The RegenT Fall 2007• Vol.19, No.2
to god be the glory ...... 1 awards .......................... 2 changes ......................... 3 celebration weekend .. 4-5 news and kudos ............. 6 finances......................... 7 regent bookstore .......... 8
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s we come to the end of the “Writing the Next Chapter Chapter” campaign, we should ask the question: who was responsible for making all this happen? Was it the 772 donors who gave so generously so that the budget was met and the College absorbed no long-term debt? Was it those who met with donors to present the story in a compelling way? Was it the project manager and architect who brought their competence to the table and created something that is both functional and beautiful? Was it the gifts and skills of the construction workers who toiled through a very wet winter? Was it the staff at Regent who worked hard behind the scenes so the project proceeded without major disruption to the life of the College? You could provide a tentative “yes” as an answer to each of these questions. All of these individuals had a role to play and they were thanked publicly at our Celebration Weekend. However, it is a tentative “yes” because none of these people can claim credit for the entire project or argue that they were responsible for making it all happen. To understand who is ultimately responsible we need to be clear about our theology. W hen I wa s a teen ager, I rememb er b ei ng c on f u s e d by interactions I would have with some of my spiritual heroes. When they did something–speaking, preaching or encouraging–that I found helpful, I would often say something like, “I appreciate what you said tonight. It was encouraging to me.” This was often met with a puzzling answer: “It was not me; it was God.” I was sure I saw their lips moving but they claimed that it was not them.
To God be the Glory
There are at least four potential ways to deal with human responsibility. The “self-help” camp, by definition, elevates the individual and argues that they are completely responsible for what happened. It would be like our architect, Clive Grout, claiming that the whole project was his responsibility and he is the one who made it all happen. The “God-does-some; we-do -some” camp suggests that God does some good and we do some good and that we share responsibility with him. It would be like our Building Committee chair, Bill Stewart, indicating that he was able to take responsibility for some things in the project and God was able to do the rest. The “let-go-and-let-God” camp would affirm that there is a constant tension between what we do and what God does and the solution is to stop trying and let him do it for us. It would be like our project manager, James Yong, saying that the whole project has been a battle for him, trying to stop doing things himself and letting God do it. The “all-good-comes-from God” camp, one that I propose is rooted firmly in biblical teaching (Philippians 2:12-13; 4:13; Colossians 1:10-12, 29), makes it clear that all the good we do, we do by God’s wisdom and strength. This flies in the face of the self-help camp that does not require God’s involvement at all. It also gives God his rightful place as the ultimate source of good rather than having him share it with us. Finally, it
frees us from the life of struggle and introspection trying to figure out whether it was me or God or some combination. God does not do it for us, instead of us, or in place of us, but everything ultimately can be traced to his wisdom and strength. With that backdrop it seems appropriate to me that we ended our Celebration Weekend with a worship service on the Sunday morning. We had experienced an open house on the Saturday morning, a time of celebration and thanksgiving on the Saturday evening, but we still needed to answer the question: who was responsible for making all this happen? And so on Sunday morning we prayed, sang praises and were encouraged by the Word. While the campaign was not mentioned directly, the covert and overt message was clear: we needed to end the campaign in the right way – to God be the glory! This day I call to me: God’s strength to direct me, God’s power to sustain me, God’s wisdom to guide me, God’s vision to light me, God’s ear to my hearing, God’s word to my speaking, God’s hand to uphold me, God’s pathway before me, God’s shield to protect me, God’s legions to save me. ~Prayer of St. Patrick Rod J. K. Wilson Regent College President
Christian Thought and Culture Course Wins Award for Theological Education Regent’s “Christian Thought and Culture” course has been awarded the 2007 Theological Education Renewal Award given by the Yale Center for Faith & Culture at the Yale Divinity School. With support from the Lilly Endowment, these awards seek to advance graduate courses that creatively introduce Christian faith as an integrating way of life. Our course was one of four chosen to receive honours based on its innovative and collaborative nature. In its third year, Christian Thought and Culture is an interdisciplinary, mandatory two-part course taught by a team of teachers including Iain Provan, Loren Wilkinson, Bob Derrenbacker, Craig Gay, Ross Hastings, Phil Long and Paul Williams. “It is genuinely interdisciplinary, in the sense that the six or seven core faculty members, who are from different disciplines, are all present in every class and engage with each other and the students about the issue of the day,” said Provan. Professors and students dialogue further in tutorial groups held once a week, outside of class. In this way, the course is also integrative, as Provan says, “moving constantly from past to present, from discipline to discipline, and from head to heart, and challenging all the participants to ‘put things together.’”
