Anxiety and Higher Education

These are anxious times for higher education administrators. The constant need to balance budgets and attract more students is something most of us don't consider. Not so for those who oversee academic institutions. A while ago I read the introduction of a book by Annette Kolodny called Failing the Future: A Dean Looks at Higher Education in the Twenty-First Century (Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 1998). Kolodny was a feminist scholar and dean of the College of Humanities at the University of Arizona. She writes about challenges she faced as dean and what stood out to me was the role anxiety plays in her work: 

"The unending scramble to protect precious resources, the demands of an aggressive fundraising campaign, and the wearying efforts to justify the importance of the humanities to central administrators who only cared about the bottom line had now become more than half the job. It was the half I hated." (p. 3) 

Funding and fundraising are a bog part of her work as administrator. She describes her work using terms used in football like "scramble" and "aggressive" to describe her work. She goes on to outline budgetary constraints that prevented the university administrators from focusing on their larger goals:  

"By my third year as dean, I understood why large public universities seemed so stodgy,  so resistant to change. It wasn't ossified bureaucracies, administrative ineptitude, or faculty sloth--as legislators and media so often charged. Rather, it was the endless preoccupation with one budget crisis after another that was threatening my own college's ability to direct our attention to the goals we had set for ourselves." (p. 17)

I'm interested in what goes on in the university but I am more attentive to things that go on in theological schools and faculties of divinity and theology. While I'm sure not all of Kolodny's experience with budgetary anxiety is transferable to theological administrators, but I suspect most can relate. 

Dan Aleshire is a trustworthy source when trying to get a pulse on what is happening in theological education. I've referenced he book Beyond Profession: The Next Future of Theological Education (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2021) in other posts but he also refers to anxiety in similar ways to Kolondny:

"This between-the-times time has generated anxiety in theological education. Money is harder to find. The kind of education that once attracted students to leave home and relocate to new intellectual worlds has less power to attract. The current moment has invented new educational strategies that make it possible for many students to stay at home, turn on their computers, and accumulate religious knowledge. Where is theological education going? What is the future of theological education?" (p. 9)

I find it interesting that pastors are (hopefully!) being educated to, "not be anxious about anything" (Phil. 4:6), yet the very people overseeing the functioning of the school may be carrying heavy financial burdens. Is this an inevitable reality of education or are their other ways to form the minds, hearts, and abilities through theological learning?   

 

It's always winter and never Christmas

I've been reading C.S. Lewis's Narnia series lately. It's hard to admit but it's my first attempt to read the whole series. When I was in Bible College our Dean of Students, Bob Tees, assigned a different Narnia book for each year's student leadership retreat. One year we sat around a campfire reading and discussing portions of The Silver Chair and the next year we were doing the same with The Last Battle. I was a student leader in both those years so I read those books. Sadly I never made it to the rest of the series, until now.

A few days ago I finished The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. Near the beginning of the book the children enter a time in Narnia when, "It's always winter and never Christmas". The Witch rules and it is only later in the book when Christmas comes as Aslan turns "the table" on the Witch.  

Today's "always winter and never Christmas" has less to do with a Witch and more to do with a virus. The seemingly unending waves of COVID-19 feel like winter without Christmas. When we start to think good news might be around the corner, we get more bad news. 

A couple of weeks ago the pastor at the church we attend talked about joy. He asked, "what brings you joy?" I didn't think too long before I had my answer: unexpected good news. I thought about times I've been surprised by a sudden and unanticipated announcement or realization of good news and joy burst forth.

The shepherds were keeping watch over their flocks when an angel appeared to them with good news of great joy. "Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men and women on whom his favour rests'". (Luke 2:13-14 NIV). The shepherds were living in a time when it was always winter and never Christmas. Then Christmas came and so did joy. We are living in the anxious days of COVID-19. It has been winter for a long time but Christmas has come. May Jesus surprise you with joy this season as you celebrate another wintry Christmas.

Toronto Journal of Theology book review

My review of Aaron Hughes' From Seminary to University: An Institutional History of Religion in Canada found its way into the latest edition of the Toronto Journal of Theology. You can read it here.

Canadian Soldiers and Spiritual Well-being

I'm hoping to conduct qualitative research among Canadian soldiers who are training in Meaford, ON. The crux of my study will be learning more about army trainees who disclose things like "my life has no meaning and purpose" or "I have trouble forgiving myself". Those are just some of the possible responses on a survey looking at spiritual health and well-being. 

 In order to do research with human subjects who are military members I needed to get approvals from various bodies. I had to get the go ahead from Canada's Deputy Minister of National Defence because my research is considered Public Opinion Research (POR). A also had to get a nod from Canadian Army leadership. The first two approvals are complete. Last week I met with the Social Sciences Research Review Board (SSRRB) on MS Teams. The SSRRB is a group of defence scientists who review research on human subjects from an ethical point of view. If my research proposal gets the green light from this board then I will be able to start conducting research.

