Issue 3
April 1997
Published by
Theodore Plantinga
In this issue ....
Are you a cyberchristian? Would you like to become one? Or do you see some dangers here? David Van Minnen, a 1997 Redeemer College graduate interested in both computers and Christian spirituality, explores this territory for us. Click here to read "Virtual Christianity: Some Reflections on Being a Christian in Cyberspace."
Cartesian doubt extends its tentacles into many areas of our life -- even insurance. Are you covered? Click here to read "Insurance Insurance: A Cartesian Dilemma."
Steven George Baarda, a Redeemer College graduate now engaged in further studies in preparation for the ministry of God's Word, responds to recent postings about Birkerks and Bly. Click here to read "The Changing Sensorium: A Provisional Assessment."
Time is running out for those who still haven't had a ride in a rickshaw. Should we regret its disappearance from the streets of distant cities? Click here to read "Farewell to the Rickshaw: Reflections on Autonomy and Automobiles."
If you are a Canadian, perhaps you have been called "anti-American" on occasion. Is there anything to the charge? Can you truly love this country without denigrating our neighbors to the south? Click here to read "Anti-Americanism and Canadian Identity."
Another term is behind us. Friends of Redeemer College are invited to click here to read my "End-of-Term Report: Winter Term 1996-97."
Don't take the term literally. I don't plan to turn pages for you. If I inform you of a website, I will simply pass on the address. But for the most part I will comment here on materials in the world of the printed page -- brief book notes, observations about periodicals, and perhaps a comment on an event.
This Quebec business .... A couple of years ago a young lady in Quebec named Helene Jutras, then a second-year student at McGill University, stirred up a lot of dust via a pair of letters she published in Le Devoir,a Montreal newspaper. A publisher asked her to expand on her unusual views and to add to them with some fresh material. The result is a small book named Quebec Is Killing Me (Ottawa: Golden Dog Press, 1995). It's fresh, different, and, above all compelling reading. I won't even attempt a summary. As I read it, I found myself thinking of Kierkegaard. I certainly hope we'll be hearing from Ms. Jutras again.
Now that a federal election is upon us, Canada's three traditional federal parties seem tongue-tied on the question of Quebec. The policy, it seems, is to keep one's fingers crossed. What might one do instead? Read Diane Francis, Fighting for Canada (Toronto: Key Porter Books, 1996). Perhaps you'll be inspired to fight for Canada too. Also to be recommended for its observations on the Quebec problem is an earlier book by the same author, entitled Underground Nation: The Secret Economy and the Future of Canada (Key Porter Books, 1994); see especially pp. 89ff, 171ff and 191ff.
This electronic journal is my way of keeping in touch with friends, colleagues, former students, and so forth. It does not have a regular publication schedule. Feel free to download it and pass it around. You may even wish to send me a comment; I do not guarantee a response to each communication. If you wish to repost anything in this journal, please let me know. If you care to print something in paper form, this can also be arranged, provided that I retain the copyright so that I will remain free in my use of the material.
Theodore Plantinga
E-mail: [email protected]