The Future of Theological Education

There are very few books written about the future of theological education. I've had the chance to review most, if not all, of them.

This week, the Toronto Journal of Theology published my reviews of Daniel Aleshire's excellent book, Beyond Profession, and Barabara Wheeler's edited volume, Disruption and Hope. Both provide a thoughtful and important look at what might be around the corner for theological schools.

If you are interested in seeing what might be ahead for theological schools, I welcome you to read my review of Beyond Profession and my review of Disruption and Hope.
 

Good News for Spiritual Care Practitioners seeking registration with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO)

Lately, certified spiritual care practitioners seeking registration with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO) have been facing obstacles. Until recently, CRPO has been grandparenting spiritual care practitioners into the college by registering them without a rigorous verification process. Grandparenting is now over and many spiritual care providers are finding the CRPO has made it next to impossible for them to prove their training and education provided through the Canadian Association for Spiritual Care is substantially equivalent to a registered psychotherapy program.

This seemed unfair so I wrote a paper showing how Supervised Pastoral Education is substantially equivalent. The article was peer reviewed and published this week online in the Journal of Pastoral Care and Counseling. You can read it here.

The article has already been presented as part of an appeal to the Health Professions Appeal and Review Board (HPARB) challenging the CPRO's rejection of an application. I am happy to report the CRPO Registration Committee has responded favourably and are willing to grant a certificate of registration if the applicant takes four additional courses.

If you are one of the many applicants who have been rejected because your SPE/CPE educational units were not considered substantially equivalent to an registered program, reference this article and get in touch with me if you need more help.

The Pastoral Art of Spiritual Direction

I've had the privilege of sitting with a couple of wise spiritual directors over the past couple of months. One asks excellent questions that allow me to probe my thoughts and emotions to discern what God might be up to in my life. The other offers poetry, scripture, and imaginative exercises to help me find new ways of encountering Jesus. Both directors use distinct yet helpful approaches prodding me to grow in faith and I am grateful for their assistance.

Job, the Hebrew Bible figure, had a different experience. In the midst of devastating life circumstances his counsellors attempted to help get him in touch with God but, in the end, the LORD ended up judging them saying, "you have not spoken of me what is right..." (42:7). Yikes! They were so convinced they knew Job's soul and the mind and heart of God. Yet, in the end, they were off the mark.

I wonder how many pastors are like Jobs friends. No doubt, I'm in that company. Spiritual direction, coming alongside those seeking to grow in intimacy with God, is an important but often neglected part of ministry. If practised at all, it's usually done poorly.

I know I've blogged a lot about Eugene Peterson but I'm going to turn to him again. He believes spiritual direction is one of the central aspects of the pastoral vocation. He also believes its an uncommon part of church life. In his book Working the Angles: The Shape of Pastoral Integrity, Peterson describes several bad examples of spiritual direction from George Fox's Journal. In the end, Peterson describes the heart of good spiritual direction by pastors saying, "...there must be a predisposition toward prayer, a readiness for prayer. Spiritual direction is then conducted with an awareness that it takes place in God's active presence, and that our conversation is therefore condition by his speaking and listening, his being there" (p. 192).

I've sensed God's being there in times when I meet with my spiritual directors. It's something I want to cultivate in my own ministry as I provide that sort of prayerful space for others to discern God's speaking and listening. It's a beautiful grace wise directors have given me and I'm hoping to pass that gift along to others.