Mission|
Our mission is to re-evangelize our culture by proclaiming Christ the Way, the Truth and the Life.

Vision |
Our vision is that St Margaret’s will become a recognized centre for preaching, worship, and learning that develops a new generation of Christian leaders for the world.

Theological Principles

I. The Priority of Worship

Worship is at the centre of our life together at St. Margaret’s and as adoration is participation in the work of God. As a sign of communion between God and humanity it is the most profound act of evangelism by which we engage the world. Worship is public; it is meant to call to our neighbourhood and city through its beauty, its rigor, and its welcome and attention to the stranger. Worship, as adoration, demands that we offer our best to God. We do so by attending to the transcendent values of the Good, the True and the Beautiful.
The Priority of worship entails a commitment to development and growth within the forms of worship and spiritual formation available to us in the liturgical and catholic Christian tradition as Anglicans. Our task is to lead the congregation into a continuous imaginative reengagement with these forms by which we are shaped as the Body of Christ. To do worship with excellence requires immense time, creativity and theological integrity in planning, preparation and implementation.

In order to deepen the cultural impact of our worship, we continue to strengthen our liturgies for feast days and critical transition points in life. We continue our efforts to reclaim for worship the profound musical and dramatic heritage of the Great Tradition. In order to broaden our reach into the community we will focus on evangelism, hospitality to the stranger, and newcomer integration in all worship services. We will develop further our Sunday evening liturgy as a distinctive opportunity for contemplative worship and devotional preaching.

II. The Cure of Souls

As a Church gathered by grace we are responsible to the souls within our parish bounds, and particularly to those who are members of our body. We call Christians to grow in their baptismal life in Christ and attend to their spiritual needs.

We believe in the importance of setting people free for their Christian vocation. This emphasizes a wider responsibility to support people in their vocations in the world as well as in the church. We emphasize that freedom exists in our interdependence and our responsibility one to another for the common good and for our redemption in Christ. In our church community, each of the faithful has a precise mission to accomplish with the Church and the world, and no one is dispensable in the whole.

We will intensify our traditional pastoral care ministry to the community, with ties to St. Margaret’s, which has several hundred souls at home and abroad.

We will include both setting people free for ministry within the parish and challenging parishioners to discover their Christian vocation in the workplace and in the world. We will train leaders for Christian witness in our culture, through one-on-one mentorship and the development of vocational study groups.

III. Social Transformation

As a community rooted in scripture and in the Great Tradition of Christian thought we believe that the life of the mind begins in the study of God who is the source of all that is good. Moreover, when St. Paul instructs us not to be conformed to the world but to be transformed by the renewal of our minds, he draws a relationship between the transformation of the mind and the transformation of the social order. Therefore, as Christian thinking begins with the study of God—the truth that sets us free—so it proceeds, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, to reflect upon the Gospel of Christ and the social teaching of the Church. In particular, the doctrines of creation, incarnation, and the final end of humanity require us to seek the kingdom of God. We do this by engaging in temporal affairs and directing them according to God’s will for the sake of all.

We will rediscover the “ecclesial university” at the heart of the Church, and then rediscover the contemporary parish as a social, political, and institutional reality within the city. Parish life must offer its parishioners, and especially its youth and students, an intellectually compelling account of the reason of faith and must encourage an integrated parish-based life of communal worship, study, and action.

We understand the Church’s historic role in social transformation. We must understand both the social doctrines of the Great Tradition and the social and political realities of our city and nation. It is fundamental to our parish identity that we combine our strengths in theological analysis with effective action, honoring in particular the Church’s fundamental respect for the poor.

IV: Dynamic Governance and Leadership

The Church has been set free to follow the Holy Spirit into its mission within the boundaries of Scripture and Tradition. Given this freedom, the Church will resist the tendency to limit itself to a secular understanding of church management, or to one model of leadership found in the New Testament at the exclusion of other New Testament models. According to our mission: institution, community, and movement (New Testament models) will be held in dynamic relation while critically engaging with the best secular management principles.

A sound theology of leadership will be developed further which will meet our institutional needs and inform our governance structures. This will direct our leadership development initiatives within the community life of the parish, and, will shape our staff and ministry leadership team as a movement-oriented Christian lay order.

Group sign-up will be Sunday morning, February 19th, 2012. If you have any questions or are unable to sign up then, please contact the group’s leader. This year we have 17 groups from which to choose:

ONE
Hired Guns or Healers: Can Christians Be Lawyers?
For those involved in and/or interested in the legal profession: Join us to discuss perspectives on law, justice and faith.  Discussion will be aided by excerpts from Joseph Allegretti’s book, The Lawyer’s Calling: Christian Faith and Legal Practice.
Heather Unger (leader)
Start date: Feb. 26       Time: Sundays, 1:30 pm      Location: 362 Stella Ave.

