The Regent
Fall 2010, Volume 22, Number 3
Paternalism and Consumerism
Rod Wilson
As Regent College celebrates its 40 th anniversary, we do so with a deep sense of gratitude to God for his providence and grace, as well as to the founders for their faith and creativity. We look back with appreciation to God, our help in ages past, and to his people, who carefully assessed the need for such an organism in the 1960s. A key component of the Regent founders’ vision was thoughtful reflection not just on culture but on needs in the Christian world at that point in time. Their conviction was that there was an inability to think Christianly, biblically, and theologically in the church at large, and that many people in so-called “secular work” had thought more about their professional discipline and occupation than they had about their faith in Jesus Christ. Further, they recognized that while there were many fine theological institutions doing quality work, the primary focus of these schools was the training of the clergy—what was needed was a new school, one that would take the whole people of God seriously.
The birth of Regent College was an attempt to address that particular cultural need at that particular point in time. It is important to note that the vision of our founders was not paternalistic: they did not decide autonomously and privately that they knew exactly what was needed for the church at large. Instead, they listened, and, through the work of the Holy Spirit, understood God’s voice and calling for that specific time. It is also important to note that the vision did not reflect consumerism: they did not ask people what they wanted and simply give it to them. Rather, there was a dialogue between the spiritual vision of the founders and the peculiarities of the culture so that students were heard and culture was taken into account, but neither ended up in the driver’s seat. One of the tasks occupying us right now is almost identical to what , happened in the 60s. We are trying to be attentive—to God, to the culture, to the church, and to the voices of students—as we engage in a design process. We are doing our best to slide neither to the extreme of arrogant paternalism (assuming we know everything), nor to the extreme of passive consumerism (in which the “customer” is always right). While our task is not yet complete, some of our early findings are instructive. Knowing what degree a student is pursuing will not tell you why they came to Regent or what they want to do with it. The world has changed radically since 1970 and our current students select a DipCS, MCS, MDiv or ThM for many different reasons. Although it may have been true in the past, now the selection of an MDiv does not always indicate
that the student wants to pursue church or parachurch ministry, any more than a student with an MCS is always doing integrative work with their own discipline, or a ThM student wants to pursue more academic work. Students today are asking big questions more than they are looking for particular degrees. Among the questions students are asking are the following: •
How do I integrate my faith with all of life, make it relevant, and figure out what’s next?
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Where can I get qualification from an academically credible school so I can be prepared for church or parachurch ministry?
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Where can I receive theological training that understands the problems of the contemporary church and will help me be a part of the solution?
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Is there a place in which I can prepare for an academic teaching career—a spiritually vital and intellectually rigorous community where I can study in an integrative manner and be launched into the next stage?
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Can I study theology in a spiritually rich and open community?
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Can I integrate my faith with my work and life experience so I can serve God more effectively in my work?
Recognizing that these are the questions students are bringing to Regent College in 2010 means that we must raise issues about curriculum (what we teach), pedagogy (how we teach), community (in what context we serve), messaging (how we describe what we do) and finances (how we fund what we do). continued on page 6
Annual Report fall 2010
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s we begin this school year, it is appropriate to look back on the gifts God has given Regent College over the previous year. We are pleased to have this opportunity to communicate the deep satisfaction we experienced as we served together this year to fulfill Regent College’s mission to cultivate intelligent, vigorous, and joyful commitment to Jesus Christ, His church, and His world.
2010 annual report
acknowledging our need
Regent College is still facing significant financial need. Many colleges and universities are experiencing an increase in enrolment; as unemployment increases the number of individuals seeking re-education also tends to increase. This is not, however, the case with theological education. We are experiencing the same continuous decline in enrolment that almost every other theological school in North America is facing, with the result that fewer tuition dollars are undergirding the services Regent College provides. While this has, on some levels, been discouraging, in the spring and summer of 2010 we made several strategic hires designed to increase the long-term financial stability of the College: a director of marketing; a director of enrolment services (with responsibility for recruitment); and a director of will and estate gifts.
for people
Once again, we have been blessed by an amazing group of students. Our faculty are unanimous in affirming that the students we receive at Regent College are the most engaged, earnest, and bright students they have ever taught. 668 students enrolled in the fall 2009 semester at Regent, and 561 in winter 2010. Students ranged in age from 21 to 79. 23% of the student body was from outside Canada and the United States, with 33 countries represented, including Malaysia, Ireland, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Iceland. 192 students graduated from Regent on April 26, 2010 at Regent’s 40th convocation. To celebrate the occasion, the College held events throughout the weekend, including a “Taste of Regent” open house, and the faculty installation of Dr. Rikk Watts. 2010 alumni will join alums in over 85 countries around the world! This year’s graduates were given a survey upon graduation. The top three areas in which they felt stronger were: self-knowledge, trust in God, and insight into troubles of others. The vast majority stated that if they had to do their theological education over again, they would again choose Regent College. We are thrilled with this affirmation of Regent’s work, and look forward to the work that God will continue to do in the lives of our graduates, and in the lives of others through them.
