<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[ThinkBetter Media ]]></title><description><![CDATA[ThinkBetter Media ]]></description><link>https://www.thinkbettermedia.ca/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Tue, 19 May 2026 22:23:50 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.thinkbettermedia.ca/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Canada's Tiny Perfect Boomer: Margaret Atwood]]></title><description><![CDATA[Rarely have I felt such a strong combination of delight and disappointment as rendered by Margaret Atwood’s new Book of Lives: A Memoir of Sorts (McClelland &#38; Stewart, of course, 2025). It gives fans so much—and yet withholds so much as well.   Lady Margaret (in Britain she would surely have been elevated to the peerage: she is a Companion of the Order of Canada, that order’s highest degree) gives us a thoroughly charming overview of her life and letters. Her cats’ eyes roam with feline...]]></description><link>https://www.thinkbettermedia.ca/post/canada-s-tiny-perfect-boomer-margaret-atwood</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69e8dd6525a9c96f142a30bf</guid><category><![CDATA[Good Books]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 22 Apr 2026 14:52:28 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/c066a3_ecd6f476ae7e4aae98dd14da6055eb4e~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_820,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>John G. Stackhouse, Jr. </dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Truth in Advertising: Apologetics Won't Convert Anyone]]></title><description><![CDATA[My clever high school English teacher scuffed up my shiny evangelical faith with his unnerving questions. He had once been a Christian and he seemed to think his calling included helping others become ex-Christians as well. So I asked my dad for help, and he pulled off his shelf a couple of books suited to my age and situation: Paul Little's Know What You Believe  and Know Why You Believe . (Mr. Little thus set out an admirable model for all preachers, professors, and parents: teach not just...]]></description><link>https://www.thinkbettermedia.ca/post/truth-in-advertising-apologetics-won-t-convert-anyone</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69cd4d4555ae1fb580a4aed2</guid><category><![CDATA[Apologetics]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 01 Apr 2026 17:38:42 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/c066a3_b8443dbfcb464a079e391b2d9cbf3d6c~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_993,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>John G. Stackhouse, Jr. </dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Why Are Worship Leaders Blue?]]></title><description><![CDATA[A truly alarming article produced on the Worship Leaders Research page reports that "Worship Leaders Are 8.5x Less Likely to Report Excellent Mental Health than U.S. Adults."  The subtitle punches equally hard: "And Nearly 9 in 10 Are Getting No Help at All." I have enjoyed reports by this team before—including friends Dr. Mike Tapper and Rev. Marc Jolicoeur. They're serious people and their research seems sound.  Among the most striking of their findings is that the youngest cohort of...]]></description><link>https://www.thinkbettermedia.ca/post/why-are-worship-leaders-blue</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69c44d46dbf1d5b601323cf7</guid><category><![CDATA[Church]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 25 Mar 2026 21:25:20 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/11062b_2c76325241c94de0a1a2db8afca17735~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>John G. Stackhouse, Jr. </dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[THIS MOMENT: Ask Yourself...]]></title><description><![CDATA["The prophetic stance" is Glenn Tinder's challenging phrase for how every Christian ought to hesitate before speaking or otherwise acting. Prophets wait to listen to God so that they say what God wants them to say. Wise Christians wait for the Holy Spirit's prompting so that they do what Jesus wants them to do. Here is a checklist of questions for considering how to act as God's agent.  Positively What does Jesus want here? How can I team up with the Holy Spirit to advance God's Kingdom in...]]></description><link>https://www.thinkbettermedia.ca/post/this-moment-ask-yourself</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69b963fd2ed53b993db88a21</guid><category><![CDATA[Discipleship]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 17 Mar 2026 14:42:29 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/c066a3_f777605ba89547519e81e9ec8e939434~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_928,h_462,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>John G. Stackhouse, Jr. </dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Goodness of God, the Doom of the Destroyer, and the Suicide of Swine: What Happened at Gerasa]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Gospels are creative nonfiction. Look at what Luke does here.   In chapter eight of his gospel, Luke writes his version of a story also told by the other synoptic evangelists. And it’s a thriller.   It’s a gothic horror story, in fact, worthy of H. P. Lovecraft or Stephen King. In an alien country, a mysterious stranger roams the edge of town. He haunts the wilderness, living among the tombs. Luke, the “beloved physician” (Colossians 4:14), presents his notes: the subject is naked,...]]></description><link>https://www.thinkbettermedia.ca/post/the-goodness-of-god-the-doom-of-the-destroyer-and-the-suicide-of-swine-what-happened-at-gerasa</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69b2e3a0100d2ff063a5bc17</guid><category><![CDATA[Jesus]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 12 Mar 2026 16:09:52 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/c066a3_2d7cc08ca9e44a059ffddf47cb6945fe~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_422,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>John G. Stackhouse, Jr. </dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[George Marsden: Many Thanks!]]></title><description><![CDATA[George M. Marsden celebrates his 87th birthday today. I celebrate him.   