This article comes from Read directly: https://faithtoday.ca/Magazines/2025-May-Jun/Browse-the-latest-issue →en français “But you’re going to have to serve somebody, yes indeed. / You’re going to have to serve somebody. / Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord, / but you’re going to have to serve somebody.” These lyrics from Bob Dylan’s "Gotta Serve Somebody" point to a biblical truth. People can claim to be nonreligious, but we all believe in something. Despite clai

This article comes from Read directly: https://faithtoday.ca/Magazines/2026-May-Jun/Browse-the-latest-issue →en français If asked to recount the main events of Jesus’ life, most will probably list His birth, death and resurrection. But what about His ascension? Jesus’ ascension is probably easily overlooked because of how minimally the Scriptures directly mention it. A disputed longer ending of Mark includes it (Mark 16:19), but otherwise only Luke mentions it briefly in Luke

This article comes from Read directly: https://faithtoday.ca/Magazines/2026-Mar-Apr/Browse-the-latest-issue It was a unique moment in Canadian history. A gathering of political, religious and Indigenous spiritual leaders, all seeking a path forward in relationships with Indigenous Peoples, a path toward understanding and reconciliation – a Sacred Assembly. It was December 1995, less than two months after the Quebec referendum. The Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples had be

This article comes from Read directly: https://faithtoday.ca/Magazines/2026-Mar-Apr/Browse-the-latest-issue →en français Standing in the church sanctuary, I listened to the heart-wrenching story of a man whose mother had been euthanized. Tearfully he shared how he and his siblings had clashed over their mother’s decision to have her life ended due to chronic illness. Tragically, he and another sibling wanted their mom to live while his other siblings thought she’d suffered en

This article comes from Read directly: https://faithtoday.ca/Magazines/2026-Jan-Feb/Browse-the-latest-issue →en français This past fall I attended an event honouring the late Rabbi Reuven Bulka, a loved and respected rabbi from Ottawa. I was struck by the high level of security and how such measures are now common in Jewish circles. I thought, How sad we’ve come to this point in Canada where Jews are constantly forced to prepare for potential physical violence! Antisemitism i

This article comes from Read directly: https://faithtoday.ca/Magazines/2026-Jan-Feb/Browse-the-latest-issue →en français Recent legislative proposals, federal and provincial, will negatively impact religious freedom. These are prompting increased collaboration among diverse religious communities. These interactions are possible because of a long history of building respectful relationships despite deep theological differences. Such relationship building does not involve compr

This article comes from Read directly: https://faithtoday.ca/Magazines/2025-Nov-Dec/Browse-the-latest-issue →en français In 1945 Harry Emerson Fosdick, pastor and critic of American fundamentalism, declared, "I do not believe in the virgin birth. … I do not know of any intelligent minister who does." In a secular age it’s understandable that anything smacking of the transcendent is met with skepticism. Fosdick was free to question the virgin birth but – note well – his nonbel

This article comes from Read directly: https://www.faithtoday.ca/Magazines/2025-Nov-Dec →en français The positive contribution of faith communities in Canada is being challenged by a new series of initiatives targeting religious institutions and public religious expression. Many of the challenges are grouped together in a disturbing committee report on the advancement of secularization presented to the Quebec government in August. The 300-page report provides a comprehensive

This article comes from Read directly: https://faithtoday.ca/Magazines/2025-Sep-Oct/Browse-the-latest-issue →en français At a catch-up coffee with a friend, we got into a heated theological argument. Fortunately, our friendship survived, but it reminded me theological disagreement can be hard, especially among friends and family. I haven’t always played nicely in theological debate. With advanced theological degrees and decades in theological education, I haven’t always loved

This article comes from Read directly: https://www.faithtoday.ca/Magazines/2025-Sep-Oct/Browse-the-latest-issue →en français Hate crimes have risen for the 6th consecutive year according to Stats Canada. And of the 1,342 crimes in 2024 judged to be motivated by religion, 68% were against Jews. Hate abounds and Jews are uniquely targeted. A recent government report on antisemitism in Ontario schools highlighted some stories. One 13-year-old girl was surrounded on multiple days

