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“Surprise Theme!”: Canadian Christian Congregational Research
As I analyzed the interview transcripts, I soon realized that an unexpected theme was emerging. Most of the data collected fit nicely into the nodes that I had pre-determined by the semi-structured interview questions and the overall framework of the research project. However, something I wasn’t asking about repeatedly came up throughout the interviews. A surprise theme! The aim of the Divine Pulse Research Project is to “take the pulse” of the Canadian church. While other researchers look at church decline and new congregations, my calling is to explore “greatness” in Canadian Christian congregations. This is a qualitative research study exploring church growth through the lens of Jim Collins’ “Good to Great”…
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Spiritual Midwives from Christian History: Lilias Trotter and Simone Weil
The Spiritual Midwife Metaphor After experiencing the typical hospital birth that included multiple nurses too busy to be present and a hasty doctor, a midwife assisted birth was a completely different experience for me. Midwife Anita Damsma-Young guided me through the growing of a human being—from an egg and a sperm to a 10-pound 4-oz baby boy who splashed into our Canadian Tire blow-up swimming pool in the comfort of our living room one early April morning. I remember her respect for the female body, her consistent reassurance, and her wise suggestion of various positions that successfully turned him from his late onset breech position. Instead of an anxious pregnancy,…
