Scripture Untangled

In this episode of Scripture Untangled, Rev. Dr. Andrew Stirling speaks with Rev. Dr. John Pellowe, CEO of Canadian Centre for Christian Charities, exploring faith, Scripture, Christian leadership, and learning to listen to the Holy Spirit. John shares how Scripture has shaped his faith, career, leadership, and everyday decisions, and why he believes our theology should influence the way we work and lead.

In this episode, John and Andrew discuss:

• How John’s faith journey moved from awe of God to friendship with Jesus and learning to follow the Holy Spirit.
• Discerning God’s call and how an unexpected career path prepared him for Christian ministry and leadership.
• How Christian organizations can operate differently when Biblical theology, rather than secular practices, forms their foundation.
• A thought-provoking leadership question: If Jesus came to work in your organization, would He want to stay?
• Why the Bible is essential not only for Christian belief but also for practical, everyday decision-making.

Read the transcript: https://biblesociety.ca/transcript-scripture-untangled-s14-ep9 

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Serving CCCC and its members as CEO since 2003, John’s passion is to help Christian churches and agencies become increasingly exemplary, healthy, effective, and distinctively Christian ministries. He believes God’s blessings flow when theology drives strategy and organizational activity and when staff members enjoy a vibrant, daily, personal experience of God in the workplace.

John loves bringing the Bible to life for people through his devotionals, which have been published by Scripture Union’s The Story, World Vision Canada (in a book), Impactus (in its daily devotional series), and CCCC (through 70 staff devotionals for CCCC members found in the God’s Workplace section of its website).

John supports churches and other ministries through his books: The Church at Work, Serving as a Board Member, and The Board’s Most Important Relationship. In a book on charity law, he also documented significant research on the public benefit of religion, and Christianity in particular.

His passion for helping churches and Christian agencies fulfill their missions led him to create an organizational design model that is the basis for The Studio, a service through which ministry leaders strengthen their organizations for long-term sustainability and mission fulfillment.

Ordained by the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada, John has served as pastor, treasurer, deacon, and elder. He enjoys good conversation, hearing others tell their stories, and reading. He loves to play classical music on the organ, and his music can be enjoyed on his YouTube channel.

Learn more about John Pellowe: Canadian Centre for Christian Charities
YouTube

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In this episode of Scripture Untangled, CBS Ambassador, Rev. Dr. Andrew Stirling sits down with Fr. John Boutros, a former pediatric surgeon who left medicine to become a Coptic Orthodox priest in downtown Toronto. Fr. John shares his remarkable journey of faith and calling, and what he has learned about surrendering every part of life to God.

In this episode, John and Andrew discuss:

• Fr. John Boutros’ journey from pediatric surgeon to priest and why he came to see every opportunity in his life as a gift from God.
• The ancient Christian tradition of the Coptic Church.
• The assumption that God works slowly, and whether the real issue may be that sometimes our expectations are too focused on immediacy.
• The Christian conviction that every human being bears God's image and therefore deserves to be treated with profound dignity and love.
• How Christian life requires an ongoing, authentic encounter with Christ and a continual pursuit of holiness.

Read the transcript: https://biblesociety.ca/transcript-scripture-untangled-s14-ep8 

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Fr. John Boutros is a priest of a young downtown church in Toronto, Canada, St Moses & St Katherine Coptic Orthodox Church. Fr John met the girl of his dreams, Mary, and was married in 2011, and is now daddy to Anastasia, Zoë and Élise. Ordained in July 2012, he was previously a pediatric surgeon. Now, Fr John serves a wide-variety of urban dwellers, students, and young professionals. Fr John is equally passionate for the marginalized, the poor, and those who have no one. Being in a community of disciples of Jesus, steeped in ancient faith and Orthodoxy, rooted in Coptic heritage, we live to incarnate God’s love in a metropolitan setting.

https://www.smsk.ca 

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How can Christians pursue reconciliation when extensive harm has been done in the name of Christianity? Métis storyteller Crystal Lavallee joins Joanna la Fleur to explore Indigenous identity, residential schools, forgiveness, healing and the power of listening. She shares how Indigenous elders and communities have challenged her understanding of faith and shown her why reconciliation begins with relationship.

In this episode, Crystal and Joanna discuss:

• How discovering Crystal’s Métis heritage transformed her understanding of identity and belonging.
• The encounter with Jesus that made Crystal’s faith personal and sparked her love for Scripture.
• The painful legacy of residential schools and the harm done to Indigenous peoples in the name of Christianity.
• What Indigenous elders and leaders have taught her about God, healing and faith.
• How Christians can move beyond stereotypes and learn directly from First Nations, Métis and Inuit people.

