We hope your group will be enriched through Regent's Summer Lecture Series available through Convene. You can access the following videos and resources until August 31, 2020.
Downloadable Resources for Convene Groups
Learning Together Guide for Hosts
Here is a brief guide with tips for starting and leading a Convene group online.
Download CONVENE - Learning Together Guide
Discussion Questions & Conversation Prompts
We hope these sample discussion questions prompt good conversations in your group.
Download CONVENE - General Discussion Questions
Lectures and Streaming Links
Check out our list of lectures to see which ones may interest your group. Under each title, you'll find a description of the lecture and a short bio of the presenter along with the Watch Video link.
All lectures will be available to stream starting at 7:30 pm PDT on their respective dates, and will remain available on this page until August 31, 2020.
Some lectures will be streamed live while others are pre-recorded. For those that will be streamed live, you can submit questions for the speaker in real time by emailing [email protected].
N.B. The schedule is subject to change so please check back regularly.
God in the Painted Caves: Prehistoric Art & the Quest for Meaning - Iwan Russell-Jones
It’s an extraordinary thing to descend deep underground through dark and narrow passageways and stand in front of an image that was painted during the Ice Age. Tens of thousands of years before the dawn of what we think of as civilization—the building of the pyramids in Egypt, the flowering of philosophy in Greece—someone was busy here creating a stunning work of art. In this session we’ll explore some of the amazing paintings and carvings made by our ancient ancestors and consider the extent to which, from the very beginning, art and the religious quest went hand in hand.
Discussion Questions:
1) Based on the discovery of the painted caves, GK Chesterton declared that 'Art is the signature of man'. Why do you think he said that? Do you agree with him?
2) The anthropologist, David Lewis-Williams, believes that the paintings and carvings of Stone Age peoples played a vital role in making the spiritual world real to them: 'Every image made hidden presences visible'. Does art still have the power to do this? Is this why we are still drawn to art - or perhaps fearful of and repelled by it?
3) The author of Ecclesiastes wrote: 'I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end'. (Eccl. 3:10,11 NIV) How might this text help us understand what is going on in the painted caves?
Further Reading:
Chesterton, G. K. The Everlasting Man (1925)
Clottes, J. Cave Art (2008)
Curtis, Gregory The Cave Painters: Probing the Mysteries of the World's First Artists (2007)
Eshleman, Clayton Juniper Fuse: Upper Paleolithic Imagination (2003)
Huyssteen, J. W. van, Alone in the World: Human Uniqueness in Science and Theology. (2006)
Lewis-Williams, David The Mind in the Cave (London: 2004)
Petzinger, Genevieve von, The First Signs: Unlocking the Mysteries of the World’s Oldest Symbols (2017)
Pfeiffer, John E. The Creative Explosion: An Inquiry into the Origins of Art and Religion (1982)
Tattersall, Ian Becoming Human: Evolution and Human Uniqueness (1998)
Van der Leeuw, Gerardus, Sacred and Profane Beauty: The Holy in Art (1963)
A lecture by Iwan Russell-Jones.
Watch VideoSister in the Wilderness: Hagar in Art, Music, and Literature - Amanda Russell-Jones
Lecture Description: The stories of the women of the Bible have been used to categorize, exhort, or chastise women down the ages. Hagar, for example, was the most common biblical name given to enslaved African-American women. We will explore depictions of Hagar in art, music, literature, and popular culture, asking how the mirror held up to women became distorted and at what cost. We will also discover why it is that for those who regard Hagar as a "sister in the wilderness," God's dealings with her have provided hope in the midst of oppression.
A lecture by Amanda Russell-Jones.
Watch VideoMind the Gap: From Living Event to Gospel Story - Darrell L. Bock
There are many claims about what happened between Jesus’s life and its recording in a gospel. What happened in the gap? We will consider issues tied to eyewitnesses, memory, and oral tradition, as well as the corporate nature of these matters.
Discussion Questions:
1) Can you think of other examples beyond those mentioned in the lecture of an oral culture that we experience?
2) Does the distinction between having the gist of the story being a focus in discussion with those who are skeptical versus being focused on every detail make sense?
3) Is it clear how Paul shortens the core of the gap we see in the gospels? Why?
4) What is left to explore in your mind about this topic?
