Scripture Untangled

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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In this episode, Dr. Mark Glanville, Director of the Centre for Missional Leadership at St. Andrew's Hall,  joins CBS Ambassador Rev. Dr. Andrew Stirling to explore the tenderness of Jesus, the future of the church in Canada, and why people may be more open to the Bible than we think. Discover how beauty, belonging, and Biblical faithfulness can help Christians share the Gospel in a changing culture.
In this episode, Mark and Andrew discuss:
What it means to follow Jesus faithfully in a post-Christian culture and why the future of the church may be brighter than we think.
The embodiment of Jesus' tenderness, beauty, and compassion in Christian communities.
How creativity, improvisation, and beauty can help Christians communicate the Gospel in fresh ways.
Why aren't many people looking for a preacher's opinion even when they're hungry to understand what the Bible is saying.
A hopeful vision for Christian mission in Canada, rooted in the grace of God, the beauty of Scripture, and the tenderness of Jesus.
Read the transcript: https://biblesociety.ca/transcript-scripture-untangled-s13-ep14 
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Dr Mark Glanville works as the Director of the Centre for Missional Leadership, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. He is an Old Testament scholar, and has written five books, including Improvising Church: Scripture as the Source of Harmony, Rhythm, and Soul, and Preaching in a New Key: Crafting Expository Sermons in Post-Christian Communities. Mark has published articles in top tire biblical studies journals such as CBQ, JSOT, and JBL. His vocational goal is to research, teach, write, speak, and play music to nourish Christian leaders to creatively reimagine what the church can be and do in post-Christian societies, with the Bible in our hands. Mark is also a professional jazz pianist, active on the Vancouver jazz scene. Mark’s podcast is Blue Note Theology— “The only podcast in the world hosted from the grand piano!”  
His personal website is: markglanville.org   
Canadian Bible Society: biblesociety.ca
Help people hear God speak: biblesociety.ca/donate
Connect with us on Instagram: @canadianbiblesociety
The Bible Course: biblecourse.ca

In this episode of Scripture Untangled, veteran journalist Lorna Dueck sits down with Rev. Dr. Sabrina Jordan, lead pastor of Wesley Chapel in Toronto, to explore the intersection of faith, caregiving, resilience, and rest. As both a pastor and caregiver to her aging parents, including her mother living with Parkinson’s disease, Sabrina knows firsthand what it feels like to carry heavy responsibilities while trying to remain faithful to God’s calling. She shares how Psalm 23, daily prayer, and a deeper understanding of God as the Good Shepherd have transformed the way she approaches ministry, caregiving, exhaustion, and the pressure to perform.
In this episode, Sabrina and Lorna discuss: 
How she's learning to replace striving with faithfulness and discover God's invitation to rest as she cares for aging parents, leads a congregation, and navigates the demands of life. 
The challenge of caring for her mother with Parkinson's disease while serving as a pastor, and how God's presence sustains her through seasons of exhaustion and uncertainty. 
Psalm 23, and how the Good Shepherd leads weary souls to still waters, offering practical wisdom for anyone feeling overwhelmed by the pressures of life, caregiving, or ministry. 
The invitation to rediscover the beauty of quiet faithfulness, learning that God never asks us to carry burdens we were never meant to bear alone. 

Read the transcript: https://biblesociety.ca/transcript-scripture-untangled-s13-ep13
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Rev. Dr. Sabrina Jordan has served as Lead Pastor of Wesley Chapel Free Methodist Church in Toronto since 2007. She is passionate about walking alongside people at every stage of their faith journey, helping them encounter God in meaningful, life-shaping ways. Sabrina believes the church is called to be a true community of belonging—where people are known, loved, and invited into deeper relationship with Christ and with one another. She is especially committed to investing in the next generation, with a particular heart for new immigrant students who need someone to truly see, support, and care for them as they grow in faith and find their place. 
Sabrina lives in Pickering with her husband, Terry, where they also lovingly care for her parents. Their home is shared with their sweet dachshund, Harley. 
https://www.wcfmto.com/ 
Canadian Bible Society: biblesociety.ca
Help people hear God speak: biblesociety.ca/donate
Connect with us on Instagram: @canadianbiblesociety
The Bible Course: biblecourse.ca

