He is more Baptist than the Baptists…more Pentecostal than the Pentecostals and more Mennonite than the Mennonites. He is a true Christian statesman. God has raised him up to be a voice for truth in this generation. I wholeheartedly recommend this man and this book to you. Ed Hird writes with the mind of a historian and the heart of a pastor.
-Pastor Owen Scott, Lynn Valley Full Gospel Church, North Vancouver, B.C.
Ed
Hird's outstanding analysis of the present day situation which he conveys so sensitively in Battle for the Soul of Canada gives us a glimpse that we have been (and continue to be) in the throes of a major decline in faith and morals in the Christian witness in our land, and in particular in the Anglican Church of Canada, However, unlike many of the Jeremiads we hear so often today, Ed fulfills the role of the true prophet, calling our land back from apostasy and reminding us of the way forward, especially as expressed in St. Paul's Letters to Timothy. It truly is a call for a new REFORMATION in our day.
This is a book meant to stir us from the complacency of our constantly encroaching materialistic secularism and should be on the reading list of every concerned seeker of truth. Certainly, it should be required reading in our seminaries, where much of the confusion Ed describes has been spawned in the last thirty years, and from where sound leadership to correct this malaise ultimately has to come.
-The Right Reverend Donald F Harvey
3rd Bishop of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador (
Rtd.)
Moderator - Anglican Network in Canada (
ANiC)
Ed
Hird is a faithful Christian, who loves the Anglican tradition, but make no mistake about it, he is centered on Scriptures rather than structures. My favourite image of him is watching him entering a conference hall with his arms filled with a large Hebrew Bible and the Greek New Testament, together with several Bible Commentaries.
He is also a Canadian with a love for this nation. He believes that our country has a destiny in the healing of the nations. This provocative book Battle For The Soul of Canada describes the leadership crisis in Canada, especially in the churches. The author uses St. Paul’s protege, Timothy, as the model for a new generation of leaders. He contends this type of leadership is needed to save the soul of the nation and to preserve its destined role to be an influence for good on the international scene. If you are concerned for the future role of the Christian Church in Canada, and for the future significance of the Canadian nation, this is a book you should not miss.
-The Right Reverend Eddie Marsh, Bishop of Central Newfoundland (
Rtd.)
Ed
Hird and his faithful flock know first hand the soul searching price of standing in solidarity and being rooted in orthodoxy as third-millennium followers of Jesus. I have been privileged to know Ed as a brother in Christ for many years. He is a servant of deep spiritual conviction, firmly rooted in the Anglican Orthodox Tradition. His challenging book Battle for the Soul of Canada will, I am sure, be an irritant for some, but a real ray of hope for so many others. I heartily commend this work written by one who indeed knows the ever deeper spirituality embodied in those challenging words of that old renewal song--"I have decided to follow Jesus. No turning back". May those inspiring words and all that Ed has written serve as a real challenge to the raising up of more and more "Timothy's" in God's church.
-The Rt. Rev. Malcolm Harding, Bishop of Brandon (
Rtd.)
Ambassador, Anglican Renewal Ministries, Canada
Ed
Hird's book is a commendable example of a sensitive blending of solid biblical exposition and an analysis of the contemporary situation. He speaks out of love for
Christ, His church, Canada, and the Anglican Church. He is one of the most interesting Christian writers in Canada today. Ed is well known and highly respected for his ministry in and around Vancouver, British Columbia; and those who have read his regular contributions in the local press and his insightful contributions in the electronic media will welcome the appearance of his thoughts in a more permanent and traditional form. I trust that this is but the first of a long series of books from his pen (or, shall we say, computer?)
-Dr. W. Ward
GasqueCo-founder, Regent College, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Ed
Hird, like others he describes in this book, is a warrior in Christ's fight for the salvation of Canadians. As with all true veterans, he has the scars to prove it. Like his Lord, it is through sharing his personal journey of pain and sacrifice, joy and peace, that he communicates best his love for others. This book will encourage, prepare and challenge all those soldiers who may be fearful and overwhelmed at the prospect of serving in God's army in its daunting mission. It is not so much about how bad things are spiritually in Canada, as it is about how God has proven His faithfulness and will, through prayerful, committed men and women, continue His quest to spread grace to this land.
-Robert G. Kuhn, Founding Partner of the law firm Kuhn & Co.