I have known Professor Marsden for more than 45 of those 87 years, so I’ll refer to him as “George” in what follows—not (heavens, no!) as a peer, but as a very-much-junior whom he early on welcomed into friendship. According to Wikipedia, George is best known for his multiple-award-winning biography of Jonathan Edwards. But that splendid book came late in a career that was already powerfully influential on other fronts....]]></description><link>https://www.thinkbettermedia.ca/post/george-marsden-many-thanks</link><guid isPermaLink="false">699f21bac315cca7cad0ce3f</guid><category><![CDATA[Teaching and Academic Life]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 25 Feb 2026 16:32:13 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/c066a3_0ad877ff4c2f4e3bb37468d4fd2d831a~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_524,h_324,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>John G. Stackhouse, Jr. </dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Lent: Who Needs It?]]></title><description><![CDATA[So now begin the violet days, days of bruises and honour, the time of “bright sadness,” the season of Lent.   What is Lent?   The word “Lent” has nothing to do with “lending.” It is the season of the church year anticipating Easter—and the great days following that greatest of days. Christianity grew up largely in the Mediterranean and in Europe, so lent  comes from words for spring . As Easter marks the renewal of the world in the resurrection of our Lord, so the time leading up to it is the...]]></description><link>https://www.thinkbettermedia.ca/post/lent-who-needs-it</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6995d5adf797687350e5aa6c</guid><category><![CDATA[Holidays]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 18 Feb 2026 15:16:23 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/c066a3_d0926470d8c64b928e086891ebf30766~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_858,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>John G. Stackhouse, Jr. </dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Christian Nationalism: Who Wants it?]]></title><description><![CDATA[“Be careful what you wish for,” runs the adage. Wishing, however, doesn’t matter much to most of us. When did wishing ever make it so?   “Be careful what you pray  for” should  matter to those who pray to Yhwh, Maker of heaven and earth. Yhwh is the living God, and he makes things so. Christian nationalism is in the news because it is so entwined with the Trump administration. And what happens in America happens to the rest of the world. Meanwhile, forms of Christian nationalism ascend in...]]></description><link>https://www.thinkbettermedia.ca/post/christian-nationalism-who-wants-it</link><guid isPermaLink="false">698c9e6aa396cee89ab7ce25</guid><category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category><pubDate>Wed, 11 Feb 2026 15:31:58 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/c066a3_539f547054404859b2c30a49a3150add~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_356,h_166,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>John G. Stackhouse, Jr. </dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Just Another Virgin Birth? Parallels in World Religions]]></title><description><![CDATA[One of the enduring myths among modern critics of Christianity is that there isn’t anything truly new in it. The Christian religion is a mere miscellany of moral teachings dressed up in tall tales borrowed from the common stock of the world’s religions.   As we draw near to Advent, we’ll likely hear that the idea of a virgin giving birth to a special son is at once not essential to the Christian message and not original to it, either. On the first count, we’ll be told that only (!) two of the...]]></description><link>https://www.thinkbettermedia.ca/post/just-another-virgin-birth-parallels-in-world-religions</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69174f0a0dbc57ddd097a00c</guid><category><![CDATA[Religions]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 14 Nov 2025 16:18:25 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b9250ebb331e4b89bf69107419ca9997.jpg/v1/fit/w_600,h_405,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>John G. Stackhouse, Jr. </dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Antisemitic? Anti-Judaic? Luther, Bonhoeffer, and the Jews]]></title><description><![CDATA[What Does It Mean for Christians to Love Our Jewish Neighbours? Did Dietrich Bonhoeffer help Jews or hate them? This apparently absurd, even offensive, question surfaces in the scholarly literature about Bonhoeffer. And it arose as well in the decision in 2003 by Yad Vashem not to recognize Bonhoeffer among the “righteous among the nations.”   Bonhoeffer can provide for us a way into the vexed relationship of Christians and Jews—and a way forward toward better relations.   Antisemitic vs....]]></description><link>https://www.thinkbettermedia.ca/post/antisemitic-anti-judaic-luther-bonhoeffer-and-the-jews</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68eecc767e7b272d1ee633c8</guid><category><![CDATA[Evangelism]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 14 Oct 2025 22:42:48 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/c066a3_804b0852972f49a8b9a0a7d3b3969acb~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_286,h_350,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>John G. Stackhouse, Jr. </dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[What's Faith Got to Do with It?]]></title><description><![CDATA[How faith “enables” God to work miracles As a child in church, I would puzzle over a curious and recurring phenomenon in the Gospels....]]></description><link>https://www.thinkbettermedia.ca/post/what-s-faith-got-to-do-with-it</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68dadc3f6d14d2347e82425d</guid><category><![CDATA[Faith]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 29 Sep 2025 19:25:45 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/c066a3_c6bbc4222fc743f0ada9a49dc5387069~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_924,h_650,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>John G. Stackhouse, Jr. </dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Sin of Meddling]]></title><description><![CDATA[I have strong views about certain things and so do you. But so what? What is the correct relationship between our convictions and...]]