This continuum will be the starting point. It is a tool promoted by the Royal Canadian Chaplain Service (RCChS) as a means of spiritual well-being self-assessment. I want to use this continuum as a conversation starter with those who are interested in talking to me about their responses. I'll be interested in hearing about their rationale and experiences that lead them to identify with statements on the continuum. If all goes well and I get SSRRB approval I will begin the research project in January, so stay tuned.

Zoom Seminary

My conversation with Rick Hiemstra about online theological education and the implications for church ministry is now available. You can listen to it here or wherever you find your favourite podcasts.

The Faith Trends Podcast · Zoom Seminary - Ep. 4

Clergy Reslience and Podcasting

I just finished recording an upcoming Faith Trends podcast episode. The co-host, Rick Hiemstra, ploughed through my thesis and asked insightful questions about what he discovered. I'm so impressed! Outside of my PhD defence committee, no one has posed such direct questions about my 200 page research project. I'm hoping to have more opportunities to talk about my research into online theological education and pastoral formation. I would love to work with pastors, denominational leaders, and educators to discern how we equip future Christian leaders and ministers in a world increasingly saturated by Internet technology and digital devices.

After the recording I had a chance to listen to the episode where Rick and Lindsay (the other co-host) talked with Briercrest Seminary professor, Dr. Margret Clarke. Margaret is an expert on clergy resilience in Canada and her podcast interview provides a window into her research. I had the privilege of working with Margaret as part of a round table discussion on educating clergy for wholeness at Briercrest's online conference last month. I highly recommend getting in touch with her and asking her for a copy of her dissertation executive summary. It's interesting, accessible, and packed full of helpful findings. In the meantime, feel free to listen to her Faith Trends interview here: https://soundcloud.com/faithtrends/clergy-resilience

 

St. Michael's Faculty of Theology Convocation 2021

My convocation took place last Saturday. Being conferred a degree "in absentia" is a strange experience. I watched as the kneeling registrar was hooded in my place. Watching it happen to someone on my behalf is not the same as experiencing it for myself. So, while I know I have officially crossed the graduation threshold, it's only starting to sink in. 

At the virtual convocation I received more than a degree. At around the 9 minute and 48 second mark an announcement was made and my name popped up on the screen. I was surprised, overwhelmed, and humbled. I laughed out loud. Growing up I didn't feel smart and I was certainly not academically inclined. My high school transcript shows grades in the 60's and 80's with most marks in the 70's. During my Masters degree, I became a better student. I started to learn how to write and research more effectively, thanks to my brother-in-law. Even then, I was nowhere near the top of my class. 

Last Saturday reminded me that "God chooses the foolish and weak things of the world to bring down the wise and strong" (1 Cor. 1:27).  If only my dad could have watched the ceremony. He was no academic. He actually decided to call school quits after grade 10 to work as an Oldsmobile and Chevrolet dent repairman. He tapped out of high school early and that seemed to be okay with him. That's probably why he seemed okay with me being okay with my average grades in high school. He never told me I could or should do better. Yet in time, I wanted to become a better student. If last Saturday is any indication, I guess that happened. Thanks again to everyone who helped, supported, and encouraged me along the way. 

The Convocation video is below and if you want to read the program just click here.

You can now find me on LinkedIn

I now have a LinkedIn account. Click here to see my profile. Feel free to add me to connect. 

Academic Opportunities to Teach

Now that my PhD work is behind me I am looking for opportunities to teach. I would love to find work in the field of pastoral theology--focusing on pastoral formation, congregational systems, and technology & ministry--I also know, "beggars can't be choosers".

I am grateful for the opportunity to teach two undergraduate courses for Tyndale University this past spring and summer. The head of the Christian Ministries department asked me to teach the same two courses again in 2022 and I agreed. While the courses are focused on qualitative research methods, and are therefore not exactly related to my primary field of research, I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the students and helping them develop their pastoral research skills. I am looking forward to getting to know a whole new group of learners next spring and teaching the students how to become better researchers. 

Personhood and the Techno-Scientific Vision

Now that Briercrest's Christian Education in a Secular Age online conference has ended, I'm left with a lot of interesting ideas.

In one discussion, a presenter talked about using the terminology of human fruitfulness (connected to the fruit of the Spirit) rather than human flourishing. In another session, a contributor distinguished the role of technology as "acting upon" scientific discoveries. I found those to be a helpful distinctions.

The keynote speaker, Dr. Jens Zimmermann from Regent College, discussed the challenge and promise of Christian humanism. He addressed the concept of "personhood" as originating from the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. His talk touched on the origins of Paideia education and how it became Christianized. The heart of his paper highlighted the danger of what he calls the techno-scientific vision, a way of coming to understand the world exclusively through scientific approaches and measurements. Zimmermann suggests the t-s vision downplays personhood--with its emphasis on understanding and knowing creation through embodied experiences, such as smells, sights, sounds, tastes, and feeling and their expressions and interpretations. These subjective ways of experiencing and describing the world are at the heart an education in the humanities, which is becoming increasingly marginalized in mainstream education, at least in Canada. 

