Taking Your Soul to Work: Overcoming the 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.
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.
Transforming Conversion: Rethinking the Language and Contours of Christian Initiation Gordon T. Smith
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.
The Regent
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Fall 2010, Volume 22, Number 3
Paternalism and Consumerism
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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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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