></description><link>https://www.thinkbettermedia.ca/post/the-sin-of-meddling</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68cdbd5dd21422e7821921bf</guid><category><![CDATA[Public Life]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 19 Sep 2025 20:41:26 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/11062b_d6419b63aa564644b495cc0581fb754e~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>John G. Stackhouse, Jr. </dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Muzzled in the Maritimes: Sean Feucht and the Dubious Politics of "Safety"]]></title><description><![CDATA[It's annoying to find myself having to champion Mr. Feucht’s right to bring disgrace upon my religion in public. But until I am satisfied that the peace officers really couldn’t keep the peace while he had his little rant, I’m going to worry about far bigger issues.]]></description><link>https://www.thinkbettermedia.ca/post/muzzled-in-the-maritimes</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6882216abeae6f9e1aee31a4</guid><category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 24 Jul 2025 12:10:49 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/c066a3_d96c5216430b47e08174dacda8b00970~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_720,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>John G. Stackhouse, Jr. </dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Holy Spirit as . . . Personal Trainer]]></title><description><![CDATA[Longtime Bible readers know that in the Upper Room Discourse (John 13–17) Jesus promises to both go away from and return to his...]]></description><link>https://www.thinkbettermedia.ca/post/the-holy-spirit-as-personal-trainer</link><guid isPermaLink="false">685018e7d8437c49c9c66f55</guid><category><![CDATA[Piety]]></category><pubDate>Mon, 16 Jun 2025 13:26:51 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/11062b_c690e9d8de8249998be9e10133ba8694~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>John G. Stackhouse, Jr. </dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Following]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Christian religion often fails to conform to our expectations. It is always worthwhile to notice how and discover why.   When I have...]]></description><link>https://www.thinkbettermedia.ca/post/following</link><guid isPermaLink="false">6825ddfe3d8d9ecdaae6800e</guid><category><![CDATA[Discipleship]]></category><pubDate>Thu, 15 May 2025 12:33:40 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/c066a3_543649a1907e4c0e8be9ff4d57cc0ebd~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_818,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>John G. Stackhouse, Jr. </dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Jesus the Rock]]></title><description><![CDATA["Cool under pressure." I watch a lot of movies that feature a hero who stays focused, resolute, and composed while all around him bullets...]]></description><link>https://www.thinkbettermedia.ca/post/jesus-the-rock</link><guid isPermaLink="false">68025794e1b653e6f61a7d9b</guid><category><![CDATA[Holidays]]></category><pubDate>Fri, 18 Apr 2025 14:54:58 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/c066a3_630416146a1148bbaf7c053f780418f3~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_796,h_433,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>John G. Stackhouse, Jr. </dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Top 6 Mistakes to Avoid when Preaching on Easter]]></title><description><![CDATA[“Twicers” show up (those who attend church on Christmas and Easter) along with regular congregants. Relatives and neighbours might come...]]></description><link>https://www.thinkbettermedia.ca/post/top-6-mistakes-to-avoid-when-preaching-on-easter</link><guid isPermaLink="false">67fedf5fd2b5eeef5fca4852</guid><category><![CDATA[Holidays]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 15 Apr 2025 22:39:08 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/9e7d071d21054b3c8a3505055b5f615d.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>John G. Stackhouse, Jr. </dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[BREAKING NEWS: Steve Bell Exposed as Lip-Syncing Fraud]]></title><description><![CDATA[WINNIPEG (CP): Manitoba journalist John Shorthurst has just discovered that two-time Juno Award-winner and recent King Charles III medal...]]></description><link>https://www.thinkbettermedia.ca/post/breaking-news-steve-bell-exposed-as-lip-syncing-fraud</link><guid isPermaLink="false">67ebf7dc9fed29845b39a96d</guid><category><![CDATA[Current Events]]></category><pubDate>Tue, 01 Apr 2025 14:30:21 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/c066a3_fd48c755b2a94a3382c106ddd09450bb~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_802,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>John G. Stackhouse, Jr. </dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[First, Do No Harm—especially during an Election Campaign]]></title><description><![CDATA[Canadians are now embroiled in a short, intense election campaign. Responsible citizens will want truths surfaced, realities embraced,...]]></description><link>https://www.thinkbettermedia.ca/post/first-do-no-harm-especially-during-an-election-campaign</link><guid isPermaLink="false">67e829d1fe36f598432d12d5</guid><category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 29 Mar 2025 17:15:42 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/c066a3_d61be07f0962481cb5bbd141fef0cdce~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>John G. Stackhouse, Jr. </dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Trump's Gift]]></title><description><![CDATA[We were warned.   Op-ed after op-ed, commentator after commentator, expert after expert—whole issues of major magazines: We were warned...]]></description><link>https://www.thinkbettermedia.ca/post/trump-s-gift</link><guid isPermaLink="false">67def3c226ab67cf4a5f8705</guid><category><![CDATA[Wisdom]]></category><pubDate>Sat, 22 Mar 2025 17:35:29 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b36cffa62cce4645b1ddf3e0bc1b2680.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>John G. Stackhouse, Jr. </dc:creator></item></channel></rss>