Rector’s Cupboard Podcast

Today is Good Friday. In Christian faith, today and Easter Sunday are two of the most important days of observation. We often, on Rector’s Cupboard, refer to what is happening in the world, the news, politics, culture. In Christian faith, Good Friday is always more than news of the week. It is at the heart of the faith. With that in mind, we offer a Good Friday reflection. The reflection is intend...

A special episode. Recorded live at the Rector’s Cupboard studio. John Swinton is Professor of Practical Theology at the University of Aberdeen . Before becoming a mental health professional and then a writer (of at least four books) on faith and mental health, John wanted to be a rock star. He brought together his interests in recording an album called Beautiful Songs about Difficult Things. We s...

It might be that being a full-time pastor is now untenable. It is a job that pulls in so many directions that it becomes virtually impossible. One of the things that can help is accepting that for pastors, spiritual energy often comes from outside of the church in which they work. We speak with Matthew Brough, a Presbyterian pastor in Winnipeg, who is also an author and podcaster. Matthew has writ...

We are pleased to speak to the Ven. Dr. Rob James (which he said we could shorten to Rob), about his latest publication, 50 New Testament Stories for Storytellers, a new illustrated, beautifully illustrated we might add, children’s Bible. Rob is an Associate Professor and the Director of Anglican Studies and Formation at the Vancouver School of Theology. He also holds six degrees from five univers...

In the 20th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells His followers what power is like in the kingdom of God. He says that real greatness is servanthood and that we ought not aim to “lord it over” others. There is a movement in the United States, and in many countries around the world, that apparently utterly rejects Jesus’ way of power. This movement, called Christian nationalism, is a parasi...

Jonathan Rauch is a contributing writer at The Atlantic and a senior fellow in the Governance Studies program at the Brookings Institution. His most recent book, out this week, is called Cross Purposes: Christianity’s Broken Bargain with Democracy. We speak with Jonathan about the book, about why he, as a non-Christian, self-identifying atheist, makes the claim that democracy in the United States...

Our annual hosts only Christmas special. Cupboard Master Ken Bell presents his take on a B5-2, using Nocciola, a hazelnut liqueur from one of our favourite local distilleries, The Woods Spirit Co. We ask one another three questions about Christmas: 1. What do you miss about Christmases past? 2. What are you glad that is gone? 3. What is needed to properly celebrate Christmas? Our hope is to take t...

We speak with theologian and philosopher Thomas Jay Oord about his church trial and his book Open and Relational Theology. Thomas, who was a minister for many years in the Church of the Nazarene, faced a trial for being inclusive on matters of LGBTQ+ and church participation and blessing. Thomas outlines a theological view that is about love more than it is about traditional concepts of power. Thi...

We speak with friend of the show Ross Lockhart about his recent book (and PhD work) called West Coast Mission: The Changing Nature of Christianity in Vancouver. The book takes an in-depth look at 12 churches and two faith-based organizations in the Vancouver area. It takes up themes that are familiar to almost everyone who has been part of a church in the last couple of decades. We talk about diff...

Mental health and matters of spiritual and mental wellness are often topics we address on Rector’s Cupboard and so we were very grateful to speak to Elise Girardin, Executive Director of The Woods Arts & Wellness , a North Vancouver based therapy practice addressing the well being of mind-body-spirit through engagement with nature and the arts. Elise practices what she calls embodied therapy,...

Shaila Visser  is the National Director of Alpha Canada and the Global Senior Vice-President for Alpha International. She is the Executive Producer of both The Alpha Youth Film Series (2013) and The Alpha Film Series (2016), and currently holds a position on the Board of the Damascus Road Foundation. We speak with Shaila about how and why Alpha works and has for so many years. What does it mean to...

Dr. Aurelian Crăiuțu is Professor in the Department of Political Science at Indiana University, Bloomington, and Adjunct Professor in the Lilly Family School of Philanthropic Studies at IUPUI, Indianapolis. He is also affiliated with the Russian and East European Institute, the Institute for West European Studies, and the Ostrom Workshop. Crăiuțu has written extensively about the concept of politi...

