The Regent Vine
Welcome to The Vine, a publication of Regent College.
We’re delighted to share ideas and perspectives from a wide range of people within and beyond Regent’s circles. In articles and interviews, podcasts and videos, you’ll hear authentic voices speaking from experience and expertise about ideas that matter to our community and yours.
Join us for conversations that inform, challenge, and inspire.
The Regent Vine
Welcome to The Vine, a publication of Regent College.
We’re delighted to share ideas and perspectives from a wide range of people within and beyond Regent’s circles. In articles and interviews, podcasts and videos, you’ll hear authentic voices speaking from experience and expertise about ideas that matter to our community and yours.
Join us for conversations that inform, challenge, and inspire.
The Regent Vine
Welcome to The Vine, a publication of Regent College. Join us for conversations that inform, challenge, and inspire.
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Oct 26, 2026
Spirituality
History
Theology
Community | The Contribution of Regent College to the Spiritual Formation Movement
Bruce and Carolyn Hindmarsh explore Regent College’s lasting influence on Protestant spiritual formation, tracing its history through the lives and teachings of J. I. Packer, James Houston, and Eugene Peterson. Reflecting on their own experience at Regent, they consider how the College has brought together rigorous scholarship, prayer, and personal spiritual growth. They also examine the convictions that have shaped Regent’s approach to theological education and its contribution to the wider Protestant world.
All Resources: Spirituality
Oct 26, 2026
Community | The Contribution of Regent College to the Spiritual Formation Movement
Bruce and Carolyn Hindmarsh explore Regent College’s lasting influence on Protestant spiritual formation, tracing its history through the lives and teachings of J. I. Packer, James Houston, and Eugene Peterson. Reflecting on their own experience at Regent, they consider how the College has brought together rigorous scholarship, prayer, and personal spiritual growth. They also examine the convictions that have shaped Regent’s approach to theological education and its contribution to the wider Protestant world.
Oct 12, 2026
Formed by Gratitude: Inhabiting a Theology of Hospitality through the Festival of Sukkot
As we gather around tables this Thanksgiving, Zella Christenson Avila invites us to consider the ancient Jewish festival of Sukkot and its theology of hospitality. Drawing on the festival’s connections to both the abundance of Eden and the vulnerability of the wilderness, she explores how Sukkot teaches God’s people to receive God’s provision with gratitude and respond with generosity toward their neighbours.
Sep 15, 2026
Holiness in the Dark
This reflection explores Mother Teresa’s experience of prolonged spiritual darkness and her sense of God’s absence. Rather than weakening her faith or commitment, this suffering became deeply connected to her ministry and helped her identify more fully with the loneliness and abandonment experienced by the poor.
Aug 20, 2026
Video | Attuned Hope in Times That Try Our Souls
What does it mean to hope faithfully when life does not unfold as we expected? This lecture considers how Christian hope is formed through love, grief, discernment, and relationship. Susan Phillips invites us to recognize when our hopes need to be released and reshaped, making room for a deeper hope rooted in God's presence and love.
Aug 11, 2026
The Prolongation of the Incarnation? Abraham Kuyper and the Telos of Humanity
What does the Incarnation mean beyond Christ's birth? This article explores how Dutch theologian Abraham Kuyper's understanding of the Incarnation developed over time, arguing that his later emphasis on Christ's humiliation narrowed its broader significance for creation, worship, and culture. By revisiting Kuyper's earlier writings, the author invites readers to recover a richer vision of the Incarnation as God's ongoing work of renewal in the Church, creation, and every sphere of human life.
Jul 24, 2026
Fan into Flame the Gift of God That Is Within You
Speaking from experience shaped by years of study and work since an early encounter with Regent College, the author reflects on vocation, courage, and the ways God calls us to move beyond timidity into lives marked by love, power, and self-discipline. Ultimately, it encourages readers to enter new seasons of life with attentiveness to God’s gifting and renewed confidence in their calling.