As someone interested in what online theological education is doing to human being(s), these issues are important to keep in mind. The pandemic resulted in us choosing or being told to remove ourselves from direct encounters with others, thereby limiting the fullness of our humanity. Embracing and being embraced by another, feeling the breeze of their movements, tasting the same food as and with them, and seeing, not just their face on a screen, but their way of being human / human being in the world, are vital to our knowledge of what it is to be human. Over time, when we miss out on opportunities to be in the physical presence of others and we miss out on embodied interactions, I think our humanity diminishes.

 

Faith Trends Podcast

Today I received an email from Rick Hiemstra, Director of Research and Media Relations at the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. He invited me to join him and Lindsay Callaway to talk about my dissertation research on online pastoral education in an episode of a new podcast called Faith Trends.

Faith Trends' tagline is "Conversations that connect research with ministry". The podcast is an attempt to bring conversations with Canadian Evangelical scholars to pastors in order to help them in their ministry. If you want to hear more here's a link to the podcast website where you can listen to a podcast intro and the first episode.  

My conversation with the hosts won't get recorded for a while and likely won't go live until December. So, stay tuned. In the meantime new podcasts are uploaded monthly so enjoy the conversations and pass this along to pastors who might benefit.

Christian Education in a Secular Age Conference

Briercrest College and Seminary is hosting a two day online conference addressing Christian Education in a Secular Age. Here's a link to the schedule. I blogged about it back in the summer, when I found out my abstract was accepted. I finished video recording my paper for presentation and it is being uploaded as I write this post. 

In addition to my paper addressing online education I will also be participating in a roundtable discussion about educating clergy for wholeness. In that segment I will be talking about the role of practicums in pastoral formation programs. I will address some of the challenges I see, namely, training supervisors. I'll also touch on the interesting dynamic of Supervised Pastoral Education programs that appear to equip pastors to function as chaplains. 

There is still time to register for the conference and join the conversation. Here's a link if you're interested.

 

What does CRPO have to do with Spiritual Care?

I recently read an interesting article by Thomas St. James O'Connor and Elizabeth Meakes (you can access it here). It focuses on emerging spiritual care practices in the Canadian Association for Spiritual Care (CASC). One of the practices they describe is a spiritually integrated psychotherapy that is being increasingly recognized by the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO).

CASC is recognized as being the body that oversees the training of chaplains (called 'spiritual care providers' in healthcare (and other) settings in Canada. CASC also provides Mainline Protestant clergy students with practicums for learning pastoral care. 

I'm starting to think more about the influence of pastoral and spiritual care on psychotherapy and vice versa. As such I am developing questions (which will hopefully lead to answers!) about what I see as an evolution of healthcare chaplaincy and pastoral education within CASC. While the organization started out training and educating Christian pastors and pastoral counselors in clinical settings, over the past twenty years CASC has increasingly become a multi-faith, psychotherapeutic profession. 

The questions that are starting to emerge for me are related to the role of CASC in pastoral formation for those who plan to serve in congregational settings. For example, What does CRPO have to do with spiritual care? How does formation in a multi-faith, psychotherapeutic context shape one's understanding and service in the office of pastor/minister of a congregation? And, what is gained for the clergy student when there is greater alignment with a secular agency (CRPO)? Conversely, what is lost? 

I'm at the beginning of this inquiry. I suspect more of my future posts reveal additional questions and responses. Stay tuned!

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Today marks the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada. It's a day to honour and remember the children who died in residential schools, those who survived, their families, and communities. Growing up I didn't know anything about residential schools and their tragic history. While I don't remember learning much of anything about indigenous peoples in Canada, let along residential schools in my elementary education, I remember holding arrowheads in my hands that were found in the fields surrounding my grandparents farmhouse. I'm not sure who found them but they were a reminder of the inhabitants during a time before the land was cleared and farmed. 

I cannot imagine being forced from my home into a world where foreigners set the rules and held the power. It's the story of Canada's indigenous peoples and it's also the story of Israel's Babylonian exile. This morning I read Psalm 137 as part of my devotional reading. It was written for a people by a people who had been driven from their homeland and resettled by foreigners. I think it's a good Psalm for a day marking Truth and I pray for Reconciliation once we can come to terms with the stark conclusion in this passage: 

Psalm 137 (The Message)

137 ^1-3 Alongside Babylon’s rivers
    we sat on the banks; we cried and cried,
    remembering the good old days in Zion.
Alongside the quaking aspens
    we stacked our unplayed harps;
That’s where our captors demanded songs,
    sarcastic and mocking:
    “Sing us a happy Zion song!”

^4-6 Oh, how could we ever sing God’s song
    in this wasteland?
If I ever forget you, Jerusalem,
    let my fingers wither and fall off like leaves.
Let my tongue swell and turn black
    if I fail to remember you,
If I fail, O dear Jerusalem,
    to honor you as my greatest.

