of the faith, may be in the end more useful in the Kingdom. … Read more
Life in the Spirit through Alpha
By George Anderson. The Alpha course is a very helpful renewal evangelism course because it brings together so many spiritual growth principles: an intentional focus on Christ and the Holy Spirit, fellowship over meals, small-group discussion, and friendship evangelism. … Read more
The Ministry of Singles in the Local Congregation
Howard Mcllveen observes that while our culture recognizes the importance and power of singles, churches subtly discriminate against them, whereas for a thousand years or more in the past, singleness was honoured and considered superior to being married. … Read more
The Church and Public Life
By Stephen Allen. The challenge for the religious community is to nurture public places of moral deliberation, but we do so in a post-modern, secular Canadian society and a society comprised of many faiths and cultures. Profound cultural shifts have taken in place in Canada in a short period of time. … Read more
Finding Christ In The Passover Celebration
By Joseph Gray. Christian believers are encouraged to rediscover the richness and beauty of the Judaic roots of our faith. The full significance of the events of Passion Week, the most powerful, beautiful, and meaningful of the entire Christian year, can be properly understood only within the context of the Passover festival. … Read more
Three New Board Members
Calvin Brown, the Executive Director, introduces Raymond Lee, Kent D. MacLeod, and David Jennings as new Board members. They will each serve a three-year term. A complete list of the Board of Directors is on the inside front cover. … Read more
Liberating the Laity: Equipping All the Saints for Ministry, by R. Paul Stevens
Reviewed by Jim Walton. The book has two basic strands to it: 1. the author’s personal pilgrimage in developing a healthy concept of lay ministry, and 2. instruction – both practical and theological – aimed at liberating the laity for ministry. … Read more
Letter to the Editor
By Cal Chambers. What about the catholic and charismatic dimensions of church renewal? Can we as Presbyterians have a renewal which is divorced from the whole church? Can we ignore what God is doing in other denominations … Read more
Report on Assembly
By Calvin Brown. The Executive Director reports on the highlights of General Assembly, including worship, the death of Jack McIntosh, Young Adult Representatives, the Church Doctrine Committee report, and the presence of the Renewal Fellowship. … Read more
Growing Deep in the Christian Life, by Charles R. Swindoll
Reviewed by Jack Charleson. Charles R. Swindoll is pastor of First Evangelical Free Church, Fullerton, California, a broadcaster and prolific author. Over recent years he has given Christians much to think about through his publications and radio broadcasts and in Growing Deep in the Christian Life he encourages us to look back at the root of our Christian faith. … Read more
Lausanne II and The Manila Manifesto
By John A. Vissers. This past July “Lausanne II in Manila” brought together over 4300 evangelical Christian leaders from about 170 countries to assess what has happened over the last fifteen years since the first Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization was held in 1974 in Switzerland, and to chart a course for world evangelization as we approach the year 2000. … Read more
Novelists, Pastors and Poets
By Eugene H. Peterson — Anyone of us, waking up in the morning and finding ourselves included in that part of the creation called human, sooner or later finds ourself dealing with language, with words. We are the only creatures in this incredible, vast creation doing this. Language is unique to us human beings. Turnips complete a fairly complex and useful life cycle … Read more
Name-Calling
By Calvin Brown. Labelling people is not good when it is used simply to write others off or to demonize them, but it is helpful when we want to have a beginning point for conversation. Avoid stereotypes, and use the words only as descriptive of points of view. … Read more
W. Stanford Reid: An Evangelical Calvinist in the Academy, by A. Donald MacLeod
Reviewed by Ian S. Rennie. Stanford Reid had a very deep love for the Presbyterian Church. He cherished its official theology, only wishing that it was more studied. He valued the system of church government, even when he might be rebuffed by it. He also found signs of life in the denomination. … Read more
The Elders’ Institute
By Mary Rogers. The Elders' Institute was founded to provoke Canadian Presbyterian elders and other leaders to lead the church into more faithful, effective, and wise ministry and mission, using both online distance education and face-to-face "On the Road" events. … Read more