Is Hell the Fire at the Heart of Missions?

"It is not always wrong even to go, like Dante, to the brink of the lowest promontory and look down at hell. It is when you look up at hell that a serious miscalculation has probably been made." - G.K. Chesterton 

Hell. Imagery of fire and torture are so interwoven into the western consciousness that it is hard to tell the difference between fantasy and theology. For readers who don't draw that distinction on any subject :) please feel free to come along for the ride but I'm aware that I am dipping into a topic specific to faith-based mission work.

The World is Our Ballot Box

With the upcoming Canadian election my social media feeds have been saturated with political messages. However far apart they may be ideologically, there is one underlying tenet they all share: "Your vote will determine the future of our country." Though it is seemingly the sole point of unity in all of the rhetoric, and though I risk the ire of every side in saying so, I respectfully disagree.

Your vote, while arguably important, might just be one of the least significant things you can contribute to the future of your country.

The World is Our In-Box

When I start to talk about "Church" and "mission" I tend to ramble. More often than not, I end up sounding like a crazy person. What follows is a modest attempt to open a door to conversation about the nature of the church and her mission by way of a grossly oversimplified metaphor: the world is our in-box.

"Oops, We Did it Again": Zwingli, Luther and World Vision

"Let your religion be less of a theory and more of a love affair." - G.K. Chesterton

In 1529, in the face of rising hostilities between Catholic and Protestant forces, the great reformers Martin Luther and Huldrych Zwingli sat down together at the behest of Phillip I of Hesse who wanted to unify the Protestant lands. What followed is a mistake we still don't seem to have learned from.

The "S" Word

"You can only find truth with logic if you have already found truth without it." - G.K. Chesterton

Some of you do not share my faith, some of you do. To all of you, though, I want to say that I am deeply sorry. I am sorry for the times that the "S" word, sin, has been levelled at you like a weapon. I am sorry for the times it has been used to make you feel dirty or unworthy or small. I can't apologize on behalf of all who follow Jesus, but also know that as I write this I am pained by what has been done to you.

I Can Tell That We Are Gonna Be Friends

"Because our expression is imperfect we need friendship to fill up the imperfections." - G.K. Chesterton

Living in close community with a group of people and working toward a common goal can be a richly rewarding experience. Friendships forged here can be deep and lifelong. At the same time, we never know when we're going to have to say goodbye to yet another person, and that instability can make it tough to invest in new friendships.

I'm A Heartless Monster - Observations from Behind the Barbed Wire

"To love means loving the unlovable. To forgive means pardoning the unpardonable. Faith means believing the unbelievable. Hope means hoping when everything seems hopeless." - G.K. Chesterton

...or at least it often feels like I am.

Living in the midst of poverty is tough in all kinds of unexpected ways. It is easy to be crushed by feelings of helplessness in the face of such overwhelming tragedy. If you manage to survive that initial onslaught, you may well find your heart hardening - if only to allow you to make it as far as the supermarket without breaking down completely.