TWO
From Double to Single-Mindedness
James 4:8b “Wash your hands you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” Starting with the book of James, this Lenten group will consider the penitential process of moving from being double-minded to single-minded in our devotion and obedience to God. Through Bible study, group discussion, prayer, and personal reflection, we will seek to be a community open to transformation and to one another.
Tracy Curle (leader)
Start date: Feb. 24    Time: Fridays, 7:00 pm      Location: St. Margaret’s, MPR

THREE
The Decent Economy
Do we live in an immoral economy? What would a decent economy look like? Is our consumer culture precisely what Christ taught us to avoid? Should work be a chore needing compensation, or a call to serve God and neighbour? Is Christ working in the cathedral more than in the homeless shelter? What is a Christian way to effect change? Join us for a freewheeling and plain-language discussion.
Gary Russell, Andre Forget, and Josh Paetkau (co-leaders)
Start date: Feb 27     Time: Mondays, 7:00 pm     Location: 552 Furby St.

FOUR
What’s So Great About Being a Christian Teacher?
We plan to give teachers (and others interested in education) an opportunity to:
a) reflect on their work with students and curriculum as a Christian ministry, and
b) develop a Christian response to the post-modern, relativist, values that pervade public education.
Text: Zwaagstra, Michael C, Rodney A. Clifton, and John C. Long (2010). What’s wrong with our schools and how we can fix them. Lanham, MA: Rowman & Littlefield.
Rod Clifton and Louise Cornell (co-leaders)
Start date: Feb. 26, 12:15-12:45 pm Time: Wednesdays, 7:00-8:30 pm  Location: St. Margaret’s, MPR

FIVE
Reading Gilead
In the fall of 2013, author Marilynne Robinson will be the Slater-Maguire lecturer. To prepare for her visit, we will read her deeply touching and theologically profound Gilead: A Novel, winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize. We will read the companion novel, Home, for lent 2013.
Gilead tells the story of a Congregationalist pastor reflecting on life in his sleepy hometown during his last months, recording his reminiscences for his son, who is about to become fatherless. Robinson addresses piety and prodigality, love and loneliness, and celebrates both the joys and sorrows of a complete life.
Rachel Siebert (leader)
Start date: Feb 25     Time: Saturdays, 8:00-10:00 pm   Location: 202-15 Cornish Ave.

SIX
The Canadian Long Poem
The long poem is an increasingly important form in Canadian literature that draws on the strengths of both lyric and epic poetry. Each week this group will read a long poem aloud and discuss it. We will follow this with refreshments and fellowship.
Michael Minor (leader)
Start date: Feb 28 Time: Tuesdays, 8:00-10:00 pm Location: Apt. 1, 73 Chestnut St.

SEVEN
Homecoming: Karl Barth Reading Group
We will be reading §64.2 of Barth’s Church Dogmatics, “The Homecoming of the Son of Man.”  No theology background is required.  Will include some brief introductory comments about doctrinal theology, and discussion of the reading (about 20-25 pages per week).  Photocopies provided.
Graham Macfarlane (leader)
Start date: Feb 27     Time: Mondays, 8:00-10:00 pm   Location: 235 Lenore St.

EIGHT
Symbolism within the Anglican Tradition
Our worship at St. Margaret’s is steeped in a rich history of liturgy and symbolism. We use traditions and symbolic gestures as a means to worship, but it is sometimes good to stop and reflect more deeply upon the meanings themselves. If you have ever wondered about the symbolism and terminology behind the vessels and linens used during Eucharist, or the importance of the colors adorning the church during different seasons of the Christian calendar, this will be an opportunity to study various aspects of what we are seeing, hearing and experiencing as we gather for worship each week. Other topics will include the history of Anglican worship and the significance of music within this tradition; the history and symbolism of roles within a parish; and the implications of church architectural and layout.
Amy Knight (leader)
Start date: Feb 28 Time: Tuesdays, 7:00 pm Location: 62 Picardy Place

NINE
Overview of the Old Testament: Genesis to Esther
This study is for those who like to “connect the dots.” We’ll survey the whole sweep of the Old Testament story. How do the books of Moses (Pentateuch, Torah) set the foundation for the books that follow, the history books of God’s people in (and out of) the Promised Land? How do all these well-known stories flow together into one unified message of God’s redemptive wisdom and love? We’ll attempt to trace and fit together the many Old Testament pieces into a picture of God’s design through the centuries, and the significance that picture has for us as God’s people today.
Mary Mitchell (leader)
Start date: Feb 23 Time: Thursdays, 7:00-9:00 pm Location: 35 Inkster Blvd

TEN
The Spiritual Meaning of Architecture and Urban Design
How are mathematics, architecture, natural forms, ecological sustainability, and human spirituality related? Together we will discuss Nikos Salingaros’ book, 12 Lectures in Architecure: Algorithmic Sustainable Design. Salingaros is the 2012 Slater-Maguire lecturer. He teaches mathematics and architecture in the US, Italy, Mexico and the Netherlands. Salingaros is known internationally for combining rigorous scientific analysis with deep intuitive experience to propose a local and organic way of building, in opposition to 20th century modernism with its high rises and car-centred cities.
Andrew Siebert (leader)
Start date: Feb 28 Time: Tuesdays, 7:30-9:30 pm Location: St. Margaret’s, MPR

