janebarter
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On Christian Marriage: Toward a Theology of Failure
As the recent debates and the interminable consultations on same-sex union in the Anglican Church of Canada amply attest, there is nothing quite so vexed as Christian thinking about marriage. Vexing because Christians, eager to support the church’s historical teachings… Continue reading
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Maundy Thursday Sermon: When Jesus Washes our Feet
“Christ Washing the Feet of the Apostles” (16th century, Pskov School of Iconography). John 13:1-17; 31b-35 I wonder if you have ever had that experience where someone you loved did something very kind—something very generous–for you and rather than accepting… Continue reading
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Christmas Eve Sermon: “In the Beginning was the Word”
A sermon preached at St. Peter Dynevor Anglican Church in Selkirk, Manitoba. With thanks to my parish for letting me preach and preside every other week and for being a source of grace and healing. “In the beginning was the… Continue reading
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Tina Fey and the Uncertain Sphere of Comedy
I cannot think of a comedic piece that prompted greater discomfort than Tina Fey’s now infamous “sheet caking” sketch in the immediate aftermath of Charlottesville. Fey, the one-time darling of political satire, fell spectacularly flat when she took out her… Continue reading
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Linked Arms and the Strength of Silence
I am an Anglican priest, but most people do not know this. It’s not that I am ashamed to be a priest per se, but it is a fact that one’s identity as a Christian leader is far too easily… Continue reading
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Women in Theology: A Canadian Snapshot
This past week, I participated in a panel on women in theology in Canada at the annual meeting of the Canadian Theological Society. I was asked to speak on the current state of affairs for women in theology in Canada,… Continue reading
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Reflections on “Moonlight”
Moonlight is a film that is filled with grace, but it is not easily translatable into words. Words do not come easily within the film either. There is no breakthrough moment that somehow makes sense of all the pain that… Continue reading
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From the Wells of Disappointment: Listening to Leonard Cohen at the End of the World
It seems fitting that Leonard Cohen—one of the world’s greatest lovers of beauty—slipped away the night before America’s grotesque election. Unfortunately for us, we are left to sort through the rubble with one fewer beautiful dreamer to call upon for… Continue reading
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“They Come to See Me See Them”: The Aesthetic and Moral Vision of Dolly Parton
This week a warm and gentle southern breeze blew like grace through my (already) chilly northern city: the incomparable Dolly Parton came to Winnipeg as part of her “Pure and Simple Tour.” There are so many ways that she exploded… Continue reading