Read the transcript: biblesociety.ca/transcript-scripture-untangled-s14-ep7

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Crystal Lavallee is the Founder and National Director of I Am Compelled, a charity passionate about empowering the next generation in remote Indigenous communities. She's a producer, storyteller, and adventurer who loves capturing stories of hope, healing, and resilience from Indigenous leaders across Canada. 

When she's not behind the camera or on the road, you'll probably find Crystal swimming in a lake, out on the water, or wandering the aisles of Winners (it's a bit of an obsession!). She recently expanded into voice-over work, completing a project for the State of Minnesota. 

Crystal is Métis-Greek, with family roots in Manitoba. She loves the words of Métis leader Louis Riel: "My people will sleep for one hundred years, but when they awake, it will be the artists who give them their spirit back." Her life is also deeply shaped by her favourite Bible verse, Psalm 45:7. 

https://iamcompelled.ca/

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In this episode of Scripture Untangled, Dr. John Lennox, President of the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics, joins Rev. Dr. Andrew Stirling. They explore God, faith and science, the reliability of the Bible, the resurrection of Jesus, and what it means to follow Christ today. 

In this episode, John and Andrew discuss: 

• John’s parents and how their authentic Christian faith shaped his understanding of God, Scripture and the dignity of every person. 
• How John approaches Scripture thoughtfully and prayerfully, allowing God’s Word to speak before turning to arguments about its reliability. 
• What makes Jesus Unique and why Christianity is not about earning God's acceptance, but receiving salvation through Jesus Christ by grace. 
• John’s decades of engaging with prominent atheist thinkers and difficult questions, and why his confidence rests in God rather than his own credentials. 

Read the transcript: biblesociety.ca/transcript-scripture-untangled-s14-ep6

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John Lennox is the President of the OCCA The Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics. John oversees the direction and the shape of OCCA as well as lecturing on several different issues from AI to the age-old question of God and science. 

John is an Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at Oxford University. He is an Emeritus Fellow of Green Templeton College, Oxford. In addition, he is also a Senior Fellow with the Trinity Forum.  

John has written a number of books exploring the relationship between science and Christianity, among them: God and Stephen Hawking, a response to The Grand Design (2011 revised 2021), Gunning for God, on the new atheism (2011), Can Science Explain Everything? (2019), Where is God in a Coronavirus World? (2020), 2084: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity (2021), and Cosmic Chemistry: Do God and Science Mix? (2021). Most recently, John has published his biblical exposition: Friend of God: The Inspiration of Abraham in an Age of Doubt.  

John’s work seeks to bridge the gap between the world of Mathematics, Philosophy, and Theology. John’s extensive work at the interface of science and religion has led him to engage in high-profile debates with thinkers such as Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and Peter Singer. Alongside these debates, he has been invited to lecture around the world to teach on biblical exegesis and the profound questions of existence and faith. 

https://theocca.org/

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Pastor Finu Iype, Senior Pastor of Village Church, Vancouver, joins Lorna Dueck to share his remarkable journey from Bahrain to Canada and his passion for reaching people with the Gospel. They explore evangelism, multicultural Christianity, the future of the Church in Canada, and how prayer, fasting and Scripture shape Finu’s faith.

In this episode, Finu and Lorna discuss:

• How Christians have an opportunity to develop new friendships with people coming from around the world and welcome them into our Christian communities.
• Loving people, sharing life and meals, building relationships, and faithfully sharing the Gospel.
• Could second-generation Christians reshape the Church in Canada?
• What if the nations coming to Canada are part of a much bigger story God is writing?

Read the transcript: biblesociety.ca/transcript-scripture-untangled-s14-ep5

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Finu Iype serves as Senior Pastor of Village Church, helping lead a growing church movement across Canada. Born and raised in the Kingdom of Bahrain, he felt called to ministry at a young age, founded a missions organization as a teenager, and has since served churches and leaders in more than 18 countries. Finu is passionate about helping people know Jesus, grow in their faith, and live on mission. He lives in Langley, BC, with his wife, Tresha, and their two daughters. 

https://thisisvillagechurch.com/ 

• Canadian Bible Society: biblesociety.ca
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In this episode of Scripture Untangled, Joanna la Fleur sits down with three Canadian young adults, Mikayla Nembhard, Quinten Shannon and Juanita Castro, for an honest conversation about faith, doubt and the questions young people are asking about the Bible. They also take us behind the scenes of creating God’s Book: The Series by Andrew Ollerton. What if questioning the Bible isn’t a sign that you’re losing your faith, but an invitation to go deeper? 