It is my pleasure and privilege to commend Ed
Hird's ground-breaking volume Battle for the Soul of Canada. Canada is a nation with a vast influence across the world. All the more reason why it should not come adrift from its moral and spiritual moorings in the
Judaeo-Christian ethic. The nation needs a godly ethical consensus if it is not to lose its way in the world or forfeit the right to give moral leadership. Ed
Hird's deeply researched volume with its penetrating thinking will contribute to Canada's inner strength and moral vitality
-Michael
Cassidy, Founder and Team Leader, African Enterprise
[ii]I am very encouraged that you have ploughed through the hard work of writing a book about the battle that you all have had up in Canada for the Orthodox faith. I am encouraged that the true record of God’s servants will be chronicled. I believe that the story of how God has used
you all to stand firm for the Lord in the midst of the attempt to snuff out the light of the gospel in Canada is crucial and must get out. I believe that one day this book which details the struggle to preserve a people alive in the word of God in Canada will be celebrated as hundreds of churches worship our great God and continue in the embrace of the faith once delivered for the saints.
-Dr. Gil Stieglitz, Western District Superintendent, Evangelical Free Church,
http://www.ptlb.com/In reading any piece of literature, trust in the author is paramount. You can trust Ed
Hird. He tells it like it is and you can implicitly believe in what he writes !!! In Battle For The Soul Of Canada, he speaks to Canadians, and for that matter, to all of us who read these pages, about basic life principles which are potent, powerful, and life changing. You will never be the same after reading this compelling and forceful book.
-Lee Buck, Anglican Evangelist
The
Rev'd Ed
Hird has fought the good fight for truth in the Anglican Church of Canada and in the Communion worldwide. He has done so armed with humility, a sharp intelligence, a gracious sense of humor and the Spirit of the Living God. He is a man I want at my side when I go to battle for God's Word in this fallen world.
-The Right Reverend Sandy Greene, Denver, Colorado, Rwandan Bishop,
AMiASo very often our Latin American Anglican church has been helped and enlightened by Ed
Hird’s tireless work. We rejoice that now through this book, Ed will be able to strengthen many other fellow Anglicans who, like himself and us, wish only to see our churches walking only in the fullness of the Word and the Spirit. God will uphold his truth.
-The Venerable Canon Alfred Cooper (Santiago, Chile)
In the midst of the Battle for the Soul of Brazil, we can understand better and feel close to those like the
Revd. Ed
Hird who is committed in a Battle for the Soul of Canada, keeping the faith and the hope in spite of the
turbulences of liberalism and post-modernity. This is an important and relevant book for all Christians - Anglicans in particular - who wants to fight the good fight.
-The Rt.
Revd Robinson
CavalcantiDiocese of Recife – Brazil
Ed
Hird is a pioneer, a modern-day Timothy, who believes that he can make a difference even when adversity is looking him in the face. His book is a rollicking, fast-paced read through Canadian church and
secular history,
narratively written, with one eye on how it impacts 'the faith once delivered to the saints' and how it should translate into contemporary Canada. Canada’s moral and spiritual crisis is strongly paralleled in the crisis of the Ephesian Church two millennium ago, he writes. If
Hird's book can stem that tide, then it will have been a major contribution to its much needed renewal.
-David W. Virtue DD, Virtue Online
http://www.virtueonline.org/Ed
Hird's book responds to the crisis and injustice in the Canadian Anglican Church, part of the global fever gripping the whole Anglican Communion, with this robust summons to renewal based on the New Testament figure of Timothy.
Hird continues in Christian trust and hope, pointing to many fascinating figures in Canadian history as illustrations of extraordinary victory over dark circumstances. One of those who has not bowed the knee to Baal,
Hird calls for a Christian resourcefulness from his fellow Canadians and Anglicans in the face of the worst of 'cultural
christianity'.
-The
Revd. Dr. Tim Bradshaw, Regent Park’s College, Oxford, UK
A remarkable man has written a remarkable book. Ed
Hird takes the reader through the major themes of Paul's letters to Timothy, illustrating them with vignettes from Canadian and Christian history. His patriotism and love for Canada is a refreshing and invigorating. Many of the names and episodes cited by Fr.
Hird will be unknown to an American audience, but the infectious pride and exuberance with which he writes, brings these people and places to life. For those whose knowledge of Canada, its culture--people--history is shrouded in a
Trudeauean fog of ignorance and
pc drivel, this book is a breath of fresh air. It lightly, but forcefully, fleshes out the Christian soul of America's neighbor to the North.
But it is as a work of Christian apologetics that this book excels. I came away from this book with the sense of Fr. Ed
Hird's joy---a joy founded upon the love of God.
"God surprises us with joy!", he writes at the beginning of his book, and this theme is captured again and again in the 64 short essays that make up the book.
