Canadian writers ignite the imagination
Northern Lights: An Anthology Of Contemporary Christian Writing In Canada
Byron Rempel-Burkholder and Dora Dueck, Eds.
John Wiley & Sons, 2008
256 PAGES
Northern Lights is a unique anthology, bringing together new works from 46 Canadian Christian writers reflecting on their faith within various Canadian contexts. This diverse range of writings represents the breadth and depth of various faith traditions including Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, Pentecostal, and Mennonite.
In their opening remarks, editors Byron Rempel-Burkholder and Dora Dueck explain how they came to select the material for this anthology. On a “snowy March morning, Byron found himself mulling over the relationship between spirituality and geography. How did living in Canada, he wondered, affect his own identity as a Christian, and might Canadians be interested in a collection of writing that reflected the many faces of being Christian in Canada? That day he emailed Dora and she too was intrigued by the questions.”
As Canadians, whether immigrant, refugee, or indigenous, we identify with our land, the physical landscape, and our histories. As Christians, we can identify with the joys, pain, suffering, anger, and grace described by the writers. Each story is heart-moving and touching.
What makes this volume especially rich is how it has been effectively arranged and presented, juxtaposing overarching broad spiritual themes with Canadian themes of identity. John Terpstra begins his poem “in the land where we live there are thirty names for snow” and ends with “God of thirty names, thirty thanks, times three.”
Rudy Wiebe’s memoir, entitled “The Aspens”, is rich in symbolism as he writes “who can explain how – the death of Jesus for me always was, and will always remain, indelibly more than an historic act of brutal execution. When aspens bend, sighing pale, my body feels fact beyond any sight, or hearing, or denial.”
This collection includes writings by poets, novelists, educators, broadcasters, priests, ministers, and social and political activists, including Joy Kogawa, R. Paul Stevens, David Waltner-Toews, Bill Blaikie, Brian Stiller, Mark Buchanan, Lorna Dueck, Ron Rolheiser, Sarah Klassen, Maxine Hancock, and Bruce Cockburn. Although readers may feel disappointed by the omission of some authors, it’s all the more reason to hope for a subsequent volume.
Northern Lights is inspiring, engaging, and thought-provoking – an excellent book for both discussion groups and personal meditation.
—Anne Andres
