Issues, ethics, memory
By Dennis Gruending A year ago I wrote stories about the Conservative government's ham-handed bullying of the Canadian ecumenical social justice group KAIROS. The story is now in the news again in a way that would be comic if it were not so nasty. It provides yet another glimpse into the ideologically driven spitefulness of... Continue Reading →
By Dennis Gruending The much-anticipated Munk Centre debate in Toronto between former Prime Minister Tony Blair and writer Christopher Hitchens has come and gone. A sell out crowd of about 2600 people paid up to $500 each to sit in plush seats at Roy Thomson Hall and hear the two debate whether religion is a... Continue Reading →
By Dennis Gruending Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair is set to debate acerbic writer Christopher Hitchens at the Munk Centre at the University of Toronto on whether religion is a force for good or evil. Blair, of course, is the former three-term Labour prime minister who stunned most everyone by converting to Roman Catholicism... Continue Reading →
By Dennis Gruending [This brief piece was published in the November 22 edition of The Hill Times newspaper in Ottawa. The paper asked a number of us to choose a political book that we liked in 2010]. Journalism is commonly called history on the run. Often it is filled with events but no one really... Continue Reading →
By Dennis Gruending Is anyone really surprised that, after years of solemnly promising Canadian troops would be pulled out of Afghanistan in 2011, Prime Minister Stephen Harper has abruptly shifted course and is now saying Canada will stay an extra three years until 2014? It's a cynical measure that puts me in mind of Lies... Continue Reading →
By Dennis Gruending The American sociologist and professor of religious studies, Mark Juergensmeyer is known and respected for his investigations into global religion. His latest contribution is a book called Global Rebellion: Religious Challenges to the Secular State, from Christian Militias to al Queda. Juergensmeyer believes that the contemporary world is experiencing what he calls... Continue Reading →
By Dennis Gruending My Pulpit and Politics blog placed second in the Politics category of the 2010 Canadian Blog Awards. Winners are based entirely on the number of votes they receive from readers, so thanks to everyone who took the time to cast a ballot. You can find the list of winners in all categories... Continue Reading →
My Pulpit and Politics blog remains in the running for a 2010 Canadian Blog Award in the Politics category. All ballots in this second and final round of voting must be cast by 12 Noon on Tuesday, October 26th. If you enjoy reading Pulpit and Politics I would ask you to please vote for it.... Continue Reading →
The competition for Canadian Blog Awards is on for 2010 and Pulpit and Politics is one of 16 blogs to be nominated in the Politics category. This is a good-natured affair and there is no monetary prize -- just some recognition among other bloggers and an opportunity to introduce readers to a growing number of... Continue Reading →
By Dennis Gruending I return to Saskatchewan every summer to visit friends and relatives and usually I drop in at St. Peter's Abbey near Humboldt. I attended boarding school there in the 1960s and I retain a respect and fondness for the Benedictine monks. I spent several hours on my 2008 visit with Father Andrew... Continue Reading →
Pulpit and Politics 