In my previous blog piece, “Why I Am a Christian (Part 1)” I examined the question of why one should believe in the physical Resurrection of Jesus from the dead.  I looked at the essential historical reliability of the Gospels portraits of Jesus and His claims to be God.  I concluded that given the number and audacity of those claims, there were only three live options on the table:  either He was…

Many years ago, when I was tucking my eldest daughter into bed, she asked me a question:   “Dad, why do we believe in the Resurrection?”  I have always taught both my daughters to be strong and to think for themselves, and so I was happy to hear the question, and I answered it as best as I could, giving the historical evidence.  At the end of it all, she said, “Oh, good. …

About two weeks ago I issued an extraordinary personal appeal through this blog asking for the support necessary to meet an unprecedented financial need, as our parish of St. Herman’s Church in Langley, B.C. struggled to meet a huge and unforeseen challenge in completing our building programme and erecting a new temple.  I am happy, relieved, and (truth to tell) more than a little surprised to report that, thanks to the extraordinary…

The story of Cain and Abel is the story of the human race.  It is tragically timeless, for it is tirelessly enacted over and over again in every generation.  As Larry Norman once queried (as aged historians may remember from his song “Nothing Really Changes”), “Will Cain kill Abel—with a bayonet?”  Regardless of the choice of weapon, somewhere and some place that murder is happening even now as you are reading this.…

The title of this blog piece is the title of a book written by Bishop Maxim Vasiljevic, bishop of Los Angeles and Western America of the Serbian Orthodox Church.  (I trust he will forgive not being capitalized.). The book is an extraordinary one, containing a series of disconnected essays on various themes, each preceded by a painting done by His Grace.  That a bishop should be an artist as well as a…

In my Protestant days, I had no problem with anyone talking about Mary—so long as it was Christmas.  On Boxing Day, that was it.  Over.  No more talking about Mary.  What are we anyway, Catholics?  It was understood that when we packed away the Nativity set, all talk of Mary got packed up along with it.  And my proof that Bible-believing Christians should not talk about Mary?  The New Testament never did. …