Recent activities for January 2026

My Global Scholars Canada newsletter for January 2026 is now posted for your perusal. Included this month are a reflection on mentoring young people, thoughts on an unpleasant anniversary, three podcast interviews, a brief visit to Toronto, and how seeking security can go wrong. Thank you, as always, for your support for my work!

Justice for Ukraine

My latest in Christian Courier: Justice for Ukraine may rely on Canada and Europe. An excerpt:

Next month marks four years since Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine began. In undertaking this military operation, Russia has arguably stretched itself dangerously thin. It has been unable to defeat Kyiv outright and is now playing a waiting game. There are no victors in a war of attrition. Who will hold out the longest? Kyiv or Moscow? Who will get exhausted first and throw in the towel?

Read the entire article here. 

Schuman Talks, episode 60

“Being a Christian does not make you immune to the temptations of political ideologies.” Five years ago Jeff Fountain interviewed me on an episode of Schuman Talks. We had another conversation last week on the subject of my three books. Listen below:

How seeking security can backfire

Christian Courier has just published my latest: What Trump’s actions in Venezuela mean for Canada. An excerpt:

In this second quarter of the twenty-first century, the United States seems bent on repeating the mistakes of the past, unilaterally seeking a type of security that can only alienate friends and enemies alike, thereby paradoxically making the country less secure than before. One hopes that saner heads will eventually prevail and that decades of efforts to build solid international ties, especially among Western nations, will not be quickly undone.

Read the entire article here. 

January 6 plus 5

Five years ago today many of us watched in disbelief as a mob of protesters stormed the Capitol building in Washington, DC, egged on by a President who refused to admit that he had lost the previous November's election. During his four years in the presidency Donald Trump had deliberately sown division in the American public, putting family members in important positions, and using his high office to advance his personal brand. But in his first term, he was surrounded by officials, such as Vice President Mike Pence, whose principal job seemed to be damage control, that is, to put the brakes on Trump's more outrageous behaviour. Following the events of 6 January 2021, the House of Representatives moved quickly to impeach the President for the second time. However, the following month the Senate decided to acquit him of the charge of inciting an insurrection.

Mentoring young people: a moving tribute

If one feature of my ongoing ministry can be said to give me the most joy, it is mentoring young people. I've been doing this in some fashion for nearly four decades—formally in the classroom, and informally in my semi-retirement. When I retired nearly nine years ago, I never expected mentoring to continue and thought I was leaving it behind for good. But over that time, especially since affiliating with Global Scholars Canada in 2019, God has put in my path several young people whom I have had the pleasure of getting to know and love. These have come about mostly by accident, although some have sought me out and others I have sought out, especially those with a previous connection through parents or grandparents.