This article comes from Read directly: https://faithtoday.ca/Magazines/2025-Jul-Aug/Browse-the-latest-issue →en français We live in a world that does not understand faith and does not see religion as being in the public good. If this column were longer, we could walk in-detail through recent Canadian public policy examples such as: parliamentary recommendations calling for an end to “advancement of religion” as a charitable purpose and an end to charitable status for “anti-ab

This article comes from Read directly: https://www.faithtoday.ca/Magazines/2025-Jul-Aug →en français Everyday life often feels like a hamster wheel of daily demands with work, school, relationships, home and church. But what if we began to see those daily rhythms as moments filled with divine possibility? In Matthew 9:37–38, Jesus says, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” This

This article comes from Read directly: https://www.faithtoday.ca/Magazines/2025-Mar-Apr →en français. Watch a video message based on this column According to my Aeroplan loyalty program statement, I’m a frequent flyer. I’ve almost never feared for my life on airline flights. But there was one white-knuckle trip into Toronto when extreme rain, crosswinds and turbulence caused us to hit the runway violently, only to take off again because, the pilot calmly explained later, we h

Canadians and their organizations have long had free use of public spaces like parks, and been able to rent facilities such as schools, libraries, hotels and conference centres. Denying access based on religion violates religious freedom and hinders the ability of religious communities to contribute to the public good. But denying access is occurring more frequently and a Christian ministry is challenging such access limitations in a Quebec court. The ministry signed an agree

This article comes from Read directly: https://www.faithtoday.ca/Magazines/2025-Jan-Feb →en français Growing up I went to church whenever the church doors opened. Twice on Sunday, once on Wednesday and Friday for youth group. Sometimes I even went to church when the doors were locked! (Our family took a turn on the church cleaning schedule.) I also remember the saying, “Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than going to a garage makes you a car.” For years, I

This article comes from Read directly: https://www.faithtoday.ca/Magazines/2024-Nov-Dec →en français From a declaration at the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry to His actions throughout that ministry, Jesus showed that defending vulnerable people is the heartbeat of the gospel. He came to give freedom to people who are oppressed and in captivity (Luke 4:18–19), and issued a call among predators with the word repent (Matthew 4:17). It’s a double-edged message that needs to

This article comes from Read directly: https://www.faithtoday.ca/Magazines/2024-Nov-Dec →en français As enchanting as it is to watch little children playact Mary and Joseph admiring a Christ child doll with shepherds in tow while adults wonder Are we running out of bath robes yet? – the Nativity scene inspired by the Gospels of Matthew and Luke doesn’t quite capture the drama of another scriptural account of Jesus’ birth. In the book of Revelation, the Seer peers into the hid

This article comes from Read directly: https://www.faithtoday.ca/Magazines/2024-Sept-Oct →en français In his 1976 book The Sunflower, Holocaust survivor Simon Wiesenthal recounted how a dying SS soldier came to him seeking forgiveness for his horrific war crimes. Wiesenthal denied forgiveness to the dying ex-Nazi. Some argued Wiesenthal should have extended forgiveness. Others affirmed Wiesenthal, noting that forgiving the soldier would have dangerously overlooked the atrocio

This article comes from Read directly: https://www.faithtoday.ca/Magazines/2024-May-Jun →en français Amid the vitriol and animosity in Canadian public discourse, there are increasing calls for civility (including in my recent columns). These are pleas to self-moderate our speech and use our expressive freedoms wisely. This includes our freedom of religion. Religious freedom is sometimes referred to as the first freedom. That’s not because it is listed first in a constitutiona

This article comes from Read directly: ~/Communications/Canada-Watch/The-EFC-supports-religious-expression Originally published in Canada Watch as "EFC media studio turns on the lights" →en français Every Friday morning, Brian Lopez, EFC video content producer and studio manager, turns on the lights in the new EFC media studio in Ottawa and prepares the space for the arrival of Shoaib Ebadi of Square One World Media. Ebadi is the studio’s first regular client. Square One Worl