^7-9 God, remember those Edomites,
    and remember the ruin of Jerusalem,
That day they yelled out,
    “Wreck it, smash it to bits!”
And you, Babylonians—ravagers!
    A reward to whoever gets back at you
    for all you’ve done to us;
Yes, a reward to the one who grabs your babies
    and smashes their heads on the rocks!

 

 

Standards of spiritual formation and character maturity in theological education

I've been thinking about clergy formation and the role of theological schools. I've been particularly focused on thinking about standards of spiritual and character maturity. Should there be standards? If so, what would the be? How might those standards be assessed? And, should they be assessed when someone is applying to a theological school, upon graduation, at other points, or all of the above? 

According to the Association of Theological Schools (ATS), 2020 Standards of Accreditation, Standard 4.3 describes the degree for those interested in pastoral ministry [pay particular attention to (c)]:

The Master of Divinity degree is broadly and deeply attentive to the intellectual, human, spiritual, and vocational dimensions of student learning and formation in ways consistent with the school’s mission and theological commitments. The degree has clearly articulated learning outcomes that address each of the following four areas, though the school may use different terms for these areas: (a) religious heritage, including understanding of scripture, the theological traditions and history of the school’s faith community, and the broader heritage of other relevant religious traditions; (b) cultural context, including attention to cultural and social issues, to global awareness and engagement, and to the multifaith and multicultural nature of the societies in which students may serve; (c) personal and spiritual formation, including development in personal faith, professional ethics, emotional maturity, moral integrity, and spirituality; and (d) religious and public leadership, including cultivating capacities for leading in ecclesial or denominational and public contexts and reflecting on leadership practices.

The development of spiritual and moral maturity are expectations within the program. However, the ATS does not define how to assess and when to assess these areas. They do expect schools to evaluate? Standard 2 addresses evaluation:

Evaluation is a simple, systematic, and sustained process that helps schools understand how well they are achieving their missions and then helps schools use that information to better achieve their missions, especially regarding student learning and formation. 

I took a quick look at two prominent evangelical schools in Canada that confer MDiv degrees. Regent College in Vancouver and Tyndale Seminary in Toronto both require MDiv applicants to write about their personal faith and provide a pastoral reference as part of the application. This appears to show the need for some faith foundation prior to being enrolled, although there is no statement indicating what the admissions department deems "acceptable" and "unacceptable" in terms of personal faith. Much more digging is needed but, on the surface, it appears there are pre-admission minimum standards of faith for those seeking enrolment to the MDiv degree at two evangelical seminaries in Canada.

 

  

 

Pre-Pandemic Library Books

I'm staring at a stack of 49 books, stacked and ready to go back to the various University of Toronto libraries where they belong. It's the longest loan I've ever had without a renewal. According to a paper slip I found tucked into the pages of one book, I checked them out on March 11, 2020.

I'm not sure exactly when the U of T libraries first closed but it was fairly soon after I gathered them and brought them to my house. They, along with digitized articles and monographs, formed the foundation of my dissertation research. They have been my companions on this long and challenging journey. This week, I say goodbye.

I'm heading back to the U of T campus for the first time since COVID-19 took hold in our province. My renewal date has been extended, once again, but this time is the last. They need to be back to the library by the end of September. The timing works out perfectly since my dissertation defence is over and their purpose has been served. Thank you books. 

PhD Dissertation Defence Success!

On Wednesday evening this week I successfully defended my PhD dissertation. It was one of the more unusual experiences of my life, mainly because of how it happened: I finished eating supper in our dining room, walked to my closet, picked a nice shirt, sat down at my computer, clicked the Zoom link and "Voila!" I was instantly transported into a Zoom room with five examining professors and a sixth who chaired the meeting. Half the group were people I had either never met or met only once and the other half were committee members I had chosen three years ago. After being peppered with questions for close to two hours it came to an end and I passed!

I've been thinking about the people that helped me along the way. I doubt anyone finishes a PhD without an enormous investment from others. Here's a small selection of my supporters:

My wife and two kids. This degree should be awarded to them too. Their unwavering faith, patience, and profound kindness toward me while I was in the dark days of writing still astonishes me. 

Mom and Dad: My longest tenured fans. I had to say goodbye to my Dad at the halfway point of this venture. Mom is still cheering. When I was young they set me free to do whatever I wanted and believed in me. What a gift.

Doug: My brilliant Aussie supervisor. He knows more about everything than anyone I've met. Even though every one of his emails has at least one word I have to look up, he never made me feel dumb for my limited vocabulary and knowledge. He was exactly what I needed in a doctoral mentor.

Sam and Aleks. Two St. Mike's friends that are part of my PhD cohort. In person or on Zoom, their curiosity and jesting filled me with hope and laughter.