ELEVEN
For the Beauty of The Church: Casting a Vision for The Arts
“There are two kinds of people in the world:” writes Barbara Nicolosi, “people who are artists, and people who are supposed to support them. Figure out which you are and do it with vigor.” This group is for both kinds of people. Using chapters from David O. Taylor’s book, For The Beauty of the Church, this group will help artists and supporters develop a dynamic, substantive vision for the place of the arts in our faith.
Following the meetings, the Great Blue Art Studio will be open to participants.
Shirley Levacy (leader)
Start date: Feb 28 Time: Tuesdays, 7:00-9:00 pm Location: 516 McNaughton

TWELVE
Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Join us as we read Bonhoeffer’s Life Together, the classic account community and faith fundamentally at odds with the dominant culture. The role of prayer, worship, everyday work, and Christian service is treated in simple, almost biblical, words. This book is bread for all who are hungry for the real life of Christian fellowship.
Mark Trumper (leader)
Start date: Feb 26 Time: Sundays, 4:00-5:30 pm Location: St. Margaret’s, MPR

THIRTEEN
Poetry for People Who Don’t Get Poetry.
If you avoid reading poetry because you think you won’t get it; if you would like to give poetry a try but don’t know where to start; if you think poetry is generally dull or incomprehensible, this group is for you. We will read and listen to a wildly eclectic assortment of poems, and in the process get a sense of poetry’s ability to captivate, surprise and challenge us, and to teach us the art of being attentive.
Joanne Epp (leader)
Start Date: Feb 28 Time: Tuesdays, 7:00-8:30 pm Location: 182 Home St.

FOURTEEN
Geets and Zaboors
Each year, our south-east Asian community members mark Lent by meeting weekly in each other’s homes. The singing of geets an zaboors (psalms and hymns), as well as studying the Word and prayer are central to their gathering. Note: Language spoken is Urdu.
Talib Khokhar (leader)
Start Date: TBA Time: TBA Location: TBA

FIFTEEN
The Art of Dying
Our culture does its best to keep the realities of death out of sight and out of mind, but Christian wisdom teaches us that dying is a spiritual event that requires preparation. This group will use some recent essays, stories and films to help illuminate the Christian idea of a good death. Readings will include excerpts from Thomas Lynch’s The Undertaking, Rob Moll’s The Art of Dying, Wendell Berry’s Fidelity, and the films Wit and Rabbit Hole. Maximum of 6 participants.
Kurt Armstrong (leader)
Start date: Feb 27 Time: Mondays, 8:00-9:30 pm Location: 80 Furby St.

SIXTEEN
Why Cook on Wednesday?
Just as the name implies, why cook on Wednesday for Lent?  Instead, join some friends for a bite out at a different place every week. We might share some nachos over a game of pool, hit the half-price sushi, or maybe a movie and dessert.
Sandra Peters (leader)
Start date: Feb 29 Time: Wednesdays, 6:30 pm Location: TBA

SEVENTEEN
The Doctrines of the Church: Confirmation and Baptism
During Lent we will study the central doctrines of the Christian faith, starting with the three major creeds in the Christian tradition.  We will consider doctrinal patristic foundations, Anglican fundamentals and modern and postmodern interpretations.  For all those interested in being confirmed or baptized this year at the Easter Vigil this is the starting place for your preparation; please plan to attend at least the first class of this group.
Kirsten Pinto Gfroerer (leader)
Start date: Feb 26 Time: Sundays, 4:00 pm Location: St. Margaret’s, Lower Office

As rector of St. Margaret’s, David is responsible for the care of the entire parish. In his role he holds the congregation in deep and thoughtful care and is the passion and strength behind St. Margaret’s vision for the city and world. David works with the staff of the church, providing leadership grounded in theological principles for ministry. He works with the Vestry and Wardens to ensure that all aspects of ministry are theologically sound and fit with the vision of St. Margaret’s. He meets with people to love them and to discover and unlock their dreams. He also “preaches like the wind.”

David received his B.A. in Philosophy at University of Manitoba, an MDiv at The Vancouver School of Theology and a DPhil from Oxford, England.

He began his ministry in his university days at the University of Manitoba as a leader with Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship and Pioneer Camp. After his ordination he worked as a chaplain at the University of Victoria as a staff member at Christ Church Cathedral, Victoria.

As is likely no surprise to anyone who has listened to one of David’s sermons, he enjoys reading in his spare time, and among the thousands of books he has read he says that The Work of Christ by P.T. Forsyth has had the greatest impact on his life and thinking.

