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.