In this episode, you'll hear from the three hosts of God’s Book: The Series: 

• Introduction to Mikayla Nembhard, Quinten Shannon and Juanita Castro and God’s Book: The Series. 
• Quinten shares how COVID, apologetics and studying the Bible turned inherited Christianity into a personal faith. 
• Mikayla opens up about questioning her childhood faith and discovering that God wasn’t afraid of her doubts. 
• Juanita shares her journey from Colombia to Canada, wrestling with faith and discovering Christian community. 
• Whether you’re a lifelong Christian, a new believer, or simply curious about the Bible, this conversation is an invitation to bring your questions, wrestle honestly and discover that God is not afraid of your doubts. 

Read the transcript: biblesociety.ca/transcript-scripture-untangled-s14-ep4 

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Juanita Castro is a Colombian-born creative based in Toronto. With a background in advertising and photography, she works in social media content and strategy at Alpha Canada. Outside of work, she loves bringing ideas to life through visual storytelling, especially her camera. 
 
Quinten Shannon is from Ancaster, Ontario, and has a background in biblical studies, theology, and nonprofit management. He works with Samaritan’s Purse and Operation Christmas Child and serves as an editorial assistant with CBOQ. In his free time, he enjoys hiking with his fiancée and playing guitar. 
 
Mikayla Nembhard is a television producer, speaker, and podcaster based in the Greater Toronto Area. A graduate of York University’s Glendon Campus, she works across television, media, and digital storytelling. Outside of work, she loves filmmaking, science fiction, and all things Doctor Who. 

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In this episode of Scripture Untangled, journalist Lorna Dueck sits down with Chris Houston to reflect on the remarkable final years of his father, Dr. James Houston, founder of Regent College. After a fall at age 99, James Houston believed he was nearing the end of his life. Instead, what followed became an unexpected new chapter marked by purpose, gratitude, community, and a continued passion for participating in what God was doing. 

In this episode, Chris and Lorna discuss: 

• The remarkable life and legacy of Regent College founder Dr. James Houston. 
• Why James Houston seemed to be 'ascending' rather than declining in his final years. 
• The story behind Letters from a Hospital Bed. 
• Caring for aging parents with dignity and grace, and how families can honor loved ones in their final years. 
• The wisdom, gratitude, and purpose that marked James Houston's final years. 

Read the transcript: biblesociety.ca/transcript-scripture-untangled-s14-ep3 

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Chris Houston is a husband, father, grandfather and active management consultant, working with mostly business leaders of businesses to shape the organizations they lead in order to create more good. Chris trained and practiced as a fisheries biologist and then learned the language of business through his MBA. For over thirty years, he has served multinational clients in North America, Europe and Asia.  Now, he brings to his work the mind of an ecologist, the discipline of strategy and the heart of a Christ follower. He is passionate to see in others the freedom to live out the Faith in every context of life and in so doing to become astute discoverers of the endlessly creative work of our redemptive God, whether in the boardroom, or the greenhouse, or the grocery store or the library, or any other sphere. Chris was fortunate to have had a ringside seat for the life of his father, James M Houston, with and about whom he has written in their book “Letters from a Hospital Bed”. 

jimhouston.org  

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In this episode of Scripture Untangled, CBS Ambassador Rev. Dr. Andrew Stirling sits down with theologian and educator Dr. Justin Stratis, Vice Principal and Academic Dean at Wycliffe College, University of Toronto. Together, they explore how reading Scripture shapes our understanding of God, prayer, hope, Christian witness, and life in a changing culture. 

In this episode, Justin and Andrew discuss: 

• What it means to say that God is love and why that understanding begins with Jesus Christ. 
• How Christians can remain faithful to Jesus while living in a society filled with many beliefs. 
• Why Christians should be known for serving and loving their neighbours rather than winning arguments. 
• How Scripture gives hope in a world filled with fear and uncertainty, and how prayer reminds us that God is still in control. 

Read the transcript: biblesociety.ca/transcript-scripture-untangled-s14-ep2

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I was raised in a Christian home in New Jersey, my parents having converted to evangelical Protestantism from Greek Orthodoxy a couple of years before I was born. I made my own commitment to Christ as a teenager and began serving in several churches as a musician, a path that would lead me to complete a degree in music before turning to theology as I contemplated a calling to full time vocational ministry.  

In 2003, my wife Melissa and I moved to Chicago where I attended seminary and she continued her work in communications/marketing. In seminary, a journey that had begun as preparation for further church work led me to systematic theology as a calling in its own right, and after taking two degrees, we made the decision to head to Scotland so I could study with John Webster for a research degree in dogmatics. In Scotland, I learned a great deal from John about what it is to be a ‘doctor of the church,’ not merely as an academic career, but more so as an ecclesial office to which one is accountable. In light of this, and after having been confirmed Anglican in the Scottish Episcopal Church, our next move was to Bristol, England, where I took up my first post as Tutor in Christian Doctrine at Trinity College training ordinands for vocational ministry in the Church of England. 