Kirsten Pinto Gfroerer

Kirsten first came to St. Margaret’s on a Good Friday 14 years ago, the sun shone through the top windows onto the golden wood, the liturgy was spartan, True and Beautiful and David preached about how Michael Foucalt was a trumpet in the hand of God — a man who was both broken and held in grace by deeper truths he could not recognize. From that moment she was home.

Kirsten is the motivator behind much of the work at St. Margaret’s. Her passion, wisdom, courage, and stubborn optimism bring the vision of St. Margaret’s to life in the lives of individuals, constantly pushing the staff and congregation to understand their life as vocation in Christ.

Kirsten studied the theology of co-inherence and the incarnation in the work of Charles Williams with Professor John Milbank in Nottingham, England. Kirsten also has an MA. in Couselling from the University of Victoria where she studied the work of Martin Buber.

Kirsten spends most of her time away from St. Margaret’s reading children’s literature to her daughter, and longs for the day when her daughter will argue with her about Dante and Charles Williams.

Ruth Widdicombe

Ruth is the Parish Liturgist. She plans and implements all the music for Sunday worship services and festivals. She recruits, motivates, and cares for singers and other musicians in the music program. She also consults about the liturgy and oversees all matters relating to worship, including scheduling and training of layreaders, Scripture readers and musicians. She oversees the aesthetics of St. Margaret’s sanctuary. She is also an organist and a pianist who ushers the congregation into the gates of heaven.

Ruth grew up in a missionary family in Nigeria. From there she attended the University of British Columbia, the University of Victoria, where she received a B.A. in English Literature. She has also studied Choral Conducting and Choral Repertoire at the University of Manitoba.

In her spare time, Ruth dances (ballroom and Latin), reads (history, biography and theology), and cooks (anything delicious). The book that changed her life was West with the Night by Beryl Markham.

Ruth brings to the Missioner team her integrity with worship, hard work, liturgical genius, her wonderful laugh, joy, and great cooking by hosting Missioner dinners in her home.

Elaine Pinto

Elaine was drawn into the life of St. Margaret’s through the worship and liturgy, the honouring of the Ancient Church and the reasoned faith St. Margaret’s promotes.

Elaine looks after all the Pastoral Care in the parish, and journeys with parishioners along the life of spiritual pilgrimage. She spends time visiting shut-ins and bringing them Communion and anointing, and visiting the ill and hospitalized. She also teaches Pastoral Care to other Missioners and those interested. Her greatest role and gift to parish, however, is her constant prayer and knowledge of Scriptures.

Elaine received her M.Div from the University of Winnipeg, majoring in Applied Theology with attention to pastoral care. She has also been a teacher, a hospital chaplain and organized and taught women’s groups in parachurch work.

In her time away from St. Margaret’s, Elaine enjoys reading and travelling to visit her grandchildren. Her favourite book is The Sign of Jonas by Thomas Merton.

Maria Bowler

The sands of the Sahara do not number as many as the things Maria does at St. Margaret’s. She organizes the worship schedule, works with Ruth to produce the service materials each week, layreads, runs workshops for layreaders and Scripture readers, preaches, leads the young adult Bible study with Landon Erb, works on the content of the St. Margaret’s and Ecclesial University websites, answers phones and doors, among other things.

Maria received her B.F.A. in Art history from the University of Manitoba and will be going on to graduate work in theology. Prior to working at St. Margaret’s, Maria was the Arts & Culture editor at the Manitoban. One of her favourite books is Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion, not least because of Didion’s great sunglasses in the author photo.

Maria enhances the Missioner team with her thoughtful, calm approach to her work, her meticulousness, her brilliant theological mind, and her keen fashion sensibilities.

Liz Currie

Liz has been a parishioner at St. Margaret’s for over twenty years, and has, at times, served as our custodian. Liz does much of the administration at St. Margaret’s, including reception, office management and involvement in finances. She also boasts the best decorated workspace and keeps the other Missioners happy by constantly having candy on her desk. She also works with Dustin Beniston with the Youth Group.

Liz grew up in Wolseley and attended Laura Secord School and Gordon Bell High School, after which she completed her B.A. in English, with a minor in Classics at the University of Winnipeg. Her past work experience has mainly taught her how to build friendships and support co-workers, which is why she fits in so well among St. Margaret’s Missioners.

When not at St. Margaret’s, Liz enjoys making beautiful art and baking and the book that changed her life was The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins by Dr. Seuss.

Liz brings to the Missioner team her calm nature, graciousness and generosity, faithfulness, leadership skills, humility to work behind the scenes, and the aforementioned candies.

Kurt Armstrong

Kurt and his wife Erika moved into the parish in 2000 and had friends who recommended St. Margaret’s. They tried it out and have been coming ever since.

