CONTINUALLY LEARNING

Continually Learning: Our commitment is to the process of maturity, not the mastery of prescribed doctrine. We believe the church is at its best when intellectual integrity is welcomed not feared.

One of Canvas’s core values is our commitment to continual learning – to being a community in which maturity is not defined by assenting to an unassailable set of doctrines or holding an unwavering position on one issue or another, but rather by humbly seeking to grow in our understanding of truth. This is not to say that we hold no convictions. But we do so with awareness that learning is never complete. And thus, at Canvas, questions are a sign of growth and not regression and new sources of insight are a gift and not a concern.

One of the many ways we seek to embody this value of learning is to curate resources and facilitate discussions around topics of theological and cultural importance. They are offered not as the last, best or final word on any matter, but merely a means by which we can begin the conversation. We hope you will join us in our active series and use our previous collections in any manner that may further the cause of love and justice in our world!

And know that you are welcome to share any of these resources with any person or group you imagine might benefit from them. 

The LGBTQ+ CommUnity 

The LGBTQ+ Community Series (Begins November 3, 2020)

For too long, many in the LGBTQ+ community have felt forced to choose between their life of faith and faithfulness to their identity. And, sadly, it has often been the church that has demanded the choice – sometimes with threat and even violence. This must change.

That Canvas might embody our call to bring such change, we not only declare the full inclusion of our LGBTQ+ siblings in our community, but are endeavoring to learn all that we can about the injustices of the past, the needs of the present and how we can shape a more loving and affirming future in our congregation and our world. We would love to have you join us as we seek to grow!

On Racism

Racism in America: 12 Weeks of Study and Reflection (June – Sept. 2020)

For many of us, the depth of racism’s endurance in our country came as a shock in the summer of 2020. The signs were there long before. And in retrospect, many had sought to make this truth known. But, sadly, it took protest marches to rouse us to a fuller understanding.

This series exists in two parts: an introductory 4-week look an overview of racism in America to a deeper look at some of the key systems of which it is comprised. In particular, we look at the systems of: church, education, the economy, and criminal justice, and how each plays an historical and enduring role in racial oppression. Each 2-week session follows the basic format of Collection 1, offering a collection of books, articles, podcasts, movies and other media meant to further our engagement and spark conversation. If you are ready to look more closely at some of the specific mechanisms that contribute to a culture of oppression, this is one good place to start.