The Regent World
for place
Because of its intentional location on the campus of a large public university, it is important to us that we regularly open our doors to the public for various types of events. We had seven Lookout Gallery shows this year, and also presented numerous lectures, including a total of 13 evening public lectures during summer term. Regent College also hosted three conferences: the annual Regent College Pastors’ Conference, May 2009, addressed the topic The Pastor as Preacher and drew 214 people; the Marketplace Institute’s Social Enterprise conference, November 2009, drew 96 people; and the Bioethics Conference, June 2009, drew 45 people.
for programs
In classrooms and offices, over soup and coffee, through conversations and lectures, the Regent College faculty have poured their lives into students this past year. They have also extended their influence into the public sphere through writing and speaking engagements. Four faculty members had work published this past year, and 128 courses were offered. This coming year sees two additions to the Regent College faculty. Mariam J. Kamell has been appointed as Post Doctoral Research Fellow in New Testament, having recently completed her doctorate at St. Andrew’s University in Scotland. And a new Dean of Students will join us in January 2011. We look forward with joy to the contributions both of these individuals will make to the Regent community.
with thanksgiving
Throughout all these joys and challenges, there is an overwhelming feeling of thankfulness at Regent College. Students are thankful for the opportunity to study in this rich environment and receive teaching from the amazing individuals who make up our faculty. Faculty members are, in turn, thankful for the calibre of students they have the opportunity to teach (and learn from). Staff and faculty members are thankful for the opportunity to work in a place where God is so obviously at work. Thank you for partnering with us, as we seek to join the Spirit of God, already at work in Regent College. Regent College is a charter member of the Canadian Council of Christian Charities. The Regent College Foundation is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability. Together, we uphold their standards for financial accountability. Audited financial statements for both organizations are available upon request. All donations solicited are used for the purposes stated by the donor in Board recognized and approved programs. We honour your right to confidentiality and do not buy or sell mailing list information.
Winter 2010, Volume 22, Number 3
Managing Editor Contributing Editor Designer 2
Dal Schindell Writer Ahna Phillips Stacey Gleddiesmith Photos Regent Archive Rosi Petkova Printer Western Printers
5800 University Boulevard Vancouver, BC V6T 2E4, Canada
November 3-4, 2010
www.regent-college.edu/laing
The Words We Use
2010
An Interview with Susan Wise Bauer
SWB: I’m a writer and an educator, and my colleagues in both of those fields are always complaining about how words aren’t as important, or as valued, or as precise as they used to be. While I’ve done my share of moaning about how my freshmen don’t know how to use commas properly, I find myself in a contrarian position. I don’t see it. Words are as central to our society as they ever have been. There’s plenty of image-based media out there, but those forms seem to be generating more text… Words are the major vehicle of communication on most webpages. Social networking sites rely on words. IMing, texting, and tweeting all depend on words. Written language has, in many ways, become more central to our society than ever before. What should challenge us is the ways in which words are being put to use: new words, new forms of words, and new kinds of words are multiplying faster than ever before. People of faith, and particularly people of faith who anchor themselves in sacred writings, must think deeply about this phenomenon and why we tend, as a group, to be uncomfortable with it. These three topics all, in one way or another, relate to how people of faith—and particularly people of the Book—use and react to words. Q: History is often perceived by the public as dry and/or
irrelevant. How would you describe the role of the historian in today’s society? SWB: I like what the filmmaker Ken Burns once said in an interview, when he was asked why he had done so
Q: Your book The Art of the Public Grovel: Sexual Sin and
Public Confession in America seems somewhat of a departure from the subject matter of your other books. What prompted you to write on this particular topic? SWB: In 1987, when the televangelist Jim Bakker was accused of defrauding his investors and assaulting Jessica Hahn in a hotel room, I was absolutely flabbergasted by his total refusal to admit any wrongdoing. When he finally got out of prison and published his autobiography, he called it I Was Wrong. I went out and bought it. In hardcover. That’s how anxious I was to hear this man finally say that he was wrong. He spent five hundred pages explaining how he was wrong… to trust people as much as he did, to be as generous as he was, to spend so much time and money trying to make his wife happy. He never once admitted any real