Death

Remembering Tom Sine

Yesterday morning, July 23, 2026, Christ’s church—and so many of us who loved him—lost one of its great prophetic imaginations. Tom Sine died at the age of ninety. Author, Christian futurist, mentor, practitioner, and faithful friend, Tom spent a lifetime

Dwight J. Friesen July 24, 2026July 24, 2026

Remembering Dr. John Perkins

“The gospel of Jesus is about reconciliation—reconciliation with God and reconciliation with one another.”— John M. Perkins I am grieving the death of Dr. John Perkins. Dr. Perkins died on March 13, 2026, at the age of 95. My heart

Dwight J. Friesen March 14, 2026March 14, 2026

Remembering Dr. Jane Goodall

Yesterday, October 1, 2025, the world lost one of its most extraordinary voices for creation. Dr. Jane Morris Goodall, died at the age of 91. Her journey from curious child to pioneering primatologist, conservationist, and global humanitarian is a reminder

Dwight J. Friesen October 2, 2025October 31, 2025

Remembering Walter Brueggemann

Compassion constitutes a radical form of criticism, for it announces that the hurt is to be taken seriously, that the hurt is not to be accepted as normal and natural, but is an abnormal and unacceptable condition for humanness. WALTER

Dwight J. Friesen June 6, 2025June 6, 2025

Pope Francis has Died

I was saddened to learn of the death of Pope Francis earlier today. He was 88 years old. Yet, I am grateful that he was able to participate in yesterday’s Easter service. Pope Francis was born in Argentina as Jorge

Dwight J. Friesen April 21, 2025June 6, 2025

Remembering Dr. Jürgen Moltmann

“God weeps with us so that we may one day laugh with him.” Jürgen  Moltmann I am grieving the death of Dr. Jürgen Moltmann. Dr. Moltmann died yesterday, June 3rd, 2024. He was 98 years old. My heart is so

Dwight J. Friesen June 4, 2024June 5, 2024

Grieved to Learn of the Death of Brian Bajari

Speechless and grieved upon learning of the death of one the the truly beautiful people on this planet… Brian Bajari died Tuesday, February 20, 2024; this year Brian would have been 53. If you were blessed to have encountered Brian

Dwight J. Friesen February 22, 2024February 22, 2024

“Grieving Room” is Now Available

This week author, Rev. Leanne Friesen – former pastor and current Executive Minister of the Canadian Baptists of Ontario & Quebec in Canada – saw her first book officially released… I am also very grateful to be her brother-in-law. Leanne

Dwight J. Friesen February 10, 2024February 10, 2024

“Like a Prayer” Cover

Yesterday afternoon, I turned on the radio (KEXP, of course) DJ Eva Walker was in covering for Kevin, I wasn’t there for the beginning of it all, but a most unusual – dare I say sacred – thing was unfolding.

Dwight J. Friesen June 30, 2023June 30, 2023

The Queen is Dead

Saddened to learn of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. She was 96 years old. In coming days we will learn much more, we will be aided in remembering her 70+ year reign, and will be aided in

Dwight J. Friesen September 8, 2022September 8, 2022

Remembering Kallistos Ware

We see that it is not the task of Christianity to provide easy answers to every question, but to make us progressively aware of a mystery. God is not so much the object of our knowledge as the cause of

Dwight J. Friesen August 30, 2022February 13, 2024

Remembering Ron Sider

Saddened to learn of the death of Dr. Ronald J. Sider, on July 27, 2022, Dr. Sider was 82 years old. “God’s Word teaches a very hard, disturbing truth. Those who neglect the poor and the oppressed are really not

Dwight J. Friesen July 30, 2022February 12, 2024

O God! No! . . . Not Again

What do you do with the feelings inside you in moments of overwhelming tragedy like Tuesday’s murderous shooting at Robb Elementary School?  O Lord in your broken-heartedness, hear our cries for the families crushed with sorrow by the loss of

Dwight J. Friesen May 25, 2022May 26, 2022

Systemic Racism Kills Again

As the details of Saturday’s horrific mass shooting in Buffalo continue to emerge it is painfully clear, yet again, that the evils of assumed white body supremacy and black body racism persist.  Racial hatred ought to have no place in

Dwight J. Friesen May 17, 2022May 20, 2022

Remembering bell hooks

“Genuine love is rarely an emotional space where needs are instantly gratified. To know love we have to invest time and commitment…’dreaming that love will save us, solve all our problems or provide a steady state of bliss or security

