Clarion: Journal of Spirituality and Justice

The Word of God by Brad Jersak

Over the past few weeks, I’ve given some renewed attention to the phrase, “the Word of God.” While growing up in a conservative Baptist church on the Canadian prairies, I learned to equate the Word of God with the Christian scriptures, i.e. the Bible. One of the first songs I ever learned was: 

The B-I-B-L-E,
Yes, that’s the book for me.
I stand alone on the Word of God,
The B-I-B-L-E!

I suppose this was my introduction to sola scriptura—the belief that Scripture stands as our soul authority [contra either the Catholics with their Pope or the Charismatics with their prophecies] and that the Bible = the Word of God. By the way, did we mean “stand alone” or the “Bible alone”… either seems stinted in retrospect.

The Sound of God's Silence by Erin Buczkowski

Society is geared to respond to sound. To pick up cues for their entry into conversation, often layering personal comments over those of a companion. Interrupting one another and oneself. Call waiting, the modern brother of a kid tugging at his mom’s sleeve while she chats with a neighbour on the phone.

CD’s can be purchased not just of music but of background noise. Traffic, nature, the general bustle of life provides a sound track for our existence.

In this busy atmosphere silence gets little respect. It is labelled awkward, icy or dead. The song “Sound of Silence” by Simon and Garfunkel highlights themes of isolation, lack of communication and lack of intimacy. Likewise when we approach God and hear silence it is often misconstrued as getting a celestial cold shoulder.

Canadian Republicanism and Christian Zionism by Ron Dart

The National Post (Saturday August 19 2006) carried a full page advertisement, sponsored by Christians United for Israel, calling for a ‘National Day of Prayer for Israel and the Peace of Jerusalem’. A short read of the advertisement makes it quite clear that the political agenda for the day of prayer is support of Zionism. The organization that sponsored the advertisement, Christians United for Israel, is a right of centre activist organization with close ties to Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, Benny Hinn and John Hagee. It is interesting to note that Benny Hinn was offered some of his earliest vision and assistance by the well known Canadian Christian Zionists, Merv and Merla Watson.  A browse through the Canadian affiliate website tells the tale in startling clarity (www.cufi.ca). 

Why the Christian Right is Wrong by Robin Meyers: Excerpt

The following excerpt from Robin Meyers'  Why the Christian Right is Wrong (Jossey-Bass, 2006) was originally given as a speech on 11/04 Peace Rally at OK University. The speech took on a life of its own in the blogging world and called for an expanded explanation in book form:

Dr Robin Meyer’s Speech during the 11/04 Peace Rally at OK University.

As some of you know, I am minister of Mayflower Congregational Church in Oklahoma City, an Open and Affirming, Peace and Justice church in northwest Oklahoma City, and professor of Rhetoric at Oklahoma City University. But you would most likely have encountered me on the pages of the Oklahoma Gazette, where I have been a columnist for six years, and hold the record for the most number of angry letters to the editor.