Further Reading:
Robert McIver, Memory, Jesus, and the Synoptic Gospels (2011).
Darrell Bock and Ed Komoszewski, Jesus, Skepticism, and the Problem of History: Criteria and Context in the Study of Christian Origins (2019).
A lecture by Darrell L. Bock.
Watch VideoJesus—Immanuel, Image of God: Aspects of Popular Christology in Sub-Saharan Africa - Diane Stinton
Jesus Christ holds a most prominent place in popular cultures across Africa south of the Sahara. This lecture explores the “lived Christology” of African Christians gleaned from qualitative research and from contextual evidence, including artwork and worship. Two central themes emerge: Jesus as Immanuel—God with us—in Africa, and Jesus as the “image of the invisible God” (Col. 1:15). Conclusions highlight the significance of these informal Christologies to contemporary Christianity, particularly regarding the intrinsic relation between popular and academic theologies.
A lecture by Diane Stinton.
Watch VideoLiving According to the Lord's Day: The Formative Role of Worship in Early Christianity - Joshua Coutts
The worship practices of the earliest Christians reflect their convictions about Jesus and his relationship to God. These practices, which took a variety of forms, shaped the earliest Christian communities. Ignatius, the second century bishop of Antioch, was not alone in his call for Christians to align their lives with the grain of their worship, or as he put it, to “live according to the Lord’s day.” In this lecture, encounter various worship practices of early Christians and explore how they moulded faithful Jesus followers. Consider implications for Christian worship today.
Discussion Questions:
1) Which of the three formative areas of early Christian worship ("doxological," "christological," and "ecclesiological") stood out to you most, and why?
2) What does regular worship in your church typically consist of, and how are those practices forming you as an individual, and forming the church corporately? What is helpful? What is emphasized too much? What is missing, compared with early Christian worship?
3) Early Christian worship encouraged believers to think, desire, and live in light of future Christian hope ("eschatology"). How might this emphasis in worship be encouraged and developed in our worship today?
4) The earliest Christians recognized how crucial it is to gather regularly for worship. In what ways might you encourage your worship leaders: thanking them for the crucial role they play, supporting them in their need or desire to be taught and equipped well for the task, etc.?
Further Reading:
James K. A. Smith, Imagining the Kingdom: How Worship Works (Baker, 2013); You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit (Brazos, 2016)
Robert Webber, Worship Old and New, Revised (Zondervan, 1994); Ancient-Future Worship: Proclaiming and Enacting God's Narrative (Baker, 2008)
Matthew Gordley, New Testament Christological Hymns: Exploring Texts, Contexts, and Significance (IVP Academic, 2018)
Larry W. Hurtado, At the Origins of Christian Worship: The Context and Character of Earliest Christian Devotion (Paternoster, 1999)
Andrew B. McGowan, Ancient Christian Worship: Early Church Practices in Social, Historical, and Theological Perspective (Baker, 2014)
A lecture by Joshua Coutts.
Watch VideoThe “Environment,” Climate Change, and Covid-19: An Opportunity for Serious Reflection - Iain Provan
It has become almost a truism in many parts of the contemporary environmental movement that Christian faith is much too anthropocentric to be of any use in saving the planet; those who think that God has given humanity dominion over the earth are the last people who are going to take the radical steps necessary now to rescue it from destruction. The truth of the matter is, however, that this “dominion” is a biological as much as a theological fact. The question is not whether humanity possesses it, but only how we shall use it. Biblical faith tells us how we should use it in line with God’s love and justice, both of which the believer is bound to see at work in realities like climate change and the outbreak of the Covid-19 plague. Biblical faith also provides us with the hope that we need in order to persevere in the task of dominion, even when it seems difficult and perhaps impossible. Contrary to much prevailing opinion, then, it is precisely those who truly believe what Holy Scripture teaches us about our human vocation who are likely to be the first people to take the radical steps necessary to save the planet. The problem is that many people do not truly believe it, even if they generally claim to be Bible-believing Christians.
Discussion Questions:
1) Were you persuaded by the argument of the lecture overall, or do you still have questions or doubts about it?
2) What difference has the lecture made to your thinking, as a Christian, about “the environment,” and what will you DO differently as a result?
Further Reading:
Richard Bauckham, Living with Other Creatures: Green Exegesis and Theology (2011).
