Author Archives: Kyle Norman
About Kyle Norman
I am a Priest in the Diocese of Calgary, serving the wonderful people of Holy Cross, Calgary. I watch reality television, I drink Starbucks coffee, and I read celebrity gossip columns. I am also a magician and often use magic tricks to teach the children at church the lessons of the Bible. I believe that God is present in the intricacy of our lives, and thus I believe that Pop Culture can provide intriguing lessons, examples, and challenges for our lives of faith. Connect with Kyle on Google+Popular Distractions
if I see the times of worship, meditation and quietness as places where I miss out on the latest pop-culture gossip, then the opposite must hold true as well; Filling up my free time with these things means that I possibly miss out on the grand things of God which can be found in stillness and quietness. In the rush to social media and celebrity gossip, could I be effectually leaving myself deaf to God’s voice? Continue reading
Facing Evil
If the church has a role here, maybe it is in reclaiming our message about sin, death, evil, and even the Devil. Maybe the culture doesn’t need yet another message about how to love one another; maybe it needs to hear about the reality of evil and sin, and how they will be thwarted once and for all.
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The Simpsons take on Ecclesiology
This dichotomy between the ministry styles of Hooper and Lovejoy clearly set up two visions of church ministry. What does it mean for the church to reach the surrounding society? In once corner, there is the dry, routine, traditional, and seemingly lifeless ministry provided by Reverend Lovejoy. In the other, the new, fresh, relevant Reverend Hooper. The decision seems fairly simple.
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Oh Blessed Mistake
Personally, I love it when mistakes happen. What is more, I think God loves it too. These mistakes are blessed moments by which we are reminded that in worship we do not offer perfection; we offer ourselves. The criterion for our worship is not the absence of mistake, but the inclusion of honesty and authenticity. Continue reading
An Easter Pilgrimage
What if we saw our drive to church on Easter morning as something more than simply a drive to church? What if we saw it as a pilgrimage? What if we saw each passing stop sign as bringing us closer to the one who is risen? What if, while we fixed our eyes on the road before us, we fixed our hearts on Jesus just as much? Continue reading
A Faithless Easter?
I was going to raise my ire in righteous indignation over the blatant hostility that this calendar takes to the holy days of Christian faith. Surely this calendar highlights this cultures subtle yet purposeful ebbing of Christian identity and story. Continue reading
Beyond Eternal Presence
Is beyond-death presence the same as eternal life? I find it interesting that the culture, which sometimes criticizes faith as a pie-in the-sky escapist mentality, is now grasping to recognize an existence beyond this life. Continue reading
Who do you wear?
Kanye West spent his premier appearance on Kim’s reality show insulting her choice of clothing. Then, because this is what any loving boy-friend would do, West threw out her clothes and paid for a whole new wardrobe fit to his own liking.
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