BMCC. The church my wife and I co-pastored throughout much of my program. What a gracious, warm, fun, and godly community. From Betty's cookies to conversations with Xavier, this community brought life and love to my family.

Bob. My chaplain supervisor. What an exceptional human. His kindness, understanding, compassion, and care gave me the space I needed to finish the research and writing. I could not have finished without him.

Friends. Too many to list. Friends from Owen Sound, the church in Hanover, and others along the way. Their words of encouragement and prayers carried me to the finish line.

Thank you to all who provided support and care along the way. We did it!

Quality Time in the Backcountry

My children's birthdays are seven days apart. At the end of August our family marks the occasions with balloons, cake, and fun. This year our celebrations differed from the norm. My daughter's birthday arrived while her brother was away at camp. Two days later we loaded up our car and drove her to university, the start of her third year. The next day our son returned from camp and before celebrating his special day, the two of us headed to the back-country of Algonquin park to spend a few days paddling, portaging, and camping. 

Our interior Algonquin adventure happened to be the longest time we've been alone together without digital distractions. It also happened to be one of my most meaningful father-son experiences. Other than thunder, lightning, and rain on our first night, our trip was relatively obstacle free. We navigated our way across lakes and along trails with relative ease. Finding our campsites was also a breeze, including one that made it into my "top five all time back-country sites" list. 

We spent a lot of time setting up, cooking, planning, and paddling. We also made time for swimming and conversations about school, friends, faith, and the afterlife. I felt more relaxed and rested than I have in months. It's amazing what being outside, disconnected from news, cell reception, and concerns of life did for our souls. I'm so grateful to God for those few days away with one of my favourite people.   

Brain Plasticity and Resurrection

I'm rereading Nicholas Carr's book The Shallows. I relied on this author's wide ranging research while writing my dissertation. His work helped as I examined the Internet's effects on the human brain. Returning to the book I was struck by what he writes about the brain's ability to transform itself in order to restore function to injured parts of the body. He writes, "tests on people who have lost arms or legs in accidents also reveal how extensively the brain can reorganize itself" (29). On the next page, Carr describes the recovery of a man named Michael Bernstein who, "suffered a severe stroke when he was fifty-four, damaging an area in the right half of his brain that regulated movement in the left side of his body." Under an experimental therapy program offered by neuroplasticity researcher, Edward Traub, "Bernstein used his left hand and his left leg to perform routine tasks over and over again, " for up to eight hours a day, six days a week, stimulating the "neurons and synapses to form new circuits". Carr describes the miraculous turnaround, "within a matter of weeks, he regained nearly all of the movement in his hand and his leg" (30).

Reading about the brain' plasticity reminded me of the resurrection of the body. Is not the rewiring that happens in the brain, restoring certain functions of the body that were lost, something of a resurrection? Both for the brain and the body parts? Something that ceases to function (i.e., dies) miraculously receives new life through finding new pathways that bring restoration? I know very little about medicine and biology but it strikes me as something to what Christians believe happens to the body as a whole at the Parousia of Jesus Christ.

Man's Search for Meaning

I picked up Viktor Frankl's, Man's Search for Meaning, a moving account of his time as a prisoner in Auschwitz. He provides remarkable and vivid accounts of the brutalities as well as some glimpses of the beauty of humanity he encountered.

Two of his ideas have embedded themselves in my thoughts: humans have the freedom to choose their responses to every situation; and love provides the ultimate hope in the midst of suffering. 

The first idea surfaced in the book's foreword, where Harold Kushner writes, "Frankl's most enduring insight, one that I have called on often in my own life and in countless counseling situations: Forces beyond your control can take away everything you possess except one thing, your freedom to choose how you will respond to the situation" (x). The freedom to choose one's response to life's is a powerful resource.

Frankl articulated the second idea that I've been thinking about as he described struggling under the agony of constant work and not enough food. Then, Frankl imagined his wife. Picturing her he writes:

Then I grasped the meaning of the greatest secret that human poetry and human thought and belief have to impart: The salvation of man is through love and in love. I understood how a man who has nothing left in this world still may know bliss, be it only for a brief moment, in the contemplation of his beloved. In a position of utter desolation, when man cannot express himself in positive action, when his only achievement may consist in enduring his sufferings in the right way--an honorable way--in such a position man can, through loving contemplation of the image he carries of his beloved, achieve fulfillment (37-38). 

What a rich and beautiful example of the power of faith: seeing the unseen reality and living as though it is true. This is really the heart of the Gospel. Seeing and believing the resurrected Christ thereby finding hope and meaning in the midst of life.

I am only halfway through the book but I am sure there will be many more insights to come. 

