By: Joel Zantingh on April 13, 2024
When Christians equate evangelism with undermining cultural ideologies, it can quickly become white noise and easy to dismiss. In my work in the Canadian context, this distortion of evangelism that leads to less positive engagement, and more pushback even from within a marginalized Christian community. In September, 2021, Alpha Canada held a “Life Shared Summit”…
By: Julie O'Hara on April 11, 2024
It was March 2020 and my long-suffering husband’s world was turned upside down when three vessels of estrogen and education invaded his work space, our home. One afternoon we all came home, not for dinner, but to stay. School was online and jobs were on hold. Let me introduce the players. Me: A fifty-ish woman…
By: Shela Sullivan on April 11, 2024
Evangelization and Ideology: How to Understand and Respond to the Political Culture by Matthew Petrusek,[1] is a hard book to absorb, nevertheless it is thought provoking and confusing at the same time. Questions like, “What does it mean?” “Wait, what?” This is definitely a coffee table book to discuss with my friend Barry. I re-read…
By: Chris Blackman on April 11, 2024
In 1972, I was the 13-year-old son of two very conservative, far-right republican Catholic parents. It was what I knew. They had a very solid stance on politics and religion. It was tradition for me, my older brother, Mom, and Dad to share dinner and conversation every night. Also, in 1972, Richard Nixon was running…
By: Elysse Burns on April 11, 2024
Matthew Petrusek’s Evangelization and Ideology is an invitation for the Church to re-enter the sociopolitical arena with the saving message of the Gospel. Petrusek writes, “The Church has a unique opening to re-enter the sociopolitical fray, re-engage the secular mind, and call the culture back to Christ—provided we can effectively understand and respond to the…
By: Nancy Blackman on April 11, 2024
“What’s wrong with the world, Mama? People livin’ like they ain’t got no mamas I think the whole world’s addicted to the drama Only attracted to things that’ll bring you trauma Overseas, yeah, we tryna stop terrorism But we still got terrorists here livin’ In the USA, the big CIA The Bloods and the Crips…
By: Chad Warren on April 11, 2024
Do you remember Lieutenant Columbo? He was a police detective in a show starting in the early 70s that ran for over 30 years. I loved watching the show as a kid and still enjoy it today. Lieutenant Columbo’s disheveled appearance and bumbling demeanor always gave the impression that he had no idea what was…
By: Daren Jaime on April 11, 2024
At one time or another, all of us have been driving along the highway or streets believing we had the supreme knowledge of where we were going. In an instant our confidence changes because of a wrong turn or misinformation. When we are lost, we turn to the ole trusty GPS in an effort to…
By: Kari on April 11, 2024
“I will dialogue but I won’t fight.” This has been my motto for the past 11 years living as a Christian in a Muslim-majority country. Statistics say my country is 99.9% Muslim. The 0.1% is admittedly expatriates living in the country. To be a citizen of my host country is to be a Muslim. To…
By: Adam Cheney on April 10, 2024
Let me lay my cards on the table to start this conversation. I believe COVID was a real pandemic. I believe most pastors and leaders were making the best choices they could make at the time given regional restrictions and political temperature of their churches. I believe most restrictions were ineffective and draconian. I believe…
By: Graham English on April 10, 2024
I’ve observed that when the church engaged in political debate, it ended up creating an even greater barrier for people to receive the gospel. As a Canadian church leader, I follow politics. I have my theologically formed convictions. I preach Jesus and call people to surrender to the Lordship of Christ. I have also been…
By: Jennifer Eckert on April 10, 2024
If Catholicism was a sport, author Matthew Petrusek would undoubtedly be the spirit team captain. Complete with metaphorical pom-poms and rah rahs, Petrusek penned his book, Evangelization and Ideology in a full display of loyalty to his “coach,” Bishop Robert Barron, by elevating and arguing in support of the bishop’s views on Catholic social teachings.…
By: Ryan Thorson on April 10, 2024
“It’s Not The Battles We Lose That Bother Me, It’s The Ones We Don’t Suit Up For.” – Toby Ziegler This quote is from a character in one of my favorite shows growing up, The West Wing. In this American TV drama, witty dialogue, thoughtful complex situations to solve and lessons on leadership shaped me…
By: Debbie Owen on April 10, 2024
My youngest sister joined some random atheist organization a few years ago and posted it on Facebook. She’s been an atheist since she was twelve years old – at least – and we’ve just had to agree to disagree. I have not been brave enough to engage her in a deeper conversation because I have…
By: Diane Tuttle on April 9, 2024
I will start by admitting when I began reading this book I wanted to shut down. It probably did not help that my work week got very stressful after someone threatened to shoot at one of my group homes with a real gun after he used a paint gun on our cars and windows of…
By: Kari on April 9, 2024
I used to take pride in multitasking. I even tricked myself into thinking I was good at it. Years ago, I was introduced to the idea that no one can truly focus on multiple things at once. I heard this while listening to a productivity podcast[1] and attempting to multitask. This started my journey of…
By: Joel Zantingh on April 9, 2024
Reading Dr David Rock’s “Your Brain at Work” is something like hearing a pep talk for one’s brain, in relation to something that happens everyday: decision-making. He addresses it, though, from the vantage point of neurobiology, to help us understanding what is going on in our prefrontal cortex, that “small, fragile, and energy-hungry brain region”…
By: Glyn Barrett on April 9, 2024
Understanding the complexities that Matthew R. Petrusek explores in ‘Evangelization and Ideology’ requires more than a mere week’s dedication to reading. He digs deeply, providing a guide to finding God within the political culture that surrounds us.” He writes to analyse four of the major secular ideologies of our day, namely, Utilitarianism, Classical liberalism, Progressivism…
By: Jeff Styer on April 8, 2024
Welcome to our pluralistic society, where everyone seems to have different thoughts and ideas and each one claims theirs to be true. Like I stated in an earlier post, I teach my Analysis of Social Policy class some of the basic philosophies with the purpose of helping them understand what people are using to make…
By: Christy Liner on April 8, 2024
I have seasons of being politically engaged, and then increasingly longer seasons of political disengagement. When I was in my early twenties, politics were simple (so I thought). It was about ensuring the US constitution was upheld and that people would maintain the liberties provided through it. As I got older, I realized some complexities…
