Prof. John Stackhouse’s Weblog

John 10:10b: “I have come that they might have life, and have it abundantly.”

Here at Regent College’s Summer School, I was asked recently to preach in the daily chapel service and to preach on something “personal.” So I spoke about John Stackhouse: not me, however, but my father, after whom I was named. Today is the first anniversary of his death, so today I offer this remembrance and celebration .

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I’ve just returned from a weekend consultation with the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada as the EFC sets up an exciting new research arm.

Among the several old friends among the several dozen gathered there was Reginald Bibby. It was my privilege to nominate Reg for the Order of Canada, and my delight to see him named an Officer of that order last year.

Here is my letter of recommendation to the Governor-General, which I post here as a tribute to my friend and as an introduction to those of you who don’t know of Reg, and should:

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The Reverend Jerry Falwell has gone to his reward. He departs this life with a significant résumé in public life. And if it weren’t for him, people like him wouldn’t have such résumés.

For in the 1970s Jerry Falwell led American fundamentalists out of their self-imposed seclusion from the mainstream of American culture. Since the 1925 Scopes evolution trial, fundamentalists had withdrawn from major American institutions, or lost battles over them, and devoted their considerable energies henceforth to forming their own parallel institutions: schools, colleges, seminaries, missionary societies, magazines, publishing houses, congregations, denominations, and more.

Jerry Falwell changed all that. Much as the indubitably right-wing politician Richard Nixon could open doors to China, the indubitably right-wing clergyman Falwell could open doors to American public life. And fundamentalists have surged through those doors ever since.

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Some Christians get a lot of recognition for what they do. Some write bestselling books. Others lead impressive organizations. Some accomplish dramatic feats, while others become popular entertainers.

Within our congregations, a few people–pastors, preachers, worship leaders, and band members–get most of the attention and garner most of the plaudits.

Most Christians, however, do not get a lot of recognition for what they do. Yet they should. So let us raise a toast to the usually-unsung faithful, the Christians who do most of the work while a minority get most of the affirmation. Grab your glass of milk, your tumbler of juice, your goblet of wine, your stein of beer, your demitasse of tea, your mug of coffee, your bottle of soda pop–whatever your cup of cheer–and join with me in praising our fellow servants.

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Steve Bell has won two of Canada’s Grammy Awards, known as the Junos. Yet most Canadians, let alone people from other countries, haven’t heard of him. Industry insiders admire him, however, as an indie phenom who has supported himself for years by touring and releasing CDs on his own label, Signpost Music. He recently performed with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, and is now touring East Africa on behalf of the Canada Foodgrains Bank, a major charity.

How do I know him? Well, partly because three or four times, I have actually been “The Steve Bell Band.”

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If you don’t know about Irshad Manji, author of The Trouble with Islam Today, then you probably should. Her website is here.

Irshad is a rare bird indeed: Islamic, liberal, reformist, feminist, lesbian. The New York Times calls her “Osama bin Laden’s worst nightmare.” She is articulate, passionate, vivacious, sweet, and almost unbelievably courageous. (One of the first photos on her website is a shot of her with Salman Rushdie, not everyone’s favourite Muslim in, say, Iran.) Read the rest of this entry »