Regent Authors Honoured at the Word Guild Christian Writing Awards With four first-place awards and one merit award, Regent faculty and alumni were well represented in this year’s Word Guild Canadian Christian Writing Awards. The contest seeks to award the most outstanding writing published in the previous year by a Canadian who is also Christian. Regent took wins in five of the 31 categories awarded to nonfiction books, novels, articles, columns, poems and song lyrics. Rod J. K. Wilson was a double winner in both the Instructional Book and the Relationships categories with How Do I Help a Hurting Friend? Other first-place winners included James M. Houston for Joyful Exiles: Life in Christ on the Dangerous Edge of Things in the Leadership/Theoretical Book category. Winning in the Christian Living category for the fourth time was alumnus Mark Buchanan, with The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath. Also in this category, J.I. Packer was given a merit award for co-authoring Praying: Finding Our Way Through Duty to Delight. Finally, winning the best Short Feature Article was alumnus Paul M. Beckingham for “Purpose-Driven Starbucks.” Awards were presented in June at a gala event in Ontario.
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Student Wins AAR Essay Award Chad Raith (ThM 2007) recently won the Pacific Northwest American Academy of Religion’s Student Paper Competition. Chad’s entry was a condensed version of his ThM thesis entitled, “Is There Still ‘Not Three Gods’? A Critical Analysis of Catherine Mowry Lacugna’s Appropriation of the Trinitarian Theology of the Cappodocian Fathers.” The paper was a project in re-sourcing the Cappodocian Fathers to address contemporary theology and was recommended for submission by Professor Hans Boersma. “Clearly, more than anything else this award represents the outstanding teaching and scholarship of Professor Boersma,” demurs Raith, who is now working toward a PhD in theology at the Aquinas Center for Theological Renewal at Ave Maria University. His winning essay is scheduled to be published in an upcoming edition of the International Journal of Systematic Theology.
The Regent WoRld Editor Dal Schindell Writing Patti Towler Daina Kraii Design & Image Editing Rosi Petkova Associate Editor Bethany Murphy Photography Ken McAllister Printing Western Printers 2
Fall 2007, Volume 19, Number 2 note: we apologize for publishing the last issue of The Regent World as Spring 2006 issue instead of Spring 2007. 5800 University Blvd, Vancouver BC Canada V6T 2E4 toll-free: 1.800.663.8664 phone: 604.224.3245
Jennie McLaurin
Duffy Lott Gibb
Beloved by both students and faculty, Thena Ayres, Dean of Students retired in June after having been with us for 16 years, although her history with the College extends to its beginnings. “Ward Gasque and Jim Houston came to visit me when they were think thinking about starting Regent College. I was the IVCF university staff worker at UBC, and they wanted Inter-Varsity to be associated with the College,” said Thena. After joining the faculty in 1991, she helped with what was then called “Continuing Education.” Three years later, she became Dean of Summer School, helping shape Regent College’s summer program. Thena also became Associate Dean of Students under Sven Soderlund and when he retired, became Dean of Students herself while continuing to direct Summer School and teach two courses. “I enjoyed the students enormously and loved interacting with them in class or in my office,” said Thena. She decided to retire early, she noted, “Because I had a quiet sense that God was opening a new chapter of more time and space for relationships, reflection, travel, reading, hospitality and other things that I enjoy doing, but have not had sufficient time to pursue.” Currently she is in France traveling with two friends she has known since childhood, who all retired within weeks of each other. “With one of these friends I bought a second-hand 19-foot van which has a little kitchen and bathroom, sleeps four comfort-
ably and is proving to be a perfect way to travel,” said Thena. She can indeed sleep comfortably knowing that her roles at Regent have been left in familiar and capable hands. Split into two positions, her job has been filled by alumni Jennie McLaurin as Interim Dean of Students and Duffy Lott Gibb as the Coordinator of Summer School (Duffy also serves as Arts Administrator and assists the Development Office with event planning). “It certainly wasn’t a trajectory that I imagined nor that Regent imagined, but it felt from the beginning like a really good fit,” said Jennie, who moved to the Pacific Northwest with her husband and five children in 2001 to begin a Master’s program at Regent. “I love Regent, and I love being with students, so this is an opportunity to serve Regent and spend time with students, and do the administrative tasks I enjoy.” A pediatrician, Jennie spent almost 20 years in direct care for migrant farm workers and later became a National Advisor to the US Public Health Service on issues of migrant health policy, work she continued while at Regent. Her work as Interim Dean of Students is not entirely different. “I have a population ‘panel’ as we say in medicine; in this case, all the students at Regent. I get to know and care for them, some in a general sense and some in particular ways. The rest of my work with faculty and administration is like the collaborative work in medicine where we engage with colleagues, specialists, and the broader community.”