transgressions. I was fascinated by the rhetorical aspects of this: what are the steps you go through to give the impression of apologizing without ever really apologizing? The Clinton-Lewinsky scandal intensified my interest in the rhetorical angles, especially since Clinton’s rhetoric worked so well…. I don’t think the topic of public confession…is actually all that far from my other topics of interest. It is deeply concerned with words and how they’re put together…and the context they’re spoken in. Q: If you could require every attendee to read one book prior to attending your lectures, which book would you choose? SWB: Just one? How about Kirkpatrick Sale’s Rebels Against the Future: The Luddites and their War on the Industrial Revolution? The book…compares the Luddite revolt [against technology] with our reactions to new technologies (particularly computer technologies)…. I think he tells a wonderful story. I think he’s doing exactly what a public historian should do—showing the parallels between the past and the present—and I think his conclusions are all wrong. The kind of thinking he displays in the book (which…I thoroughly enjoyed and have reread several times) is exactly the kind of thinking that I intend to lecture against. 3
Left to right: Stanley Riegel, James Houston, Massimo Rubboli, Peter Shaw, Brian Sutherland and David Karsgaard.
Early Graduates
In 1970, when Regent College launched its first full-time program, an amazing ninety-three students enrolled part-time (over two semesters). While this made for a full single classroom in the basement of what is now the Vancouver School of Theology, only six students committed themselves to full-time study: four in the fall semester, and two more in the winter semester. We caught up with two of these “first-year students” to ask them about their memories of that first year, and to find out where their studies at Regent have led them. Massimo Rubboli A native of Italy, Massimo Rubboli is now a professor of North American history and the Director of the North American Research Centre at the University of Genoa. He has written and edited a dozen books, and lectures widely. Rubboli first came to Regent College with his bride of only a few months, Tina. Having finished his studies in the School of Humanities at the University of Bologna, Rubboli had a strong desire to study the Bible at an evangelical school and, at the suggestion of friends Stacey Woods and Harold J. Brown, he decided to attend Regent. His initial impression was that Regent was both “friendly and scholarly at the same time.” He recalls with great fondness evenings spent with Ward and Laurel Gasque “enjoying meaningful conversation and listening to music.” He states of his time at Regent: “I think it has been very important for my spiritual and intellectual growth, giving me the courage and the vision to be a consistent Christian witness in the secular world.” Forty years later, Rubboli is still very grateful that God allowed him and Tina “to be part of the very first year of Regent’s wonderful adventure.” He plans to return to Regent in 2012 as a visiting scholar.
regent then
Q: Why did you choose to focus on “The Words We Use” in this lecture series?
many historical documentaries. He said, history is the only subject there is, because everything that’s happened in every field, before the present minute, is history. The job of those of us who write for the public is to make that clear—to show how our present customs… and challenges are related to what’s happened before…. We need to provide historical perspective. We need to provide a narrative that says, for example: Ebooks may challenge print books for part of the market, but the print book has been challenged before, over and over again, and is still with us. How is the present crisis related to what’s happened in the past?
laing lectures
The Laing Lectures are an endowed lecture series intended to encourage critical thinking within Christian life, and are held at Regent College in the fall of each year. Eminent thinkers whose work addresses publics broader than the academy are nominated by the Regent faculty. On November 3-4 of this year, the Laing Lectures will be delivered by Susan Wise Bauer. John G. Stackhouse, Jr. (host of the Laing Lectures and Sangwoo Youtong Chee Professor of Theology and Culture) says of this year’s lecturer: “Dr. Bauer is widely respected for her contributions to several significant conversations in North American culture. She is a leader in the theory and pedagogy of home schooling. She is an intrepid chronicler, launched on a multi-volume history of the world with a major publisher. And she is an expert in American literature and religious history. With her husband, she also runs a small publishing house and raises a family, while she teaches at the College of William and Mary. In sum, she is a fascinating, multi-faceted person who will bring us lectures that I’m sure will appeal to and stimulate a wide range of audiences.” The lecture series is titled The Words We Use, and consists of three lectures: “Disappearing Words: People of the Book in a Multimedia Age,” “Fighting Words: Right- and Wrong-headed Ways to Argue,” and “Shameful Words: Public Confession and Private Sins.”
