24 July 2023

Remembering the life of a loving mother

A tribute to my late mother has been published in Christian Courier: Jane Koyzis (1931-2023). Trying to summarize a life lived for 91 years is no easy feat, and there is so much more that I could say about her. But here is a brief excerpt from my column:

One of my fondest memories is of my mother sitting on the double bed in the master bedroom, surrounded by her children, and reading to us from J. B. Phillips’ New Testament paraphrase. Her love of God was so infectious that her faith became second nature to her children.

Read the entire article here.

14 July 2023

July newsletter posted

My Global Scholars newsletter for July is now posted here. Among the items included are mentoring opportunities with which I've been blessed in recent years, the last meeting of a five-week online course for Brazil, the final instalment of a series on political ideologies, and an appreciation of the late Tim Keller. Thanks to everyone for your support for my work.

07 July 2023

Letters from Moscow: afterword

Peter Schuurman, head of Global Scholars Canada, has posted an account of last month's event in Oakville, Ontario, including my own remarks: Letters from Moscow: The Opening and Closing of Russia, a Thousand Year History. From the introduction:

What is happening in Russia that it would sacrifice its young men, military budget, Ukrainian relatives, and Western relations in an attack on Ukraine? Global Scholars Canada asked a few of its scholars and some academic friends to weigh in on the larger historical, political, and ecclesiastical context behind the war that continues to rage in eastern Ukraine.

Although there is supposed to be a video of this event, it appears not to have been posted yet. When it is, I will link to it here.

05 July 2023

Canada's unworn crown

Christian Courier has posted my most recent column, titled, Canada's unworn crown. Here is an excerpt:

As I watched the King and his consort receive their crowns, my first thought was how uncomfortable they looked. Charles received St. Edward’s Crown, made for his predecessor, Charles II, in 1661. Because it weighs 2.07 kilograms, it could not but place undue stress on our sovereign’s 74-year-old neck. He may need physiotherapy for the next little while as he recovers from the ordeal.

My second thought was how different the coronation was from the installation of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands ten years ago. Since 1948, a Dutch monarch has served, not for life, but until retirement after several decades at the helm, leaving the throne to her heir. This precedent, set by Queen Wilhelmina, has now been followed by Spanish and Belgian monarchs, and even by Pope Benedict XVI. At Willem-Alexander’s installation, the Crown was certainly present in the Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam, but at no time did it rest upon his head – much to his relief, I’m sure.

Read the entire article here.

03 July 2023

Beyond liberalism

Since the middle of last year, I have been writing a series on political ideologies for the Politics Network of UCCF: The Christian Unions in the United Kingdom. Today the final instalment in this series is posted: Beyond liberalism. Recognizing that liberalism has failed to account for the true complexity of human society, especially the significant place of communities of all kinds,

has led many observers to abandon liberalism as an account of our society and to seek something different—something truer to reality. But post-liberals, as we might label them, are a diverse lot. The mere fact of moving beyond liberalism tells us nothing of a final destination. Some may embrace a form of socialism or even Marxism. Others may adhere to conservatism, although even the conservative label encompasses a variety of often mutually incompatible stances. Others may move towards a form of political authoritarianism, perhaps based on a traditional religious worldview, as in, for example, Catholic integralism.
Read the entire article here.

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Contact at: dtkoyzis at gmail dot com