John Longhurst, C.M.

29 Canadian Christian leaders send letter to Prime Minister calling on Canada to define national security wider than just expanding the military, to also include peacebuilding. peacetraincanada.blogspot.com/2026/10/29-c...

For decades, peacekeeping has helped define Canada. Today, there are only about 60 Canadians serving as peacekeepers, and the federal government is reducing the number of missions where they serve. On Sept. 16, experts convened to discuss this shift. peacetraincanada.blogspot.com/2026/09/a-mi...

Have you had some Catholic coffee recently? What about Calvinist coffee? (It chooses you.) Ever thought about coffee and religion? www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-lif...

Charities and non-profits,already facing recruiting and retaining staff due to low wages, must be included in discussions about the impact of the trade war on Canadian communities. By @jdl56.bsky.social via @cdnaffairs.bsky.social www.canadianaffairs.news/2026/09/18/t...

onfaithcanada.blogspot.com/2026/08/we-a...

“Vanishing Gods” … a return to Bibby’s theses in the 1980s & 1990s that I agreed much more with than the 2000s 🤔. Looking forward to the read from this leading & influential #sociologist of #religion in #Canada who has become a good colleague & friend.

Vanishing Gods: A conversation with Reginald Bibby about the changing Canadian religious landscape. onfaithcanada.blogspot.com/2026/08/vani...

Originally scheduled for the U.S. until organizers decided it was unsafe to hold it there at this time, the World Humanist Congress is taking place Aug. 7-9 in Ottawa under the theme "Humanism as Resistance." onfaithcanada.blogspot.com/2026/07/huma...

”I think of western skies as one of the most beautiful things about the West and western horizons. The Westerner doesn't have a point of view. He has a vast panorama, he has such tremendous space around him . . . he has a total field of vision." Marshall McLuhan in a 1970 CBC interview.

Here's a great conversation between John Longhurst @jdl56.bsky.social & Amisah Bakuri of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam on the @newbooksnetwork.bsky.social, discussing John's CMU Press book "Can Robots Love God and Be Saved? A Journalist Reports on Faith." Enjoy! newbooksnetwork.com/can-robots-l...

open.substack.com/pub/jdl56/p/...

New review of @jdl56.bsky.social John Longhurst's CAN ROBOTS LOVE GOD AND BE SAVED in READING RELIGION: "serves as an effective starting point for conversations about faith. . . encourages readers to seek their own answers." readingreligion.org/9781987986198/can-robots-love-god-and-be-saved/

The long shadow of long COVID. Years after infection, thousands — possibly millions — of Canadians remain unable to return to the lives they once knew, by Meagan Gillmore www.canadianaffairs.news/2026/05/29/t... via @cdnaffairs.bsky.social

Seniors and students grow vegetables and friendships using hydroponics at faith-based personal care home. onfaithcanada.blogspot.com/2026/05/seni...

"There’s a priest on the front page—and he’s not even in trouble!" A brief history of Religion in the News at the @winnipegfreepress.com makingthenewscanada.blogspot.com/2026/05/ther...

Why are Canadian evangelicals and Roman Catholics so critical of the removal of the "good faith" defence from Bill C-9, the Combatting Hate Act? I decided to ask both groups that question. onfaithcanada.blogspot.com/2026/05/why-...

Seven years after I started the religion beat at the @winnipegfreepress.com, it’s time to move on. Great to have @broadviewmedia.bsky.social as a partner!

Peaceful evening.

Religious revival among young people in Canada? Latest media piece by reputable reporter @jdl56.bsky.social at @winnipegfreepress.com, featuring several scholars who study #religion in #Canada, including yours truly. www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-lif...

United Church moderator shares her vision for a smaller denomination: Being small doesn’t mean being insignificant. onfaithcanada.blogspot.com/2026/04/unit...

Canada has committed to spending five per cent of GDP on defence and security by 2035. Is that a good or bad thing? And what about peacekeeping? Those are questions being asked by some Canadian peace group leaders. whocaresaboutforeignaid.blogspot.com/2026/03/secu...

Canada has committed to spending five per cent of GDP on defence and security by 2035. Is that a good or bad thing? And if it’s a good thing, is five per cent the right number? And what about peacekeeping? Those are questions being asked by some Canadian peace group leaders. tinyurl.com/ya86xwsa

A recent poll found that 30% of Americans support Christian nationalism. That figure is 42% in North Dakota, the state south of where I live. How deeply do people in that state feel about it? What do opponents say? I decided to find out. onfaithcanada.blogspot.com/2026/03/we-a...

Freedom, family and faith: How religion is being used by some Albertans to justify separation from Canada. onfaithcanada.blogspot.com/2026/03/free...

Feels wrong to shill my own book, but . . .