Kurt looks after the building at St. Margaret’s, organizing work days, changing light bulbs and making beautiful desks for the rest of the staff. He also has a role in Pastoral Care, visiting with parishioners. As another staff has described Kurt, “He holds hearts as gently as he cares for the building.” He also puts together parish events such as lectures, poetry readings and book launches, as well as organizing and leading small groups during Lent and throughout the year. Kurt is also a gifted teacher who lectures from time to time.

As well as his work at St. Margaret’s, Kurt is currently a section editor for Geez magazine, a freelance writer, and a sessional lecturer at Providence College and Menno Simons College.

Kurt studied Social Science at Providence College, and Sociology at the University of Manitoba. From there he went on to study Christianity and the Arts at Regent College.

In his rare moments of free time Kurt enjoys reading, sipping tiny, fancy coffees, wrestling with his children and woodworking. Kurt cites Sex, Economy, Freedom and Community by Wendell Berry as the book that changed his life.

Kurt brings to the Missioner team his honesty, his continual seeking after the real and constant striving for justice, his wit, humility, thoughtful mind, and his willingness to always lend a hand in whatever work needs to be done.

Dustin Beniston

Dustin was drawn to St. Margaret’s by the beauty and grace of the parish, his love for the liturgical worship and the welcoming, supportive leadership and community. Dustin leads the youth group with Liz Currie, leads worship, and preaches. He is also a strong, sound theological mind on the Missioner team.

Dustin is currently at the University of Winnipeg studying English Literature and Creative Writing. He has worked for ten years at Pioneer Camp watching young people develop into responsible and confident Christian leaders.

Dustin enjoys reading and writing and puts Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky in the top spot among books. Dustin brings to the Missioner team his intensity and energy, mellifluous voice when he layreads, his preaching, and his faithfulness.

Landon Erb

Landon was drawn to St. Margaret’s by the liturgy and close community of the Saturday evening worshipping community. Landon provides leadership within the Saturday evening worshipping community through layreading, preaching, organizing the worship schedule and by offering his calm, faithful and thoughtful presence. He also is involved in pastoral care for the whole parish as well as planning academic events such as lectures and courses.

Landon has his B.A. in Theology and Philosophy from Canadian Mennonite University and is currently working on his Masters in Theology. He has volunteered with a large youth group in Washington State. He has also been an assistant manager at a community home for men with developmental disabilities.

In his spare time he is often reading philosophy, spending time with his friends and family and riding his bike. The book that has had the greatest impact on him is Theopolitical Imagination by William Cavanaugh.

Landon brings to the Missioner team the fact that he is always thinking, his patience, his calm leadership, and his ability to be methodical and meticulous in his work.

Kate Schellenberg

Kate came to St. Margaret’s because she heard it was a good place to rest, so now we’ve put her to work. Kate cares for people in the parish who often go unnoticed. She eats lunch at The Madison on Evanson St., which is a home for adults with mental disabilities. She also hosts a lunch at St. Margaret’s, usually with people from The Madison, where they cook and eat together. Kate also helps in other areas of pastoral care with Elaine Pinto. As well, she often leads the prayers of the people in morning worship services.

Kate is currently finishing her B.A. at Canadian Mennonite University, majoring in Social  Studies with a minor in Biblical Studies. She worked for two years with people with disabilities and also with new immigrants for one year. She has also worked for two years at The Ellice Café, a ministry of New Life Ministries.

When not spending time at St. Margaret’s, Kate enjoys her friends, reading, and baking. The book that changed her life is A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving.

Kate brings to the Missioner team her generous spirit, lucid critical reading of Scripture, friendliness, gentle pastoral nature, her love for the stranger, her thoughtfulness and caring.

Graham MacFarlane

Graham was attracted to St. Margaret’s by the music, namely the choice of hymns and congregational singing in four-part harmony. His current role at St. Margaret’s is to  sit in the youth room late at night and ponder as he writes his doctoral thesis for Aberdeen University on “The Heavenly Session of Our Lord.”

When he is not writing his thesis Graham spends most of his time restoring his Wolseley heritage house. The book that changed Graham’s life is Church Dogmatics II.2 by Karl Barth.

Donna Royer serves as an administrator in our sister diocese of Central Buganda in Uganda.

PROPHETICALLY INCORRECT: A CHRISTIAN INTRODUCTION TO MEDIA CRITICISM
BY ROBERT H. WOODS JR. AND PAUL D. PATTON
GRAND RAPIDS: BRAZOS, 2010
182 PAGES, SOFTCOVER
ISBN 978-1-58743-276-7

There’s a simplistic version of Christian media criticism that says to shut off the TV at the first sign of sex, violence, profanity or some other offensive content. And then there’s actual media criticism: active, engaged, intelligent, non-partisan, the kind described in this excellent new book.

Prophetically Incorrect looks at media creation, consumption, and critique through a view of culture informed by the writings of Abraham Joshua Heschel and Walter Brueggemann. Woods and Patton’s idea of a prophetic media critic is someone who is a truthteller more than a foreteller, one who “is burdened by humanity’s greed and arrogance,” rejects complacency, and seeks stories that challenge structures of injustice.

