All That Fits

One of the two questions I’m most often asked at social gatherings when I tell people what I do, is what kind of stories do we publish in the Record.

I tell them, Everything: from politics to social issues and cultural criticism — book and movie reviews — to disaster relief and community development overseas to, well, even the occasional sports-related story.

And, of course, the standard repertoire of theology, spirituality and the health of the church, from local congregations to national and international church structures.

And your letters. And your People and Places submissions. And artwork and photographs and, well, there’s not much we don’t publish. We even publish stories on where you can invest your money, if you think about it: the variety of opportunities in supporting church and church-related charities, for instance.

The second question I’m usually asked is what I think is the future of religion publishing in Canada. That’s much more difficult. And I wish I knew the answer. What I do know is that there is certainly still an interest in questions about religion, and there is certainly a role for religion in the political life — some call it the public square — of our country.

This was never so evident as the weekend before I wrote this editorial.

The Globe and Mail launched a series about the face of religion in Canada. The paper flanked its coverage with commentary from panelists of different faiths from across the country.

Three things struck me from the initial stories. First, a religion sociologist in Waterloo said the three things that attract people to church these days are “availability of parking, quality of preaching and children’s programs, in that order.”

There’s enough there to dissect and discuss that it would fill a whole year’s worth of the magazine and then some. So we’ll spread it out. But discuss it we will.

Secondly, one of the stories noted how immigrants are changing established denominations. The story observed that immigrants of most faiths are more conservative socially and theologically than Canadian-born practitioners, and noted the conservative influence of some of these groups in the Presbyterian Church.

Thirdly — and perhaps most concerning — is the continued increase in the declining relevance of religion to people under 60. Even among those over 60, a bare majority think of Christmas as primarily a religious holiday as opposed to a social one. (It was a dodgy question, but still.)

There are scores of stories here to be explored and the Record already has many lined up on these subjects. So I urge you not only to read the magazine but to share the stories with your friends and to engage with the writers.

Write us! Letters to the editor or comments at the end of stories online are a way in which you can participate in the discussion of these and other issues facing the church and society.

And to be sure, there is a need for the voice of religion in public discourse.

The parallel rise of secularism and fundamentalism in North America has tended to diminish the voice of reasoned faith in matters where religion has much to offer.

This is particularly so in the field of ethics, especially in medicine.

I have read several stories over the past year about questionable medical practices that Christian ethicists might have something helpful to add to the debate. So the Record will be bringing you some stories about contemporary ethical issues that we hope will engage you and society at large.

We already have an exciting year lined up and we look forward to you accompanying us on the journey.

The new year is always a good time to introduce changes and the Record is very happy to be presenting the magazine in a higher quality paper than we’ve been able to use before.

We hope that you find it a bit easier to read. It’s brighter but has a low gloss finish that minimizes glare. Like the newsprint we’ve been using for the past couple of years, it’s also ecologically friendly, with more than 90 per cent of its content made from reclaimed fibre.

Please let us know what you think. And have a very Happy New Year!