Jul 16, 2026
An Introduction to Systematic Spirituality
In his inaugural lecture as Regent College's first Sangwoo Youtong Chee Professor of Theology, J.I. Packer made a compelling case that theology and spirituality belong together. Far from being merely an academic discipline, theology should lead us into deeper worship, discipleship, and communion with God. Sound doctrine and faithful spiritual formation are inseparable, as we are invited not only to know not only truths about God, but to know God himself.
Jul 10, 2026
Podcast | Contemplative Listening in Spiritual Direction and Friendship
In this conversation, Susan reflects on listening as both a vocation and a sanctuary. Together, we explore why deep listening is so difficult, how trust is cultivated in relationships, and how attentive listening can become a place of transformation. This episode is a gentle invitation to slow down and become more attentive to the quiet voice of God in everyday life.
Jul 3, 2026
Podcast | Experiencing the Presence of God
In this conversation, Tom explores the joys of soul recreation, contemplation, and enjoying God. Drawing on the church's rich tradition and artistic engagement with Scripture, he invites listeners to slow down, notice God's presence, and consider the distractions that can draw us away from him.
Jun 25, 2026
Jim Houston: His Message to Us All
Delivered at Jim Houston’s memorial service, this reflection explores the enduring themes that shaped his life: friendship with God, faithfulness to one’s calling, and the transformative power of grace.
Jun 23, 2026
Take Time to be Holy: Why Jesus Never Runs in the Gospels
What might we learn from the fact that Jesus never runs in the Gospels? A.J. Swoboda reflects on the pace of God, arguing that holiness, transformation, and faithful discipleship unfold not through hurry and control, but through patience, trust, and the slow work of grace.
Jun 11, 2026
Jars of Clay
What does it mean to leave Regent College carrying a treasure greater than a diploma? In this Convocation address, a graduating student reflects on the formative journey of theological education, the gift of community, and the biblical image of being “jars of clay.” Looking back with gratitude and forward with hope, the speech invites graduates to trust God’s shaping work as they step into lives of faithful service.
Jun 6, 2026
Podcast | Imagination and Spiritual Formation
How does the imagination shape our life with God? In this conversation, Lanta Davis discusses the formative power of stories, symbols, art, and images, exploring how they influence faith, identity, and spiritual growth. From saints' lives and medieval bestiaries to practical habits of reading and seeing, Davis invites listeners to rediscover the imagination as an essential part of Christian formation.
Jun 3, 2026
Wade Even Deeper
In this convocation address on Book of Ezekiel 47, graduates are invited to “wade even deeper” into the life of God, pictured as a life-giving river. Tracing this image through Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit, the message calls for deeper spiritual formation, engagement with Scripture, and participation in God’s mission in the world.
May 26, 2026
The Harvest of the Spirit
In this Regent College chapel address on Galatians 5–6, Paul Spilsbury reframes the “fruit of the Spirit” as the communal “harvest” of God’s kingdom. Rather than individual self-improvement, the Spirit’s work is presented as the life of Christ taking shape within the Church through faithful participation, spiritual cultivation, and perseverance.
May 22, 2026
Video | Hopeful Realism: A Theology for & of Resilience
In this lecture, Gordon T. Smith explores what it means to cultivate resilient hope in a world marked by anxiety, suffering, and uncertainty. Rejecting both toxic positivity and despair, he reflects on hope as an essential Christian practice—one that sustains individuals and equips communities to encourage others with wisdom, honesty, and courage.
May 21, 2026
Narrative and Pilgrimage: Forming Our Stories in the Company of Others
This article explores pilgrimage as a spiritual discipline that shapes identity, deepens faith, and invites transformation through journey, story, community, and encounter with God.
May 15, 2026
Podcast | What Grows in Weary Lands: On Christian Resilience
Tish joins Claire and Rachel to discuss Christian resilience, spiritual exhaustion, and the wisdom of the Desert Fathers and Mothers. Together they explore practices of faith, hope, silence, and perseverance for those navigating seasons of weariness and uncertainty.
