From the Editor
www.faithtoday.ca
vol. 27 No. 3
Faith Today is a communications
ministry of The Evangelical Fellowship of
Canada to connect, equip and
inform evangelical Christians in Canada.
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The evangelical fellowship of Canada
bruce J. Clemenger, president
Managing Editor: gail reid
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Going Deeper
By Gail Reid
whether we need stronger faith or
reconciliation, there is a cost
Did you think it odd that this
issue of Faith Today has doubt
as its cover story? After all,
shouldn’t we as Evangelicals
be confident about our faith in God?
Doubt seems more like something you
would expect to be of interest to spiritual seekers or non-believers.
In “The Benefit of Doubt,” Carolyn
Arends challenges such hasty assumptions about doubting. She highlights
the importance of walking through
our doubts with God to discover His
faithfulness and to experience Him in a
different, transforming way. She points
out that many biblical figures did not
hide their doubts but instead brought
them to God who intervened, often in
unexpected ways.
Glenn Penner, chief executive director of The Voice of the Martyrs Canada,
would agree with Arends. In his ministry,
Penner has profiled the faith and courage of many people who have been persecuted for their faith. His ministry has
demonstrated over and over how God
intervenes through His people. Now
faced with the personal diagnosis of terminal cancer, Penner shares an unusual
perspective. His work with people who
face their own mortality daily has led him
to believe that “God has not promised us
a break from . . . suffering and death.”
These are “normal things for anyone
who is going to work for the purpose of
God.”
Changing the way we think is also
an important factor in this issue’s package of stories about reconciliation. In
“Evangelicals Contribute to Reconciliation Around the World,” writer Alex
Newman profiles how Christians are encouraging healing and building bridges
between enemies. Each reconciliation
effort has been unique to the situation,
but Christians consistently appear to
carry the common willingness to risk,
share and listen.
“It is a ministry that God has
uniquely committed to us, His people,”
insists Michael Cassidy, founder of African Enterprise. “If you are willing
to come to Jesus, you must be serious
about coming to the world of relationships.” Perhaps that is why Christians
have been on the forefront in so many
peace initiatives.
And yet, when it is your own country, the process of reconciliation can
seem overwhelming. In “Canadian
Evangelicals and Reconciliation With
First Nations,” writer Ron Csillag profiles the emotional and psychological
cost of seeking a solution to years of
mistakes and hurt in Canada. The
most effective measures so far have
been based on honest and transparent
conversations where participants have
been brave enough to share and feel the
pain of the harm done to our aboriginal
brothers and sisters.
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In this reconciliation process, Christians may be uniquely suited – not because of our gifts but rather because of
our failures. For each Christian has experienced the pain of facing personal
sin before God, knowing that only
Christ’s death could pay the resulting
cost and redeem the eternal consequences. Many of those who have
found themselves emptied of their own
resources have discovered God’s presence and power.
Gail Reid is managing editor of Faith
Today and director of communications for
The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada.
