Posts by Don Johnson
Looking for Answers Amid Covid-19
The Canadian Press published a story with the phrase “Looking for Answers” used to open the headline. As Christians, we’ve heard some testify of times in their life when they were “looking for answers” and someone gave them a tract, or invited them to a Bible study, or gave a personal witness. Those opportune moments…
Read MoreExecutive Order on Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping: An Episode in the Culture War
Our culture finds itself in an ideological civil war. Today, political forces exist who hold views against authority and traditional values of home, faith, and country. These forces promote activity that attack the very institutions on which our society rests. In the last few months we all saw the explosion of violent protests, demanding some…
Read MoreWhy Are the Politicians I Like So Disappointing?
I have taken to listening to podcasts on my regular walks. They give me something to do besides just exercise! I have a few friends in the ministry who bless me with their messages and I like to follow various political commentators as well. (And one unique broadcaster from the BBC, too! But his show…
Read MoreOur Great Obligation
On one occasion, Jesus entered the house of a Pharisee, Simon by name, for an evening dinner. No doubt you know the story. A woman “in the city, which was a sinner” came with an alabaster box of ointment with which she anointed Jesus’ feet (along with her tears). Besides this, she kept wiping his…
Read MoreAvoiding the Extremes: Worship in the Cold and Heat
Recent discussions about restricting indoor worship sparked my curiosity. Some places allow limited outdoor gatherings, but these are only effective in moderate weather locations. Some places, like the city where I live, have glorious summers that very rarely suffer through extreme heat. Even in our hottest days, outside worship could be tolerable if we were…
Read MoreWhat Are We Arguing About?
Here we are, in the midst of the coronavirus crisis, with no clear consensus (it seems) regarding the truth about the event. On one hand, we have official pronouncements from government officials and health authorities, giving dire warnings based on models produced by epidemiological think-tanks. On the other, we have countless critics and naysayers calling…
Read MoreTeach Us to Number Our Days
Today I visited my mom, who happens to be 96 this year. Over the last few months, her world is shrinking. She used to get around by herself, with the aid of a walker, and some help from time to time from family members. Something happened a little while ago through which she lost much…
Read MoreThe Church after Covid – Where Is It Going?
A recent Christian Post article reports on a Barna study of church participation during the recent “lockdown” weeks of the Covid-19 crisis. The Christian Post article opens with this: One-third of all practicing Christians haven’t been watching either their own church online or another church’s streaming worship services since the state lockdowns in response to…
Read MoreHow Early Christianity was Mocked for Welcoming Women – Canon Fodder
Sociologist Rodney Stark estimates that perhaps 2/3 of the Christianity community during the second-century was made up of women. This is the exact opposite of the ratio in the broader Greco-Roman world where women only made up about 1/3 of the population. This means that women intentionally left the religious systems of the Greco-Roman world…
Read MoreA ‘Sober Curious’ Quarantine Broke My Perfectionism | Christianity Today
While researching young adult ministry, I discovered the younger generation had something to teach me about my approach to alcohol. …No longer is sobriety seen as just the last resort for people whose lives are falling apart. Many in the sober curious set would not label themselves as traditional alcoholics, but they do wonder if…
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