“I just can’t pray that way anymore.” Have you ever thought that? Your theology shifts, your ideas about who God is and how God works has changed what you think about prayer. It can be unsettling – even scary. “I didn’t hear the name of Jesus said even once in our group.” Do you ever…
Living attuned to the depths of the longing in your being is a huge challenge. This Advent, in these crucifixion-tinged reflections, we’ve had the opportunity to consider the longing for love, for reconciliation; the longing to be free of shame and fear (including the shame and fear we feel about our longing to be known…
The longing for things to be made right is part of our birthright. And while some have thrown this away for the bowl of stew of immediate, self-focused, gratification, there are still so many stories of every day heroes risking to care for another. A video of ducklings being saved from a storm drain garners…
I’ve been pondering recently just how queer our Christmas story is. Now, if you’re of a certain generation like me, queer might seem like a questionable word, one that has been used with derision or power-driven politics, and one that probably should be avoided. The kids tell me, however, that many are reclaiming the word…
Longing can be scary. Can you think back to an early memory of deeply hoping for something …. only to experience disappointment? Many of us learned early on to temper our desires. We do it for self-preservation. We do it in the hopes of holiness. We do it because we’re afraid. Incarnation is culmination of…
As a young person, I experienced a traumatic betrayal and rejection. For many years, I daily thought about the person who had hurt me. These thoughts weren’t angry or vengeful. Rather, they were full of longing. A longing for reconciliation. A longing to experience the love we’d once shared, the sense of being known that…
I have been engaged in meeting with denominational leaders this fall. In particular, I’ve been meeting with leaders of Evangelical* churches (and by this term, I mean those denominations that hold to a high view of the authority of Scripture, the need for a personal and growing relationship with Jesus Christ, and the call to…
If you’re at all engaged in the LGBTQ+ & faith conversation, you’ll be aware of the prevalence of ultimatums, boycotts, and public reactions. The latest in this sad barrage is the Jen Hatmaker story. A popular Evangelical author, Jen made some affirming statements about marriage equality and the need for the church to embrace LGBTQ+…
For this month’s “Art Friday,” we’re excited to feature Eric Van Giessen, a member of our Toronto Generous Space Group, who recently published a zine of poetry called “Queerly Faithful” as part of an autoethnographic research study he did with other LGBTQ+ Christians, including several from our community. Eric says of the zine: Our hope and…
Last week Time magazine ran a story indicating that InterVarsity U.S.A would fire staff members who theologically affirmed marriage for same-sex couples. After the weekend’s social media commentary on the article, IVCF’s vice-president Greg Jao gave an interview to the Christian Broadcasting Network to clarify things. In a nutshell, Jao explained: IVCF considers this a…