Peter Shaw “My experience of Regent was fundamental to my growing up and seeking to be a Christian influence for good in the political and governmental arenas,” says Peter Shaw, one of Regent’s first graduates. Shaw works in London, in his native England, as an executive coach to senior leaders in the public, private, and voluntary sectors. His clients include chief executives, director generals, senior judges, and bishops. The author of numerous books on leadership, Shaw maintains close ties with Regent. He is a sessional lecturer, most recently teaching a class during this year’s Spring School. Before attending Regent, he was an undergraduate studying Geography at Durham University, and it was Regent’s “vision of equipping the Christian leader to work effectively in the secular world,” he says, that inspired him to come here. He has fond memories of Regent’s first year: “Our one lecture room was a basement room in what was then Union College. It was cosy and filled with laughter.” Having been involved with Regent over the course of four decades, Shaw observes, “Regent continues to be vibrant, supportive, and challenging. It has built on the strong foundation established in the 1970s, [and] continues to be a dynamic and energising place, reaching out to people across continents.” 4
40 years of regent college
5990 iona drive
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Master of Divinity inaugurated Regent College moves to two fraternity houses on Wesbrook Mall
chapel…
he spirit of Regent College can perhaps be spelled out in the following way: academic excellence but not professionalism; an integrated life but not intellectualism; personal response but not individualism; Christian commitment but not denominationalism; a disciplined life but not institutionalism; cultural involvement but not secularism.” ~ James Houston, 1971
1983
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1979
1975
Accreditation from The Association of Theological Schools
Regent College and Carey Hall sign a formal statement of affiliation
Regent’s first honeymooners: a couple from Kansas attends Regent summer school while on honeymoon
1974
1973
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Carl Armerding becomes principal
soup lunch… fall retreat… community house…
egent College began with both joy and sorrow. Six students were enrolled for the fall semester of 1970—Regent’s first fulltime class. Tragically, Dianne Pindred (who was also to be the first secretary of the College) and David Self were killed in a car accident the August before classes were to begin.
Master of Theology inaugurated Regent buys its first computer
1980
Affiliation with UBC
Enrollment grows from 4 students to 44
1970
1969
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1967
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Incorporation of Regent College
undraising for Regent College’s new building was amazingly successful, with $5,100,000 being raised from only 225 donors. The average gift size of over $22,000 does not, however, paint the full picture of this campaign. By far the most stirring gift was an offering of $1.28 from a young girl, accompanied by a note (written in crayon) saying that she hoped the money could be used to buy some nails or a screwdriver. The young girl was Marieke, the daughter of Kit and Dal Schindell.
1985
Diploma in Christian Master of Christian Studies inaugurated Studies inaugurated (4 full-time students) Regent moves to the basement of Vancouver School of Theology
Official inauguration, First convocation first summer school (4 graduates) (56 students, held in St. Andrew’s Hall)
January of 1967, James Houston approached the Chairman of the Department of Geography at UBC about obtaining a visiting lectureship for the Summer School six months later. He was informed that the post he could have filled had already been offered to someone else. The Chairman added jokingly, “If you have a private line to the celestial White House, then anything could happen: Professor Edwards might be taken ill, have to withdraw from his contract, and then you would be asked to replace him. And this could happen within a week! If so, you will receive a cable immediately.” Marshall Sheppard alone believed that this was a possibility of God, and he prayed for it. Upon Houston’s return to England, and within a week after the event, he received the cabled invitation. ~ “The Inside Story of Regent College”
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glanced at the list of names just handed to me and my heart sank. Back in the spring it had seemed a good idea … to agree to accommodate some summer school students. However, faced with the names of several strangers, I wondered what I had let myself in for…. How would we all get on together? Can you combine that many strangers and expect them to fit in and have a family atmosphere? Would they feel isolated from others on the campus? It was remarkable how quickly we learned to get along—perhaps a seven o’clock breakfast is quite a good binding force for a family! Soon those ‘strangers’ were active in the kitchen preparing food for other students they had invited in to share our evening meals…. Looking back over summer school, I view it primarily in terms of people … for Regent is, above all, a place where we learn to relate our living to all we are studying, and relate our study to all we are experiencing.” ~Rita Houston in the Regent College Bulletin, Summer, 1974
1971
James Houston becomes principal
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1976
