Soul Survivor

Noel Rae's Notes

Al Penner's Notes

Wayne - How did it go?

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Noel Rae. - Phillip Yancey

Arising from my reading of these books and other Yancey books, I penned the attached words, for which Philip Yancey cannot be held responsible.

"What’s So Amazing About Grace?" and "Disappointment with God" have prompted me to deal with issues that have dogged me for a life time and though I am very much a work in progress, they have impacted significantly on my understanding of faith, grace and forgiveness.

Philip Yancey’s work has enabled me to address some of the significant events in my life, particularly the issue of pain. His book "Where Is God When It Hurts" has been of invaluable help to me. I have recommended it and provided copies of it to many others. Indeed I always have more than one copy so that I may give one away as needed.

Relentless grace		What's with this faith that will not let me be? Freedom of choice, I have but grace pursues relentlessly. In work, in play, at home can I really be free? In none am I independent, alone, for grace pursues relentlessly. Recurring guilt I wear, events current or long ago, Where forgiveness? for I know that grace pursues relentlessly? Why is it so difficult to ask? Why refuse to open the door? Why hesitate to avail of grace that pursues relentlessly?

S. Noel Rea Invermere October 27, 2004

Al Penner. - Stan Roberts

Here is a brief bio on Stan Roberts, who was a mentor, and one of the main influences in my ongoing philosophy that one can best achieve liberal social objectives through conservative fiscal/monetary policies. He was also an influence in my parenting philosophy of "Think liberal, be conservative!". The comment that Stan was an "unlikely figure" among fossils of social thought like Ted Byfield and Preston Manning is a major understatement. I would be happy to talk about Stan and his impact on myself and two better-recognized persons - Ed Schreyer, former NDP Manitoba Premier and Canadian Governor General, and Izzy Asper, founder of CanWestGlobal and former leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party. I worked for all three between 1966 and 1971. Then I met Lynne and abondoned my political aspirations but not my interest.

Stan Roberts (January 17, 1927-September 6, 1990) was a Canadian politician. He was a member of the Manitoba legislature between 1958 and 1962, and ran for the leadership of the Manitoba Liberal Party in 1961. He was later involved with the Liberal Party of Canada, and was a founding member of the Reform Party of Canada.

Roberts was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and received of Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Manitoba. He was first elected to the Manitoba legislature in 1958, as a Liberal-Progressive in the francophone riding of La Verendrye (Roberts was himself bilingual). Although Dufferin Roblin's Tories won the general election, Roberts defeated his Tory opponent Stan Bisson by 1565 votes to 1395. He was re-elected in 1959, defeating Conservative candidate Edmond Guertin.

When Douglas Campbell resigned as Liberal-Progressive leader in 1961, Roberts ran to succeed him. He represented a "left opposition" within the party, and accused its more conservative leadership of being ineffective against Roblin's centrist/progressive government. He was defeated by establishment candidate Gildas Molgat by 475 votes to 279 on April 20, 1961, one day after the party formally renamed itself the Manitoba Liberal Party.

Roberts resigned from the legislature in 1962 to contest the federal riding of Provencher; he was defeated by Progressive Conservative Warner Jorgenson by about a thousand votes. He again lost to Jorgenson in 1963, by a slightly greater margin.

Roberts subsequently worked as a Manitoba advisor to Liberal Prime Minister Lester Pearson, and served as president and acting leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party from 1969 to 1970 (after party leader Robert Bend failed to win his seat in the 1969 election). He also worked as an executive officer for McCabe Grain Company Limited, later National Grain Company Limited. In 1976, Roberts became the first president of the Canada West Foundation. In this capacity, he took a leading role in arguing for the position of the west in Canada's constitutional debates. He also developed contacts with Ernest and Preston Manning. In the late 1978, Roberts expressed interest in Francis Winspear's proposed constitutional reforms, which included Senate reform and the equal treatment of all provinces. During this period, Roberts made several speeches warning about the possibility of western separatism. There were some within the Canada West Foundation who believed that Roberts himself was partly sympathetic to separatism; he never became affiliated with the movement, but was forced to step down as CWF President in December 1980 after some controversial statements on the subject.

Roberts remained loyal to the Liberal Party during this period. He was suggested by some as a candidate to replace Pierre Trudeau as Liberal leader in 1984, though nothing came of this. Roberts disagreed with the selection of John Turner as party leader, but he nevertheless ran for the federal Liberals in the Quebec riding of Lachine in 1984, losing to Progressive Conservative Bob Layton (the father of future New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton).