As we close season 5 of Rector’s Cupboard and begin summer, Rector’s Cupboard hosts, Todd, Amanda, and Allison have gathered to talk about what is on our summer reading/watching/listening lists this year that we think you might find interesting. We hope that you are able to find time for beauty and rest and entertainment this summer and we will be back in the fall with season 6! Rector’s Cupboard...

Benjamin Perrin is a professor at the University of British Columbia, Peter A. Allard School of Law and a senior fellow in criminal justice at the Macdonald Laurier Institute of Public Policy and the author of several books including Indictment: the Criminal Justice System on Trial and Overdose: Heartbreak and Hope in Canada’s Opioid Crisis. We speak with Ben Perrin about a couple of his books. Be...

We were pleased to speak again to Dr. Marty Folsom about his latest work, Karl Barth’s Church Dogmatics For Everyone, Vol 2 – The Doctrine of God: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners and Pros. Marty Folsom has taken up an expansive work of outlining the main points and the structure of Karl Barth’s multi-volumed Church Dogmatics. Those two words, “church” and “dogmatics,” both carry negative percep...

This week on Rector’s Cupboard, we gather the Cupboard hosts, Todd, Allison, and Amanda, as well as Cupboard Master, Ken, to discuss what we’re watching and reading right now, as well as few articles that speak about the apocalypse, hope, fear, and changing understandings of faith. Ken mixed us a delicious cocktail called a Bourbon Pecan Pie Cocktail, which contained vodka, whiskey/bourbon, and Pe...

This week on Rector’s Cupboard we are pleased to offer a collaboration with our good friend, David Goa . David has been on the podcast a number of times through the years and in 2022 we partnered with David to record a series of conversations about the Church, the “ecclesia,” asking “who is she?” entitled The Church In-Between Times. David’s love for the Church and his insight into the blessings a...

We speak with United Church Minister Deb Walker about her attendance at the COP 28 Climate Conference in Dubai. 85,0000 people attended the event, which was held in a country often referred to as a Petrol State. Deb’s attendance was officially as a Faith Observer as a part of the Christian Climate Observers Program . Deb is informed on the issues around climate change and outlines the hope she fel...

Do you have a testimony? If you are familiar with the culture of evangelical church, you will know what is being asked. Maybe you heard someone give their testimony at church, or at camp. In this context, testimony meant a personal account of your life or background with an emphasis on your conversion to evangelical faith. It was communicated, largely, with the intent and hope that those listening...

Dr. J. Warren Smith is Professor of Historical Theology at Duke Divinity School. Professor Smith is a great guide in helping us to see hope for the future in listening to voices of hope from the past. We talk with him about how some sayings, perspectives, and experiences of those who lived many centuries ago can be resonant in the midst of the challenges of our time. Besides being compelling and i...

At least once a season, we speak with David Goa , a spiritual friend and mentor. David is a writer, professor, and theologian and has been a great help to us as we hope to articulate a hopeful vision of faith and theology. When we speak with David, we tend to ask about life and faith in relation to the current cultural and religious landscape. Given what is happening in the world right now, in thi...

We are pleased to speak with J Alkana about his work in architecture and design. J thoughtfully asks questions of meaning, humanity and faith in relation to the work that he does. What is vocation? What gives your work meaning? Various understandings of work in relation to faith historically have often divided work into realms of the sacred and the secular. J speaks with us about inspiration and s...

The image of a new leaf implies new season, new hope. Elle Pyke, Director of Programs and Innovation at New Leaf Network, helps to navigate people and organizations through some of the significant changes in what it means to be a church with a particular Canadian focus. You may feel a sense of longing for a time of apparent certainty in what church looked like. Conversely, you may be glad that thi...

There are some truly terrifying Christmas/winter characters out there. Many may have heard of Krampus, a German partner of St. Nick who punishes poorly behaved children, but what about Peruchty, a winter witch who likes to disembowel naughty children? Santa, also, may fall into these terrifying categories, although in less severe ways. Lumps of coal in stocking, running naughty and nice list, even...

In recent years, there has been a growing number of people who have moved from one Christian faith tradition to another. Some of the lines within Christian expression have been fairly rigid. This rigidity has even led, in some instances, to the assumption that “those other churches” are not even Christian. One of the main lines of distinction has been between mainline churches and evangelical chur...