The authors give us a broad range of critical tools for evaluating the form and content of the media we watch and participate in. They want us to approach things like movies and television with at least the same level of thoughtfulness and intelligence that goes into creating them. Faithfully reading media asks us to consider all aspects of media – the economic assumptions, political perspective, social and cultural values, broad narrative structure – through a thoroughly biblical lens.
Woods and Patton encourage us to not shy away from what a lot of Christians might consider morally offensive because, they say, sometimes it’s appropriate for us to be shocked. Like some of the Old Testament prophets who used R-rated imagery and stories to shock the self-satisfied (i.e. read Ezekiel 23), media that challenges the status-quo and exposes structural injustice might not be appropriate for younger audiences. But, as the authors argue, passively consuming media that keeps us complacent can be much more dangerous than media that shocks or disturbs us.

Prophetically Incorrect is really a book about developing a deep Christian worldview. No doubt, the sort of cultural engagement described here is a lot more demanding than mindlessly sitting down to watch a bit of TV. But part of what makes this book so valuable is that it shows us how to watch media, rather than

Whether you’re a daily-download teenager, a parent who wants to help the kids make good media choices, or an older pastor trying to lead the congregation in uncharted media waters, this is a book that plenty to offer.

First published at christianweek.org

We shall rehearse 3 Sunday mornings right after the service, in the basement, from 12 – 1 pm, and a light lunch will be provided. Mark your calendars now and prepare to come to each rehearsal: November 27, December 4, and December 18.

On December 23, from 10am – 12pm there will be a Dress Rehearsal in the Sanctuary.

To sign up please contact Ruth Widdicombe directly after this morning’s service, or call me at 774-9533 ext.853.

MYSTERY AND MANNERS: OCCASIONAL PROSE
BY FLANNERY O’CONNOR
ISBN: 978-0-374-50804-3

I’ve been re-reading my fat book of Flannery O’Connor’s short stories lately, finding each one of them as shocking, mysterious, and fascinating as ever. Like all great writers, O’Connor’s fills her fiction with characters so vivid you can almost smell them, and the discomfiting prophetic tone resounding through her fiction lingers in the imagination long after the end of the last story. If nothing else, O’Connor stories can make the world seem like a very, very strange place.

There’s plenty of commentary available to help us understand what she was doing with her stories, but maybe the best source on O’Connor is O’Connor herself. Mystery and Manners is a posthumous collection of articles, essays and speeches about faith, fiction, culture, and the role of the writer. She doesn’t parse her own stories or explain the actions of the baffling, weird, and repulsive characters in her fiction. Instead, she uncovers some of the deep stores of faith and wisdom that animate her stories and in doing so, offers interpretive themes that help make a bit more sense of her strange characters and the outrageous things they do.

Her stories strike most of us as weird, she says, because we’ve lost our own sense of the fundamental weirdness of the world. “For the last few centuries,” she writes, “we have lived in a world which has been convinced that the reaches of reality end very close to the surface, that there is no ultimate divine source.” Our collective illusion that we are masters of our own existence has replaced our respect and wonder for the gratuitousness of the world – the fact that there is anything when there might just well have been nothing at all – thus impoverishing our imaginations and our experience of the sacramental in everyday life.

As is the case today, when O’Connor was writing her stories half century ago it was highly unfashionable to be a Christian and a novelist. But O’Connor believed that her vision of the world was enriched and clarified by her Catholic faith, not narrowly confined to theological demands dictated by her tradition, as so many of her contemporary novelists suggested. Faith meant she could start seeing before her vision reached the surface of things, at the surface, and beneath the surface. It allowed her to stare exactly at what was before her and to tell the truth of what she saw, rather than trying to create characters and situations to fit a particular philosophy or agenda, even if what she saw tended to be ugly. “My own feeling is that the writer who sees by the light of their Christian faith will have, in these times, the sharpest eye for the grotesque, for the perverse, and for the unacceptable.”

Though culture made some drastic leaps and flops since Flannery O’Connor died, her stories no less relevant than they were fifty years ago. She read the signs of her own times with shocking clarity, and her prophetic vision remains resonant today. “To the hard of hearing you shout,” she wrote, “and for the almost-blind you draw large and startling figures.” When I listen to the news, it seems clear that we are no less deaf and blind than O’Connor’s generation, or any other generation, for that matter. What’s most shocking about us is not the obvious sins we see, but how blind we often are to our own complicity in sin that we’re too tangled up in to even recognize. The holy, prophetic jolt that comes at the end of nearly all of O’Connor’s stories can leave us baffled and disoriented, which might be exactly the sort of thing we need. It can feel like having the rug pulled out from under us, lying on the ground with a sudden, pounding headache, but I imagine O’Connor would feel pleased to know the aesthetic shock of her stories might well have awakened us from our anaesthetized stupor.