After this election, Roberts began to consider forming a new political party. The Liberals had long been weak in western Canada, and won only two seats west of Ontario in 1984. Roberts believed that a new party might be necessary to oppose Progressive Conservative Prime Minister Brian Mulroney in western Canada. In 1987, he became involved with Francis Winspear, Preston Manning and Ted Byfield in plans to create what would later become the Reform Party of Canada.

Roberts was in many respects an unlikely figure within this group. His political philosophy was centrist, perhaps somewhat left-of-centre. He was not an uncritical supporter of free-market economics, and he does not seem to have been a social conservative. Nevertheless, he was willing to work with more conservative figures to create the new party.

Even before the Reform Party's founding convention (October 30-November 1, 1987), Roberts began to have concerns about the new party's ideology. He opposed its regionalist aspects, and was concerned by its popularity with voters who opposed bilingualism and Quebec's role in Canada's Confederation. One week before the founding convention, he agreed to stand for the party's leadership against Preston Manning, the only other declared candidate.

At the convention, Manning's supporters closed the delegate registration process one day ahead of schedule (they feared Roberts was planning to bus in several "instant delegates"). After failed negotiations with the Manning camp, Roberts dropped out of the race on November 1, claiming that Manning's supporters had hijacked the party from its original intentions. He referred to Manning's supporters as "fanatical Albertans" and "small-minded evangelical cranks".

Roberts subsequently sought the Reform Party's nomination in the British Columbia riding of Saanich-Gulf Islands for the 1988 election, but was defeated. He had no further involvement with the Reform Party, and died of a brain tumour two years later. The Reform Party would likely have had a much different history with Roberts as its leader.

Wayne - How did it go?

1. Evaluation Questions: What went well?. What could have been improved?
2. Book Suggestions for Future Studies
3. More Mentors
4. Assessing this study:

When we started this reading course ten weeks ago, I suggested this as an approach - Here is a simple design as a way of viewing our class theme: HOLY: Manner, Mentors and Moments. It is our hope that - as we engage Philip Yancey¹s Soul Survivor which focuses on staying in the church when we feel like leaving in anger and frustration - we will do so in a spirit of holy manners; using holy mentors; in anticipation of serendipitous holy moments along the way.

Then I suggested some - Holy Manners Guidelines:

1. We want to keep God at the centre of all we do.
2. We wish to encourage the full and equitable involvement of all
participating.
3. We hope to listen carefully to each other without interruption.
4. We like it when people venture to share what it important to them.
5. We welcome the conflict of ideas as a natural outcome of the engagement.
6. We would like participants to anticipate and expect ³ah ha² moments along the way.

Perhaps you have thoughts or comments to make; hearing these guidelines at the end of the series.

Soul Survivor Course Goals:

1.To become familiar with the key ideas of Philip Yancey in his book Soul Survivor.
2.To discuss, debate, learn together and support one another in a community that practices authentic hospitality, holy manners and relational learning.
3. To distinguish between spirituality and religion; to discern the good and the bad of both.
4. To integrate a personal spirituality with a workable faith (experiencing important ³ah ha² moments of discovery and developing ³a theology that fits²).
5. To combine quality content sessions with group discussion (in plenary and small groups). 6. To see all this as part of a process of life-long learning and growth in faith.

Again, please share your thoughts and comments.

Characteristics of this Course:

1. The book focuses on how an intelligent, perceptive Christian evolved from using an ³early faith paradigm³ to what Marcus Borg calls an ³emerging faith paradigm³. We want to keep asking ourselves and each other ³how does what I am learning apply to my life?³ Comment on the terms ³early faith paradigm³ and ³emerging faith paradigm³ as this applies to your life now.
2. We believe, with Yancey, that God provides teachers and mentors to help us find the way when the faith struggle grows difficult. Comment on what this course has prompted in you regarding the spiritual mentors of your life.
3. While the book is written by an American evangelical author, with roots in the American South, our task is to apply his wisdom to our own particular lives and Christian communities.
What has this course suggested about the context within which you grew up, and what does maturing faith imply for you?
4. Notes, quotes and more extensive resource links from our presentations and class input will be posted to the website so people can keep up with what is going on here. What can we do to make the website a more effective resource for you?
5. Book suggestions for future series.

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