"There are no more words"

Near the middle of his classic book, To Know As We Are Known, Parker Palmer points to the fourth century desert fathers and mothers as exemplar teachers. This narrative of Abba (Father) Felix provides one such educational model:

Some brothers ... went to see Abba Felix and they begged him to say a word to them. But the old man kept silence. After they had asked for a long time he said to them, "You wish to hear a word?" They said, "Yes, abba." Then the old man said to them, "There are no more words nowadays. When the brothers used to consult the old men and when they did what was said to them, God showed them how to speak. But now, since they ask without doing that which they hear, God has withdrawn the grace of the word from the old men and they do not find anything to say, since there are no longer any who carry their words out." Hearing this, the brothers groaned, saying, "Pray for us, abba." (Taken from Ward, The Desert Christian, p. 242).

Abba Felix describes the consequences of learning without doing, a practice that seems commonplace in today's educational systems. I wonder what might happen if educators relied less on words to teach and more on modelling through action.

Four long and hard years

If you've been following my blog for a while you will likely know that I started my PhD in Theological Studies at the U of St. Michael's back in the fall of 2017. At that time COVID-19 did not exist, my Dad was alive (and well), I had just started co-pastoral ministry with my wife, and I had no idea whether I would be able to survive doctoral studies after being away from the academy for over ten years.

Now, after almost four years, my PhD journey is (hopefully!) soon to be over. After submitting my dissertation to the Graduate Centre for Theological Studies (GCTS) at the end of April I've been waiting. Last week I received an email (and phone call) informing me that a date has been set for my oral defence, September 8, 2021. If all goes well I will be able to graduate this fall.

I do not feel like the same person I was four years ago. I feel more confident as a researcher and writer but far less sure about most other things. I carry scars, mainly from my Dad's death, that may take a long time to heal. Writing the dissertation and the events that swirled around has been one of the most difficult seasons of my life so far. I did not expect the brutal toll it took on me. 

Thankfully, I have been loved through it all. Loved by my wife and our two children. Loved by my Dad. Loved by my Mom. Loved by those who supervised me and many that served alongside me. I've been loved by my friends, both old and new, and loved by God. 

In times of trouble scriptures were helpful, mainly ones I had memorized in my younger days of pastoral distress. "I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened..." (Eph. 1:18). How good to hear the eternal voice of God speaking in moments of need.

Paideia Education

In his book Between Athens and Berlin, David Kelsey describes what the term paideia meant in ancient Athens. He writes, "... 'paideia' simply named an unself-conscious educational process through which young free males were 'formed' by those virtues they would need in order to function as responsible adult citizens. The process involved the whole person." (Kelsey, 7).

Fast forward a couple thousand years and a Christian concept of paideia forms the basis of Dan Aleshire's vision of theological education. In his 2021 book, Beyond Profession, Aleshire proposes:

The goal of theological education should be the development of a wisdom of God and the ways of God, fashioned from intellectual, affective, and behavioural understanding and evidenced by spiritual and moral maturity, relational integrity, knowledge of the Scripture and tradition, and the capacity to exercise religious leadership (Aleshire, 82).

While Aleshire's definition seems like nothing new, he insightfully and carefully extracts certain terms from the definition to show how traditional Protestant theological education tends to omit elements of paideia. Here is the same description with a purely intellectual and academic focus: 

The goal of theological education should be [learning] the ways of God, fashioned from intellectual understanding, knowledge of the Scripture and tradition, and the capacity to exercise religious leadership (Aleshire, 98).

Notice a difference between the first definition and the second? Sadly, I think Aleshire is on to something when he describes typical Protestant theological education for pastoral ministry as being more closely aligned with the second definition. Thankfully, there is hope for a renewed future of theological education that can be more deeply rooted in paideia.

Anxiety and Christian Higher Education

At some point I am going to write about anxiety that exists among the administration and faculty of Christian higher education institutions. Today is not the day. Instead, I am going to offer a brief synopsis of an "in progress" paper I am hoping to submit to a journal for publication.

The paper's thesis is as follows:

One of the least recognized and most concerning aspects of online theological education is that it nurtures chronic anxiety. In order to unpack this statement let me define chronic anxiety and it's systemic nature. Counselor and educator Peter Steinke highlights the etymological origins of the term anxiety as "wind" or "air", "choking" or "strangling" (Steinke, 2019). Notice the physiological link between the experience of anxiety and not being able to breathe. He describes someone who is chronically anxious as being unable to regulate their emotional capacities.

According to therapist Murray Bowen, when two parties are in a chronically anxious system, they look to triangle in a third party to alleviate the anxiety. This can be seen when someone has a disagreement with another person and later they talk to a third party about the conflict. It serves to transfer the anxiety, shifting it around to make it more comfortable for the anxious person.

While I don't have time to explain the details, the paper I am working on looks at technology as a third party that can be triangled in to the learning system. Before the move to online learning, students interacted directly with the teacher, other students, and the learning material. Now, computers, phones, and digital interfaces have been triangled into education.

While what I am suggesting may seem like a stretch, the research on people and their prolonged interaction with digital devices indicates growing rates of anxiety as one of the results. While the Internet is allowing more students greater access to Christian higher education, excessive uses of the Web also seems to produce heightened levels of anxiety.