ong before it had a name and a charter from the BC government, Regent was a dream in the hearts of many people. E. Marshall Sheppard, a Vancouver businessman, dreamed of a quality school of theology that could raise the level of teaching in churches and provide the education required for effective missionary service. James M. Houston, a lecturer in geography at Oxford University, dreamed of an institute for integrative Christian studies on the campus of a major secular university. Donald Tinder and Ward Gasque, theological students in California, dreamed of a graduate school of theology that would equip all of God’s people. Other younger and older Brethren leaders—Carl E. Armerding, Walter Liefeld, Paul Little, Arthur Hill, G.C.D. Howley, Charles Todd, Jr., Paul E. Leonard, John Williams, Brian Sutherland, William J. Martin, and others—dreamed of the positive effect that solid biblical and theological education could have on the movement of which they were a part .... [Regent’s] current impact is much greater than the dreams of any of the early founders.” ~ Ward and Laurel Gasque on “The Dreams that Became Regent College” in Regent World, Winter, 1995
2130 wesbrook mall
soup tuesdays…
regent college bookstore…
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all the people involved in the founding of Regent College, Mr. Sheppard is the one man without whom, humanly speaking, there would be no Regent College. He it was who, from about 1964, gathered together a group of men and women … to discuss and plan for the establishment of a college. He it was who influenced Dr. Houston to become principal and others to join the faculty of a new and unproven venture. He was the first Chairman of the Board and to the end had the interests of the College very much on his heart.” ~ Marshall Sheppard died on Feb 18, 1973. Quotation found in Regent College Bulletin, Spring, 1973
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ike Israel in the wilderness, the College had launched out on its own Exodus in 1975, trading the spacious and comfortable accommodation at the Vancouver School of Theology for ‘huts’ on Wesbrook Mall. The manna was there when needed, but attempts to store it for future needs all came up short. There was grumbling: some had decided it was better back in Egypt, and yearned for the earlier days; others came expecting the Promised Land, and grew impatient with desert life; many wondered if we had lost the very idea of a Promised Land, since it seemed to take so long to get there …. We were ‘on the way’ somewhere. Now that we, like Israel, are ‘in the land,’ the word is still the same: Keep moving!” ~ Carl Armerding on Regent’s “teen years,” in Regent World, Winter, 1995
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have fought the good fight of faith. I do not understand why my Lord has not delivered me. However, I do believe all things work out for good to those that love God. You are doing an important work at Regent. Regent has a vital commission to teach those that are to be sent out to the four corners of the world.… Please encourage everyone at Regent that their work is vital and significant. Each one must be faithful to the portion that God gives to them. Everyone has different talents, and as long as they are willing to become vessels of the Lord, Regent must do their best to equip them for their task. Love, John” ~Printed in the Regent College Bulletin, Summer,1984. Letter to Ward Gasque from a student who struggled with leukemia throughout his time at Regent, graduating with his DipCS twelve days before his death.
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5800 university boulevard moved, a year and a half ago, to a very beautiful sheep farm in a valley facing Retreat Cove, on the west side of Galiano Island, about an hour’s ferry ride from Vancouver.… The land at Hunterston Farm is owned by a company made up of people, including several Regent faculty and alumni, who are all committed to letting their houses be used part of the time for the purposes of retreat and renewal .... Already hundreds of Regent faculty, staff, students, and friends have spent time there, and found it a rich experience of coming to know more deeply their connectedness to each other, to the Creation, and to the Creator. “ ~Loren Wilkinson in Regent World, May, 1990
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To prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up E P H E S I A N S
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Rod Wilson becomes president
is impossible to walk from any function of the College to another without encountering people. The building is designed to bring people into contact with people, to bring together visibly the worship, teaching, social, and study facets of life in the College community. But the building alone does not take us into the future. I found at Regent an openness to the future—a willingness to explore with God new paths into the next decade—an exciting optimism about the ministry of Regent in the years ahead. At Regent College I found faculty, staff, and board members building for a future of service for the Kingdom of God.” ~ Walter C. Wright , Jr.,“Reflections of a Newcomer” in Regent World, December, 1988
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January of this year, two anonymous donors gave us a beautiful Steinway grand piano for the chapel….However, it is not altogether correct to call it a new instrument” Built in 1900 in the German Steinway factory, the piano had already prevailed through a century of use. In the mid-1960s, the piano was purchased from “Samuel’s Pianos” in London to be used in a residence for international students. After twenty years of heavy use, it was placed in storage, complete with its damaged and broken parts. George Egerton, a man with the unusual hobby of rebuilding pianos, purchased the piano in 1993, and had it shipped to Vancouver via the Panama Canal. The piano currently resides in the Regent chapel, where it is used and enjoyed during chapel services and various concerts. To this day the piano is still regularly visited and tuned by Dr. George Egerton. ~ Story and quoted material in Regent World, Summer, 1999.
