Welcome.
We invite Christians from all denominations into a meaningful exchange - we have a lot to learn from each other as we work together to bring the Good News to our world!
We invite Christians from all denominations into a meaningful exchange - we have a lot to learn from each other as we work together to bring the Good News to our world!
Ready for a deep dive? Check out these published works by our contributors and supporters.
More than Myth? is a collection of essays by Christian scholars who believe it is time to think “out-of-the box” of the polarized debate on the Bible and Evolution. The heated debate between Bible-believing Christians and advocates of Darwinism about Creation and Evolution has been a long and inconclusive one. Neither side can seem to “win the day” because both sides ignore aspects of the truth that God has revealed to us in nature and in Scripture. This book brings together Evangelical and Catholic scientists, philosophers and theologians with a common vision: to propel Christians to begin to think “out-of-the-box” on this subject in a way that does justice to all of God’s truth. The authors explore Progressive Creation and Intelligent Design ideas, digging deeply into the text of Genesis and the latest scientific evidence on the origins of life. The result is a way forward that finally begins to break the impasse, and that harmonizes well with the classical Christian worldview. Is it possible to find a scientifically responsible, biblically faithful, and authentically Christian understanding of Creation and Evolution? This book points the way.
“With erudition and nuance, in More than Myth? a range of scholars apply our best science, philosophy, and biblical study to explore the foundations of unguided evolution and intelligent design. They have begun the bracing intellectual task of recovering knowable purpose in life in this post-Darwinian era.” Michael Behe, Author: Darwin’s Black Box.
The Church’s mission is to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to everyone. As lay disciples of the Savior, our shared mission is to bring the message of His saving life, death and resurrection to all men and women through our words and deeds. Your personal lay vocation is even more focused: God has created you for a unique purpose only you can accomplish for Him!
As you read this book you will discover the intensely interesting history and theology of the lay vocation and how our Church’s reemphasis on the role of the laity in our day is meant to help awaken this “sleeping giant.”
But this is not simply a book of history and theology—it’s about your mission in life and your eternal destiny. Russell Shaw’s insightful work makes a direct connection between the teachings of the Bible, Vatican II, John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis I and your everyday life as a lay follower of Jesus. Here you will learn how to begin discerning your unique personal lay vocation and how to establish, deepen and maintain your friendship with Jesus while you live out your lay vocation in the “real world.”
Russell Shaw is author or co-author of sixteen previous books, including To Hunt, To Shoot, To Entertain: Clericalism and the Catholic Laity (Ignatius Press, 1993), Papal Primacy in the Third Millennium (Our Sunday Visitor, 2000), and, with Germain Grisez, Personal Vocation: God Calls Everyone By Name (Our Sunday Visitor, 2003). Shaw is editor of Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Catholic Doctrine (1997) and a contributing editor of Crisis and Columbia magazines. He was the director of information for the National Conference of Catholic Bishops/United States Catholic Conference from 1969 to 1987 and of the Knights of Columbus from 1987 to 1997. He is a consultor of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications and teaches at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, Rome. He and his wife have five children and nine grandchildren.
A young woman named Krystal goes off to university for the first time, and she is immediately dazzled by all the different philosophies, religions, and world-views on display there. What can she make of it all? So she writes to her Uncle Robert, the only professional philosopher and theologian that she knows, sharing her struggles at university to find the truth about herself, her world—and her God. And he writes back—again and again. These are his letters. Join Krystal on a fascinating tour of the essential wisdom of western civilization, from Boethius, Thomas Aquinas, and Leo Tolstoy to C.S. Lewis, Albert Einstein and John Paul II. Along the way her uncle tackles the New Atheism, the New Age Movement, and other contemporary streams of thought, and he addresses the questions that every mind, young or old, sincerely wants answered: Can we really know anything with confidence? Is there a God who made the universe? What is a human being anyway—do human beings have souls as well as bodies? Is there life after death? Why do innocent people suffer so much? And most of all: what is my heart's desire, and how can I find it? Here is an ideal introduction to western philosophy, and its continuing relevance to the questions we ask today. Discover how reason can still light the way in our search for the truth of who we are—and who we are meant to be.
Dr. Robert Stackpole, STD, holds a Master’s degree in Theology from Oxford University and a Doctorate in Theology from the Angelicum in Rome. He is a leading author and public speaker for the Divine Mercy movement. Dr. Stackpole is Director of the John Paul II Institute of Divine Mercy, and on the faculty of St. Therese Institute of Faith and Mission in Canada. He taught for 10 years at Redeemer Pacific College, the first Catholic College to function as a official Teaching Center of an Evangelical University, (Trinity Western) specializing in Ecumenical Dialogue and in the works of C.S. Lewis. For more titles from Dr. Stackpole, click here for his books from Chartwell Press.
