Tag: Datu Pugawang
On 04 July 2025, during the Mennonite Church Canada Gathering held in Kitchener, Ontario, I had the privilege of presenting a reflection entitled Creating Spaces as Companions: Redeeming Koinonia in the Life of Mennonite Church Canada. This presentation was part of MCCanada Priority in the Gathering 2025 theme—deepening our commitment to relationships across congregations, cultures, and communities. I shared how koinonia, as envisioned in Scripture and global theological discourse, calls us beyond transactional partnerships and institutional habits inherited from colonial and industrial legacies. Instead, I invited our church to reimagine partnership as covenantal, relational, and Spirit-led companionship—a sacred journey of walking together in justice, mutuality, and love.
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Permanent link to this article: https://waves.ca/2025/07/07/creating-spaces-as-companions-redeeming-koinonia-in-the-life-of-mennonite-church-canada/
On 21–22 June 2025, while I’m enjoying the presence of my daughters and their families here in the Greater Vancouver Area, Canada, the world witnessed a historic and deeply alarming event: the United States launched a direct military attack on Iranian soil, striking three of its most fortified nuclear sites—Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. For the first time in modern history, the U.S. did not just target Iranian proxies or operatives abroad; it attacked the core of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure within its borders. As a Filipino peace builder, this moment compels deep reflection. Such an escalation raises urgent questions about the fragility of international diplomacy and the thresholds that major powers are now willing to cross. It brings into sharp focus the immense human cost that could follow if global leaders abandon dialogue in favor of force. This act not only threatens regional stability in the Middle East but also reverberates globally, challenging all of us who work for peace and justice to redouble our efforts.
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Permanent link to this article: https://waves.ca/2025/06/25/reflecting-on-the-june-2025-u-s-strikes-against-iran-while-with-my-family-in-canada/
Bibliology, the theological study of the nature, function, and interpretation of the Bible, has historically occupied a central place in the Judeo-Christian tradition. Within traditional Christian theology, the Bible has often been viewed as the sole and authoritative revelation of God, particularly within Protestant contexts shaped by the Reformation principle of sola scriptura (McGrath, 2017). However, a growing body of scholarship in theology of religions and comparative theology invites us to approach the Bible not as the exclusive word of God, but as one sacred text among the many scripturized worldviews of humanity (Smith, 1993; Clooney, 2010).
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Permanent link to this article: https://waves.ca/2025/06/09/bibliology-in-a-pluralist-world-a-reflective-theological-perspective/
Christology, the theological reflection on the identity and significance of Jesus of Nazareth, has been central to Christianity since its beginnings. Yet, as many scholars emphasize, the first three centuries of the Jesus movement—when believers were known simply as followers of The Way—were characterized by a plurality of Christologies rather than a single, authoritative doctrine (Casey, 2010; Ehrman, 2014). It was only with the rise of imperial Christianity under Constantine that a particular Christology, codified at the Council of Nicaea in 325 CE, came to dominate the theological landscape. From my perspective, I love Jesus of Nazareth as the historical teacher, prophet, and embodiment of divine love. I also respect the Christian tradition that identifies him as the Second Person of the Eternal Trinity.
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Permanent link to this article: https://waves.ca/2025/05/15/christology-in-context-a-panentheist-and-peacebuilding-perspective/
This Easter Sunday, I walk and reflect in the spirit of the empty tomb—not as a monument to triumph, but as a living witness to the power of nonviolent love. As an Anabaptist Christian, shaped by a tradition of costly discipleship and radical peace, I hear the Risen Christ speaking again: “Peace be with you” (John 20:19). He does not come back with vengeance. He comes bearing wounds. He breathes peace on fearful disciples and sends them out into a world ruled by empire, militarism, and religious complicity. That same world surrounds me today—in Southeast Asia where I live and serve as a peacebuilder, and in Canada, where my family and spiritual community remain deeply rooted.
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Permanent link to this article: https://waves.ca/2025/04/20/my-contemplative-walk-on-a-resurrection-sunday-a-revolutionary-call-to-the-peace-of-christ/
As Canadians wake up to the economic uncertainties stirred by protectionist policies from our neighbor and largest trading partner, the United States—particularly under the renewed threats of tariffs by US President Donald Trump—a deeper national introspection is warranted. It is in moments like these, when the ground beneath us seems to shift, that sacred texts offer more than spiritual comfort; they present frameworks for national reflection and transformation. Jesus offers a vivid image of growth through surrender: “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24). This imagery is striking, not only in its spiritual implications but also in its relevance to the soul of a nation confronting change, pressure, and adversity.
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Permanent link to this article: https://waves.ca/2025/03/31/the-cross-and-the-nation-a-canadian-reflection-amid-tariffs-and-turbulence/
As I read today’s Philippine Daily Inquirer headline, “From ‘Tokhang’ to The Hague: Duterte handed over to ICC,” I found myself pausing—not out of surprise, but in solemn reflection. This is a momentous day for our nation. The arrest and transfer of former President Rodrigo Duterte to the International Criminal Court (ICC) signifies more than just a legal milestone. It marks a profound shift in our collective conscience—from a time when extrajudicial killings became normalized under a brutal “war on drugs,” to a moment of reckoning before an international tribunal. It is the beginning of an accounting long delayed, yet urgently needed. As a justice-based peacebuilding worker and a follower of Jesus of Nazareth, I do not see this event merely through the lens of legality. I see it as a moral and ethical crossroads for the Filipino people. This is a test of our commitment to truth, justice, and accountability—not only for the powerless, but now, remarkably, for the once-powerful.
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Permanent link to this article: https://waves.ca/2025/03/12/former-president-rodrigo-duterte-is-arrested-and-transferred-to-icc/
