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Stories about Anglicans and Anglicanism:

Anglican diocese retains ownership of four disputed church properties
The Anglican diocese of the Lower Mainland will be able to retain ownership of four disputed parish properties worth more than $20 million, the B.C. Supreme Court ruled today. Justice Stephen Kelleher decided against conservative Anglican dissidents who went to court claiming they deserve to have legal control of St. John's Shaughnessy Anglican Church in Vancouver -- one of the largest Anglican congregations in Canada -- as well as three other Lower Mainland church properties.
Douglas Todd, Vancouver Sun, November 25

Vancouver's James Packer leads battle against Satan
One of the most influential evangelical theologians in North America lives in Vancouver. Unknown to many Canadians, James (J.I.) Packer, 83, has for 50 years led evangelicals on the "right theological path in 60-plus books, including the influential Knowing God (which has sold two million copies)," says a new profile in World Magazine.
Douglas Todd, The Search, Vancouver Sun, November 25

BC Supreme Court rules bishop can't fire trustees of break-away parishes
Trustees responsible for properties used by the congregations of four parishes that split last year from a Vancouver-area Anglican diocese can't be terminated by its bishop, a B.C. Supreme Court judge ruled Wednesday. But Justice Stephen Kelleher was vague in providing guidance around what actually happens to the properties, only calling on the parties "to arrive at a workable resolution."
Canadian Press, November 26

Earlier: Anglican-Catholic announcement gets mixed reaction in Canada

Stories about the Vanier Institute's study on marriage and divorce:

Sticking it out in marriage is a good thing
A just-released study from the Vanier Institute of the Family (read it here on PDF) by York University professor Anne-Marie Ambert, Divorce: Facts, Causes and Consequences, vindicates assumptions many conservatives hold instinctively, and may provoke some discomfort in "progressives."
Barbara Kay, Full Comment, National Post, November 19

More couples are in it for the long haul
Fewer marriages in Canada are ending in divorce than is commonly thought, according to a new survey that debunks the popular notion that nearly half of all marriages fail and the prevailing view that divorce is on the rise. In fact, the latest estimates suggest that 38% of married couples in Canada will divorce by their 30th wedding anniversary, a rate that has been dropping through the 1990s, according to the report released yesterday by the Vanier Institute of the Family.
CanWest News Service, November 20

Stories about Charles Darwin and evolution:

Rara avis: A local Darwin collector in his natural habitat
Toronto hosts an international conference celebrating the 150th anniversary of the publication of The Origin of Species
Globe and Mail, November 20

Darwin still evokes awe -- and protest
It was 150 years ago this week that the botanist published his work on evolution
Allen Abel, Canwest News Service, November 21

Creation-evolution debate perseveres in town where the battle lines were first laid down
In the annals of scientific and social history, this room at the top of the stairs in the red-brick Rhea County Courthouse is one of the most important of theatres, set on the main street of one of the most ordinary of villages. It is the Star Chamber of Darwinian Evolution, where the battle lines between two irreconcilable cosmogonies were laid down for the public record, never to be erased.
Allen Abel, Canwest News Service, November 21

Earlier: Stories about Charles Darwin and Richard Dawkins

Stories about the new Catholic bishop in Antigonish:

Pope Benedict appoints new bishop for troubled Nova Scotia diocese
The bishop appointed to oversee a Nova Scotia diocese tainted by sex abuse allegations and child pornography charges says he recognizes it will take time to bring people back to the embattled church. Bishop Brian Dunn, appointed Saturday by Pope Benedict, takes over the diocese of Antigonish two months after his predecessor, Bishop Raymond Lahey, was charged with possessing and importing child pornography.
Canadian Press, November 21

New N.S. bishop named to replace Lahey
Sault Ste Marie bishop to take over Antigonish diocese as Raymond Lahey faces child pornography charges
Globe and Mail, November 21

New Nova Scotia bishop has 'broad shoulders'
Brian Dunn said he could not have been more surprised about his new appointment, which came on the weekend from Pope Benedict, naming him the new bishop of one of the most troubled Catholic dioceses in Canada. But one man who taught Bishop Dunn moral theology said the Vatican picked the right person because "he has the broad shoulders to carry the weight of all that pain people are feeling."
Charles Lewis, National Post, November 23

Earlier: Stories about Bishop Lahey and the child porn charges

Continue article >>

Stories about abortion and euthanasia:

Freedom of speech has been aborted by McGill University's Student Society
In what has now become a familiar scenario on Canadian campuses, the Student Society of McGill University (SSMU) has suspended the official club status of Choose Life, a barely nascent pro-life club of about 30 members. The presenting explanation is that Choose Life's advocacy presentations are offensive to many students. One article in the McGill Tribune referred to the group's initiatives as motivated by a desire "to oppress women by shaming them, attempting to limit their choices, and engaging in hate speech."
Barbara Kay, Full Comment, National Post, November 20

Catholic hierarchy reaches for the levers of power
Canadians would squirm at how top U.S. clergy press church positions on issues such as abortion
Globe and Mail, November 23

