Pastoral Ponderings - February 15th, 2026

On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther is said to have nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, challenging some of the theology and practices of the Roman Catholic Church.  Theses challenge eventually lead to the protestant reformation that to this day still is still visible in the landscape of the Christian Church.

In 2024, Jesse A. Zink, principal of an ecumenical theological college affiliated with McGill University in Montreal, published a book entitled Faithful, Creative and Hopeful: Fifteen Theses for Christians in a Crisis-Shaped World.  The author identifies three crises that are currently shaping our world: climate change, human migration and economic structures.  He then presents an urgent call for Christians to face a changing world with faith and resolve.  I do not think these 15 theses will have the same dramatic impact as Martin Luther’s did over 500 years ago, but I do think it is important that people of faith pay attention and take note of them.

This is the book we will be reading and reflecting on during our weekly Lenten Book Study that will meet on Tuesday afternoons from 12:30 – 2:00 (bring your own lunch) for six sessions beginning February 24^th.   I am finding this book to be quite engaging, sometimes disturbing, but certainly a challenging and encouraging voice from a progressive Christian perspective in the midst of a crisis-shaped world.

Please let me know if you are interested in participating in this Lenten Book Study.  All are invited!  The book is available through Amazon Canada.

Hope you can join us.

Dale Johnson