2007
re we the prisoners of our heritage? Our forbearers laid a good foundation, but foundations are not something upon which to stagnate, but rather a base on which to build. The writer of Hebrews criticizes the ‘cat-chasing-its-tail’ attitude of those who are constantly laying the foundation and getting nowhere fast. To be constantly looking backward will result in a crooked furrow. Let us advance....” ~ Mr. E. Marshall Sheppard in Regent College Bulletin, Spring, 1973
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egent College is a garden planted in the midst of Vancouver. It is our task to continue to scatter seed and watch the kingdom of God grow in various ways. It is our responsibility to be ready to harvest when the time comes. Our God-sightings, in this process, will not so much reflect our conscientiousness, alertness, or activity, as they will demonstrate the power of the seed, birthed from the heart of the triune God.” ~ Rod Wilson on the Parable of the Sower, Mk 4:26-29 in Regent World, Spring, 2010
n Walter Wright becomes principal
ounding myths’ are expressive of the vitality of a life, as of an institution…. They are true stories of events that really happened yet, with time and distance from the events, their significance has grown and so their influence has grown too …. They continue to assure, to nurture, and to give both promises of divine guidance and provident care …. Like the confluence of the many tributaries that water the mighty Amazon, so Regent too has grown, thus no one personal story can explain the continued growth of the institutional life of the College. Otherwise the growth of God’s work can be choked and then die. Each September, more ‘founding myths’ continue to feed Regent.” ~ Jim Houston on “Founding Myths” in Regent World, Winter, 1995
John Richard Allison Library, and building renovations completed
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Regent College moves to a brand new “green roofed” building on University Boulevard
convocation
2010
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40th
40th Convocation
Paternalism and Consumerism continued
From the Mouths of Faculty
regent now
Q: Why did you decide to take a job at Regent College? Phil Long: “I had determined that moving from one post to another to do essentially the same thing did not make much sense, as I value place and rootedness. Regent, however, offered a fresh challenge, with its emphasis on training ‘laity’ as well as professionals and its high level offerings in a wide array of concentrations.” Iain Provan: “I was impressed with the vision of the College, and found it very much in line with my own vision of what the Gospel and the Kingdom of God are all about.” Q: What do you see as Regent’s most important area of development? Rikk Watts: “Continuing to train the very best in skilled and self-aware Bible readers in order to assist God’s people in regaining a genuinely canonical theology and articulating the same in a way that can be understood by and also transform the 21st century global marketplace.” Sarah Williams: “The Marketplace Institute—not just because I am married to Paul, but because I believe it is helping to lead the Regent community in a more deliberate and engaged missional direction. And because it is shaking us up!” Phil Long: “I think Regent needs to find a way of serving both types of students, those training for full-time, paid Christian ministry, and those studying in order to deepen their biblical and theological roots in order to live more effectively as Christians in their various locations, vocations, and avocations.” Q: How would you describe Regent students? Hans Boersma: “Very bright and keen; incredibly motivated to learn.” Sarah Williams: “The best in the world all hands down. I taught extremely bright students at Oxford before coming to Regent, now I teach students who take my breath away when I see them combining faith and intelligence with character, integrity, and passion. It is a profound privilege to teach in this place.”
Alum John A. Forrester has published two new books. Grace for Shame: The Forgotten Gospel highlights the good news that not only guilt, but shame (a lesser talked-about but equally heavy burden), has been lifted by Jesus’ work on the cross. In Extending the Invitation: Participating in God’s Gracious Call to Muslims, Forrester draws from his experiences living in Turkey and in the diverse city of Toronto, encouraging his readers to follow Jesus by forming “authentic friendship with strangers,” particularly Muslims.
Kudos Regent College President Rod Wilson has recently been elected to the Board of Directors of the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS) for a four year term. The ATS has a membership of more than 250 graduate schools, and its mission is “to promote the improvement and enhancement of theological schools to the benefit of communities of faith and the broader public.”