In this episode of Scripture Untangled, veteran journalist Lorna Dueck sits down with Ray Pennings, Executive Vice President and Co-founder of Cardus, to explore one of Canada's most challenging moral conversations, Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID). Drawing from Scripture, Christian social thought, and decades of public policy engagement, Ray unpacks how faith shapes our understanding of human dignity, suffering, autonomy, community, and hope. 
In this episode, Ray and Lorna discuss: 
What happens when a nation redefines suffering, dignity, and death and how Canada's MAID debate reveals deeper questions about human worth, community, and hope. 
How Christians often wrestle with compassion, autonomy, and end-of-life decisions and how the Bible provides us with a deep, spiritual perspective on suffering, care, and human flourishing. 
What role Christians can play in Canada's most challenging moral debates and the lessons Ray learned from 25 years of engaging policymakers through Cardus. 
How we can navigate suffering without losing hope and a deeply Biblical perspective on death, dignity, and trusting God even in our final days. 
Read the transcript: https://biblesociety.ca/transcript-scripture-untangled-s13-ep12 
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Ray Pennings is the co-founder and Executive Vice-President of Cardus, a leading Canadian think tank. His work focuses on the public dimensions of faith, especially as it informs the work of the full range of social institutions and their contribution to public life. He authors a popular weekly newsletter, Cardus Insights, written to provide engaged citizens with resources for faith, leadership, and public life.  
In addition to his own punditry, Ray leads a team of social entrepreneurs at Cardus who are thinking through challenges such as overcoming social isolation, cultivating public virtue, and enhancing freedom in diverse contexts, contributing to the conversation with research and data reports, public commentary, and facilitated events.  
Ray holds a Master's Degree in Theology from Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary. He has been a life-long member of the Free Reformed denomination, where he served as an elder, clerk of Synod, and as a licensed exhorter. He and his wife Kathy are based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. 
https://www.cardus.ca/   
Canadian Bible Society: biblesociety.ca
Help people hear God speak: biblesociety.ca/donate
Connect with us on Instagram: @canadianbiblesociety
The Bible Course: biblecourse.ca

In this episode of Scripture Untangled, Dr. Kristen Deede Johnson, Principal of Wycliffe College, joins CBS Ambassador Rev. Dr. Andrew Stirling for a rich and personal conversation about faith, formation, and what it really means to follow Jesus today. Kristen offers a hopeful perspective on the future of the Church, highlighting signs of renewal, particularly among younger generations seeking truth, meaning, and community. 
In this episode, Kristen and Andrew discuss: 
What it means to be formed in Christ, moving beyond surface-level faith into a vision of discipleship that shapes every part of our lives. 
How some Christians put pressure on themselves to perform for God, and how a deeper understanding of the Trinity reveals that God, not us, is the primary One at work in the world. 
How culture quietly shapes our beliefs, identity, and expectations, often influencing our faith more than we realize. 
A hopeful perspective on the future of the Church, highlighting signs of renewal, particularly among younger generations seeking truth, meaning, and community. 
Read the transcript: biblesociety.ca/transcript-scripture-untangled-s13-ep11 
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Dr Kristen Deede Johnson is the eleventh Principal of Wycliffe College. She comes to Wycliffe College from Western Theological Seminary, an evangelical and ecumenical seminary in Holland, Michigan, where she was Dean and Vice President of Academic Affairs as well as G.W. and Edna Haworth Professor of Educational Ministries and Leadership. 
After completing her undergraduate studies at the University of Virginia (BA in Political and Social Thought with a minor in Religious Studies) she pursued graduate studies at St. Mary's College, University of St. Andrews, in St. Andrews, Scotland, where she earned a PhD in Theology. 
As an administrative leader in theological education, Dr Johnson has significant experience in such areas as strategic planning, developing and implementing academic and external programs in ways that serve the mission of the seminary and the needs of the Church, and establishing centres and recruiting faculty to enhance the reputation and impact of the institution. 
She is widely published by both popular and academic publishers and a sought-after thought leader on radio and podcasts. Her first book, Theology, Political Theory, and Pluralism: Beyond Tolerance and Difference, was published by Cambridge University Press in the Cambridge Studies in Christian Doctrine series. In 2017 a book she co-authored, The Justice Calling: Where Passion Meets Perseverance (Brazos Press), was awarded Book of the Year from Christianity Today in the Politics and Public Life Category.  
https://www.wycliffecollege.ca/users/kristen-deede-johnson
Canadian Bible Society: biblesociety.ca
Help people hear God speak: biblesociety.ca/donate
Connect with us on Instagram: @canadianbiblesociety
The Bible Course: biblecourse.ca