 

My accepted paper abstract - Christian Education in a Secular Age

A few weeks ago I wrote about an abstract I submitted to the Christian Education in a Secular Age conference at Briercrest. I am happy to report that my paper proposal has been accepted! 

For those interested in a sneak peek of what I'll be saying in October, here's the abstract; it's been stripped of footnotes and bibliographic references.

Dredging The Shallows for Charles Taylor’s “Fullness”: Nicholas Carr, Human Flourishing, and Online Theological Education. 

We all see our lives, and/or the space wherein we live our lives, as having a certain moral/spiritual shape. Somewhere, in some activity, or condition, lies a fullness, a richness; that is, in that place (activity or condition), life is fuller, richer, deeper, more worth while, more admirable, more what it should be. (Charles Taylor, A Secular Age)

Does online theological education promote human flourishing? Human flourishing could be summarized by Charles Taylor as “a fullness, a richness” we come to experience in life. Taylor suggests this “fullness” is accessible “somewhere, in some activity, or condition”. The earliest forms of theological education, known as Paideia, involved culturing the soul toward “fullness”. The educational model introduced by the University of Berlin in the early 19th century changed things, downplaying Paideia’s focus on student character instead emphasizing the science of research. This prioritization of the intellect resulted in pedagogical shifts that eroded the concept of culturing the soul. In turn, this resulted in a Western educational evolution away from valuing character development instead nurturing the mind. The recent shift toward Web-based learning, hastened by the Pandemic, appears to further prioritize knowledge over
character formation. This leads to an important question: Can Taylor’s “fullness” be accessed online?

Internet education’s academic benefits are clear: learning has become more accessible, more engaging, and more creative. However, the Web’s impact on the quest for human “fullness” has a dark side. According to technology critic and author Nicholas Carr, the Web is not a place of “fullness” but of Shallows. Carr suggests Internet usage is making us more distracted and less able “to experience … empathy, compassion, and other emotions”. Additional research suggests Internet usage increases anxiety, lessens family communication, and has not yet provided the sort of character development that comes from embodied mentorship opportunities.

As the influence of online learning grows, Christian educators have an opportunity to discern and enact a theological response to online pedagogies. The doctrine of the incarnation provides a model of human flourishing that prioritizes the body as an educational medium. The incarnation, God becoming human, reveals the value of physical embodiment in relationship with others. For theological educators interested in student flourishing, consider enacting an incarnational pedagogy: Emphasize embodiment and social presence in learning while carefully discerning how technology enhances and diminishes embodied human “being” and adjusting teaching methods accordingly.

 

Pastoral Ministry and Technology

My network group, a gathering of pastors in my denomination, asked me to share some of my PhD dissertation findings with them. While my thesis focused on pastoral education I avoided addressing themes directly focused on congregational ministry. Rather than boring my network group with dissertation details, I thought it would be fun to look at some elements of congregational ministry and ask about the influence of technology. Here are some highlights:

How might technology itself affect our humanness?

I started by familiarizing the pastors with the works of some theorists: Joseph Weizenbaum, Martin Heidegger, and Marshall McLuhan.

Weizenbaum suggests that computer technology has a way of making us think it's alive. His work reveals the human emotional/relational dynamics active in the use of technology.

Heidegger states that technology changes the natural ways of being and functioning. He highlights the way technology challenges nature to bring forth rather than uncovering what is present naturally. This challenging changes creation and ultimately leads humans to become more machine-like.

McLuhan promotes the idea that media changes our perception of reality. Technologies, such as media, create an environment where we no longer deal directly with “what is” but “what is” mediated by technology.

Technology and Pastoral Ministry

The Bible

Let’s think about the Bible, a significant source of authority for evangelicals. When the New Testament letters were written it was an oral/aural culture where speaking and hearing we the predominant modes of communication and learning. With the written word and literacy increasing, Christian faith became more interior, more individualistic. People could hear and see the words of scripture. The Bible could be held by an average person. It was contained

Now, what is the Bible in a digital world? Some things to consider:

The hearing and reading of Scripture is mediated by a computer. Are words on a screen the same as words on a page? Are words spoken by the digital bot the same as words spoken by the pastor or small group participant?

How are the Scriptures contained if there are no leather covers or pages to turn?

What is the role of memorization in spiritual formation? The Web is making memorization not only unnecessary but illogical? What does it look and feel like to meditate and study scriptures on a screen? McLuhan talks about media extending and amputating. What is extended and what is amputated when biblical texts are read and heard online? What effect is this having on our formation as people, as churches, and as pastors.

Recommendations: Find creative ways to get people holding Bibles, turning pages, memorizing, and reading to each other. These are tangible ways to engage the body and nurture a way of being together and hearing human voices.

 

Preaching

Let’s think about preaching, an important mode of communicating the scriptures.

How does a sermon compete with Tik Tok? Should it? Preachers haven’t had to compete for space online before but now it seems like online videos need to be entertaining.

