Features
Feature
By Observer Staff July 2009
Feature
By Observer Staff July 2009
Feature
There was a time when people relied on their ministers to help them through adversity. Nowadays, they’re calling upon a life coach.
By Jennifer McPhee July 2009
Feature
Mounting dangers are forcing humanitarian workers to rethink the way they deliver relief
By Kevin Spurgaitis July 2009
Feature
How that patch of earth outside your church can be part of a more equitable food system
By Katrina Simmons June 2009
Feature
The 500th anniversary of the theologian's birth is a good time to set the record straight
By Peter Wyatt June 2009
Feature
Spirituality is on the rise, yet religion is on the wane. Are we living in a paradox, or in the midst of seismic cultural change?
By Trisha Elliott June 2009
Feature
They hadn’t seen each other since he was a student at a residential school in Manitoba and she was a teacher. A chance reunion started a remarkable journey of healing.
By Richard Wright May 2009
Feature
Art can take us into the realm of the infinite. Poet and singer Leonard Cohen is just one Canadian artist opening the way.
By Cindy Bisaillon May 2009
Feature
Faith-based tourism is becoming an industry unto itself. Some of the travel options are downright kooky, while others have the potential to bring a fractious world closer together.
By Lee Simpson May 2009
Feature
Our economy was sick before the recession took hold. The crisis presents a chance to imagine a healthier and more sustainable future.
By Larry Krotz May 2009
Feature
How to share your life-changing travel tales without boring your listeners
By Karen Stiller April 2009
Feature
Tens of thousands of people are living testimony to the benefits of harvesting vital organs from the dead. Yet the ethics of organ donation are surprisingly complex.
By Richard Wright April 2009
Feature
In his last week, Jesus rode into Jerusalem amid waving palms while Caesar’s army approached from the other direction. A clash of values was inevitable and still resounds today.
By Rt. Rev. David Giuliano April 2009
Feature
Central America’s biggest city is home to some of the region’s poorest people.
But a church-supported project is offering hope to children living in appalling squalor.
By Kevin Spurgaitis March 2009
Feature
Does Christianity need churches?
By Orville James March 2009
Feature
Retracing the apostle’s ancient journeys illuminates timeless spiritual truths
By Cindy Bisaillon March 2009
Feature
Six writers describe what they would do today if they knew they had run out of tomorrows
By Various Writers March 2009
Feature
With Zimbabwe lurching toward famine, the United Church responds with its biggest food-aid partnership ever
By Gary Kenny March 2009
Feature
Organized atheism is on the rise and growing more vocal. Can believers and non-believers co-exist respectfully?
By Jocelyn Bell February 2009
Feature
Flowers are nice, but it’s emotional presence that makes couples’ hearts grow fonder
By Karen Stiller February 2009
Feature
Alzheimer’s may have stolen Reg Jewell's memories, but his loved ones are certain the Divine has not forgotten him
By Sara Jewell February 2009
Feature
Twenty-five years on, HIV/AIDS continues to wreak tragedy upon vast swaths of the developing world. The rest of us are getting used to it.
By Larry Krotz February 2009
Feature
Neuroscience can tell us a lot about what happens in our brains when we experience God. But it still isn’t able to tell us why.
By Therese DesCamp January 2009
Feature
Barack Obama brings outstanding speaking skills to the U.S. presidency. Those who study oratory hear the power of the pulpit in his cadence.
By Larry Krotz January 2009
Feature
A New Brunswick congregation proves that a little creative thinking can lead to new energy and hope
By Sara Jewell January 2009
Feature
As strains on the public health-care system mount, so does the clamour for more competition from the private sector
By Kevin Spurgaitis January 2009
Feature
A clergy-driven survey discovers that many ministers struggle with finances in retirement
By Mike Milne December 2008
Feature
Sixteen years ago, Gerald Martindale fell under the spell of the carillon. His passion still peals out over the country’s largest city.
By Jennifer McPhee December 2008
Feature
She is the street person I’ve chosen to “adopt.” I give her money, food and companionship. She personifies questions I cannot answer.
By Lee Simpson December 2008