"Fr. Michael Chaberek makes an excellent textual, philosophical, and theological case that the Teaching of St. Thomas Aquinas on human origins is incompatible with macroscopic evolutionary theory, even so-called 'theistic evolution.' A must read for Thomists and non-Thomists alike." David Arias, Ph.D., Professor of Philosophy, Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary
FR. MICHAEL CHABEREK O.P., S.T.D. is a member of the Polish Dominican Province, with a Doctorate in Fundamental Theology from Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw. His academic focus includes science and faith dialogue, theology of creation and the theory of intelligent design. Fr. Chaberek is the author of Catholicism and Evolution (Angelico Press, 2015) and a contributor to More than Myth?: Seeking the Full Truth about Genesis, Creation and Evolution (Chartwell Press, 2014).
The apostle Paul wrote almost two thousand years ago, “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” The Christian message through the ages has never been good advice. Christianity has always been good news about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The resurrection is the root of the Christian faith. Hope is the fruit. Followers of Jesus have often wondered whether our belief in the resurrection can withstand intellectual scrutiny, and choruses of seekers and sceptics have been curious as to how otherwise reasonable friends and family, neighbours and co-workers, can believe that Jesus rose from the grave. In the book, Radical Hope, Chris invites both the believer and the non-believer to investigate compelling historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the hook on which the entire Christian hope hangs. This is a radical hope that matters, a hope that, if true, will satisfy hearts and minds. A hope that promises to change everything.
Chris Price is lead pastor at Calvary Baptist Church in Coquitlam, British Columbia. He is the author of Suffering with God and Radical Hope, both published by Apologetics Canada. He has been a scriptwriter for the Alpha Youth Film Series and is the author of the Alpha Youth Bible Reading plan on the YouVersion Bible app. He co-hosts the Hidden City Podcast and is a regular contributor to various blogs and websites. Chris has a Master's Degree in Christian Studies from ACTS Seminaries of Trinity Western University.
Christian communities tend to identify with one of these labels over the other two. Evangelical churches emphasize the importance of Scripture and preaching. Sacramental churches emphasize the importance of the eucharistic table. And pentecostal churches emphasize the immediate presence and power of the Holy Spirit. But must we choose between them? Could the church be all three?
Drawing on his reading of the New Testament, the witness of Christian history, and years of experience in Christian ministry and leadership, Gordon T. Smith argues that the church not only can be all three, but in fact must be all three in order to truly be the church. As the church navigates the unique global challenges of pluralism, secularism, and fundamentalism, the need for an integrated vision of the community as evangelical, sacramental, and pentecostal becomes ever more pressing. If Jesus and the apostles saw no tension between these characteristics, why should we?
Dr. Gordon T. Smith is the president of Ambrose University and Seminary in Calgary, Alberta, where he also serves as Professor of Systematic and Spiritual Theology. He is also a Teaching Fellow at Regent College in Vancouver, BC. Dr. Smith has published a number of books, including Called to Be Saints: An Invitation to Christian Maturity (IVPress, 2014). He is married to Joella and together they have two adult sons – married and with children of their own.
One of the most basic and vital dimensions of the Christian life is the practice of prayer. Frequently our prayers begin with a petition or request, so the content of our prayers is informed by our circumstances. But what if the opposite were true? What if we allowed our prayers to inform our lives? What would our lives be like if prayer altered our living and began to shape the contours and content of our daily experiences?
Gordon Smith invites us to learn three movements of prayer―thanksgiving, confession, and discernment―in order to be formed and transformed by prayers that seek God's kingdom "on earth as it is in heaven." Whether you are a beginner in the life of prayer or further along, this small book is a resource for deepening your prayer practice.
Dr. Gordon T. Smith is the president of Ambrose University and Seminary in Calgary, Alberta, where he also serves as Professor of Systematic and Spiritual Theology. He is also a Teaching Fellow at Regent College in Vancouver, BC. Dr. Smith has published a number of books, including Called to Be Saints: An Invitation to Christian Maturity (IVPress, 2014). He is married to Joella and together they have two adult sons – married and with children of their own.