In terms of learning and entertainment, Neil Postmen writes,

…television’s principal contribution to educational philosophy is the idea that teaching and entertainment are inseparable. … But no one has ever said or implied that significant learning is effectively, durably and truthfully achieved when education is entertainment. Education philosophers have assumed that becoming acculturated is difficult because it necessarily involved the impositions of restraints.” (Amusing ourselves to Death, Postman, p. 146)

How do preachers preach to a congregation they cannot see? We imagine our people in preparation, but now we must imagine them in the delivery.

Preaching has always been a communal event, that is no longer the case when we watch pre-recorded messages from our homes.

Recommendations: Beware of preaching to entertain, try preaching to yourself knowing others will hear it (rather than preaching to others as the primary objective). Tell stories and use Zoom to connect with people. Make it a spiritual practice to remind people to turn their cameras on.

 

Fellowship and Community

Let’s think about fellowship and community. If following Jesus is about an enculturation into the church (or perhaps a more missional posture might be baptizing and forming the whole world, person by person, community by community, into the image and likeness of God) then we have to take seriously the role technology plays in making us more methodical, distracted and less empathetic. If God revealed himself as a human being, what does that mean for the kind of culture in which we are meant to be participating?

Recommendations: Place limits on yourself. Model a life of balance, enjoy the best of what our gadgets offer but set them aside as well. For the time being I have decided not to get a watch that tracks me steps, etc. I don’t want to be competing with myself and getting rewarded by my watch. Tech longs for my attention but so does the living God. I must live a balanced life.

Emmanuel Bible College alumni profile

I'm honoured to be featured in my alma mater's monthly e-newsletter. Special thanks to EBC's talented Director of Messaging and Communication, Kaija Hutteri for her masterful editing. Unfortunately, the most important aspect of my EBC days was sadly omitted: the Football Committee!

Alumni Profile Jason Mills Bachelor of Theology in Christian Ministries (2000) Jason Mills felt God’s call to pastoral ministry after a missions trip to Jamaica as a teenager. Emmanuel Bible College seemed like a natural choice, as his youth leader and several pastors he knew had been students.  “EBC offered me leadership opportunities and mentors,” says Jason, who served as residence advisor, worship team leader and student council president during his time at Emmanuel. “I learned many leadership lessons through failure. I would not have survived my first years of ministry without Olu Peters. He mentored me beginning in my third year at EBC and helped me find my first pastoral role.” Jason says that a number of faculty members had a lasting impact on him. He recalls Bob Tees demonstrating the power of stories in forming community while reading C.S. Lewis around a campfire at student life retreats. He credits Virgil Gingrich with teaching him to “preach to inspire faith” and instilling in him the merits of staying active and healthy as a pastor. Jason served in several ministry positions after graduating, including as co-pastor of Calvary EMC in Owen Sound and Blue Mountain Community Church in Thornbury and both worship pastor and lead pastor of Hanover Missionary Church. Jason’s wife, with whom he had the opportunity of co-pastoring, is now the chaplain at the Collingwood General & Marine Hospital. His daughter begins her third year at Tyndale this fall, and he enjoys running with his teenage son. “My family is amazing,” says Jason. “God has truly blessed me!” Today Jason is finishing up his PhD in theological studies from the University of St. Michael’s. His dissertation examines the challenges of teaching virtues while educating pastors online. He also serves as a reservist military chaplain and is working on a research project that focuses on soldiers who feel their life is without meaning.

Family Happiness

Last week I perused Family Happiness by Leo Tolstoy. Tolstoy seems to have a knack for capturing the emotions and interpersonal dynamics of maturing love. Family Happiness is a short story narrated from the perspective of Marya, a young woman, as she grows up. The first half of the book is filled with the tension of love's beginnings while the second half of the book grapples with love's complexities and perseverance. 

Near the end of the story, after living through an assortment of love's triumphs and tragedies, Marya listens as her husband, Sergey, wrestles them free from their past:

"Don't let us try to repeat life," he went on. "Don't let us make pretences to ourselves. Let us be thankful that there is an end of the old emotions and excitements. The excitement of searching is over for us; our quest is done, and happiness enough has fallen to our lot. Now we must stand aside and make room–for him, if you like," he said, pointing to the nurse who was carrying [their son] out and had stopped at the veranda door. "That's the truth, my dear one," he said, drawing down my head and kissing it, not as a lover any longer but an old friend. 

There's something beautiful about Sergey's assessment of life. There is a conscious turning away from excitement toward happiness in the latter part of it. Richard Rohr describes this stage as "a bright sadness and a sober happiness". I don't think I'm not there yet. But I hope to be. Right now it seems strange to think of my wife in these terms. A friend? Certainly. An old friend? Not quite. Maybe there will come a day. Here is my takeaway from Sergey: I will try not to repeat life; instead, I will step aside and make room for my children as they learn to embrace the emotions and excitements of love's beginnings.