May 14, 2026
Surely Every Sunday is Ascension Sunday
This article argues that while Easter is central to Christian faith, the Ascension of Christ should be seen as the defining moment of the church’s life and worship. It explores how the Ascended Christ shapes worship, mission, and daily life, with Pentecost enabling believers to live in this reality.
Apr 30, 2026
Clothed in Glory: Learning to Embody Christ
Artist and Regent grad Freeman Lam explores embodying Christ through hand-sewn garments that reflect cultural identity, suffering, and spiritual encounter. His collaborative, tactile approach invites reflection on faith, community, and how Christ shapes our lived experiences.
Apr 17, 2026
Podcast: The Good Life and Christ
Claire and Rachel reconnect with Dr. Elizabeth Sung for a Summer Programs 2026 preview, exploring spiritual formation, the good life, and themes of salvation, love, and shalom, alongside reflections on false gospels and insights from Scripture and theologians like Dallas Willard.
Apr 15, 2026
The Significance of Place in Lamentations and Song of Songs and What This Means for Human Flourishing
What happens when place is lost, or deeply known? By reading Lamentations alongside Song of Songs, this *article reveals how land, body, and belonging are intertwined, and how true human flourishing depends on being rooted in place.
Apr 13, 2026
The Road to the Unknown: Reflections on Journeys of Faith
An exploration of journeys of faith through Scripture, story, and student experiences of global Christianity. Cross-cultural encounters reveal how identity, vocation, and vision of God’s kingdom are transformed as believers learn to embrace diversity, humility, and mystery.
Mar 25, 2026
Laughter: An Embodiment of Joy and Hope (A Reflection on Psalm 126)
Psalm 126 reveals how laughter and tears coexist in the life of faith. Joy is not the absence of sorrow but hope rooted in God’s faithfulness. Laughter becomes an embodied expression of trust that restoration is coming—even when we are still sowing in tears.
Mar 17, 2026
James Houston on His Life and Spiritual Theology
On one of the first episodes of the Regent College Podcast, Dr. James Houston spoke about the founding of Regent College, along with leadership, gratitude, the loss of elders in Western culture, faith and vocation, and even quantum physics.
Feb 23, 2026
Calling, Context, and the Church: From Belonging to Witness
This article reframes calling as more than an individual career choice, grounding vocation in belonging to the Church and participation in the missio Dei. Drawing on Regent Exchange, it invites congregations and theological education to discern and embody a shared, contextual witness.
Feb 2, 2026
Finding Wholeness Now: A Journey through Freedom Session
After cancer and years of unresolved resentment, Carmen finds healing through Freedom Session—a gospel-centered journey of belief, confession, and forgiveness. Her story explores how faith, community, and truth can bring deep emotional and spiritual freedom here and now.
Jan 29, 2026
Perfection and Speech about God’s Character in the Old Testament
Exploring Old Testament portrayals of God, this article challenges perfectionist theology that isolates divine traits like mercy or nonviolence, arguing instead for an embedded, relational understanding of God’s character grounded in Scripture.
Jan 9, 2026
Podcast | Discovering God's Gentleness by Risking Rest
This episode explores Carolyn Watts’ journey from obstetrics in Afghanistan to life with chronic illness. Drawing on her memoir Risking Rest, she reflects on God’s intimate care, the gifts of singleness, trusting Him in hardship, and embracing rest amid life’s pressures.
Nov 4, 2025
Audio: Finishing Well
In “Finishing Well,” J. I. Packer reflects on aging and Christian hope with humor and depth. Marking his 80th birthday, he contrasts society’s view of old age with Scripture’s wisdom, urging believers to live faithfully as they journey toward their true home with God.