OUR FRIENDLY LOCAL TERRORIST
by Mary Jo Leddy
Between the Lines, 2010

As a Canadian, having a bigger, more aggressive neighbour to the south makes me think that we in the north are a warmer bunch of folks, a benevolent, moderate people. Our military is like the toenail clipping of the American military giant; we have no war in Iraq, no Guantanamo, no Abu Ghraib, no open-ended war on terror. The occasional glance at American nationalism and inflammatory political rhetoric reinforces my cherished assumption: at least we’re not like that.

The truth is, just because we’re smaller doesn’t mean we’re nicer.

Our Friendly Local Terrorist is Mary Jo Leddy’s account of the case of Suleyman Goven, a Kurdish refugee held in legal limbo for more than a decade by Canadian Immigration and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), the Canadian equivalent of the FBI. Leddy is an academic, activist and theologian, and the founder of Romero House in Toronto, a community dedicated to hospitality for refugees. Goven fled to Europe to escape persecution in Turkey, and then came to Canada. Leddy met Goven at Romero house, and accompanied him to his security interview-turned-interrogation as part of his immigration application. CSIS investigators suggested that Goven was a terrorist, but that they could speed his immigration process if he would provide secret information about other Kurdish refugees in Canada; in other words, spy on your community, and we’ll let you in.

Leddy gives an unflattering perspective of the coercive, ominous tactics of CSIS and the dehumanizing machinations of the immigration system. According to Leddy, the CSIS claim against Goven was based on coerced testimony, second-hand rumours, and a shifting notion of national security. “CSIS was propositioning almost every refugee to work against the others,” she says. “I became less concerned about Suleyman [being a terrorist] and more terrified by these secret agents who were supposed to be protecting innocent people.” Goven spent 13 years waiting for justice from an ominous bureaucratic labyrinth that could have been lifted straight out of a Franz Kafka story.

Leddy broadens the context of Goven’s case, revealing that the CSIS agents, who said they were just doing their jobs, are part of an elaborate political system that panders to economic interests at the expense of “the least of these.” The pious bureaucratic chatter about “human rights” makes for heart-warming, hypocritical sound bites. Ours is a benevolent system in word, but not in deed.

For the most part, Leddy lets the story speak for itself, working her way through the bare facts of the case.  In contrast to the cold, mechanical bureaucracy, Goven comes to life as Leddy describes his personal story.

This is a book of bold witness. “I know I am summoned, addressed, commanded [to write this story.] This you must do; there is no other.” But beneath the surface there’s a tone of burning, holy anger, aptly chastening me and my naïve illusions of this country’s general good will.

This review was first published in Geez Magazine, Issue 22, Summer 2011.

MIRRORS: STORIES OF ALMOST EVERYONE
by Eduardo Galeano trans. by Mark Fried
New York: Nation Books, 2009
391 pages, Hardcover

Eduardo Galeano is a gatherer of forgotten and mislaid stories.  Mirrors is his latest collection, nearly six hundred tiny histories from around the globe.

Galeano starts at the beginning – Hebrew, African, Babylonian, Summerian, Egyptian, Chinese, and Greek myths of origins – then races through 5000 years of history to bring us to the present.  It’s history, but not the official history.  These are stories of the ones in the mirrors, the so-called “collateral damage,” generally forgotten by those who write the histories of civilizations.

The “stories of almost everyone” are almost uniformly tragic.  They are stories of oppression, suffering, and slaughter.  Galeano, who is from Uruguay, wants us to be humble, to remember who we are and where we are from.  We are not as noble as we think, say the faces in the mirrors.  However “advanced” we might be, every single generation faces anew the challenge to love our neighbours as ourselves, and so far we have not done well.  Throughout history, humans have largely been unspeakably savage towards one another.  What we call civilization is built upon the crushed bones and spilled blood of slaves, servants, the poor, women, the disabled, indigenous people, and foreigners.  As Galeano describes it, the “civilized” have repeatedly climbed to the top and then kicked out the ladder.  This is where your civilization has come from, he says; this is who you are.  The suffering faces in Galeano’s mirrors reveal who we are.  Do we dare to look closely?

This is storytelling at its very best: eclectic, full of lively characters, surprisingly beautiful, and profoundly moral.  The stories challenge the historical deafness of a culture that ignores the cries of those who suffer and die in the name of “progress.”  Galeano isn’t trying to shame us or make us feel bad, but he is unwilling to let the poor be forgotten.  Because alongside the tragedy of these stories, there is an indefatigable sense of hope.  In spite of tragedy, the gift of life is renewing and resilient.  The image of God in men and women can be debased, but it can never be destroyed.

“Every time someone tells a story and tells it well and truly,” says Eugene Peterson, “the gospel is served.”  Mirrors tells hundreds of stories well and truly.  They serve the gospel, serve the discarded and forgotten faces and voices of history, “the least of these,” and serve the reader.  They are stories to open the heart and sensitize the soul.