In many ways this is an old fashioned book. A throw back to the muscular confident Christianity of a now bygone age. To this I say, 'thank goodness'---and may we have more of it.
-The Rev. Canon George Conger of the Diocese of Central Florida, journalist, The Living Church; Church of England Newspaper
Battle for the Soul of Canada is a beautiful tapestry of stories of past Canadian spiritual heroes interwoven with the personal experiences of the writer who is dynamically living the faith of which he writes. The reader will also be blessed by Ed’s carefully uncovering of the deep spiritual foundations of our past without which future generations are left aimless. While it is somewhat focused on the Anglican situation, its appeal and value is to the entire Body of Christ.
-Albert
Zehr, Pastor, and Partner with Watchmen for the Nations
Anyone doubting that the Bible accurately describes the reality of life needs to read this book. The author, the Reverend Ed
Hird, has opened his mind and heart and invited us into the account and the cost of standing firm in "the Faith once delivered to the Saints", despite the price and despite the
foolishness of ecclesiastical dignitaries. The author concludes on a note of hope and well he might. He has every right to do so because the power, purpose and presence of the Lord is evident in his story and this set of reflections all through. "If God be for us, who can be against us!" I commend this book to the reader most highly.
-The Right Reverend John H. Rodgers Jr.
ThDAnglican Mission in America
Thank you also for producing a book about a 'people of memory' (Judges 2:10); for reminding Canadians that this country was once made great through God-motivated people who were convicted in the Truth and who were willing to pay a price for their convictions. I was thoroughly impressed with the way you have riveted us to contemporary truths found in Timothy, and which are present in the lives of our Canadian pioneers.
-The Rev. Charles Alexander, Former Chair, Anglican Renewal Ministries of Canada; Director, Timothy Institute of Ministry; Author of Power to Serve (ABC Book Centre)
The passion of the great Apostle Paul for the next generation is the passion of our dear brother Ed Hird for the next generation of Canadians. The days of ear-tickling have already come when people demand preaching that satisfies our lusts and causes us to turn from the truth. We need to hear the message of 1 and 2 Timothy come alive again, now. This is our time. We need to tell our
generation and the next the truth of the Bible, found in the Lord Jesus Christ, before the day of His coming. This is a great read to help us do just that.
-The Right Reverend Thad Barnum, Rwandan Anglican Bishop (AMiA)
Rev. Ed Hird's book represents a remarkable personal amalgam of spiritual autobiography, memoirs, sermons, reflections, history, and wise Christian counsel. It is written with clarity and charity by a seasoned Anglican priest who speaks with sure Christian discernment to the issues which trouble the Anglican Church of Canada and, more broadly, a Canadian culture which has lost the compass of its Christian heritage. Rev. Hird's book combines the personal and the political in ways that only powerful spiritual autobiography and memoir can accomplish. The book is particularly moving when he recalls the struggle of his ministry within the drifting structure of the Anglican Church of Canada, and the renewed ministry he and his congregation found within the Anglican Coalition in Canada under godly international Bishops and leaders. His message and stories will appeal to Anglicans, and other Christian believers, and many Canadians who love their country. It merits a wide readership.
-Dr. George Egerton, Associate Professor, UBC History Department; Editor, Anglican Essentials
I applaud your effort to offer a practical manual for a crucial issue in the Church. It is much needed.
-The Rev. Dr. John Roddam, Rector, St. Luke’s Seattle
Ed Hird is a biblical, evangelical, charismatic, reformed, orthodox, ecumenical Anglican pastor, priest, prophet and scholar. He is an inspiring man to be with - and this book is an inspiring read. It gives us an inside look at the battle for the soul of Anglicanism in Canada.
-The Rev. Dr. Don Faris, Author of The Trojan Horse
[iii]It became apparent to us that you are very much like the Timothy that St. Paul encouraged and guided. Step by step you have overcome personal obstacles (your voice), false teaching and apostasy from leaders of the church you loved, ridicule because of your stand for God, and courage in leading your flock into new pastures to maintain integrity of God’s word and continual proclamation of the gospel. In all of this, you have done it with grace and love and have never wavered from your deep love of Jesus. I believe that you truly deserve God’s words, “Well done my good and faithful servant”.
From pioneers, explorers, judges and politicians, you have brought out our rich Canadian Christian heritage in an easy-to-read and enjoyable way...it was like a banquet with a wide assortment of rich food for the soul.
-Dr. George & Elaine Puritch, Wholeness Through Christ Canada leaders
A devotional commentary on 1 & 2 Timothy that’s as Canadian as it is devotional. I enjoyed reading through much of it, and learned a lot about my Canadian heritage.
