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Stories about Christmas:

Though not trendy, mainline Protestants give church another try at Christmas
It's that time of year when millions of Canadians wonder about venturing into the church of their youth for a Christmas service. The longing of those Canadians who don't regularly attend church usually comes from a mix of tradition, nostalgia, personal dissatisfaction and the search for a deeper connection to the sacred.
Douglas Todd, The Search, Vancouver Sun, December 15

Ask yourself: 'What would Jesus buy?'
Setting limits for the waist --and wallet --are key
CanWest News Service, December 16

Earlier: Stories about Christmas

Stories about the financial crisis:

The Vatican weighs in on banks' blame for credit crisis
A paralyzing global credit crunch, massive layoffs, fears of overzealous government regulation -- as if the world's bankers didn't have enough to worry about, now the Vatican is preaching against them.
Neil Hrab, Full Comment, National Post, December 12

Churches source of hope in hard-hit Oshawa
Oshawa workers beset by grim news turn to God, local pastors for inspiration and solace
Toronto Star, December 14

Earlier: The church in automobile country

Other stories from the past week:

Vatican document denounces in vitro
A Vatican bioethics document yesterday condemned artificial fertilization and other techniques used by many couples and said human cloning, "designer babies" and embryonic stem-cell research were immoral. The long-awaited document from the Vatican's doctrinal body marked a big step by the Vatican into the brave new world of biotechnology, an area in which governments around the world are struggling to formulate legislation.
National Post, December 13

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Nine of 10 disapprove of B.C.'s "Best Place on Earth" slogan
The most commonly used word was "embarrassing."
Douglas Todd, The Search, Vancouver Sun, December 13

Pity the poor Anglicans? They'll decline it
Many don't seem to want our pity, which can have a condescending quality. They recognize some shifts are happening in global Anglicanism. But most Anglicans just want to get on with the "business" of being a vibrant, caring church. Many congregations around the world, including in Canada and the U.S., are doing just that.
Douglas Todd, The Search, Vancouver Sun, December 16
Earlier: New Anglican church proposed

Pedophile flew under the radar
The path that led John Wrenshall from the basement of an Anglican church in Calgary to a house on the outskirts of Bangkok underlines how hard it is to keep track of convicted child molesters once they resettle in another jurisdiction.
Globe and Mail, December 17

Quebec's creepy new curriculum
An often-quoted Jesuit maxim boasts, "Give me a child until he is seven and I will give you the man." Only seven? Amateurs! Since September all Quebec students from primary school entry to high school graduation, whether enrolled in public or non-funded private schools, must attend Quebec's new Ethics and Religious Culture course (ERC). And teachers, regardless of their beliefs, must teach it.
Barbara Kay, National Post, December 17
Earlier: Stories about religious and multicultural issues in Quebec

Poll: Religious right forming in Canada
The Republicans might have overplayed their emphasis on the Religious Right, with the nomination of controversial Sarah Palin turning on evangelical voters -- while turning off the rest. But in Canada Stephen Harper, an evangelical Christian, is so far playing his religious cards right. He's built an impressive coalition of church-going evangelicals, Catholics and even mainline Protestants, according to polling by Angus Reid Strategies.
Douglas Todd, The Search, Vancouver Sun, December 17
Earlier: Stories about the American and Canadian elections

December 18/2008