Oct 27, 2025
Re-Imagining Imagination Through a Photographic Lens
A photographer reflects on two images of the same scene—one spontaneous, one staged—to explore how imagination works not by control but by receptivity. True seeing, he argues, is about allowing the world and the Spirit to speak, cultivating attention that opens us to truth, beauty, and love.
Oct 22, 2025
Rediscovering Childlike Wonder: The Profound Allegory of "The Little Prince"
An analysis of The Little Prince, exploring its themes of childlike wonder, love, ego, and spiritual transformation through humility and imagination.
Oct 15, 2025
Video: Alexander Chow on Christianity and Chinese Identity | Walk & Talk
An interview on Christianity and Chinese identity. Chow reflects on his journey of faith, explores Christianity’s history in China, and examines its diverse, transnational expressions shaped by centuries of cultural and political change.
Oct 8, 2025
Hospitable Listening: The Experiences of Black Canadian and Taiwanese American Spiritual Directors
This article explores how Black Canadian and Taiwanese American spiritual directors bring cultural awareness and deep listening to their practice. It calls for more inclusive, interculturally sensitive spiritual direction training shaped by diverse voices and experiences.
Oct 2, 2025
What Open Heart Surgery Taught Me about My Embodied Soul
After open-heart surgery, the author discovers firsthand the profound unity of body, mind, and spirit. Recovery brought not just physical weakness but mental fog and spiritual numbness, revealing how trauma reverberates through our whole being, and how God heals us as integrated, fragile souls.
Sep 25, 2025
Video: Joy Marie Clarkson on Popular Culture and Faith | Walk & Talk
An interview on how art, literature, and metaphor shape spiritual formation. Clarkson explores how engagement with popular and classical works deepens moral imagination, reorients our view of death, and cultivates attention, empathy, and hope.
Sep 22, 2025
Motherhood, Vision, and Sacrament
A luminous reflection on motherhood as a spiritual practice, where care, presence, and tender attention slowly shape a sacramental vision of everyday
Sep 16, 2025
Learning to Enjoy Joy: God’s Gift for Moments like This
A journalist caring for parents with dementia reflects on the deep challenges, mortality fears, and faith struggles this brings. Through Scripture, personal trials, and caregiving, he learns joy is not earned but gifted by Jesus, and often discovered in hardship and surrender.
Sep 16, 2025
Podcast: Indigeneity, Spirituality, and the Church
Singer-songwriter Cheryl Bear explores the intersection of Christian faith and First Nations culture. Is Indigenous spirituality monotheistic? How does it relate to the gospel, and how does Jesus redeem cultural narratives? (This episode of the Regent College Podcast was recorded on Sept. 25, 2020.)
Sep 16, 2025
Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s Imagination for Being Human
Coleridge reimagined humanity not as machines, but as divine image-bearers with moral freedom, imagination, and mystery. He saw each person as unique, interconnected, and capable of friendship with God, a vision opposing dehumanizing views of his time and affirming sacred personhood.
Sep 16, 2025
Cave Spirituality: A Sermon on Psalm 142
Psalm 142 reveals “cave spirituality”—a space of lonely, honest lament. David cries out from grief, loss, and fear, yet finds refuge in God. Lament invites raw emotion, silence, and lucidity. Even in deep sorrow, God meets us, and community begins to form again.
Sep 16, 2025
Reading with Strangers: A Hermeneutics of Hospitality
A hermeneutics of hospitality invites diverse voices to the table—reading the Bible with openness, trust, and a life-giving, communal lens.
Sep 16, 2025
Is Lectio Divina Just Making Stuff Up?
Lectio divina, often misunderstood as exotic or mystical, is reclaimed here as the historic and prayerful reading of Scripture. Rooted in Christian tradition, it integrates reading, meditation, prayer, and contemplation, drawing believers into deeper communion with God through Scripture.
Sep 16, 2025
The New Jerusalem
A multicultural tapestry reimagines the New Jerusalem as a familiar, earthly city where God's Spirit weaves together diverse cultures in sacred unity.