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My blog posts revolve around my interests and vocation as a historian: the intersection of history and contemporary church life, the intersection of history and contemporary politics, serendipitous discoveries in archives or on research trips, publications and research projects, upcoming conferences, and speaking engagements.
I also blog for two other organizations, the Canadian Baptist Historical Society and the Centre for Post-Christendom Studies. The views expressed in these blogs represent the views of the authors, and not necessarily those of any organizations with which they are associated. |
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 Government responses among Western democracies to the pandemic have been a rude awakening to what the rest of the world experiences on a daily basis. Civil and human rights that were assumed and believed in the West to be protected by law were quickly denied or run roughshod over.
Lockdowns, curfews, forced closure/loss of one’s livelihood, travel restrictions, violent suppression of protests, two-tiered citizenship, limits on how many people you can have visit your house, parameters on the number of worshippers in churches, temples, or mosques, coerced injections of experimental medication, threats of loss of job if one does not follow government mandates, and aggressive censorship is certainly not the usual experience of living in a democracy. Yet that has been the case for a while now. But we should not be surprised.  On October 29th at 7:30 pm I will be delivering a public lecture on the role of Queen Victoria and General Gordon in the formation of attitudes to imperialism in general, and to the British Empire in particular.
Two of the larger-than-life figures within the British empire’s late-nineteenth century panoply of heroes were Major-General Charles George Gordon (1833-1885), often referred to as Chinese Gordon for his involvement in suppressing a rebellion in China, and Queen Victoria (1819-1901), who reigned from 1837 to her death in 1901. Upon his death General Gordon was described as “the nearest approach to that one Man, Christ Jesus, of any man that ever lived.” Vying for accolades of divinity was Queen Victoria. Upon her death it was stated “were we in the habit of deifying monarchs, we would not, in Queen Victoria, have the worst example of history for such exaltation.” Both Gordon and Queen Victoria were heroic figures in the age of empires, a period coinciding with the New Imperialism, and it is that link with empire that is the focus of this research. More specifically, what role did those two heroes play in the imagination and discourse of Baptists living in the age of empires? The focus is on Baptists within the empire – with special attention to Canada. The event is free of charge, and everyone in welcome. However, you do need to register in advance. Here is the link: https://discoverheritage.ca/afc2021/  My father recently passed away in his sleep. He was a retired Baptist minister (although he was writing a sermon the week he died - that is what "retirement" means for pastors). I was asked to provide a few words for his funeral, and what follows is part of my eulogy. "I have a book coming out this fall, and it was dedicated to him. I was looking forward to surprising him with the dedication – but obviously that was not to be. Here is what it says in the acknowledgments: 'Finally, this book is dedicated to my father, the one who not only sparked my interest in politics, but also raised me to serve God, love life, live well, and think hard.' When I wrote that a year ago I had no idea I would be writing the outline of my eulogy. Dad’s love for God was obvious – and it was rooted in a genuine life-transforming conversion as a teenager. Jesus had changed his life, and he sought to live out his faith to the best of his abilities. I am especially proud that he maintained a life of faith even after a number of hammer blows of loss and grief. That is a testimony that I hope to live up to. Dad loved life. You could not keep him from wanting to go on one more trip, one more adventure, one more walk…his desire to travel and see new things was insatiable and infectious. My own desire to keep exploring and seeing new things can be directly traced to the Sunday afternoon hikes, family vacations (some would say marathons), and beachcombing on the shores of Nova Scotia that he loved so much. Dad lived well. He was not perfect (the coffee spills as he poured back and forth was always something to behold – and when I was younger found a little embarrassing), but he sought to be a godly man in the midst of the travails and temptations of modern life. I am proud that he did not conform to the easy way – but sought the narrow road. One marked by commitment to help others at any time and in any place. And one marked by seeking to live a life of fidelity to the gospel – even if that meant being ostracized. Dad thought hard. No one reads the great German theologian Karl Barth for pleasure reading – but my dad did. And, unlike many people who read Barth, he understood him! My dad was a man of books, and I know few professors who read as widely as my father. When we were kids rarely would we go anywhere without him lugging a book or two with him. And he could be lost in a book surrounded by twenty-five people talking all around him, with his ruler and pen making those trademark perfect underlined notes. However, his desire to study was infectious. What I learned from him was that there was so much to be discovered about the world, and about God. But what is so special was that he did not take on airs and talk down to people. He would engage everyone where they were at – in a kind, passionate, humble, yet inquisitive manner. In conclusion, my dad is now gone to meet Jesus, and perhaps get some answers to questions he formulated while reading the works of so many theological giants (or, I suppose, he could ask some of those giants themselves). Yet at the same time he is not gone, for I see his influence in my life, my children, his family, and his friends who continue to serve God, love life, live well, and think hard."