Iain Provan, Convenient Myths: The Axial Age, Dark Green Religion, and the World That Never Was (2013).
A lecture by Iain Provan.
Watch VideoFaith and Migration: How Diaspora Churches Are Shaping North American Christianity - Stanley John
Global migration is radically changing the face of North American Christianity. Religious decline in the West, along with the rise of thriving immigrant churches, is producing a powerful demographic reconfiguration. Thoughtful reflection on the significance of this demographic shift will allow us to recognize and celebrate diaspora churches as equal partners in mission and ministry.
Discussion Questions:
1) Describe the impact of global migration on your community and church against the backdrop of an emerging post-Christian Western context.
2) Discuss the statement: "Migration and immigrant churches might be the very tool that God is using for revitalization of Christian Faith in North America.”
3) What are some ways in which your organization/denomination/church can adapt and innovate to fulfill the mission of God (Missio Dei) in light of the global migration of peoples and the rise of diaspora churches?
Further reading:
Tira, Sadiri Joy, and Tetsunao Yamamori. Scattered and Gathered: A Global Compendium of Diaspora Missiology (2016).
A lecture by Stanley John.
Watch VideoTalking Our Walk: Cultivating Sacred Consciousness - Susan S. Phillips
Story is formed when we pause and reflect on our experience. It’s best done with a listener present, be that listener the God to whom we pray, a person to whom we speak, or the imagined reader of what we write. Attending to our lives in this way helps us notice when we’ve encountered divinity in the ordinary. We see this happen with people in Scripture, and we know it in our own lives, congested, rushed, and bereft of attentive listening as they sometimes are. We remember the people headed to Emmaus and how they talked with Jesus on the road and later talked to their friends about that transformational walk. In this evening together, we will consider the spiritual discipline of talking our walk and how it may deepen and mature our faith.
Discussion Questions:
1) What image strikes you as descriptive of this pandemic period in your life? Some people have used words like “barren,“ “unmoored,” “precarious,” and “adventuresome.” Perhaps there are words that match your experience and form the outline of an image.
2) How and to whom do you tell the story of your life in this pandemic period? Perhaps the story grows and interacts with an image, or with several images to capture the complexity of your experience. Perhaps the story is shaped by your listener, actual or imagined.
3) Where does grace appear for you in the pandemic? Perhaps it does so in your longing for a glimpse of God. Perhaps you are part of a community of fellow pandemic pilgrims in which you can hear and tell honest stories about this experience which is so personal and also so shared. Perhaps God, through Scripture or otherwise, is revealing truth and hope to you in new ways, even in this ordeal.
A lecture by Susan S. Phillips.
Watch VideoLiving Faithfully in a Fearful World: Ethics, Leadership and Society - Jeffrey Greenman
Dr. Jeff Greenman will deliver a live evening public lecture on the role of Christian faithfulness in light of our current cultural turmoil.
A lecture by Jeffrey Greenman.
Watch VideoGuns, Grit, and Grace: Flannery O’Connor & the Sin of Sentimentality - Mary McCampbell
Catholic Southern author Flannery O’Connor’s “grotesque” aesthetic is a contrast to the “sentimentality” that she saw in the work of so many artists that came before her. According to O’Connor, the presence of shocking violence in art can be used to remind us of the cost of God’s redeeming grace, whereas the presence of sentimentality in art only works to cheapen our understanding of that grace. In this lecture, we will focus on O’Connor’s theology and aesthetics, along with discussing how her ideas provide a relevant, useful lens through which to discuss contemporary film and literature.
A lecture by Mary McCampbell.
Watch VideoA Theology of Depression: A Personal Narrative on the Economy of Divine Strength Through Weakness - Ross Hastings
A lecture by Ross Hastings.
Watch VideoThe Shape of Family: Love, Belonging, and COVID-19 - Cindy Aalders
Dr. Cindy Aalders will give an evening public lecture as part of Regent's Summer Programs
A lecture by Cindy Aalders.
Watch VideoReading the Bible in Late-Qing China (1807–1911) 晚清中国的圣经解读 - Grace Hui Liang
Please Note: this lecture will be given in Mandarin.