Dwight J. Friesen December 19, 2021December 19, 2022

Remembering Jack

Today was a very sad day. We had to put our beloved Jack down. One-eyed Jack. We think he was part Havanese and part Shih Tzu… but we’re sure he was all love. Not sure how he lost his eye

Dwight J. Friesen October 28, 2021April 24, 2024

Remembering Dr. René Padilla

“The practice of justice is at the center of God’s purpose for human life. It is so closely related to the worship of the living God as the only true God that no act of worship is acceptable to [God]

Dwight J. Friesen May 3, 2021November 3, 2022

Mourning the Loss of Hans Küng

…every human being – without distinction of sex, age, race, skin color, language, religion, political view, or national or social origin – possesses an inalienable and untouchable dignity. Dr. Hans Küng Sadden to learn of the death of the great

Dwight J. Friesen April 7, 2021November 2, 2022

Remembering Dr. John Polkinghorne

Quantum theory also tells us that the world is not simply objective; somehow it’s something more subtle than that. In some sense it is veiled from us, but it has a structure that we can understand. John Polkinghorne I’m grieving

Dwight J. Friesen March 18, 2021November 6, 2022

Nothing “Good” About It

If I can speak candidly for a moment, I’ve never understood why we call Good Friday “good.” Don’t get me wrong, I understand the historical and theological rationales, and yet… I hate Good Friday, and I see nothing about it

Dwight J. Friesen April 10, 2020May 12, 2022

Grieving the Death of Rachel Held Evans

What makes the Gospel offensive isn’t who it keeps out, but who it lets in. Rachel Held Evans Rachel Held Evans died on May 4th, 2019. Many of us had been praying for her after learning she was placed in

Dwight J. Friesen June 2, 2019January 22, 2021

Grieving the Death of Mary Oliver

“Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this too, was a gift.” Mary Oliver Mary Oliver, the great poet of presence died on January 17, 2019, she was 83

Dwight J. Friesen January 22, 2019November 2, 2022

Remembering Dr. Lamin Sanneh

Africans sensed in their hearts that Jesus did not mock their respect for the sacred or their clamor for an invincible Savior, so they beat their sacred drums for him until the stars skipped and danced in the skies. After

Dwight J. Friesen January 13, 2019November 2, 2022

Remembering Dr. Katie G. Cannon

“Do the work your soul must have.” Katie Geneva Cannon I was saddened to learn of the death of Rev. Dr. Katie Geneva Cannon. She died August 8, 2018, she was 68 years old. Rev. Dr. Cannon was a trailblazing

Dwight J. Friesen August 15, 2018November 2, 2022

Remembering Zygmunt Bauman

“In other words, it is not in craving after ready-made, complete and finished things that love finds its meaning ― but in the urge to participate in the becoming of such things. Love is akin to transcendence; it is but

Dwight J. Friesen January 11, 2017January 23, 2024

Remembering Elie Wiesel

“Friendship marks a life even more deeply than love. Love risks degenerating into obsession, friendship is never anything but sharing.” Elie Wiesel Yesterday, July 2, 2016, Elie Wiesel died. He was 87 years old. Elie Wiesel received the Nobel Peace

Dwight J. Friesen July 3, 2016November 3, 2022

“Pearl”

Pearl by Ted Kooser Elkader, Iowa, a morning in March, the Turkey River running brown and wrinkly from a late spring snow in Minnesota, a white two-story house on Mulberry Street, windows flashing with sun, and I had come a

Dwight J. Friesen May 8, 2016April 27, 2023

Grief… Death & Music

This is just so beautiful. Thank you John. I am so grateful for you and your presence in my life. You are not alone. Peace, dwight

Dwight J. Friesen November 27, 2015March 4, 2024

Morning the Death of Phyllis Tickle

So sad to learn of the death of Phyllis Tickle earlier this week, on September 22, 2015, Dr. Tickle was 81. Dr. Tickle was a teacher, professor, academic dean, and editor, and a tsar in the Christian publishing world. She

Dwight J. Friesen September 25, 2015February 12, 2024

Remembering Dr. Wolfhart Pannenberg

The evidence for Jesus’ resurrection is so strong that nobody would question it except for two things: First, it is a very unusual event. And second, if you believe it happened, you have to change the way you live. Wolfhart

Dwight J. Friesen September 8, 2014January 23, 2024