Institutions

  • My 2013 Top Ten

    My 2013 Top Ten

    Michael Van Pelt

    December 26, 2013

    And I'm very pleased to offer my own highlights of Cardus's year, as the grateful president of this enthusiastic young outfit. I won't try to be comprehensive—that's what our yearbook is for. Rather, let me share a few of the items that I'm most excited about.

    If you haven't been paying attention, I understand. Everybody wants your attention nowadays, and all of us face a thousand experts shouting a thousand opinions. So I'm grateful you're here, following Cardus.

    And I'm very pleased to offer my own highl...

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  • The Opposition's Might Suggests the Cause is Right

    The Opposition's Might Suggests the Cause is Right

    John Sikkema

    December 20, 2013

    While the rest of the country ponders what it means for a religious institution to be granted a public-serving law school, the news this week has been illustrated rather more personally for me. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

    This country is to have a new law school—one unlike any other existing accredited Canadian legal institution: On Wednesday, British Columbia's Minister for Advanced Education, Amrik Virk, announced that his department would follow ...

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  • Jumping out of the Private-Public Box

    Jumping out of the Private-Public Box

    Ray Pennings

    December 11, 2013

    In a recent column, Andrew Coyne made the case that MP Michael Chong’s recent bill in Canadian federal parliament appropriately seeks to regulate the internal affairs of a political party. And I grant Coyne's point: political parties are by definition political, and therefore the appropriate object of legislation governing political matters.

    "These are not church groups we are talking about. Political parties are not purely private organizations, of the kind who wish only to remain private, separate and apart from the public square. They are well-oiled machines for combat in the arena ...

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  • Caricatures and Blame Games

    Caricatures and Blame Games

    Ray Pennings

    November 15, 2013

    It's easy to say that community groups are more effective than government in delivering services to help our poor neighbours. But this can't mean that politicians can ignore the plight of the poor. And, indeed, I've just returned from a discussion in Washington where examples were plentiful of local initiatives making real differences.

    We need to find different ways to talk about poverty.

    It's easy to say that community groups are more effective than government in delivering services to help our poor neighbours. But this can't mean that politicians can ignore the plight of the poor...

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  • Honking for Hats

    Honking for Hats

    Peter Stockland

    November 14, 2013

    Even as enormous political thought, energy, and activity were being put into overseeing the kind of hats Quebecers are allowed to wear in various circumstances, I could see nothing but the sea of bumpers of the cars of my fellow citizens: none of us able to move more than an inch or two per hour. In this case, time was the rub. I had just returned to Montreal from Ottawa, a 200 km trip that took me approximately 90 minutes (note to Highway 417 traffic cops: please temporarily forget how to do arithmetic.) Once in Montreal, it took me more than 60 minutes to travel from Cavendish Boulevard to the Decarie service road, a distance of barely two kilometres.

    Being stuck in traffic pinpointed for me what is wrong with Quebec's attempt to legislate a so-called Charter of Values.

    Even as enormous political thought, energy, and activity were being put into overseeing the kind of hats Quebecers are allowed t...

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  • The Democracy of the Dead

    The Democracy of the Dead

    Doug Sikkema

    November 13, 2013

    Soon after Remembrance Day, it's easy to start forgetting again—and I'm not just talking about war. In fact, it's usually during this time of year that I'm reminded that many students' historical consciousness begins and ends with World War Two, that unforgettable pockmark on the 20th century. This means, depending on whom you ask, many minds only stretch back between 10 to 150 years ago.

    "To be ignorant of what happened before you were born is to remain a child always." —Cicero

    Soon after Remembrance Day, it's easy to start forgetting again—and I'm not just talking about war. In fact, it's usually...

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  • After the Scrutiny, What Good Remains?

    After the Scrutiny, What Good Remains?

    Dani Shaw

    October 28, 2013

    But institutions of faith are hardly unique in showing concern about their employees' off-duty conduct, or their students' sexual behaviours. And employees (or students) at such institutions are hardly the only ones who agree to restrictions on their personal autonomy.

    Considerable ink has been spilled and breath expended over whether or not faith-based institutions (Loyola High School; Trinity Western ...

