The earth is 4.5 billion years old. Homo sapiens is 200,000 years old. And the Christian faith is only 2,000 of those years old, though its scriptures reach back to the beginning of all things. But the authors of the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament had no concept whatsoever of the scientific knowledge we’ve …
View course details “Life, the Universe, and Everything: Exploring the Christian Faith”

Five days focused on faith, heart, mind, and skills for the art of intercultural ministry Engage Difference! Deepening Understanding for Intercultural Ministry (DUIM) is a 5-day interactive and engaging program with practical ideas for implementation in your own context. DUIM is for ministry leaders and community members nurturing cultural relevance, understanding, and awareness in their …
View course details “Engage Difference Ontario”

Today’s moral and social challenges are complex, and our social discourse is often contentious. Explore how artifacts ranging from hip-hop to architecture can enrich our understanding of culture, God’s grace, and human flourishing, and in turn shape our responses to these challenges. Learn about the narrative arc of Scripture that encompasses not only our personal …
View course details “The Gospel, Discipleship & Cultural Engagement”

Christianity was a demonstrably global faith (with its center of gravity in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East) before it became a predominantly Western religion (c.1500). Now, after roughly five centuries, it has once again reemerged as a hugely non-Western phenomenon. A full historical account reveals a faith that is inherently global because it is …
View course details “Beyond Empire: Rethinking the History of Global Christianity”

By comparing and contrasting Paul with Leonard Cohen, another “Apostle to the Gentiles,” this course explores radically new perspectives on the lives and writings of both. Themes include: 1/ Paul, Leonard, and Judaism, 2/ asceticism, 3/ mysticism, 4/ Paul, Leonard, and Jesus, 5/ Paul, Leonard and women, 6/ Paul, Leonard, and masculinity, 7/ Paul and …
View course details “Prophets of Love: St. Paul and Leonard Cohen”

Where was God when this happened?! How can religious people commit such atrocities?! What can a religious leader say after such a horrendous event?! This course explores such questions by analyzing theological responses to human tragedy and cultural shock. Discussion will attend to issues of theodicy, religious terrorism and natural disasters through the perspectives of …
View course details “Religion at Ground Zero”

The goal of this class is to explore the theme of “Lost at Sea” through the lens of a sacramental theology of Baptism and Creation. Just as the Spirit hovered over the waters of Creation to bring forth life from the chaos, so does Christ enter the waters of the Jordan River to initiate the …
View course details “Lost at Sea: Searching for a Sacramental Theology”

This course explores the “why” behind Indigenous leadership, framed by global Indigenous perspectives related to self-determination, cultural identity, community well-being and the recognition of Indigenous rights.  It examines the intersection of these themes with Indigenous Christian leadership, using Māori contexts in Aotearoa New Zealand as a comparative illustration. Learners will engage with Western leadership theories such …
View course details “Exploring Indigenous Perspectives in Church Leadership: A Māori Lens”

In this workshop we will read and write all the brilliance and beauty of what we have survived and what we are building. Using prompts, free-writes, the magnificent muck of our lives, and the full wing-span of our imaginations, we will create new writing across genres. Be prepared to dig deep. In our writing, we …
View course details “Gay Magic: Writing Down Our Queer and Trans Lives”

Description TBD Taught by the Rev. Dr. Dan Alger