Q: What is your most poignant memory related to Regent? Rikk Watts: “There have been many, but this one is unashamedly personal and, being recent, still sharp in my memory: having Gordon Fee, my mentor and the one who approached me to consider coming to Regent, perform his last public function at the College in offering the concluding prayer at my installation— and that when Jim Houston, another dear friend and mentor, had read the text and given some opening remarks.” John Stackhouse: “One of my best memories was formed before I was even on the faculty. The February weekend I was in town for my final interview as a candidate for the position I now hold featured the installation service of Iain Provan. Iain’s address that night was simply superb. As I listened, I thought, ‘This extraordinarily excellent blending of erudition, eloquence, piety, and practicality in the service of God and the world is exactly what I want to be part of. If this is Regent (and it is) I want to be here.’” 6
A new book, Grounded in the Gospel: Building Believers the Old-Fashioned Way, by J.I. Packer (Board of Governors’ Professor) and Gary A. Parrett (alum) argues the importance of re-instituting in evangelical churches the traditional practice of catechesis—“systematic instruction in faith foundations, including what we believe, how we pray and worship, and how we conduct our lives.”
The book, Can God Be Trusted? Faith and the Challenge of Evil, by John G. Stackhouse, Jr. (Sangwoo Youtong Chee Professor of Theology and Culture) is now available in Indonesian, making the text accessible to one of the most populous nations in the world.
Gordon T. Smith (Sessional Lecturer) has recently released a book entitled Transforming Conversion: Rethinking the Language and Contours of Christian Initiation, in which he argues for a holistic view of conversion, and for an integrated perspective of evangelism in the life of a congregation.
books
Rod Wilson, President
Books
kudos
We are doing this in a fresh way at this point in Regent’s history, not to communicate that the past is worse and the future is better, nor to engage in paternalism or consumerism, but so that we might continue to be sensitive to the work of the Spirit as we steer Regent College through this next season. We are committed to Regent’s stirring history, and to its continued presence as unique among theological schools. We are also committed to its future, as we learn from the past, listen to the present, and walk forward in confidence of God’s continued care and guidance.
Regent alum, actor Steve Waldschmidt, was featured in the Calgary Herald this summer for his portrayal of Jesus in the Canadian Badlands Passion Play in Drumheller, Alberta. This stage production attracted just over 12,000 attendees last year alone. It was Waldschmidt’s third year in this role.
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Don Lewis (Professor of Church History) has received a very favourable first review for his book, The Origins of Christian Zionism: Lord Shaftesbury and Evangelical Support for a Jewish Homeland. Shalom Goldman of H-Net Reviews (Humanities and Social Sciences Online) concludes his review with the following words: “Lewis’s book is a very important contribution to the study of British Christian Zionism. One suspects that it will remain the authoritative text on that subject for many years to come.”
Alum Linda Mercadante has been named a Henry Luce III Fellow of Theology for 2010-2011. The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS) and The Henry Luce Foundation, Inc., selected only six Fellows, on the basis of the strength of their proposals, to conduct creative and innovative theological research.
An excerpt from Maxine Hancock’s (Professor Emeritus) book The Key in the Window: Marginal Notes in Bunyan’s Narratives appears in the “Criticism” section of a new Norton Critical Edition of John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress, ed. Cynthia Wall (New York & London: Norton, 2009). Other critics in this collection include: Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Sir Walter Scott, George Bernard Shaw, and C.S. Lewis.
Where There’s a Will an interview with rose-marie goodwin
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riginally from Sweden, Rose-Marie, Director of Will & Estate Gifts, came to Regent in early 2010 with a strong background in planned giving. She now heads up Regent’s legacy program. In this interview she gives insight into why her work with Regent is not just a job, but a calling.
Q: Why would someone make a charitable gift to
Regent College in their will? RG: A will gift is often the more convenient way to give a larger gift, because it is given from one’s assets. Because the gift may be larger than one received from annual income, it can provide greater impact for the cause it will support. An additional benefit of the will gift, of course, is its resulting tax receipt, which will offset some or all of the taxes payable on the estate. Q: Who should consider estate planning of this kind? RG: As Paul writes in Corinthians, we should be prepared with the gifts that our hearts lead us to. If you have been generous during your lifetime, it is reasonable to continue supporting causes through your estate. Many parents feel that their children have no particular need of the entire estate and so they take the time to plan their charitable gifts. A legacy gift may also include … life insurance,
gift annuities, and gifts of appreciated property.
legacy program
Q: What is the purpose of the legacy program? RG: To enable and assist supporters of the College with relevant information and assistance in the preparation of their personal affairs and their estate gifts to the College.
