Housing Canadians

My monthly Christian Courier column tackles an important issue affecting millions of people: Housing Canadians, with this introductory sentence: "As the cost of living leaves many homeless, should the government declare a national housing emergency?" An excerpt:

Unfortunately, the structures of our political system discourage a coordinated approach to the [homelessness] issue. Try calling the office of a local MP or MPP, and you will likely be told that the problem is not in their riding and you should seek help elsewhere. Our federal division of powers further aggravates the issue. The territorial fragmentation of political representation inadvertently facilitates buck-passing, with no one willing to assume responsibility for finding a solution to a problem that transcends boundaries.

Read the entire article here.

Our Confession of Evangelical Conviction

I have recently read Tim Alberta's The Kingdom, The Power, and The Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism. This was on the recommendation of a friend and was further inspired by an online interview with the author which I saw in February. I had thought to review the book here, but I think it is sufficient to indicate that I found it a difficult read because it treats disturbing developments within American evangelicalism over the past few decades.

Recent activities for September 2024

My Global Scholars newsletter for September is now posted. Recent activities include another endorsement for my forthcoming Citizenship Without Illusions, a retrospective on the Cyprus crisis of 1974, another online interview, and a recently published article on Christian nationalism.

What is Christian nationalism?

The September-October issue of Faith Today carries my article, What is Christian Nationalism? Here is my own description of the article's purpose: "We must take seriously the phenomenon of Christian nationalism as a syncretistic religion combining traditional faith with excessive reverence for the nation and its symbols. Like other ideological frameworks it can distort and has distorted the lived faith of many believers." Here is a brief excerpt from the article:

There are four basic flaws in Christian nationalism. First, it inappropriately applies biblical texts meant for God's people of the old and new covenants to a particular earthly nation. This reflects an unsound biblical hermeneutic that not only ignores the original context in which the text was written, but applies it in a way that ignores two millennia of biblical interpretation. The frequent application of 2 Chronicles 7:14 to America is notorious in this respect. "If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."

For the remaining three flaws and much else, including its relevance to Canada, read the entire article.

'Honestly, Though' interview

A few weeks ago, Rebecca Carrell and Liz Rodriguez interviewed me for their Honestly, Though podcast on the subject of my next book, Citizenship Without Illusions. The recording has now been posted and can be heard here: Episode 138 | Let's Talk Politics | Guest: Dr. David Koyzis. Although I had to develop quickly my skills at small talk at the outset, the substance of the interview begins at about 9 minutes into our conversation if you prefer to skip ahead.