-Pastor Brian Buhler, North Shore Alliance Church, BC
Practical, readable, knowledgeable, self disclosing, Canada-glad and user-friendly devotional commentary on Biblical mentoring from a Christian leader who has been tested by fire. A worthy read for equippers and influencers.
-Dr. Paddy Ducklow, Pastor & Psychologist, Cap Church, North Shore
Ed Hird is a man of deep passion and commitment. I am grateful to him for raising up Timothy’s through the ministry of St Simon’s North Vancouver. He is a valued member of our ACiC team of clergy and we stand shoulder to shoulder with him in the fight. My hope is that this book will inspire many more Canadians to reflect on our heritage and the sacrifices made by Christians of former generations, but not leave it there. This is a battle that must not be lost in our country.
-The Rev. Paul Carter, ACiC Network Leader
Battle for the Soul of Canada is a book of great value and inspiration: value in that it contains a gold mine of documented spiritual history regarding the nation of Canada. In addition, it is a well of pertinent truth filled with information that leads to transformation. Finally, you will be inspired to do exactly what the main mission of the book is about, namely to raise up a generation of Timothys who will bring this nation back to its founding values.
-Rev. Dr. George D. Johnson
Harvest City Church / City Embassy
Vancouver, B.C.
Ed Hird has written a delightful blend of positive personal testimony, redeemed Canadian history and practical pastoral exhortation structured around the apostle Paul's letters to Timothy. If you need encouragement concerning the future of the church in Canada, this would be a good book to read. But be prepared to be challenged to be part of the battle for the soul of Canada.
-Rainer Mittelstaedt, Pastor, Bethel International Church, Vancouver BC
As a man of faith, Ed Hird reminds us all of the godly heritage of this great land of Canada. His call for an army of Timothys is a call for men and women to once again stand tall for the truth handed down to us through the ages. May his witness stir in the hearts of others the faithfulness and courage we have seen in his heart. Ed, I stand with many of your brothers across your border as we say: "O Canada, we stand on guard for thee"
-The Rev. David A. Rich, AMiA, Jackson, Mississippi,
Past Executive Director, Christ Our Healer Ministry, Buffalo, NY
In order for the Timothy's new generation in Canada to become secure and reach their destiny, they need fathers and mothers that will cover them and will walk with them.
-Pastor Jean Claude & Valerie Joyal, Bridgebuilders, Quebec
I’m delighted to recommend this book, not only to Anglicans, but also to all who pray and look for the day when Canada, like all other kingdoms of this world, shall ‘become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ.’ Drawing on many years of immersion in Scripture as well as a deep knowledge of Canadian history, Ed Hird outlines a fascinating and compelling agenda for turning this nation back to the Saviour and restoring its own true nature.
-The Rev Canon Dr Robert B Smith, Diocese of Fredericton (Ret). Former Chair
of SOMA Canada, Rose & Thorn Ministries
How refreshing and proper the time is to have a true spiritual book that will appease the thirst in so pure waters of the sacred Scripture and Christian tradition!
Canada now stands at a critical crossroad and forces are constantly at work to undermine the moral fabric of this nation. We – the faithful servants and the gatekeepers – must guard our beliefs and values always.
Reverend Ed Hird is one of those few who consistently seek the moral high ground and I am honoured to work alongside this fellow minister. This book will certainly be an important aid in bolstering and maintaining faith.
-Rev. Msgr. Pedro-Lopez Gallo, St Pius Catholic Church, North Vancouver
Ed Hird has a vision for a renewed Canada through the raising up of a generation of leaders dedicated to the Christian principles of many of its founders. Indeed a great strength of the book is its colourful and inspiring cast of Canadian characters often overlooked by our generation.
-The Rev. George Eves, Author of Two Religions, One Church, Taylor College
Rev. Ed Hird is one of my modern day Canadian heroes. A man of conviction, passion for truth, God and His ways, passion for his nation and a man willing to push against the grain to take a stand for what he knows is truth. In this amazing literary call, Rev. Hird articulates all these elements like a good soldier fighting for generations to come. Battle for the Soul of Canada is more than a book. It is a call and more than a call. It is a trumpet blown at a critical moment in our nation's history.
-Faytene Kryskow, Author of Stand on Guard & Director, 4 MY Canada
Our Canadian church culture has all but neutralized the supernatural life-giving, life-saving power of God. But take heart, a new day has dawned, and Ed Hird has served notice in this book that the Timothys of the hour have awakened and now are rising into their destiny. Canada is poised to reach the nations for Jesus Christ! Only read this book if you want to be part of this call - if you want to be encouraged, challenged, strengthened with vision and purpose for a time such as this."
