April 15thFrom the Desk of the Executive Minister
Summer is for…Growing!
Summer is for…Growing!
Regent Summer Course(s) to consider: An acquaintance from my seminary days (and her aunt was part of a former church I pastored, full disclosure distant relative) is teaching a summer course at Regent! Also one of my favourite topics of study. My Holy Week Connect piece approached this from a similar angle.
Imagination & Spiritual Formation—The imagination plays a central role in our understanding of ourselves and the world around us. By looking at how Christians have historically trained their imaginations, we’ll learn how stories, symbols, art, and architecture can form our beliefs, practices, and character. Touching on church history and theology and the arts, this course offers, among other things, an introduction to unicorns, dragons, multi-coloured panthers, and many-headed beasts—and considers how all of them can teach us something about our faith. https://www.regent-college.edu/courses/course-list/artsspir-517/artsspir-5172026sur.php
Lanta Davis, Professor of Humanities and Literature (Indiana Wesleyan University) Lanta Davis is Professor of Humanities and Literature for the John Wesley Honors College at Indiana Wesleyan University. She recently published Becoming by Beholding: The Power of the Imagination in Spiritual Formation (Baker, 2024) and has written for a wide range of periodicals.
Check it out! We have GREAT theological and discipleship resources in BC with Vancouver School of Theology (with a Mennonite Church Vice President no less!), St Andrews Hall Centre for Missional Leadership, Regent College summer and other programs, TWU Humanitas Anabaptist-Mennonite Centre, etc.
+Boese
PS- Also Anything by Soong-Chan Rah who is doing a Summer Course: Cultural Intelligence for a Changing Church https://www.regent-college.edu/courses/course-list/applwrld-566/applwrld-5662026sur.php
Minority Report #5 —No Flag Waving Here
I was having a conversation with a pastor in a welcoming, inclusive, and affirming church (not in BC either) the other day and something he said struck me (roughly quoting), “We don’t use the rainbow (LGBTQ+ Progress Flag and variations), because flags are symbols of conquering, colonization, and subjugation of enemies. We don’t centre sexuality, we centre Jesus, and have a diverse church on these things. It’s more about discipling people coming from various directions in the way of Jesus”.
In an age where flags are again being exalted in church spaces, whether Christian Nationalist (US, Palestine, etc.) or Pride, it’s good to remember that as Anabaptists we have been ones who want to be known by our following of King Jesus. He has no flag. If we lead with a flag-first theology we’ve lost the plot and traded for power-over processes and symbols. Now you may personally engage with flags for protest, proper patriotism, etc. (I have from time to time). Never-the-less, the local church, in my view, should have none. I have removed national flags from platforms before and resisted their insertion in worship spaces (unless many nations as a prayer focus).
What are your thoughts on the use of flags in church spaces and institutions? If you agree I buy the coffee, if you disagree, you buy the coffee. :-).