Q: How did you get started in this type of work? RG: Planned giving and estate planning began to intrigue me many years ago, when I was working in a community leadership organization. I believe this interest is actually a fulfillment of my spiritual gift, which is “giving.” Generous giving is one of God’s gifts to his people, and it is in such giving we find joy and freedom from the materialistic thrust of the world. Someone once said, “Our giving is the answer to someone else’s prayer.” Q: What are you hoping will happen as a result of this new Legacy Program? RG: What I really look forward to is a culture where all of us understand that it is reasonable to provide a gift at the end of life, from all that God blesses us with—and are truly enthusiastic about it. And, of course, if those gifts were for Regent College, that would be even better!
NEWS A group of recent Regent alumni (DAVID BENSON, RENÉ BREUEL, BEN EDSALL, MATT GRAY, JESSICA HUGHES, JEREMY KIDWELL, and MATT MATTOON), together with professor JOHN STACKHOUSE, have launched an apologetic blog called Wondering Fair. Their vision is to help people move towards and find faith in Christ through a thoughtful, global conversation in a community-based blog format. www.wonderingfair.com
A great big “THANK YOU!” to everyone who generously made a donation to new financial aid funding for regent students. Last year, due to the College’s limited funds for student financial aid, only 25 percent of students who applied for financial aid received assistance. This fiscal year, thanks to our generous donors, that percentage will increase! The Regent College ADVENT READER is back! Last year we suspended production of the Reader largely as a cost saving measure. We received so many expressions of disappointment, and so many affirmations that the Reader had become a meaningful way for our broader community to enter into the season of Advent, that we decided to produce one more edition. This year’s Reader, entitled Welcoming the Stranger, is an invitation to explore God’s hospitality, and your own, throughout
the season of Advent. With two readings each day (morning and evening) on a single Scripture passage, the book is designed to enfold each day with Scripture— exploring the vast and persistent welcome of God, the response of God’s people throughout history, and our own response to this stranger who lived (who lives) among us. You can pre-order your copy now through the Regent Bookstore—books will be shipped the first week of November. 8
news
Regent College has added MARIAM KAMELL to its faculty this year. Having recently completed her doctorate at the University of St. Andrews, Kamell comes to Regent College in the newly created position of Post-doctoral Fellow in New Testament. We look forward to the contribution she will make to our community.
read, listen, listen again
www.regentbookstore.com Taking Your Soul to Work:Overcomingthe Nine Deadly Sins of the Workplace R. Paul Stevens & Alvin Ung
Paul Stevens and Alvin Ung discuss real-life dilemmas and offer practical guidance for spiritual growth as they explore “soulsapping struggles at work” and the ways in which the fruits of the Spirit meet our workplace needs.
Transforming Conversion: Rethinking the Language and Contours of Christian Initiation Gordon T. Smith
Grounded in the Gospel: Building Believers the Old-Fashioned Way J.I. Packer & Gary A. Parrett
J.I. Packer and Gary A. Parrett explore the concept of catechesis—systematic instruction in faith foundations—urging evangelical churches to find room for this biblical ministry, for the sake of their spiritual health and vitality.
In this book, Gordon T. Smith contends that the language of conversion inherited from revivalism is unhelpful, arguing that we must rethink the nature of church in light of how people actually come to faith in Christ.
www.regentaudio.com
mp3-downloads
Introduction to Christian Theology This course surveys Christian doctrine as set forth in the Bible, grappled and fought Alister McGrath with over in history, and debated in our day—providing resources for deciding what theological assertions express a truly biblical faith.
Mapping Gender Seeking to shed light on issues which preoccupy us today, this course considers how late-Georgian and Victorian church and understood Sarah Williams society masculinity and femininity as social and relationship categories, ideas, and cultural constructs.
Exegesis of Matthew This course undertakes a careful exegetical study of the Gospel of Matthew, attempting to master the basic conRikk Watts tent of the gospel and comparing Matthew’s emphases with that of the other Synoptics.
www.regentradio.net featured speakers
Regent Radio allows you to listen to individual lectures and complete series by Regent College Faculty Members, Emeritus Professors, and Visiting Lecturers over the Internet. This is a great way to participate in the “Regent World,” regardless of the area of the world in which you live. Broadcast schedules are posted daily.
N.T. Wright
Mary Ruth Wilkinson
Sven Soderlund
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Address: Regent College, 5800 University Blvd. Vancouver BC, V6T 2E4 Ph: 604.224.3245
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To order any book or audio set please visit the websites listed, or call the bookstore toll free at 1.800.334.3279. If you live in the Vancouver area, our local number is 604.228.1820.