-Rev. Dr. Alistair P. Petrie, Pastor, Author, and Executive Director of Partnership Ministries, Canada
http://www.partnershipministries.org/Battle for the Soul of Canada is a great reflection of author Ed Hird.
From start to finish, it is filled with Canadian Spiritual lore and challenging applications. As a columnist, Ed never seems to tire of treating his readers to fresh perspectives on historical figures and local, even family heroes. As an author he tackles Timothy with that same freshness, cleverly allowing us to see some of Paul’s intention with his young protégé. In an age when our country needs young men to gain fresh insight and passion about and for our nation, this new work makes a timely entrance.
-Lawrence Rae, Senior Pastor, Point Grey Community Church, Vancouver, BC
As a Christian journalist, I have watched and reported for more than four years now as Ed Hird has consistently displayed great boldness, perseverance and joy in upholding biblical orthodoxy against all who would try to co-opt it for their own purposes. He and St. Simon’s North Vancouver have sacrificed much, but in the process have gained much more. This book testifies to that. Yes, there is sadness and sorrow for a country Ed so dearly loves that has gone seriously adrift. But his challenge to the Church to raise up Timothys to reach a nation of Timothys (a brilliant insight into the core character of Canadians!) is hardly wishful thinking; it is prophetic and therefore attainable. As a Baptist, I would encourage Christians of all denominations to read this timely book.
- Frank Stirk, B.C. correspondent for ChristianWeek and a frequent contributor to B.C. Christian News, the Baptist Horizon (CCSB) and Focus on the Family Canada.
For awhile I had to wonder if Ed had secured a Krazy Glue component to the cover of his book, as it became increasingly difficult to put down! Ed is a marvelous tour guide on this walk through Paul's letters to Timothy. The many historical references throughout serve as icing on what is already a rich gift and challenge to the Church in Canada. Timely? -without question. Risky? -there is such transparency concerning his own heart and faith. He longs for a leadership-awakening which must come in Canada.
-Captain Bruce Smith, National Director, Church Army, Canada
Ed Hird has skillfully woven together great truths from first and second Timothy, profound insights from inspired leaders drawn from Canadian and British Columbian history, and lessons learned as a leader of a church under persecution. This timely book recalls us to the God who is able to keep us from falling.
-The Rev. Robin Guinness, Associate Rector of Little Trinity Church, Toronto, BAM Chair Co-signer of the Montreal Declaration of Anglican Essentials
There is a long tradition of lamentations and hand-wringing in Canadian literature over the future prospects of this great land. Ed Hird's book does not belong to this alarmist trend. He seeks to identify the work and the promise of God where others might only surmise crisis. Indeed, he discerns great new things God is doing even in the most militantly secular part of the country. Through the trials and tribulations of the orthodox Anglican community in Vancouver, he offers a unique perspective on the emergent generation of the faithful in the new millennium.
-The Rev. Dr. Timothy Cooke, Swiss Reformed Church; former Rector of St. Martin’s Anglican Church, North Vancouver
With his life and his writing, Rev. Ed Hird demonstrates clearly how to battle evil by living an alternative lifestyle of justice, love and humility. In his focused effort to encourage all of us to "raise upTimothy's", Rev. Hird has brought forward the lives of many who demonstrate with their lives, as well as with their words, what it means to struggle for justice and the Godly way of living for which we are created. Each of the vignettes in Rev. Ed's book call us forward to be a Timothy in our towns and cities and to live in a way that calls others to be the same. I commend this book to all who want to make a difference in their generation for justice, love, and humility before God.
-Elsie Quick, Executive Director, Partners in Hope, Vancouver, BC
[i] The Rev. Canon Dr. Michael Green,
http://www.htc-r.org/clergy-staff.htm “...one of the most influential evangelists and Christian writers living today...author of over 50 books”
[ii] Michael Cassidy’s recent books include The Passing Summer, Bursting the Wineskins, A Witness Forever, Window on the Word
http://www.africanenterprise.org/db/member/cassidy.html[iii] “Church changes blasted; NorthVan minister speaks out” By Anna Marie D'Angelo, North Shore News Reporter, Nov 8th 1999,
http://www.nsnews.com/issues99/w110899/11059901.html ; Abandoning the Faith: Ten Points in response to the New Statement” by Dr. Don Faris,
http://www.churchalive.ca/theology/farisresp.html
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