True North Theology: Recent Episodes
New Leaf Podcast Network
True North Theology is a podcast about Canadian theology. It features stories by Canadians about Canadians. In our first season, your host Ryan Turnbull will take you on a crash course through the tradition of Canadian political theology.
Ryan has interviewed theologians, ministry practitioners, historians, political scientists, and more to help provide an introduction to some of the conversations that Canadian Christians have been having about faith and public life in Canada throughout our history. Every week, you will be introduced to a different figure or movement in Canadian political theology and provided recommendations on some further reading that you can explore if a particular topic interests you. We are really looking forward to learning with you all as we dig into the lives and stories of so many interesting Canadians.
Building off last week’s episode on decolonial feminism, this week we speak with Anishnaabe author, Patty Krawec about her forthcoming book, Becoming Kin: An Indigenous Call to Unforgetting the Past and Reimagining Our Future. Krawec challenges settler Christians to start “unforgetting” the parts of our history that we have historically ignored and to take up our responsibilities as kin as we seek to imagine a future for the Canadian Church that honours all our relations.
Patty Krawec is an Anishnaabe-Ukranian writer and speaker addressing anti-racist and decolonial possibilities in labour, education, and faith-based organizations. Patty has been published in Sojourners Magazine as well as the online publications Rampant and Midnight Sun. Her book, Becoming Kin: An Indigenous Call to Unforgetting the Past and Reimagining Our Future releases on September 27, 2022. It is now available for pre-order. Current projects include the popular Medicine for the Resistance podcast. Ambe: A Year of Indigenous Reading that featured panel discussions that streamed to twitch.tv where viewers participate in the chatroom. Read more on her substack pattykrawec.substack.com where she writes essays reflecting on the books she is reading and how they can help us see the world and our place in it differently.
Further Reading and Resources:
Bradford, Tolly, and Chelsea Horton, eds. Mixed Blessings: Indigenous Encounters with Christianity in Canada. Vancouver ; Toronto: UBC Press, 2016.
Coulthard, Glen Sean. Red Skin, White Masks: Rejecting the Colonial Politics of Recognition. Univ Of Minnesota Press, 2014.
Deloria, Vine. God Is Red. 30th Anniversary Edition. Golden, Colo: Fulcrum Publishing, 2003.
TRC Calls to Action
Krawec, Patty. Becoming Kin: An Indigenous Call to Unforgetting the Past and Reimagining Our Future. S.l.: Broadleaf Books, 2022.
Krawec, Patty. “Christians Romanticize Wandering Yet Rendered My People Homeless.” Sojourners, February 25, 2020.
Much of this series has been historically oriented, but this week’s episode features a conversation with Denise Nadeau, to unpack some of the various critiques of the dominant ideologies that have animated Canadian life. We introduce listeners to decolonial and feminist critiques and hear how these critiques can animate concrete practices of resistance in the world today.
Dr. Denise Nadeau is an educator, scholar, and activist working at the intersection of somatic therapy, spiritual practice, decolonization, and racial justice. Currently she is an Affiliate Assistant Professor in the Concordia Religions and Cultures Department.
Further Reading and Resources:
Beavis, Mary Ann, With Elaine Guilleman, and Barbara Pell, eds. Feminist Theology with a Canadian Accent: Canadian Perspectives on Contextual Feminist Theology. Montréal: Novalis, 2008.
Kwok, Pui-Ian, ed. Hope Abundant: Third World and Indigenous Women’s Theology. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2010.
Nadeau, Denise M. Unsettling Spirit: A Journey into Decolonization. Montreal ; Kingston ; London ; Chicago: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2020.
This week’s episode takes a critical look at Jean Vanier’s complicated legacy. On the one hand, Vanier’s work with L’Arche was transformative for how people with disabilities are seen and cared for around the world. However, on the other hand, we found out after his passing that he was complicit in sexual abuse and the coverup of abuse by his mentor. My friend Daniel Rempel joins me for a conversation about how to navigate learning from a compromised figure like Vanier.
Daniel Rempel is a PhD Candidate at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. He works in the area of Disability theology and Karl Barth.
Further Reading and Resources:
Brock, Brian, and John Swinton, eds. Disability in the Christian Tradition: A Reader. Grand Rapids, Mich: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2012.
Rempel, Daniel. “Intellectual Disability, Community, and the Other.” The Journal of the Christian Institute on Disability 8.2 (Fall/Winter 2019).
Krahn, Sarah. “A Theo-Politics of Coercion – The Heresies of Jean Vanier” Rupert’s Land News, May 4, 2020.
Vanier, Jean. Becoming Human. UK ed. edition. London: Darton,Longman & Todd Ltd, 1999.
Summary Report on Vanier’s Abuse from L’Arche.
L’Arche International: https://www.larche.org/welcome
Dean Detloff has a PhD from the Institute for Christian Studies and is the Central Ontario Animator with Development and Peace. He also cohosts “The Magnificast,” a podcast about Christianity and leftist politics.