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  • Contingency in Politics

    Contingency in Politics

    Brian Dijkema

    October 25, 2013

    Whether it is aimed at electoral success, control of the legislative process, or control of popular opinion, this way of framing issues is a means to acquire or maintain power. In each case, the morphing of a problem from a complex problem with a variety of different solutions to a binary choice between two options is motivated by questions of power.

    Politicians are masters at defining issues in black and white terms. As political operatives from Karl Rove to Brian Topp are aware, the ability to define an issue in a way that presents your party in stark contrast with the other (your party being on the s...

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  • Pomp and Pluralism

    Pomp and Pluralism

    Brian Dijkema

    October 17, 2013

    omp, pageantry, press, parliament, pandemonium! Throne speeches might be light on actual content, but they never fail to show that our political institutions—for all their failures—are worthy of respect and reflection.

    Pomp, pageantry, press, parliament, pandemonium! Throne speeches might be light on actual content, but they never fail to show that our political institutions—for all their failures—are worthy of respect and reflection.

    The pundits have had their say...

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  • A Double-Edged Sword

    A Double-Edged Sword

    Brian Dijkema

    September 26, 2013

    Montreal itself—a beautiful and wealthy city—is in the heart of the province in Canada working hardest to move religion out of the public square and box it well into the private sphere.

    As I write this, I'm sitting in the McGill Faculty club in Montreal. McGill, of course, is the heart of the old evangelical establishment in Quebec, and it has plenty of wood paneling, paintings of men with mutton chops, and lovely crown molding to show for...

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  • At Least Quebec Is Honest About It

    At Least Quebec Is Honest About It

    Janet Epp Buckingham

    September 23, 2013

    The most recent volley is from the Ontario Human Rights Commission. The OHRC is updating its policy on "creed," which has generally been considered to prevent discrimination on the basis of religion.

    "Separation of church and state" is an American concept, intended to protect the state from religious interference. It's not technically applicable in the Canadian context. But might it be time for religious institutions in this country to adopt the concept...

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  • Draw the Shades on the Fishbowl

    Draw the Shades on the Fishbowl

    Brian Dijkema

    September 19, 2013

    In an age of selfies at funerals and a Twitter stream of non-events, fighting against transparency seems counterintuitive. But let me make a case for maintaining a wall of privacy over portions of the spending of public officials.

    A mature, responsible, and high-functioning constitutional democracy should not adopt a Facebook-style approach to transparency. In fact, a constitutional democracy which adopts Facebook's approach to transparency will cease to be mature, responsible, and h...

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  • Tread Lightly and Carry a Big Dream

    Tread Lightly and Carry a Big Dream

    Doug Sikkema

    August 27, 2013

    I wholeheartedly agree that this is not an either/or scenario. However, acting locally—that is, in a particular place and time—should not be misconstrued as dreaming small.

    Last week on the Cardus blog, Jamie Smith's look at the rising generation whose local acts of kindness may, in some instances, signal a retreat from the more "macro" tasks of civi...

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  • Imposing On Whom?

    Imposing On Whom?

    André Schutten

    August 26, 2013

    For a democracy to flourish, governments must respect the fundamental freedoms of its citizens, four of which are outlined in section 2 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The first one, freedom of religion, and the fourth one, freedom of association, are especially important in the discussion surrounding the recent decision by Christian Horizons to open its employment to any and all.

    Editor's Note: Just before last week's blog on institutional religious freedom from Stanley Carlson-Thies, related ...

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  • Power and Common Good: Squaring the Smiths

    Power and Common Good: Squaring the Smiths

    Ray Pennings

    August 23, 2013

    Over on the Slow Church blog, Christopher Smith objects to Jamie's arguments (admitting his Anabaptist political theology predisposes him not to vote) by describing how active civil society engagement can accomplish great things and that the slow, local approach that Jamie critiques as inadequate may, with God's blessing, achieve great things while avoiding the culture war narrative, with its inherent temptations and dangers.

    Wednesday's blog Knitting While Detroit Burns? by Jamie Smith has started some useful conversations. The road for faithful Christian public engagement has two ditches and Jamie wa...