Evangelicals are known for their emphasis on conversion. But what about life after conversion and beyond justification? Desperately needed is a comprehensive theology of the Christian life from beginning to end, along with the means of formation and transformation. In Called to Be Saints, Gordon Smith draws on a distinguished lifetime of reflecting on these themes to offer us a theologically rich account of our participation in the life of Christ.
Both profound and practical, this book is a trinitarian theology of holiness that encompasses both justification and sanctification, both union with Christ and communion with God. Smith unfolds how and why Christians are called to become wise people, do good work, love others and enjoy rightly ordered affections.
If holiness is the ongoing journey of becoming mature in Christ, then there is no better guide than Smith. Christians in every walk of life will find this a rich resource for learning what it means to "grow up in every way . . . into Christ" (Ephesians 4:15).
Dr. Gordon T. Smith is the president of Ambrose University and Seminary in Calgary, Alberta, where he also serves as Professor of Systematic and Spiritual Theology. He is also a Teaching Fellow at Regent College in Vancouver, BC. Dr. Smith has published a number of books, including Called to Be Saints: An Invitation to Christian Maturity (IVPress, 2014). He is married to Joella and together they have two adult sons – married and with children of their own.
"This is my body," said Jesus at the Last Supper. What did he mean? Throughout church history, there have been various interpretations of his words. These differences have caused denominational ruptures that have yet to heal.
In A Holy Meal, Gordon T. Smith shows that we cannot appreciate the Lord's Supper until we understand it. In light of the renewed attention given to the sacraments by all branches of the church, he examines the historic interpretations and seeks common ground among believers. In the process, he shows how the Lord's Supper can infuse new meaning into the church as it confronts the forces of postmodernism and secularism.
A Holy Meal is essential reading for Christians who want to ponder the Lord's Supper again--perhaps truly for the first time.
Dr. Gordon T. Smith is the president of Ambrose University and Seminary in Calgary, Alberta, where he also serves as Professor of Systematic and Spiritual Theology. He is also a Teaching Fellow at Regent College in Vancouver, BC. Dr. Smith has published a number of books, including Called to Be Saints: An Invitation to Christian Maturity (IVPress, 2014). He is married to Joella and together they have two adult sons – married and with children of their own.
"My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me."
Jesus takes it for granted that you will hear his voice. But how do you hear it?
How do you separate it out from the cacophony of other voices you hear everyday, including those of your own desires? Is your experience of Jesus' voice something purely subjective, or is it something you can talk about with others and have them confirm?
Building on the rich spiritual tradition that spans the diversity of history and theology from Ignatius Loyola to John Wesley to Jonathan Edwards, Gordon T. Smith helps open your ears and heart to the depths of the inner witness of the Spirit. By learning to attend to the Spirit, Smith urges, you will learn to hear and heed the voice of Jesus in everyday life.
Written with warmth and wisdom, this book speaks to the mind and heart of every Christian who longs for a closer, more intimate walk with Jesus.
Dr. Gordon T. Smith is the president of Ambrose University and Seminary in Calgary, Alberta, where he also serves as Professor of Systematic and Spiritual Theology. He is also a Teaching Fellow at Regent College in Vancouver, BC. Dr. Smith has published a number of books, including Called to Be Saints: An Invitation to Christian Maturity (IVPress, 2014). He is married to Joella and together they have two adult sons – married and with children of their own.
What on earth is God doing?
Who are you?
What is your stage of life?
What are your circumstances?
What is the cross you will have to bear?
What are you afraid of?
We ask these six critical questions―and then we ask them again―at points of transition in our lives. They all lead us to the one core question: What is the good work to which I am called?
Gordon T. Smith, author of Courage and Calling, writes: "It is a good question because our work matters to us, to others and, of course, it matters to God. Work itself is good. It is vital to our human identity; and we are most ourselves, most who God calls us to be, living in what it means to know the salvation of God, when we know the grace of work well done."
However, Smith acknowledges that this is not a simple question to answer in the midst of our very complicated lives. That's why he has written this brief and accessible book―to offer the support and insight we need as we ponder these six core questions in community with God and others.
As a steward of your life, in attentiveness to the calling of God, how is God inviting you to engage the world?
Dr. Gordon T. Smith is the president of Ambrose University and Seminary in Calgary, Alberta, where he also serves as Professor of Systematic and Spiritual Theology. He is also a Teaching Fellow at Regent College in Vancouver, BC. Dr. Smith has published a number of books, including Called to Be Saints: An Invitation to Christian Maturity (IVPress, 2014). He is married to Joella and together they have two adult sons – married and with children of their own.
