2012 Mel Smith Lecture

Bill Blaikie, "Two Social Gospels or One?"
8 February 2012, 7 PM
Northwest Auditorium, Trinity Western University

Bill Blaikie was ordained to the ministry of The United Church of Canada in 1978. In 1979 he was elected to Parliament; he was re-elected eight times, and retired from federal politics in 2008 as the Dean of the House of Commons.

Over the years, Blaikie was the NDP critic for health, environment, foreign affairs, and trade; served as House Leader and Parliamentary Leader; and, in his last term, was the first New Democrat to be Deputy Speaker of the House. In 2009 he was elected to the Manitoba Legislature and served as Minister of Conservation until October 2011.

He is currently an adjunct professor in theology at the University of Winnipeg, and Director of the Knowles-Woodsworth Centre for Theology and Public Policy.

"Two Social Gospels or One?"

There were two branches of prairie populism arising out of the Great Depression, but  only one social gospel. The question today is whether current evangelical engagement with the world can be liberated from captivity to neo-conservativism in order to connect with and energize the best of the social gospel tradition, in the interests of a new social gospel that can more faithfully challenge the world Christians are called to be in, but not of.     

All are welcome.  Refreshments to follow.

See the Lecture Notes from Bill Blaikie's address.