I served at Trinity College Bristol for nine years teaching some brilliant students, working alongside excellent colleagues, and directing the college’s doctoral programme in partnership with the University of Aberdeen. I had intended to stay there indefinitely, but when the opportunity arose to make a move to Wycliffe College in 2021, it was clear that providence was leading me once again to make an unexpected change.  

What excites me the most about Wycliffe, alongside its clear and historic commitment to doing theology in service of the church and her mission in the world, is the college’s vision to ground ministerial education in the theological interpretation of Scripture. I truly believe that the more emerging ministers and theologians learn to place the Bible at the centre of their ministries and earnestly desire to hear and proclaim the Word of God in its pages, the more the church’s witness will distinguish itself in the world as an effective testimony to the living God. I am looking forward to many years of service here, and especially to spending time learning, worshipping, and praying with students and colleagues.  

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This conversation touches on one of the most urgent humanitarian issues of our time: world hunger. In this episode of Scripture Untangled, Lorna Dueck sits down with Andy Harrington, Executive Director of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, to explore what the Bible says about caring for the hungry, pursuing justice, and responding to human suffering with compassion.

In this episode, Andy and Lorna discuss:

• Why world hunger is growing and how the Bible calls us to respond.
• The growing global hunger crisis in Sudan and how this challenges us to consider what God's heart for the poor means for how we live today.
• How personal loss deepened Andy’s compassion for the hungry, and his calling to serve others.
• How Matthew 25 challenges and helps us to actually see the hungry and view them differently.

Read the transcript: biblesociety.ca/transcript-scripture-untangled-s14-ep1 

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Andy Harrington is a leading Canadian voice in the fight against global hunger. As the Executive Director of Canadian Foodgrains Bank, he leads a powerful ecumenical coalition of 15 church-based agencies representing nearly 30 denominations, working together to end food insecurity. With over 30 years of frontline leadership, ranging from refugee support in war-torn Bosnia and Croatia to tsunami relief in Sri Lanka, Andy brings a rare blend of boots-on-the-ground experience and high-level strategic vision.   

Andy has spent his career at the intersection of faith and global service, including nearly a decade as CEO of The Wellspring Foundation. His expertise in the broader sector is reflected in his three-year term as co-chair of the Humanitarian Coalition (concluding May 2026), a partnership of Canada’s leading aid agencies. This professional breadth, combined with a Master’s in Missiology and Culture, makes Andy a uniquely qualified expert on how the Canadian Church can partner effectively to serve a broken world. 

• Canadian Bible Society: biblesociety.ca
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In this episode of Scripture Untangled, Pastor TJ Syroteuk, Lead Pastor of Rexdale Alliance Church in Toronto, joins Lorna Dueck to discuss why the Bible is more than a collection of books and that it is one unified story pointing to Jesus. Learn how holiness means being set apart, why Biblical festivals still matter today, and how God's story can reshape your own.

In this episode, TJ and Lorna discuss:

• Why sometimes we as Christians can misunderstand holiness, and how Scripture defines it less as perfection and more as being distinct and set apart for God's purposes.
• TJ’s passion for helping people see the Bible as one interconnected story of God's redemption.
• What modern Christians can learn from Passover, First Fruits, and the Feast of Weeks.
• How viewing the Bible as one unified story helps believers find their place in God's story of redemption, sheds new light on Jesus' teachings, unlocks deeper meaning in Scripture, and redefines holiness.

Read the transcript: https://biblesociety.ca/transcript-scripture-untangled-s13-ep15 

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TJ Syroteuk was born in Humboldt, raised on a farm in Manitoba, and spent several years in the United States completing a Bachelor’s degree in Pastoral Studies and a Master’s degree in Counseling. During his years in university and ministry training, he served in a wide variety of church contexts, including children’s, youth, young adult, worship, and speaking ministries.

Before entering full-time pastoral ministry, TJ worked in a variety of fields including sales, the trades, the grocery industry, and financial services as a licensed advisor. He later moved to Calgary, where he served as Director of Discipleship at Bearspaw Christian School, became a regular camp and conference speaker, and worked as a chaplain for junior and university hockey teams.

In 2020, during the global pandemic, TJ and his family moved to Toronto, where he now serves as Lead Pastor of Rexdale Alliance Church.

TJ is passionate about helping people engage the Bible in ways that are thoughtful, accessible, and relevant to everyday life. Although relatively new to Toronto, he has been a lifelong fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Blue Jays, which means he is no stranger to disappointment.

When he is not preaching or teaching, TJ enjoys reading, exploring new neighbourhoods in the city, people-watching, cooking outdoors (especially grilling, barbequing, smoking meat, and live-fire cooking), and spending time with his wife Joanna and their two sons, Dominic and Mylo.

https://rexdalealliance.ca/

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