What Does Prayer Do? Second Thoughts on Importunate Prayer
I recently wrote against the idea of piling up prayers to God as if we can exact what we want by dint of our exertions. God is not a...
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Thoughts on
CHRISTIANITY, THE ACADEMY, AND PUBLIC LIFE
John G. Stackhouse, Jr.
2 min read
The Saguenay Case: Another Vestige of Christendom
The Supreme Court of Canada is due to release its judgment on the Saguenay case. And, alas, once again I find myself opposing friends and...
John G. Stackhouse, Jr.
1 min read
A Prayer for Every Day
This last month, while venturing hither (vacationing in the Okanagan Valley) and yon (working in Sydney, Australia), I have been...
John G. Stackhouse, Jr.
3 min read
Well, Maybe, Sister Anne…
Concerned friends have asked me about Anne Graham Lotz’s recent call to prayer that will culminate tomorrow (July 7) in a 7-hour time of...
John G. Stackhouse, Jr.
1 min read
The Hard Work of Prayer
Here is a lovely passage from the sprightly, charming, and ruthlessly honest testimony of English writer Jane Christmas as she considers,...
John G. Stackhouse, Jr.
4 min read
More Merton: On the Humility to Withdraw from Glory
I’m just back from being up front and vocal for almost a week. I flew down to Cupertino (= AppleLand), California, to serve alongside the...
John G. Stackhouse, Jr.
2 min read
A Good, Daily Prayer from Thomas Merton
Thomas Merton has fans. Lots of them. I’m not one of them. His spirituality is neither to my taste nor lined up with my theology in many...
John G. Stackhouse, Jr.
3 min read
Learning about Prayer from Fairy Tales
Our youngest son, Devon, and I anticipate a trip soon to the Baltic that will start and end in Copenhagen. While we celebrate Søren...
John G. Stackhouse, Jr.
5 min read
Dr Ben Carson Starts…and, One Hopes, Ends…His Political Career at the National Prayer Br
Some of our American cousins are a-twitter (so to speak) over the speech given by surgeon Dr. Benjamin Carson at the National Prayer...
John G. Stackhouse, Jr.
1 min read
Hoping and Praying Yet
My brother-in-law has a nephew who is serving in Afghanistan with the U. S. Army Rangers, doing what he can to bring a measure of peace...
John G. Stackhouse, Jr.
3 min read
Calm, Cool, and Collected
One of the most beloved features of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer (BCP) is the “Collect,” the prayer that unites the voices of the...
John G. Stackhouse, Jr.
2 min read
Some Good Petitions
I’ve been using John Baillie’s famous Diary of Private Prayer the last while. (Baillie died in 1960 and his prayer language can seem...
John G. Stackhouse, Jr.
3 min read
Why Evangelicals Should Be Glad We Weren't Asked to Pray at 9/11 Services
Evangelical Christians have been complaining about not being included in various commemorations of 9/11, whether in New York City,...
John G. Stackhouse, Jr.
2 min read
Defining God
In a lovely note from someone in a recent audience of mine, two questions were raised. I thought you might like to read how I...
John G. Stackhouse, Jr.
2 min read
Prayer vs. Benediction: Three Basic Distinctions
(This post is aimed at Christians, and particularly “churchy” Christians, so feel particularly free to skip it if it doesn’t pertain to...
John G. Stackhouse, Jr.
3 min read
Invocations at Secular Events
A friend writes: I have been asked to say grace at our company’s anniversary dinner. It is a secular Canadian company. The people who...
John G. Stackhouse, Jr.
4 min read
What Good Are Theologians?
Richard Dawkins has been quoted to me recently as such (without a citation, alas: Can anyone supply it?): “What has theology ever said...
John G. Stackhouse, Jr.
1 min read
A Prayer of Dedication
Friends, I’m heading off to Bangalore, India, for the next week to teach pastors and graduate students at Dr. Ken Gnanakan’s ACTS...
John G. Stackhouse, Jr.
2 min read
The Privilege of Prayer
The great science-fiction author Arthur C. Clarke, whose most famous work is 2001: A Space Odyssey Isaac Asimov, whose manifold works...
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