The fall 2006 issue of Geez Magazine deals with the culture of (upper-case) Evangelicalism and Fundamentalism, and that has definitely set me to thinking. After all, it is a world in which I was raised, but I feel remarkably baggage-free in terms of that heritage. Time to propose a toast to those who helped to shape and form me…

M

y older sister once offered the theory that the reason we had been able to find a place of balance and life within the Christian tradition was that our grandparents drank.

More specifically, my grandfather – who was both chair of the board and baritone soloist at a noted and influential fundamentalist church – enjoyed daily gin martinis (stirred, not shaken), while my grandmother sipped her scotch and water, all the while puffing happily on a cigarette.

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Kalyn Falk looks at why spandex sells better than ashes

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hen I was growing up, I was transfixed by Superheroes like Superman, Wonder Woman and the perhaps not heroic but certainly superhuman Charlie’s Angels. What I liked about them was how shiny and competent they were. No matter how desperate the situation, they would always be able to save the good guys and let the bad guys receive their just desserts.

It was comforting to watch these shows because you knew it would all work out in the end and, no matter how perilous things seemed for the hero, they would emerge unscarred without a hair out of place. So when I started hearing about Jesus saving me, I assumed that he would fit into the same sort of paradigm, maybe King of the Superheroes. I might fall out of a burning building, but if I were “Jesus’ girl,” like a Christian Lois Lane, he would catch me and never let me get hurt. It made me feel special and it seemed exciting.

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This is a piece that first appeared in Testimony, the monthly magazine of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. Randall Holm is Associate Professor of Biblical Studies at Providence College, and an occasional visitor to saint benedict’s table.

R

ecently I gave in to my daughter’s wish and joined the revolution otherwise known as Facebook – a cyber social network that appears to be the rage today. The real reason I joined is probably vanity. Later this year I turn fifty and I’m desperate to perpetuate the myth that I’m too young for the technology ash heap. Imagine my surprise then when I discovered I had friends already on Facebook, lots and them and they want to talk.

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Shayne Stevens looks at why Christianity has long been marked by the poor choices of its leaders

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number of years ago at Cornerstone Christian Music Festival, held just outside of Chicago, Illinois, Christian recording artist and Jesus People USA (JPUSA) member, Glen Kaiser took the stage and confessed to the thousands in attendance that he had a problem with “masturbation”.

According to a friend who was there when the word rolled off Kaiser’s tongue, an awkward silence descended upon the crowd, the numerous pairs of darting eyes confirming that no ones’ ears had betrayed them. In an instant, a spiritual superhero ‘became human, the line between rock star and fan erased by the honesty of a fellow pilgrim and the telling of a secret.

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Between
saint benedict’s table, Winnipeg
and
The Community of the Sisters of the Church
St Michael’s House, Burlington

A

t saint benedict’s table, we are quite excited about our relationship of mutual prayer and support with the Community of the Sisters of the Church at St Michael’s House in Burlington. And I, personally, am really quite keen to facilitate a visit to the Burlington community by some of the members of our own community, so if you’re interested or have reason to be in and around the Toronto-Hamilton area… lets talk.

Shortly after saint benedict’s table began its life, I was attending a set of meetings that were housed at the old St Michael’s Retreat Centre in Oakville, Ontario. At that point, the Community of the Sisters of the Church were in the midst of making a very serious transition, as they were about to close the house and retreat centre and to begin the painful process of selling the old place (which was, I’d have to say, probably one of the best smaller retreat houses in the communion) in order to relocate to new quarters. It was during those days that I began to realize that our two communities could really do with each other’s prayers; two communities facing very different sorts of new beginnings, yet both needing to be surrounded by prayers for courage, wisdom and discernment.

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