Further Reading and Resources:
Development and Peace Website: https://www.devp.org/en/
Magnificast Podcast: https://themagnificast.com/
Baum, Gregory. Progress and Perspectives: The Catholic Quest for Christian Unity. First Edition. Sheed and Ward, 1962.
Pope Francis. Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home. Vatican, 2015.
Zoe Matties is the Manitoba Program Manager with A Rocha Canada
Further Reading and Resources:
A Rocha website: https://arocha.ca/where-we-work/manitoba/
Bunnett Wiebe, Marta, ed. Germinating Conversations: Stories from a Sustained Rural-Urban Dialogue on Food, Faith, Farming, and the Land. Winnipeg, MB: CMU Press, 2021.
The Hon. Bill Blaikie served as Member of Parliament from 1979-2008 where he served as Deputy Speaker and member of the Privy Council. He was also MLA in the Manitoba Legislature from 2009-2011. Blaikie is also an ordained minister in the United Church of Canada.
Further Reading
Allen, Richard. The Social Passion: Religion and Social Reform in Canada, 1914-1928. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1990.
Blaikie, Bill. The Blaikie Report: An Insider’s Look at Faith And Politics. Toronto: United Church Publishing House, 2011.
Dr. James Robertson is Assistant Professor of Christian History at Tyndale University with a particular research emphasis on Canadian Church history. Dr. Patrick Franklin is Associate Professor of Theology at Tyndale University.
Further Reading
Egerton, George. “Trudeau, God, and the Canadian Constitution: Religion, Human Rights, and Government Authority in the Making of the 1982 Constitution.” In Rethinking Church, State, and Modernity: Canada Between Europe and America, edited by David Lyon and Marguerite Van Die. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2000.
Robertson, James. Overlooked: The Forgotten Origin Stories of Canadian Christianity, New Leaf Press, April 2022.
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For more discussion around Dr. Robertson’s new book, Overlooked, join the Learning Centre starting April 21st for the Overlooked Book Club series
CanadaOverlooked.ca
In response to the dire economic circumstances of the Maritimes in the early 20th century, Roman Catholics centered at St. Francis Xavier University in the diocese of Antigonish started a movement of mass adult education that led to one of the most successful economic development movements in the world. Celebrated by the Vatican and by partners around the world, the “Antigonish Movement” is a truly remarkable story of the work of Canadian Christians working to empower people to become “masters of their own destiny”. This week on the podcast, Dr. Peter Ludlow takes us through some of the key moments and figures in this movement and challenges the church today to find its own “Antigonish movement” to throw its energy behind.
Peter Ludlow has a PhD from Queen’s University Belfast. An adjunct professor of Catholic Studies at St. Francis Xavier University, he is the editor of Historical Studies, the peer-reviewed journal of the Canadian Catholic Historical Association. His latest book, Disciples of Antigonish: Catholics in Nova Scotia, 1880-1960 will be released shortly by McGill-Queen’s University Press.
Further Reading
Coady, M.M. Masters of Their Own Destiny. New York: Harper &Row Publishers, 1939.
Ludlow, Peter. The Canny Scot: Archbishop James Morrison of Antigonish. McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2015.
Ludlow, Peter. Disciples of Antigonish: Catholics in Nova Scotia, 1880-1960. Montreal, QC: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2022.
Also, check out the Coady Institute: https://coady.stfx.ca/
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For more information about the upcoming Political Theology series in the New Leaf Learning Centre (March 18 - April 8, 2022) visit: newleafnetwork.ca/events/canadianpoliticaltheology
When we use the word Tory today, it’s often short-hand for somebody who is in the Conservative Party of Canada, but the Red Tories were a loosely defined group of Conservatives from an earlier era of Canadian history that had a Christian inflected vision of the role of politics that differs somewhat from what we may be accustomed to from our Conservative politicians today. This week, Ryan sits down with the Rev. Dr. David Widdicombe to unpack the tradition of Red Toryism with special attention to its Anglican pedigree.
David Widdicombe has a PhD from the University of Oxford and was the long-time rector of St. Margaret’s Anglican Church in Winnipeg, MB.
Further Reading
Grant, George. Lament for a Nation: The Defeat of Canadian Nationalism, 40th Anniversary Edition. Montréal: Mcgill-Queens University Press, 2005.
Horowitz, G. “Conservatism, Liberalism, and Socialism in Canada: An Interpretation.” The Canadian Journal of Economics and Political Science / Revue Canadienne d’Economique et de Science Politique 32, no. 2 (1966): 143–71.
Leacock, Stephen. The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice. Nabu Press, 2010.
Segal, Hugh. Two Freedoms: Canada’s Global Future. Toronto: A J. Patrick Boyer Book, 2016.
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For more information about the upcoming Political Theology series in the New Leaf Learning Centre (March 18 - April 8, 2022) visit: newleafnetwork.ca/events/canadianpoliticaltheology
Today’s episode features a conversation with Dr. Allen Mills about the theo-political vision of former Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau. We explore the ways which, what Dr. Mills calls the ‘3 Ps’ of this vision - personalism, pluralism, and pragmatism - shaped the political career of one of the most compelling figures in all of Canadian political history.
Dr. Mills is a retired Senior Scholar in Political Science from the University of Winnipeg.
