Posts Tagged ‘Covid-19’
Let My People Go! (to Church)
Those of us pastoring churches in Canada find it strange to have American’s paying attention to the goings on around here. Part of the big story of the last year (the Covid Crisis) is the arrest of Canadian pastor James Coates in Alberta for defying Public Health orders. On Proclaim & Defend, we’ve covered the…
Read MoreLooking 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 MoreA RETURN TO NORMALCY
Catchy campaign slogans are not a recent development. During the 1920 presidential election Ohio senator Warren G. Harding struck a popular chord with his promise that, if he were elected, America would “return to normalcy.” Following the hardships brought on by the First World War, Americans longed for the peace and prosperity they remembered. The…
Read MoreSinging in Worship . . . Should We or Shouldn’t We? What’s a Stake?
Los Angeles continues to try to force Grace Community Church to cease and desist its corporate worship. Among the latest efforts to pressure the church is the cancellation of a parking lot lease that Grace has had in place with the county since 1975! As of October 1, the church is liable to have property…
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 will be left when the dust settles?
At the outset of the present quarantine, everything was bizarre, electric, and controversial. People filled their time arguing over lethality, R₀ rates, and balancing lives with dollars. But the shock, the novelty and the drama are wearing off now. What about when quarantine just turns into a long, dull wait? Managing terror is one thing.…
Read MoreContradictory Prayer
In 1987 a toddler from Texas named Jessica McClure somehow fell into a narrow abandoned well. She ended up wedged in place 22 feet down with her foot up against her head. The drama of “Baby Jessica” dragged on for two days as rescue workers labored to save her. Television crews spread to story to…
Read More