Ramadan began last week. While it is for Muslims, Christians can use it to learn more about Islam. That’s the view of Anna Piela and Michael Woolf in their new book, Confronting Islamophobia in the Church: Liturgical Tools for Justice. tinyurl.com/my3atrhj

“Having development support our trade is key. We are trying to focus on where there are trade opportunities.” That’s the message from Randeep Sarai, Secretary of State for International Development. whocaresaboutforeignaid.blogspot.com/2026/02/havi...

The winter Olympics are just about half-way over. It's a good time to explore the role religion played in the creation of the ancient Olympics, how religion caused those ancient games to come to an end, and how religion influenced the modern revival. onfaithcanada.blogspot.com/2026/02/the-...

Are You Dead? The app is designed for people in that country who live alone, and who don’t have anyone to check on them regularly. With so many living alone in Canada, it might be useful here. Or maybe we already have an app for that: Places of worship. onfaithcanada.blogspot.com/2026/02/are-...

The news cycle is nuts. Who can keep up? No sooner is there one major story than it is replaced by another—and so on. Soon, we don’t remember the item that made us angry or upset. Like when Israel suspended aid groups from working in Gaza. whocaresaboutforeignaid.blogspot.com/2026/01/cana...

What are some American church leaders saying about the current situation in that country? onfaithcanada.blogspot.com/2026/01/get-...

Amidst all the unpeace today, peaceful scenes from Bunn’s Creek In Manitoba.

News about the Canadian government and religion (the kind that doesn't fit the anti-religion narrative). About how StatsCan is moving up the date to ask about religious affiliation and Public Health reaching out to faith groups about measles. onfaithcanada.blogspot.com/2025/12/news...

Christian, Muslim and Jewish organizations are responding to a proposal to eliminate a religious exemption to Canada’s federal hate crimes legislation. www.canadianaffairs.news/2025/12/09/f...

When Dan & Emily Coyne attend Sunday services at their church in Evanston, Il, they bring their Bibles and whistles. The Bibles are so they can follow along with sermons. The whistles are so they can warn their neighbors if ICE agents are in the area. onfaithcanada.blogspot.com/2025/12/fait...

It’s called the House of the Risen Son, but everyone in Winnipeg calls it the “Biker Church.” According to one member, "It’s for people who don’t fit into a normal Sunday morning scene." onfaithcanada.blogspot.com/2025/11/bike...

As Canada's Global Affairs ponders the future of international assistance during a time of shrinking budgets, Nicolas Moyer, CEO of Cuso International, has some thoughts about how it can do better. whocaresaboutforeignaid.blogspot.com/2025/11/a-fr...

Serving Soup with dignity on the side: People with disabilities find meaningful employment through the Raw Carrot. “It’s great to get out, have work and be productive,” said Kieran Schellenberg, adding that having a job also aids with self-esteem. onfaithcanada.blogspot.com/2025/11/serv...

60 years ago, Pierre Berton’s book The Comfortable Pew was published. It received widespread media attention. That would be hard to imagine today--except at the Winnipeg Free Press, the only media outlet in Canada with a dedicated faith beat. onfaithcanada.blogspot.com/2025/11/the-...

Canadian aid groups are expressing concern with the federal government’s decision to cut the country’s foreign aid budget. But they also note that aid can support Canada’s overall trade and investment strategy. whocaresaboutforeignaid.blogspot.com/2025/11/cana... @cdnaffairs.bsky.social

I decided to wait a day to post some northern lights pictures.

“Budgets are moral documents.” That quote is attributed to Martin Luther King Jr. King never said that exact phrase. But it is in keeping with his general philosophy that how governments choose to spend money reveals their moral character. onfaithcanada.blogspot.com/2025/11/if-g...

Canadian churches and religious groups can relax. The federal government is not going to take away their ability to issue tax receipts for donations. Not that it ever was. But, you know, misinformation is so much more fun to share. onfaithcanada.blogspot.com/2025/11/ever...

During his career as foreign correspondent, Brian Stewart kept bumping into religion. He writes about that in his new book, and speaks about it in my interview with him for the @winnipegfreepress.com onfaithcanada.blogspot.com/2025/10/on-g...

When psychologist Hillary McBride encountered clients from religious backgrounds who had been hurt by their churches, she found their challenges didn’t fit into standard psychological categories. So she wrote a book about it, called Holy Hurt. onfaithcanada.blogspot.com/2025/10/holy...

In a polarized world, where many may feel lonely and isolated, Paul Jenkinson has a message: “You are not alone. I will listen.” That’s what it says on a sign the retired social worker plunks down in public spaces during his cross-country listening tour. onfaithcanada.blogspot.com/2025/10/you-...

Uncertain times. But sunsets.

If you want to understand what's happening in the U.S. today, you need to know about the Seven Mountains Mandate, the belief by some evangelicals that Christians should dominate the seven pillars of society, including the government. onfaithcanada.blogspot.com/2025/09/if-y...

What does it mean to be a Canadian Muslim? That is the question being asked by Imam Sikander Hashmi, the new executive director of the Canadian Council of Imams. “It’s a work in progress,” he said. onfaithcanada.blogspot.com/2025/09/new-...