Migrations of the Holy:God, State, and The Political Meaning of the Church
by William Cavanaugh
Eerdmans, 201 1

The central argument of William Cavanaugh’s excellent new book, Migrations of the Holy, is that religion in the West is neither fading nor making a resurgence, but that it has shifted. Though Christianity has indelibly shaped Western culture, the nation-state has largely replaced religion as the focus of worship.

Cavanaugh begins with a historical challenge to our uncritical assumptions about the state and society – that the nation-state is a given and that it is a benevolent protector of citizens and their rights. He says the nation-state is a war-making monolith of power that imposes itself on the real interests of communities and society. Modern governments hold a strict monopoly on violence and enlist citizens to kill in the name of national interests. With elaborate rituals, songs, sacred objects, and national holidays, the nation state has all the markings of a religion, but one that ultimately demands a continuous blood sacrifice. “The crucial test,” of whether or not nationalist pride functions as a religion, “is what people do with their bodies, both in liturgy and in war.”

Cavanaugh also argues that globalization is essentially about trade. “Globalist rhetoric about the irrelevance of borders is attractive for its simplicity and for the catholicity of its vision,” he says. “A world without borders is a peaceful world, a world where all may be one. In reality, however, the demise of the nation-state has been greatly exaggerated.” The sentimental language of multiculturalism and tolerance belies the core economic interests driving globalization. “Instead of speaking about the irrelevance of the nation-state to the market, it is more nearly true to say that the state intervenes on behalf of increasingly transnational corporations.” In the globalized world, the liberal democratic state is the midwife for whatever big business delivers.

For the most part, the church has enjoyed the privilege and safety of the protective, violent canopy of the state. But Cavanaugh argues that the church needs to practice a different reality, a “politics of vulnerability.” The church is a series of practices and rituals that challenge the state’s monopoly on power. It declares that peace and reconciliation are the new reality, which ultimately puts it at odds with the nation-state’s demand for allegiance and violence. The radical, non-violent community of the church, a truly public meeting place, puts its hope in the vulnerable, crucified God, not in the guns and tanks and bombs of the military, and our calling, says Cavanaugh, is to practice “worship [as] a posture of unseeing trust.” Peacableness towards your enemies is a holy calling, but that doesn’t mean it’s safe. Vancouver poverty rights activist Dave Diewert offered a similar sentiment when he told me, “When you extend your open hand to the world, it could be that someone will take it and pound a nail through it.”

I’m sure that Cavanaugh has carefully studied the writings of Karl Marx, but his critique of the nation-state and modern capitalism holds the church at the center of his argument. It’s encouraging to read such an intelligent and thoroughly Christian critique of modern capitalism.

ANARCHY AND APOCALYPSE: ESSAYS ON FAITH, VIOLENCE, AND THEODICY
BY RONALD E. OSBORN
EUGENE: CASCADE BOOKS, 2010

The word “anarchy” usually makes me think of angst-ridden teens who listen to punk rock, wearing ski masks and spray-painting graffiti on the sides of buildings late at night.

Ronald E. Osborn wants to claim “anarchy” as a term for Christians. Osborn’s idea of “anarchy” is identical to Christian thinker Jacques Ellul’s “anarchy:” if our allegiance to Jesus is absolute, our Christian faith ultimately calls us to resist every other power that claims authority over our thoughts and actions. In other words, following Jesus eventually puts Christians at odds with every other political, economic, social, or religious entity.

Osborn’s powerful and moving essays lay out profound social and political consequences of following Jesus, especially the Christian calling to be peacemakers. He’s never so shallow as to try to tell us who we should vote for, but he makes it very clear that being a Christian is political, not just personal
In the opening chapter he challenges our understanding of military victory in the 20th century. Like Robert McNamara revealed in the film The Fog of War, Osborn shows that the winning side whitewashes victory in moral language while the truth is that war is a false god with an insatiable appetite for blood. Osborn examines the moralizing and religious language used to defend violent American imperialism, the war in Vietnam, and the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, contrasting the language that justifies violence with the Christian message of love, peace, and reconciliation. His writing has the clarity and vision of an Old Testament prophet like Amos, or contemporary prophets like Jacques Ellul and Bob Ekblad.

These essays reflect some of my favourite sort of writing, reading contemporary culture and politics through the lenses of literature (Homer, Elie Wiesel, Simone Weil), theology (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, John Howard Yoder, Stanley Hauerwas), and scripture. His chapters “War, Fate, Freedom, Remnant” and “The Trial of God” are beautiful, moving, inspiring, and challenging, and his chapter “Language in Defense of the Indefensible” is a thunderous wake-up call for all of us who call ourselves followers of Jesus yet find ourselves easily swept up by political rhetoric used to justify violence against our enemies. For a book with “anarchy” in the title, this collection of hard-hitting essays is thoroughly saturated in Christian teaching about peace and love.

Review first appeared at christianweek.org