Further Reading
Cook, Anna. “Recognizing Settler Ignorance in the Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Commission.” Feminist Philosophy Quarterly 4, no. 4 (December 17, 2018).
English, John. Citizen of the World: The Life of Pierre Elliott Trudeau Volume One: 1919-1968. Toronto, ON: Vintage Canada, 2009.
Mills, Allen. Citizen Trudeau, 1944-1965: An Intellectual Biography. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016.
Yellowhead Institute. “Land Back” https://redpaper.yellowheadinstitute.org/
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For more information about the upcoming Political Theology series in the New Leaf Learning Centre (March 18 - April 8, 2022) visit: newleafnetwork.ca/events/canadianpoliticaltheology
This week’s conversation features the work of Dr. David Wilson, a historian and biographer of Thomas D’Arcy McGee, one of Canada’s Father’s of Confederation. Ryan and Dr. Wilson discuss the life of McGee and his surprising contributions to a religiously tolerant Canada. Ironically, it was precisely the strong Catholic convictions of McGee that convinced him to work for a world where all religious minorities are protected and respected.
Dr. Wilson is Professor of History in the Celtic Studies department at the University of Toronto.
Further Reading
Wilson, David A. Thomas D’Arcy McGee: Passion, Reason, and Politics, 1825-1857. McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2008.
Wilson, David A. Thomas D’Arcy McGee: The Extreme Moderate, 1857-1868. McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2011.
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For more information about the upcoming Political Theology series in the New Leaf Learning Centre (March 18 - April 8, 2022) visit: newleafnetwork.ca/events/canadianpoliticaltheology
This week’s episode dives into the topic of Human Rights. Dr. Curle shares the story of how the UN Declaration on Human Rights came to be, featuring the contributions of folks from all over the world including the Canadian John Humphrey. Dr. Curle outlines a bunch of ways Christians can think and work with the human rights tradition and continue to contribute to a world where human rights are recognized and respected.
Clint Curle has a PhD from Carleton University and is currently Vice-President, Exhibitions, Curation & Partnerships at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights
Further Reading
Curle, Clinton. Humanite: John Humphry’s Alternative. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2007.
Thompson, Andrew S. On the Side of the Angels: Canada and the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, Vancouver, BC: UBC Press, 2017.
United Nations. “Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” United Nations. United Nations. Accessed November 27, 2021. https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights.
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For more information about the upcoming Political Theology series in the New Leaf Learning Centre (March 18 - April 8, 2022) visit: newleafnetwork.ca/events/canadianpoliticaltheology
This week’s episode looks at how the Protestant Churches in Canada moved from an assimilationist policy toward Indigenous peoples to a posture of reconciliation. Dr. Beninger introduces some of the people and movements that helped effect this change.
Dr. Carling Beninger currently teaches History at Douglas College in British Columbia.
Further Reading:
Bradford, Tolly, and Chelsea Horton, eds. Mixed blessings: Indigenous encounters with Christianity in Canada. Vancouver, UBC Press, 2016.
Stanley McKay and Janet Silman, “A First Nations Movement in a Canadian Church,” in The Reconciliation of Peoples: Challenge to the Churches, edited by Gregory Baum and Harold Wells (Eugene, Oregon: Wipf & Stock Publishers, 1997), 172.
Bush, Peter. “The Presbyterian Church in Canada’s Mission to Canada’s Native Peoples, 1900-2000.” International Bulletin of Missionary Research 36:3 (2012): 115-120.
Trott, Christopher G. “‘I Suggest that you Pursue Conversion’: Aboriginal Peoples and the Anglican Church of Canada after the Second World War.” In Seeds Scattered and Sown: Studies in the History of Canadian Anglicanism. Edited by Norman Knowles. Canada: Anglican Book Centre Publishing, 2008.
Beninger, Carling. “Anglican Church of Canada: Indigenous Policies, 1946-2011.” MA Thesis, Trent University, 2011.
Beninger, Carling. “The Primacy of Justice: Ted Scott, Social Justice, and the Anglican Church of Canada.” The Ecumenist 53.2 (Spring 2016): 8-13.
Woods, Eric Taylor. A cultural sociology of Anglican mission and the Indian residential schools in Canada: The long road to apology. Springer, 2016.
On this week’s episode, Ryan and Jon introduce the theme of this season of True North Theology - Canadian Political Theology. They discuss some various approaches to political theology and ask what, if anything, is distinctive about Canadian approaches to this tradition.
Dr. Jon Coutts is an Assistant Professor of Christian Theology at Ambrose University and an ordained pastor in the Christian & Missionary Alliance.
Further Reading
Coutts, Jon. “The Prince of Peace Smokes a Peace Pipe.” In Theology and the Political: Theo-Political Reflections on Contemporary Politics in Ecumenical Conversation, 185–99. Brill, 2020.
Smillie, Benjamin G., ed. Political Theology in the Canadian Context. Waterloo, ON, Canada: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 1982.
Schmitt, Carl. Political Theology: Four Chapters on the Concept of Sovereignty. Edited by George Schwab. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2006.