Hello from Canuckster1127

[Canuckster1127]

Hello all,

I'm an old member who used to be a moderator and participant on this board. I haven't been active for several years.

Stopping by to say hello and update.

I have moved back to Canada (2018) and live in Ottawa now. After a time away from formal church I've become involved in a progressive Anglican Church here in Ottawa which has a strong focus on Social Justice and I'm active in the Chamber Choir (Bass) and my wife, who is indigenous is active in the church with me where she's involved in a lot of Truth and Reconciliation type activities between the Indigenous Community and the local Anglican churches in the area.

I've probably moved some in a lot of my positions toward more "progressive" elements. I'm still a believer. I still maintain a FB group on Trinitarianism that ties a lot of the impact that that movement has had on me. I'm less dogmatic on a lot of issues (I was relatively moderate before.) I'm open to Theistic Evolution and I'm less literalist in my approach to Scripture.

Anyway, I may lurk and be involved a little. I see there's been changes since I was last active and I'm glad this board continues to exist.

Barton (Canuckster1127)

[Philip]

Bart, hope you'll start contributing again. A lot has changed here. I now own the site and hope to re-design it, bring back some of the apologetics articles, etc. It's gonna be a process and I've so much else going on. Our dear Hana, the site administrator, will be helping and she's been great about keeping the technical things up and running. It's been so long, I'm trying to remember my interactions with you?

Awesome to hear from you again!

Philip

[Canuckster1127]

Hi Philip,

It looks like you came in 2009. I was active from about early 2006 and then the next 10 years with a few lapses in between and Moderated for a while, while here. I underwent a period of deconstruction and moved away from organized church. I've returned and now am a part of an Anglican Church on Ottawa. It's quite progressive which is a change from my past as an evangelical minister and district worker.

I remember you. I don't recall a lot of our interactions (which is probably a good sign ) I generally got along well with everyone on the board with one exception that appears to be long gone.

I will check in more frequently. I don't know how active I'll be as I'm not as passionately engaged in Creationism and related science so much. It served its purpose for me in journeying out of rigid fundamentalism.

[Philip]

Canuckster1127: I will check in more frequently. I don't know how active I'll be as I'm not as passionately engaged in Creationism and related science so much.

Bart, I would agree that the Creationism "wars" have been done to death. A lot of younger guys,especially, get so cranked up over the age of the earth, evolution, etc. While I certainly find such discussions interesting, sometimes even fun - yet often they are redundant. What I am mostly passionate about is apologetics that can encourage people to begin moving from agnosticism / atheism or whatever version of theism, to discovering the God / Christ of Christianity - because that can change everything for them. There are a lot of theological topics that are reasonable for BELIEVERS to debate. But what really matters much more to me are discussions that God can use to move people toward salvation.

When I first began getting involved in apologetics, I mistakenly believed many people's blockage to faith was truly intellectual in nature, and that if I could just help them understand key things or facts, that they would desire to believe. But what I have found, after thirty-plus years of dialoging and debating, is that most people's blockage to faith is actually emotional in nature, even though THEY have convinced themselves that that they just can't find intellectually satisfying answers for theism, much less for belief in the historical Christ. And yet, powerful answers are available, plentiful, and very convincing - and yet, one cannot understand or believe that which they don't want to search for or sincerely consider. As most would rather believe the lies they tell themselves about God - or lies they've heard from others about Him - so, they've configured their mind / heart filter to prevent any truth from getting through or seriously being considered. So, once I know someone isn't serious about considering powerful evidences, I disengage - and refuse to pointlessly follow them down their relentless rabbit trails or the regurgitated stuff they've merely read on some atheist sites, etc.

[1over137]

Hey Bart,

It is so great to see you.
I remember how I enjoyed you as a moderator when I was a newbie here and not even a Christian yet.
It is so great.

It would be so lovely to see you here.