 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ichthys_C-Class.jpg This is my final summary of my summer reading in the writings of the early church. Tertullian is one of my favorite authors from that ancient world, and the following are some of take-aways from my browsing through his works.
 Pandemics are a sad and deadly part of human history, yet, like every pandemic before us, this one too will end (hopefully sooner rather than later).
What we do during the pandemic matters now, and it will also create trajectories that last long after the masks are gone. That being the case, as we wait for the blessed day of relief when the pandemic is over, it is a healthy and helpful enterprise to pause and do some critical self-reflection on how we are coping. A mid-term exam so to speak. The aim, of course, is to be encouraged to continue doing the good, and, if necessary, change tack in light of the bad and ugly. My comments relate primarily to the Canadian context.  During my recent tour of the NorthWind Family Ministries (NWFM) faculties in downtown Thunder Bay I made a serendipitous discovery of some original documents hanging in a hallway. NWFM has a vibrant and critical ministry among First Nations peoples in the north, and so, on the one hand, I should not have been surprised to see such important artifacts being displayed. On the other hand, however, I was pleasantly surprised to see them because I didn’t know that such amazing documents existed. While these documents are not a part of the official government Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, they do deal with fundamental issues related to indigenous issues. As such, they are an important part of the overall telos towards truth and reconciliation. One document is entitled The Covenant of the First Peoples of Canada (21 June 2006).  The other is entitled The Charter of Forgiveness and Freedom (12 June 2010).  When you read them you see a remarkable depiction of a vibrant indigenous Christian identity, a vital spiritual vision, a realistic appraisal of the past, and a hopeful dream for the future. What is most striking in the light of recent reporting of unmarked graves next to residential schools is the awareness then of such problems – and a statement of forgiveness for such wrongs. For instance, the The Charter of Forgiveness and Freedom reads in part: “We gladly share this moment with you as we break the heavy yoke of the past and walk into tomorrow unfettered by its shame. Let us find wisdom together, let us renew hope together, and let us share in the life conceived in our Creator’s heart for all of us. We forgive you.”
If reconciliation and healing is to continue, the sentiments in these two documents must be remembered and nurtured.  image from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Triunfo_de_San_Agust%C3%ADn.jpg The subtle yellow and red tinges on the leaves on the trees indicate that the fall semester is fast approaching. As a result, this is my last blog on my summer readings on the early church.
My July/August batch of readings were from St. Augustine (354-430). I simply have not read enough of this theological giant and this was a chance to make up for some of my deficiencies. I was interested in his approach to theological education and ended up browsing his On Faith and the Creed, Faith of Things Not Seen, and The Creed: A Sermon to Catechumens. What I did do was slow down and read in more detail his On the Catechising of the Uninstructed. My comments below relate to that work.  Image from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taliban While the similarities with the ignominious US evacuation from Saigon, Vietnam, in 1975 are what is on most people’s minds watching the news over the US retreat from Afghanistan, the tragic and frenzied last-minute evacuation from Kabul reminds me of a different conflict. One much more distant in memory.
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