TWU report card

Maclean's magazine published some of the results of two annual surveys of Canadian university students in its February 22 issue, the fifth year it has done so. The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) ranked 56 schools. Christian-based Trinity Western University (TWU), in Langley, B.C., ranked first in enriching educational experience, second in level of academic challenge, second in supportive campus environment, sixth in student-faculty interaction, and 14th in active and collaborative learning. When students were asked to evaluate their entire education experience, TWU placed first among senior-year students, and second among first-year students. When the students were asked if they would choose the same university, TWU finished second among both first-year and senior-year students. In the separate Canadian University Survey Consortium (CUSC) survey, TWU was in the middle of the pack (17th out of 34 schools) in general satisfaction with the quality of education, but third in satisfaction with the decision to attend the university. Two other Christian schools, The King's University College in Edmonton and Redeemer University College in Ancaster, Ontario, placed first and second in the CUSC survey. The Canadian Association of University Teachers recently issued a report saying that TWU is "not a real university" because it requires its professors to sign a faith statement.

High school debate

In his blog on February 11, Vancouver Sun spirituality and ethics columnist Douglas Todd responded to an article called "Religious schools: 'our nasty little secret'?" published in the February 2010 issue of BC Christian News. That article in turn commented on two articles Todd had written in October on whether religious elementary and secondary schools should receive government funding. Todd's original articles had quoted Unitarian minister Stephen Epperson, who opposed government funding to religious schools, while the BCCN article included quotes from an interview with Fred Herfst, executive director of the Federation of Independent School Associations.

Wooly shepherds

The Church of England avoided an opportunity February 10 to take concrete action on the division in the worldwide Anglican Communion. Lorna Ashworth, a Canadian-born lay member from the Diocese of Chichester, presented a private member's motion to the Church of England's annual General Synod "that this Synod express the desire that the Church of England be in communion with the Anglican Church in North America." The Church of England is the parent province of the other national Anglican provinces around the world. The Anglican Church in North America is a coalition of about 742 theologically "conservative" parishes which have left the Anglican Church of Canada and The Episcopal Church (in the US). Instead of Ashworth's motion, the Synod passed an "amendment" by Michael Hill, Bishop of Bristol, that the Synod "recognise and affirm the desire of those who have formed the Anglican Church in North America to remain within the Anglican family" and that the leaders of the Church of England and the Anglican Communion study the matter and report back in 2011. One blogger commented that the amendment reversed the intent of the original motion saying that it was the Anglican Church in North America rather than the Church of England that wished to remain in communion. The blogger then commented, "That this is typically Anglican is evidenced by the one year delay, the expectation of a report and the fact that it is sufficiently woolly that people on each side of the issue see support or lack thereof depending on what they had for breakfast."

Carbon mission

KAIROS (Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives) is inviting participation in a "Carbon Fast for Lent." The organization, supported by a number of mainline Canadian denominations, has created "a resource that offers suggestions on how to celebrate this holy season" as "a time to reflect on what fasting is all about and on how we can reduce our personal carbon footprint and advocate for social change."

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Political poll

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) posted an open poll on its website on Wednesday, February 10, asking: "Should the Canadian government, as part of its commitment to the health and welfare of mothers and children, support access to safe abortions around the world?" The results were Yes 562 votes (35 percent), No 1016 votes (64 percent) and Not sure 15 votes (one percent). The CBC posed the question after Liberal Party leader Michael Ignatieff stated that the federal government's new foreign aid focus on helping women and children should include funding for access to birth control and abortion.

A backward country

Globe & Mail reporter Jessica Leeder filed a story February 14 saying that she and colleague Deborah Baic caused a minor commotion when they attended the Sunday worship service at a Baptist church in Jacmel, Haiti. The pastor welcomed them, but their casual clothes made them the most poorly dressed people there. The 1,000 or more Haitians in attendance were dressed more "respectably" in their Sunday best - linen suits, skirts, ties and polished shoes. The service was held outside, behind the church's badly damaged 165-year-old building.

Church sign of the times

Chartwell Baptist Church, a multi-site church in Oakville, Ontario, has established a monthly ministry called Chartwell in Transition to provide teaching, networking opportunities and support for "those who are going through the ups and downs of a job search."

A 50-50 proposition

The Primate's World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF), the relief and development arm of the Anglican Church of Canada, is celebrating its 50th anniversary. As part of its celebration, it is asking Anglican parishes across Canada to sponsor a minimum of 50 refugee families to come to Canada. So far, 28 parishes have agreed to sponsor refugees from countries such as Burma. Eritrea, Colombia, Iraq and Sudan.

A 52-52 proposition

Action52 is a Canadan National Baptist Convention evangelism training and encouragement program. Participants are given a bag of 52 sunflower seeds and encouraged to "throw a seed away" every week of the year by sharing the gospel with someone they know. As part of the program, the denomination is organizing Gospel Extravaganza evenings to which young people can invite their friends. At the most recent event, January 8 in Toronto, 27 youth responded to a call to accept Christ and 52 dedicated themselves to making serving Jesus a priority. The next Gospel Extravaganza is scheduled for February 26-27 in Edmonton. Action52 is one of the strategies the denomination is using to reach its goal of baptizing 100,000 new believers by 2020.

Fourth and one

The fourth annual Vital Church Planting Conference was held February 2-4 in Toronto, sponsored by the Anglican Diocese of Toronto and Wycliffe College's Institute of Evangelism. Primary speakers were Rachel Jordan, a leader in the Fresh Expressions movement in England, and Pernell Goodyear, a Salvation Army church planter from Hamilton, Ontario. Fresh Expressions was launched five years ago by the Church of England -- to start non-traditional Anglican churches that meet in pubs, coffee shops, parks and other non-traditional spaces, and reach 'unchurched' people as diverse as Goths and skateboarders. Goodyear leads The Freeway, which runs a coffee house, arts centre, community space and worship centre in a former bank. For the first time, a second Vital Church Planting Conference has been planned for this year, to be held in Edmonton May 18-20.

February 18/2010