Tories take heat for abortion, jobless comments
Tory MP Gerald Keddy's crack about the jobless on Halifax streets being "no-good bastards" raised opposition ire in the House of Commons on Tuesday. But it was a news release on abortion services from Saskatchewan Conservative Maurice Vellacott that had other government opponents fuming. Vellacott, a former evangelical pastor, recently praised the shortage of doctors performing abortions in Saskatoon.
Canadian Press, November 24

My life, my choice
We must ask ourselves if letting euthanasia become a political hot potato (any more so than it already is) will do anything to help those enduring agonizing final days.
Matt Gurney, Holy Post, National Post, November 24

Barbara Kay responds to Matt Gurney
Like all theorists around euthanasia, Gurney has forgotten to factor in the human element. He has not accounted for the fact that when a procedure is normalized, it morphs into something quite other than it was in conception.
Barbara Kay, Holy Post, National Post, November 25

Earlier: Stories about the euthanasia debate

Stories about Islam and the West:

Did political correctness help Maj. Hasan murder?
There now seems to be a whole slew of people stepping forward to recount how Hasan's allegedly radical Islamist rants made them uncomfortable. And when you read about these incidents, and you see how little or nothing appears to have been done as far as inquiring further into his potentially dangerous mindset, you have to wonder if the fear of being perceived as anti-Muslim in general led those around Hasan to sidestep all these issues and let them go by.
Naomi Lakritz, Calgary Herald, November 15

Fort Hood shooting: Meaningful or not?
The talking-heads are busily trying to read a lot of significance into the horrible massacre at Fort Hood by an army psychiatrist, Major Nidal Malik Hasan. Since Hasan appears to have been in contact with a radical Muslim leader, many, of course, see it as a way to further demonize Muslims, creating more fear of how they are "in our midst."
Douglas Todd, The Search, Vancouver Sun, November 20

Canada's angriest 'moderate'
Islamist violence, a dangerous many-headed beast, today roams the world, threatening both Islam and everyone else. This is a terrible fact for most people; but for honest and peaceful Muslims it's also a matter of shame, as Salim Mansur demonstrates in his recently collected collection of columns and articles, Islam's Predicament: Perspectives of a Dissident Muslim.
Robert Fulford, Full Comment, National Post, November 21

Coming soon, the life of Muhammad (not starring Muhammad)
The pictorial portrayal of Mohammed is not forbidden in the Koran, but only in relatively recent interpretations of Sharia law.
Tom Grossman, Full Comment, National Post, November 22

Don't dismiss honour killing claim: judge
A Federal Court judge has ordered the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration to consider the credibility of a woman's claim that she will be the victim of an "honour killing" if deported to her home country of Pakistan.
National Post, November 24

Jihadist lit: at a library near you
Secret study warns of radicalization
National Post, November 25

Mosque seeks Somali youth
CSIS fears missing youth may return to Canada as terrorists
National Post, November 26

Earlier: Stories about Islam and the West

Other stories from the past week:

Home in converted church is blessed with five levels
This 1,800-square-foot residence is among a collection of 32 units created within the one-time Riverdale Presbyterian Church, constructed at the corner of Pape and Harcourt avenues in 1912 and expanded in 1920.
Globe and Mail, November 20

A new guard takes over in the B.C. Sikh community
The lineup of thousands holding umbrellas and multi-coloured scarves to shelter themselves from the cold rain outside the Princess Margaret School in Surrey, B.C., last Sunday marked a conspicuous beginning of what some are calling a new era for Sikhs in the province.
National Post, November 20
Earlier: Stories about Sikhs and Sikhism

The Carrie Prejean story: Sex, lies and too many videotapes
V is for vetting, a process right-wing conservatives ignore at their peril. Instead, they're quick to trumpet the virtues of anyone who shares their views and looks vaguely presentable. That's how they ended lining up behind Carrie Prejean, the former Miss California and self-avowed Christian.
Araminta Wordsworth, Full Comment, National Post, November 20
Earlier: Stories about Carrie Prejean

New Vocabulary for Men -- two genders respond
The savage intensity and tender vulnerability men and women feel about gender issues came out in response to last week's article, "A New Vocabulary for Men," about new efforts to support men during this emotionally battering economic downturn, which some are calling a "mancession" since so far it's been hitting North American males harder than females.
Douglas Todd, The Search, Vancouver Sun, November 23

Salvation Army's iconic kettles now credit ready
The charity is testing kettles that take debit and credit cards
Globe and Mail, November 25

'God loves white people' scrawled on black church
Toronto's First Baptist Church was founded by a dozen escaped slaves 183 years ago
Globe and Mail, November 26

The most important Canadian in history
This is Canada's football weekend, and most eyes will be on Calgary for the Grey Cup on Sunday. Attentive readers will know that my attention will here in Quebec, for the university football championship Vanier Cup on Saturday. The Queen's Golden Gaels, for whom I proudly serve as chaplain, will be taking on the University of Calgary Dinosaurs.
Father Raymond J. de Souza, National Post, November 26

November 26/2009