Duffy Lott Gibb has taken over Thena’s Summer School role and also provides administrative support to the arts at Regent, two areas she was involved in as a student. “I worked with Thena when I was running the summer Arts Festival in 1997, and my roommate was Thena’s TA. So right at the beginning when Thena was laying the foundation of what was to be Summer School as it is now, I was there,” said Duffy. As a student in the 1990s, Duffy studied with Loren Wilkinson in preparation for her Arts Thesis in dance and was a teaching assistant to Director of Publications, Dal Schindell. Following Regent, Duffy spent two years choreographing dance for children with disabilities and working for a job-training program which used art to teach. She went on to obtain her Masters of Philosophy in Divinity with an arts focus and ran the Wycliffe Hall Summer School and the Christian Colleges and University’s Oxford Summer Program and Gordon College Oxford Program. Upon returning to Regent for her husband’s studies, Thena’s retirement coincided with the administrative arts opening. “When I interviewed and they offered me the two different jobs, I just sort of looked at Rod [Wilson] and said, ‘If I could sit down and make up a job, this would be the job description.’ It was this huge blessing for me,” said Duffy. Thena is grateful that God provided both Jennie and Duffy, both whom she knows and thinks highly of, and in the same way is trusting God will provide her own next steps. 3
ChAnges
Thena Ayres
Three Presidents: Rod Wilson (Regent College), Jonathan Raymond (Trinity Western University), Stephen Toope (UBC)
Libra offici
29-30 September, 2007
Writi Camp with
Glass artist Sarah Hall and architect Clive Grout explain the use of art glass in the Wind Tower
Sculptor David Robinson describing his installation “Font� to an audience in the library
Calligrapher Tim Botts speaking about his two works in the John Allison Library. 4
Margaret Wilson and Beverley Samways speak with J.I. Packer.
Library Director Cindy Derrenbacker cuts the ribbon at the official opening of The John Allison Library.
Eugene Peterson and his wife Jan, co-chairs of Regent’s Writing the Next Chapter capital campaign.
Nerida Peart, student Library Director Cindy Derrenbacker shows off the handcrafted Donors Recognition Book.
Director of Development Richard Thompson and wife Jennifer, Interim Dean of Students Jennie McLaurin and Regent graduate Rosie Perera look at the Donors Recognition Book.
CelebrAtion CelebrA Ation weekend
Writing the Next Chapter Campaign Director Brent Fearon with Jan Peterson
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news and kudos k
Wind Tower in The News Along with providing superb study and teaching space, Regent’s recent construction and renovation project has garnered attention for its aesthetic and environmental aspects. The National Post, one of Canada’s two national newspapers, picked up on the innovative use of art glass, describing it in the following terms in an April, 2006 article: “When six stained-glass windows designed by Toronto’s Sarah Hall are installed in the new Wind Tower on the University of British Columbia campus next fall, they will illuminate the campus both literally and spiritually.” Later, in May of this year, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s national religion and spirituality show, Tapestry, did a feature on the Lord’s Prayer. Regent Professor of Pastoral Theology, Darrell Johnson, was interviewed about his recent book on the Lord’s Prayer, and offered his reflections on history’s best known prayer. Also interviewed was Sarah Hall, whose art glass panel, Lux Nova, displays the Lord’s Prayer in Aramaic. Hall spoke at some length about the innovation behind the Regent College installation, and compellingly described the theological and artistic contributions of this work. In August, we were pleased to receive the latest edition of In Trust, a magazine for leaders in theological education, with a cover image of the wind tower under the banner, “Sustainabilit y and theological e duc at ion”. In Trust is distributed to boards of govgov ernors and senior a d m i n i st r ator s of all theological schools in North America, many of whom are beginbegin
Faculty and Alumni Kudos Congratulations are due to alumnus Mike Baird on his election to New South Wales (Australia) Legislative Assembly, having unseated a long-term incumbent in an election earlier this year. Mike, his wife Karryn and their three children live in Manly, NSW. 6
Professor Emeritus Dr. Paul Stevens was recently awarded an honourary degree from his alma mater, McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. Citing his achievements, the McMaster notice of the award states, “Paul’s life mission has been to empower the whole people of God for service in the church and world and to encourage a spirituality of everyday life.”
