“The success of an intervention depends on the interior condition of the intervener.” (William O’Brien) Is this true? If it is, it could be read to say, “The success of a church depends on the interior condition of its leadership.” How are we as leaders (whether paid or lay) – attending to our interior journeys …
View course details “Ministry from the Inside Out”
An Open and Relational God in an Open and Relational Universe
Our biggest questions about love, evil, climate, sexuality, purpose, and more need plausible answers. Open and relational theology offers answers that make sense and are livable. Drawing from scripture, philosophy, cultures, science, and more, this course wrestles with the biggest questions of our time. Available in person or via Zoom (synchronous only for Certificate and Degree …
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Transformations of Christian Worship in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries
Whether you worship at a megachurch in Korea, an Anglican cathedral, a small congregation on the prairies, or a Roman Catholic campus ministry, the way your community worships has been impacted by the multiple movements that have transformed Christian worship over the past century. In this course, we explore the liturgical movement, ecumenical movement, charismatic movement, …
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Communicating Communion: Thomas Merton and Christian Imagination in the Face of Social Crisis
Through this course we will focus on what Merton said about his public vocation as a Christian writer-monk in the face of social crisis, and how that communicative vocation continues in relation to present-day readers. This class takes place in intensive-format over 3 days – either in person at VST or via Zoom (synchronous):
A Spirituality of Race for Children and Youth (and Those Who Love Them)
This course will explore the history and development of race in North American contexts, including the role of Christianity. It will demonstrate the importance and execution of race conversation with children and youth. It will include personal practices to engage children, youth, and adults in productive work toward racial justice. Course will be taught in …
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Love & Desire
The guiding text for this course is the dominical command to love the Lord your God with all your heart, and all your soul, and all your mind, and all your strength, and to love your neighbour as yourself (Mark 12.20-31). How do we do understand this in today’s world with its conflicting demands and …
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The Mystery of Death
“Sit in your cell collecting your thoughts and remember the day of your death . . . ” To modern ears this advice from the early Christian desert father Evagrius sounds morbid; we instinctively shrink away from it. Contemporary Westerners live in the most death-denying culture ever seen in human civilization. But the still-smoldering pandemic …
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The Soul of a Pilgrim: Eight Practices for the Journey Within
A Book Study Offered on ZoomEight Wednesday evening, March 23—June 29, 5:00—7:00 p.m. CST/MDTPresented by Nancy Phillips and Sarah Donnelly through the Queen’s House Retreat and Renewal Centre. Join with other seekers as we slowly appreciate the wisdom found in Christine Valters Paintner‘s book, The Soul of the Pilgrim. Please source your own copy of this …
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Providence: Understanding God’s Ways in the World
Is there a divine purpose in my people’s history? Can we discern God’s action in a world of natural causes? Why has God allowed this suffering? Such questions require both simple faith and complex reasoning. Learn to live out the answers by engaging with the political, scientific, and pastoral aspects of the doctrine of providence. …
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Martin Luther: The First Protestant Mystic?
Explore the relationship between Protestantism, evangelicalism, and mysticism through the lens of Martin Luther’s life and faith. Wrestle with the overlap between Protestant faith and medieval mystical writings by looking at Luther’s own well-documented interaction with Christianity’s mystical tradition. Discover how contemporary Protestants might similarly turn to the mystical tradition for wisdom and inspiration. Evaluate …
View course details “Martin Luther: The First Protestant Mystic?”