Centre Place

Centre Place Centre Place produces free original online content including history, philosophy, and theology lectu Please continue to join us online.

Centre Place produces free original online content including history, philosophy, and theology lectures; meditation resources, music, and more. Our international community of learners and spiritual seekers is LGBTQ+ affirming, non-dogmatic, & interfaith. Our facility in downtown Toronto is currently not hosting in-person events. Find out more at www.centreplace.ca.

11/19/2025

Was the Great Schism between Rome and Constantinople about theology or politics?

11/16/2025

What makes the Gospel of John distinct from the others, and what does its vision reveal about how early Christians understood Christ?

"In God’s empire, the last are first, the weak are strong, the Christ kneels and washes the feet of the disciples, and a...
11/16/2025

"In God’s empire, the last are first, the weak are strong, the Christ kneels and washes the feet of the disciples, and a woman is the first witness of the resurrection. Jesus wanted his followers to “Come and See” that a different kind of empire was possible." Apostle Shannon McAdam reflects on Christ's appearance to Mary Magdalene after the Resurrection.

Join us to look back at the insights and perspectives shared during our sermons this year as we explored together the Gospel of John. What makes this account distinct from the others? What does its vision reveal about how this community understood Christ? How might this Gospel’s unique voice challenge the ways we read scripture today?

"I don't know how to make sense of a God who sometimes intervenes and sometimes doesn't, and personally... One thing tha...
11/16/2025

"I don't know how to make sense of a God who sometimes intervenes and sometimes doesn't, and personally... One thing that helps is the lesson I take from the healing of the royal official's son: Sometimes, the divine shines through anyway. I am trying to notice and appreciate whenever that happens." –Spencer Greenhalgh reflects on the healing of the royal official's son.

Join us to look back at the insights and perspectives shared during our sermons this year as we explored together the Gospel of John. What makes this account distinct from the others? What does its vision reveal about how this community understood Christ? How might this Gospel’s unique voice challenge the ways we read scripture today?

"Through Christ,what is ordinary can become extraordinary, what is broken can be healed, and what is empty can be filled...
11/16/2025

"Through Christ,what is ordinary can become extraordinary, what is broken can be healed, and what is empty can be filled." Apostle Art Smith reflects on the sign during the wedding at Cana when Jesus turned water into wine.
Join us to look back at the insights and perspectives shared during our sermons this year as we explored together the Gospel of John. What makes this account distinct from the others? What does its vision reveal about how this community understood Christ? How might this Gospel’s unique voice challenge the ways we read scripture today?

All this year we have experienced the good news as told in the unique witness of the Gospel of John. In contrast to the...
11/14/2025

All this year we have experienced the good news as told in the unique witness of the Gospel of John. In contrast to the nativity stories in Matthew and Luke, John begins with the “hymn of the Logos” — the Genesis story retold to emphasize Christ as God’s Word who became flesh and dwells among us. We next considered miracle narratives that the Gospel of John uniquely calls “signs” pointing to Jesus as the Christ. We then considered John’s telling of the passion story with its emphasis on Jesus’ foreknowledge and divine sacrifice. Many of these events are experienced through the witness of the “Beloved Disciple,” a unique witness to the Johannine community whose name was kept deliberately anonymous.

How might this Gospel’s distinctive voice challenge the ways we read scripture?

Why did the Christian Church split between East and West? Was the Great Schism between Rome and Constantinople about the...
11/13/2025

Why did the Christian Church split between East and West? Was the Great Schism between Rome and Constantinople about theology or politics?

The traditional story says the divide began in 1054, when the Pope’s legates excommunicated the Patriarch of Constantinople—and were immediately excommunicated in return. But that version oversimplifies a much deeper and older conflict. So, when did the real separation happen? And why did it prove impossible to heal?

John Hamer of Toronto Centre Place explores the centuries of theological, cultural, and political tensions that led to the Great Schism and shaped the very meaning of Christendom.

📅 Tuesday, Nov 18
⏰ 7:00 PM EDT

Due to the government shutdown affecting airport staff across the U.S., John is still stuck in Minneapolis. ✈️ “East vs....
11/11/2025

Due to the government shutdown affecting airport staff across the U.S., John is still stuck in Minneapolis. ✈️ “East vs. West: Why Christendom Divided” will now air next Tuesday, November 18—assuming he can get a flight back to Toronto by then! 😖

Why did the Christian Church split between East and West? Was the Great Schism between Rome and Constantinople about theology or politics?

John Hamer of Toronto Centre Place explores the centuries of theological, cultural, and political tensions that led to the Great Schism and shaped the very meaning of Christendom.

📅 Tuesday, Nov 18
⏰ 7:00 PM EDT

11/09/2025

Let’s consider Jesus' final instruction to Peter. What does love have to do with discipleship?

11/09/2025

Let’s consider Jesus' final instruction to Peter. What does love have to do with discipleship?

This Sunday we conclude our year-long exploration of the Gospel of John with the final scene on the shores of the Sea of...
11/07/2025

This Sunday we conclude our year-long exploration of the Gospel of John with the final scene on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. After breakfast, the Risen Christ turns to Peter and asks three times, “Do you love me?”—a moment that mirrors Peter’s three denials. Yet each time Peter answers, Jesus responds, “Feed my sheep.” What does love have to do with discipleship? Who are these sheep, and what does it mean to feed them? Join us this Sunday as we reflect on these questions and on what it means to follow Christ in the world today.

How did the Eastern Orthodox Church separate from the Catholic church and why? The Eastern Orthodox Church separated fro...
11/06/2025

How did the Eastern Orthodox Church separate from the Catholic church and why? The Eastern Orthodox Church separated from Catholicism in 1054 when legates of Pope Leo IX excommunicated the Patriarch of Constantinople. However, this narrative fails under closer examination. John Hamer of Toronto Centre Place will look at the history of the Eastern and Western Churches and chart the history of their division.

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