ning to think of creative ways to incorporate a respect for creation in the operation of their schools, but are challenged to also consider these values in their very design. ChristianWeek, a Canadian publication, recently described the project as, “a unique fusion of cutting edge esthetics and environmental stewardship.” Similarly, Episcopal Life in the US described the “luminous column of light, flowing like a waterfall in silvery blue, violet and white” as well as the “perfect energy source” found in solar cells. The article quotes physicist Ursula M. Franklin as saying the installation “bestows a double gift: beauty and helpfulness. What more can we wish for?” News of the wind tower’s innovation has also found an audience in the blogosphere earlier this month, Planetsave.com featured a blog by Max Lindberg about the wind tower. One reader somewhere in cyberspace commented, “This is SOOO cool! Thanks for letting me know about it. I love art and stained glass and college campuses, and to have all that rolled up with green too … ah, heaven.” The natural ventilation system provided by the wind tower, along with the art which graces it, has garnered an unusual amount of media attention, and we are pleased to have had such a platform to highlight Regent’s desire to be an example of good stewardship and innovative design within the Christian community and on the UBC campus. Dr. J. I. Packer was honoured by a threeday conference at Samford University’s Beeson Divinity School, where more than 350 attendees considered Packer’s contributions to evangelicalism, as well as the current and future status of the movement. Speakers included Charles Colson, Richard John Neuhaus and Bruce Hindmarsh.
it has been a year of building and thanksgiving at regent
The House of Representatives has passed legislation extending the Individual Retirement Account (IRA) rollover provision to Dec. 31, 2008, allowing donors another year to take advantage of the giving incentive: • Donors must be age 70½ • Gifts up to a maximum $100,000 annually from IRAs • Gifts must be made directly to a charitable organization (no planned or deferred gifts) For more information on making a donation to Regent College Foundation, please call Richard Thompson at 1-800-663-8664.
Online donations Online donations can be made quickly and securely at www.regent-college.edu/support
Our Commitment Regent College commits itself to accept the gifts of God’s people with thanksgiving, to invest these resources with accountability in the responsible and relevant training of God’s people and to continue to support those investments by encouraging the worldwide ministry of its graduates who seek to make a difference in the marketplace, the academy and the church.
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.
Unrestricted funds for May 1, 2006–April 30, 2007 (extracted from audited financial statements)
Income Donations and Grants 15%
Bookstore Sales 17%
Endowment 2% Investment & Other Income 1%
Academic Services and Supplies 1%
Capital Assets 2%
Expenses Cost of Goods Sold 8%
Scholarships and Student Aid 11%
Program, Office and Facilities Costs 17% Tuition & Fees 65%
Tuition and Fees Donations and Grants Bookstore Sales Endowment Investment and Other Income
Total 2006–2007 Income
$5,362,230 $1,206,826 $1,395,281 $187,463 $121,176
$8,272,976
Salaries & Benefits 61%
Salaries and Benefits Program, Office and Facilities Costs Scholarships and Student Aid Cost of Goods Sold Capital Assets Academic Services and Supplies Total 2006–2007 Expenses
$5,042,027 $1,425,194 $935,314 $716,265 $175,316 $34,858 $8,328,974
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2006-2007 FinAnCes
Construction on the new library continued, with students finally able to cross the threshold and behold their new study space in January. Further finishing work on the library, as well as extensive renovations to the main floor of the building, took place over the spring and summer, and it was in September that we were able to declare the project complete and welcome our friends and supporters to a celebratory Open House. During the course of construction, students continued to arrive on campus and the business of education carried on, now in considerably improved premises. We remain thankful and quite frankly a little amazed at the calibre of student God continues to draw from all corners of the globe, and each year our community is freshly enriched. We also have much to give thanks for financially. It is a risky undertaking to engage in a capital campaign which, if successful, would raise about fifteen years’ worth of annual donations in three years, and at the same time to pray and hope that our annual financial needs will continue to be met. But those are exactly the results we have seen. The building opened on time and on budget, with no debt incurred, despite the ambitious target we had before us. And our annual fund donations increased in 2006-2007, exactly as we needed them to do to balance our budget. In particular, we saw an increase in three key markers: the number of donors, the number of donations received, and the total amount of donations. We are deeply humbled and grateful to God and to each one of our supporters. You will see a brief summary of income and expenses below, and of course we welcome further inquiry from our donors at any time.
