Although Can Robots Love God and Be Saved? is the intriguing title of John Longhurst's new book its subtitle, A Journalist Reports on Faith - more clearly describes what the volume has to offer.
It contains a collection of articles written by journalist John Longhurst since 2003 when I moved to Hong Kong, and he took over my column on the Faith Page of the Winnipeg Free Press.
Few newspapers in Canada continue to report on religion, but thanks to John's commitment, and belief in the importance of his subject, the Free Press still does.
With support from former publisher Bob Cox and Free Press editor Paul Samyn John has been able to establish a multi-faith donor base that financially supports the coverage of religious stories in the paper.
John has written some 900 columns for the newspaper and if my calculations are correct about 120 are included in his book. The intriguing title query is just one of the many thought-provoking questions John addresses. Others that caught my interest were.......Is it Time to Get Rid of Sermons? Is God Christian? Do Pets Go to Heaven? Can Pacifists Wear a Poppy?
The book is divided into sections and a variety of columns John has written over the last two decades are slotted into their appropriate spots according to topic. I found the section called Reconciliation and Justice particularly insightful. It includes pieces John has written about the relationship between faith communities and our country's Indigenous people.
I had a personal interest in some of the columns like the one in which John talks about his Dad's life in a nursing home. I've been visiting my Dad in a nursing home for the last three and a half years and could identify with the struggles John and his Dad experienced. I could also empathize with the column about how to respond to panhandlers. My neighbourhood is full of them.
Although I've been a pretty faithful follower of John's columns in the Free Press, it was good to reread many of his articles and even to think about how my reaction to them might have changed in the years since some of them had been written.
Painting of Winnipeg's Hugo Docks by Les Brandt
I first purchased my copy of John's book a couple of weeks ago and one thing I like about it is that I can pick it up anytime and read a column or two, think about them, and then come back to reading more when I have time,
Can Robots Love God and Be Saved? clearly illustrates John's genuine interest in all kinds of different faith groups. His dedicated reporting of hundreds of stories from so many of our city's diverse religious communities has given him a unique perspective from which to view and comment on Winnipeg's spiritual landscape.
Photo of John Longhurst from his LinkedIn page
Along with my personal copy of John's book I have purchased one for my church's library.
Unfortunately, family matters prevented me from attending the launch of Can Robots Love God and Be Saved? but the recording of the launch is still available online and input from John's special guests as well as the questions from the audience provided me with extra insight as I read the book.
Other posts..........
Wînipêk
Buddha's Birthday
A New Job
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