The Faith Today Podcast

Modern devices and ancient disciplines: Are our devices shaping us in destructive ways? How is our spiritual life impacted by tech overload? This Faith Today article takes us inside these big, big questions.

Churches are well-positioned to be spiritual first responders to community tragedies. Merle Doherty, manager of the Rapid Response Team of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association of Canada, shares how we can do that well, even as individual Christians and friends.

The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada presents: The 2018 EFC Year in Review TRANSCRIPT David Guretzki: What a year it's been we're so grateful for all the support from you our affiliates donors and friends. It's been a year of challenges new initiatives and changing times but through it all we've appreciated the abundance of prayer and financial backing for what we do...Be encouraged, God is on the...

There is nothing like a children’s choir to warm the heart. It was the day before Pentecost Sunday and the last day of a conference of African Pentecostals and Charismatics. A choir of South African children, bodies moving in rhythm to a Zulu tune, reminded us of the remarkable stories of unforeseen growth in the church of Africa. Read the article and more at: https://www.evangelicalfellowship.ca/...

We are all alarmed at the stories of harassment and abuse that happen in our churches. Melodie Bissell is executive director of Plan to Protect, the screening and protection program used by almost half of Canadian churches. She shares her insights into abuse in churches, who it hurts and how we can protect the vulnerable, including our pastors.

Dr. Joel Thiessen studies religion and culture in Canada. He is Professor of Sociology & Director of Flourishing Congregations Institute at Ambrose University in Calgary. Joel joins us in this podcast for a conversation about what exactly makes a church flourish. And what does that mean anyway? Especially in today’s Canada when so many churches are struggling to stay alive.

Read the entire article at: https://www.evangelicalfellowship.ca/Communications/Dispatches-from-Brian-Stiller/May-2018/Six-Takeaways-from-The-Future-of-Evangelicalism-in At an April 2018 meeting near Chicago, fifty Evangelical leaders of various ministries, ethnicities and churches explored the theme: The Future of Evangelicalism in America. The conveners making no claim to represent a full round...

Author and pastor Mark Buchanan walks us through his own journey with reconcilation in Canada and encourages churches and Christians to fully embrace a new way of relating between First Nation and Settler Christians.

Author and professor Paul Chamberlain discusses why people leave the faith and how we can best respond to their arguments against Christianity in this interview with Karen Stiller.

Dispatches by Brian Stiller Read the entire article at: https://www.evangelicalfellowship.ca/Communications/Dispatches-from-Brian-Stiller/November-2018-(1)/Finding-light-in-darkness-the-Myanmar-tragedy Myanmar is a country of 54 million people, divided into eight major ethnic races grouped by region, more so than language of ethnic affiliation. These regions camouflage its actual 135 distinct ethn...

“We must continually ask ourselves as we invest time, money, resources and energy into helping those in poverty: Are we doing so strategically?” That question is at the heart of a new book called “Strategic Compassion: Reuniting the good news and good works in the fight against poverty” by Barry Slauenwhite, president of Compassion Canada. In this interview with Karen Stiller, Slauenwhite defines...

Author and pastor Darryl Dash shares with us the three core areas every Christian should be engaged with in order to grow, and the simple techniques that can help us all in our spiritual lives.

Author and pastor Max Lucado speaks to us about his latest book, Unshakable Hope: Building our Lives on the Promises of God. We go deep on his writing process and his unusual decision to speak out with concern about Donald Trump.

What does Jesus mean when he tells us to be persistent in prayer. In this podcast, writer Carolyn Arends shares her own struggles with this question, and how she is resolving it.

A rule of life is an ancient spiritual tradition that helps Christians map out a pathway to greater devotion. In this Faith Today article, writer and pastor Darryl Dash leads us through the process of creating our own. Read this and more at: http://www.faithtoday.ca/20170304

Doug Koop is a spiritual health practitioner at the Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg. He’s also a writer. Both of those vocations came together in a Faith Today magazine article about devout Christian people who experience an unexpected amount of fear or anxiety as they near death. We spoke to him about his research and his experiences with this reality.

Renegotiating Faith: The Delay in Young Adult Identity Formation and What It Means for the Church in Canada, is a new body of research investigating the transition time when many Canadian youth leave the church. The research also provides simple strategies for how faith communities can help youth maintain a vital faith identity. In this podcast, Karen Stiller interviews head researcher Rick Hiemst...

Dispatches from the Global Village By: Brian Stiller. Read the blog at: https://www.evangelicalfellowship.ca/Communications/Dispatches-from-Brian-Stiller/August-2018/So-much-for-Secular-Canada-allowing-diversity Trinity Western University, a Canadian liberal arts university, planned to open a law school as part of its vision to prepare Christians to serve in public and civic life. It wasn’t long b...

David Martin is executive minister of the Mennonite Church Eastern Canada and is an expert in dealing with issues of sexual misconduct within the Church. In this podcast, we explore the devastation wrought by this kind of transgression in the Church, the bare minimum protections required and how healing can best happen.

Trinity Western University's decision to change the requirement for students to sign a community covenant was welcomed by some and met with dismay by others. TWU President Bob Kuhn joins us on the EFC podcast to explain why TWU made this decision, whether a law school is still in the works and what message he has for people wondering why TWU engaged in its legal battle, only to eventually change i...

Steven Garber is Professor of Marketplace Theology and Leadership at Regent College. Garber is an award-winning author and teacher who has spoken widely on the nexus of faith, vocation, and culture. He is author of the popular book Visions of Vocation and spoke with Karen Stiller in Vancouver about how what we do mixes together with our faith.

The Rev'd Dr Russ Parker is an author and healing and reconciliation expert. He has ministered in some of the world’s toughest spots, leading listening and forgiveness work. He is Director of 2Restore, helping churches resolve and heal legacies of unhealed stories and move forward in a renewed ability to flourish as God intends. Russ Parker was in Ottawa recently for a conference on healing church...

Sharon Ramsay is a a registered psychotherapist / marriage and family therapist in Toronto. She works with individuals, couples and families in a variety of settings, and she focuses on how context influences our ability to survive and thrive through the expected and surprising rhythms of life. Sharon walks us through what self-care really means and how we can all do better asking for help -- and...

Interview with Jeff Greenman is President and Professor of Theology and Ethics at Regent College. He has led the college through the challenging times faced by every North American school of theological education. He met with Karen Stiller in Vancouver to talk about some of those challenges, the changing face of the church in Canada and what we can learn from the Church in the Majority World.

What is the significance of the Supreme Court of Canada’s decision (June 15, 2018) on the proposed law school at Trinity Western University? How does it impact religious freedom and the future of education in Christian schools in Canada? Our expert guests opened by sharing their thoughts, and then we fielded viewer questions. Guests: - Bruce Clemenger (EFC president) - Albertos Polizogopoulos (leg...