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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.
The views expressed in these blogs represent the views of the authors, and not necessarily those of any organizations with which they are associated. |
 Looking at an aging congregation, empty pews, lack of leaders, and a growing budget deficit is a challenge for those who grew up with confident affirmations such as “I can do all things through Christ,” “the gates of hell will not prevail,” and “dedicated to the glory of God.” Yet here we are facing possibly massive numbers of churches closing. And based on current stats on the state of things for Christian churches in the West, that day may be sooner than anticipated.
It is a difficult time in the life of any church in the West, and there is no cookie-cutter solution that works for all cases. That said, over the decades I have seen good decisions and bad decisions over the usage of church property in time of crisis. And here is what I see as some guiding principles and convictions to shape a constructive response to such a predicament.
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 Like the secular newspapers, Canada's religious periodicals celebrated the end of the war in Europe. There was still the war against Japan to fight, but, for the moment, all eyes were on Europe and the end of a nightmarish bloodbath. Below I post some headlines from three religious papers, one each from the United Church, the Anglican Church, and the Presbyterians. I also post a few pages from the Toronto Daily Star that include advertisements from two of Canada's largest department stores, Simpsons and Eatons (sadly, both are now defunct). My grandfather had saved these papers in an old suitcase, and I ended up unfolding them hanging them in my office at work. What I find interesting is that the commentary in the religious press and the secular press is basically the same. On fact, the imagery of a crusading knight juxtaposed with a Canadian soldier, the invoking of crusading language, and mention of prayer, along with quotations from Judeo/Christian scriptures was something normal in that day (but certainly not to be seen in the Toronto Star today!). I provide these images as a means of time travel back to a week of joyous celebrations, and also a way of remembering and honouring those who made victory possible.
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