Special note to US Donors:
New from the Regent Bookstore the Bible is each individual’s right and responsibility. The spread of this principle has resulted in five hundred years of remarkable innovation and adaptability, but it has also created cultural incoherence and social instability. Without any overarching authority to rein in “wayward” thought, opposing sides on controversial issues can only appeal to the Bible—yet the Bible is open to many diverse inter interpretations. Christianity’s Dangerous Idea is the first book that attempts to define this core element of Protestantism and the religious and cultural dynamic that this dangerous idea unleashed, culminating in the remarkable new developments of the twentieth century.
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Old Testament Theology: An Exegetical, Canonical, and Thematic Approach Bruce Waltke Sale $53.99 (US$58.84) This book is the result of decades of reflection informed by an extensive knowledge of the Hebrew language, the best of critical scholarship, a deep understanding of both the content and spirit of the Old Testament, and a thoroughly evangelical conviction. Taking a narrative, chronological approach to the text, Waltke employs rhetorical criticism to illuminate the theologies of the biblical narrators. Through careful study, he shows that the unifying theme of the Old Testament is the “breaking in of the kingdom of God.” This theme helps the reader better understand not only the Old Testament, but also the New Testament, the continuity of the entire Bible, and ultimately, God himself.
required reading required r
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Looking, Longing and Living : Readying Ourselves for Advent Regent College Advent Reader $7.95 (US$8.64) Faculty, staff, alums and friends of Regent College from around the world, come together in this single volume to offer their reflections on the scriptural passages of Advent. Looking, Longing and Living: Readying Ourselves for Advent leads the reader through this important season of the church calendar with twice-daily devotionals.
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New Books:
How to Choose a Translation for All Its Worth Gordon Fee & Mark Strauss Reg. $15.49 (US$16.84) How to Choose a Translation for All Its Worth brings clarity and insight to the current debate over translations and translation theories. Written by two seasoned Bible translators, here is an authoritative guide through the maze of translation issues, written in language that everyday Bible readers can understand.
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Christianity’s Dangerous Idea: The Protestant Revolution from the 16th Century to the 21st Alister McGrath Sale $28.79 (US$31.29) The “dangerous idea” lying at the heart of Protestantism is that the interpretation of 8
Conversations: The Message Bible with its Translator Eugene Peterson $47.99 (US$52.16) Conversations is a new powerful way to experience the Bible. For more than ten years, Eugene Peterson lovingly crafted The Message to convey God’s truth in today’s language. Conversations combines his groundbreaking translation with gleanings from a lifetime of personal study.
To order any book or audio set, please print title(s) and price(s) in the space provided. U.S. prices indicated apply to orders paid by cheque and money orders only. Items ordered by credit card are charged in Canadian dollars, then converted into U.S. funds by the credit card company. Canadian residents: add 6% GST; BC residents: add GST + PST for audio tape orders. Postage and handling (CDN$): Canada and the U.S. add $7.00 per book or audio set; $1.50 for each additional item; international orders add $8 for the first item and $4 for each additional one. Canadian residents: add 6% GST to postage fees.
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the r regent
Feature Books:
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WoRld
If you have any suggestions, address updates or want any other items mentioned, please write us:
The Regent World, 5800 University Boulevard, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 2E4
Name_______________________________________________________________ Address_______________________________________________Postal/Zip Code ___ Comments/Book or Audio Orders ________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ❑ Please note my change of address ❑ Please remove my name from the mailing list ❑ Please note my book/audio order, here is my credit card and shipping information: ❑ Ship via courier ❑ Ship via regular mail ❑ MasterCard ❑ Visa Signature______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Card Number _______________________Expiry Date _____ Please send me: ❑ 2008 Summer Programs list ❑ Anglican Studies brochure ❑ Sample of CRUX, Regent’s journal ❑ Sample of Regent’s Chinese Studies Journal (in Cantonese)
❑ Distinctive (General info) brochure ❑ Continuing Studies brochure ❑ Information on Wills and Bequests
❑ Regent College Academic Catalogue ❑ Regent College Prospectus 2006–2008 ❑ Information on how to provide Student Scholarships
❑ Monthly Donation Programs brochure ❑ Information on the Friends of Regent College Canada Trust (UK residents)
❑ Information for US donors