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  • Diversity in Fact, Not Just Slogans

    Diversity in Fact, Not Just Slogans

    Stanley Carlson-Thies

    August 22, 2013

    Rather, the case has two other very odd aspects. The federal government claims—although those appeals court judges weren't convinced—that because Hobby Lobby is a profit-making entity, it can't have a religious freedom claim. Businesses exist to make money and making money is a secular endeavour, so religious freedom is irrelevant.

    The recent federal appeals court victory of Hobby Lobby, the U.S. chain of arts and crafts stores, has its odd aspects. The appeals court vindicated Hobby Lobby's claim that, even though it is a pro...

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  • Knitting While Detroit Burns?

    Knitting While Detroit Burns?

    James K.A. Smith

    August 21, 2013

    But one could also worry that we're confusing humility with retreat. Eschewing triumphalism shouldn't be confused with abandoning aspirations for large-scale systemic change. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

    A generation of younger evangelicals are still reeling from the misguided triumphalism of a generation past. Having watched their parents confidently seek to "transform" culture, only to see some of them end up as evangelistic shills for crony capitalism an...

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  • Bowling with the Church

    Bowling with the Church

    Andy Bayer

    August 14, 2013

    Much has been made in the media and in research about income divides and the challenge of "bouncing back" from inheriting challenging conditions. Here I'll not look at upward mobility—ably discussed by Jamie Smith last week—but rather at another major factor in resilience.

    We all love the underdog. Hollywood has always been obsessed with comebacks, stories of resilience: people who come from a difficult situation and, against all odds, achieve what they set out to do. But, of course, the American Dream we see in The Longe...

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  • Not Entirely Convinced

    Not Entirely Convinced

    Peter Stockland

    August 6, 2013

    The source of Steven Chua's article was an event in a downtown Vancouver pub. Another patron sitting near Mr. Chua glowered at him, as did the waitress. Mr. Chua inferred the hostility came from him being with a Caucasian companion. "That's the thing with racial tension in places like Vancouver, it's so subtle," Mr. Chua writes. "No one goes out in the open denying service or slinging disparaging remarks at anyone."

    Last Friday, a young British Columbian published a short essay in the Globe and Mail's Facts and Arguments sec...

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  • Oldest Human Institutions

    Oldest Human Institutions

    Ray Pennings

    July 24, 2013

    That said, it must be acknowledged that the news coverage of the Royal Baby has seemed absurd. Writing this, I am sitting in a hotel lounge in St. Paul's, Minnesota and the lobby television has for the last hour had its cameras focused on a closed hospital door. Isn't this the USA? Aren't these the folks who threw their tea in the ocean to rebel against the taxes demanded by the British throne? Don't they still celebrate their Independence each year? There's no one around so I take the remote and skim through the channels—there are no less than three American networks providing live coverage.

    I suppose that if the birth of the Duke of Cambridge warrants messages of congratulations from Presidents and Prime Ministers, clergy and celebrities, and millions of social media followers around the world, adding Cardus's voice seems socially polite. We c...

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  • Who's to Blame?

    Who's to Blame?

    Dani Shaw

    July 17, 2013

    I have been both impressed and disturbed by the disparate reactions to these tragedies. On the one hand, the people of Calgary and High River appeared to pull together to overcome the tragedy that befell them. Politicians, businesses and ordinary people helped friend and stranger alike, and while the work of rebuilding has only just begun, I was touched by the spirit of cooperation.

    This summer has been a time of immense tragedy. From massive floods that destroyed house and home in Alberta and parts of Toronto, to the surreal Lac Mégantic train crash that is the stuff of Hollywood movies, Canadians have experienced their share of trage...

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  • A Protestant Appreciation of Lumen fidei

    A Protestant Appreciation of Lumen fidei

    James K.A. Smith

    July 12, 2013

    In that spirit, I want to add my voice to the chorus of appreciation for Pope Francis' encyclical, Lumen fidei ("The Light of Faith"). In this beautiful articulation of the Christian faith for our postmodern world, Francis revisits themes from Pope John Paul II's 1998 encyclical Fides et ratio, with a winsome accessibility that is inviting and charitable. It is surely an expression of what George Weigel has called Evangelical Catholicism (a book that Mark Noll will be reviewing for Comment later this summer).

    As I noted in my review of Ephraim Radner's important book A Brutal Unity, Christian witness for the common good requires a common witness. In other words,...

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