Lecture Description: China's long literary traditions and rich classical texts produced a pluralistic religious world. How is the Christian Bible read and received within this context? Through case studies, this lecture introduces Chinese biblical writings and commentary made by western Protestant missionaries and Chinese Christians. The period covered is Late-Qing, which starts from the arrival of Robert Morrison in mainland China in 1807 to the end of Qing Dynasty in 1911. By investigating readings of Christian Scriptures largely collected in rare Chinese books in the West, this lecture will portray a forgotten history of modern Chinese biblical interpretation. It offers “dialogical hermeneutics” as an open and dynamic interpretative approach for reading the Bible in China today.
在一个包含悠久的文本传统、拥有丰富的经典所构成的“多元宗教世界
”，基督教《圣经》是如何在中国被接受和阅读的？借助对近代中国代表性汉
语释经作品的引介，本讲座介绍由西方新教传教士和中国本土基督徒在晚清所
写作的中文圣经导读和解经著作，时间跨度为自1807年马礼逊抵华至1911年清
帝国结束。本讲座通过对这些收藏于西方的汉语珍稀圣经解读出版物的研究，
将为读者呈现一个被遗忘的近代中文圣经解经史，并倡导以“对话的诠释”作
为当代汉语圣经解读的一种开放和富有活力的阅读模式。
A lecture by Grace Hui Liang.
Watch VideoReframing the Trinity - Rikk Watts
In rightly affirming the Trinity, the Cappadocian fathers emphasized Matt 28:19’s formula, “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” Unfortunately, it lacks the one word—LORD—that most clearly identifies Jesus as God, and which Jesus himself and Paul his apostle together prioritise when speaking of Jesus’ identity (e.g. Ps 110:1 in Mark 12:35-37 par; 1 Cor 8:6). Careful attention to the significance of “LORD” and “son” in the Scriptures and the New Testament not only dissolves several long-standing trinitarian debates but suggests the need to reframe the traditional formula to more fully reflect the biblical witness.
A lecture by Rikk Watts.
Watch VideoPoetry and Prayer: A Mutual Inspiration - Malcolm Guite
In this lecture Malcolm will explore how poetry and prayer can inform and inspire one another. Malcolm will draw specifically on the example of George Herbert’s poem Prayer—the way it has inspired other poetry and guided many in their prayer lives.
A lecture by Malcolm Guite.
Watch VideoDigital Life Together: How Technology Is Changing Christian Education - David I. Smith
How is technology changing schools? How might those changes impact faith formation, community relationships, and the Christian practice of teachers and students? Are we worrying about the right things? Drawing from a research project conducted over several years in Christian schools, this lecture will share findings concerning how digital technologies are changing teaching, learning, and the nature of the school community in Christian educational settings.
A lecture by David I. Smith.
Watch VideoA Relentless Revolution of Love: Hospitality as Hopeful Resistance - Krish Kandiah
In a time of border walls, Brexit, immigrant children separated from their parents at the border, rising nationalism, political and social polarisation, and increasing racial disparity, the church has the opportunity to demonstrate a radical alternative social order. But why is the church too often mirroring the divisions of our culture rather than resisting and challenging them? In this fast-paced interactive lecture, Dr. Kandiah offers a fresh model for discipleship, mission, and political engagement
A lecture by Krish Kandiah.
Watch VideoWhen Christians Disagree - Wesley Hill
Throughout the history of the church, Christians have often wrangled over various doctrines and theological positions. Today, however, it seems more common for Christians to disagree about behavioral matters. The existence of moral disagreement among Christians is an invitation for all of us to think carefully about Christian truth, unity, charity, and judgment. Wesley Hill will discuss several New Testament passages that can help us find a way forward.
Discussion Questions:
1) Have you experienced a significant moral or theological disagreement with a fellow Christian? If so, what was the subject, and what was the outcome? How did you respond and grow? What did you learn?
2) Have you been able to find solidarity with fellow Christians with whom you disagree? If so, how? What has it been like for you to experience "impaired communion"?
3) Do you have a theology of Christian division? What is your reaction to Ephraim Radner's Israel-like view of the church? Is it possible to discern God's providential and purifying purposes in the midst of Christian disagreement and division?
Further reading:
See three blog posts by me on being an Anglican Christian in a time of Anglican division: see here, here, and here.
A lecture by Wesley Hill.
Watch Video