hold fast hope

  Introduction As I have been considering my own experience alongside various theories related to human flourishing, a consistent theme has emerged — the concept of integration. According to Dan Siegel, the founder of Interpersonal Neurobiology, “integration is the fundamental mechanism of health” and can be defined as “maintaining differentiation while also achieving linkage, creating a synergy that enables the whole to be greater than the sum of its parts”. The correlation between integration and health can be observed from the macro to the micro — within ecological systems, socio-cultural systems, family systems, and within the dynamics of the individual mind. When integration is disrupted, systems move towards chaos or rigidity and health is stymied. However, when a system moves towards integration, an emergent phenomenon occurs, resulting in something new. The palaeontologist and Jesuit priest De Chardin explored this paradox, claiming that true union differentiates. The intro...

In the province of British Columbia, where I live, the hidden remains of two hundred and fifteen children were recently discovered on the property of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. Since then, many hundreds more have been found on residential school properties across the country. These murderous institutions, responsible for “killing the Indian in the child”, were orchestrated and operated by Catholic and Protestant churches in conjunction with the Canadian Government. When I was growing up the majority of Christians I knew were supportive of the war in Iraq, which saw some 100 000 innocent civilians killed. Currently, Vladimir Putin is waging an imperialistic invasion of Ukraine and committing war crimes against its citizens with the blessing of the Russian Orthodox Church. How does Christianity continually perpetuate violence, when violence is clearly antithetical to the example and teachings of Christ? It is my assertion that Christianity continues to perpetuate viol...

  One of the most troubling aspects of this new hyper-digital era is our crumbling ability to communicate with people who disagree with us. There is the sense that we are shouting across a void at one another — in completely different languages. Our rebuttals are locked and loaded as we scan tweets, posts, and articles asking, “Is this person with us or against us?” Anyone who has questions about our party line is revealed as one of “them”, swiftly labelled as such, and excommunicated from our friends lists. What is happening here? It seems that we are splintering into groups rallied around completely different frameworks for what is in fact true, and who is at fault. It has become crystal clear that there are tremendous injustices and complex societal challenges ahead of us. While we must absolutely stand up for what we believe in, without serious course correction in our ability to communicate across divided lines, we are in serious trouble. In this article we will explore three ...