The Main Wycliffe Blog

Ours is not a time of rest. I need not enumerate the many troubles that we face today, but it should be uncontroversial to point out that we live in a world ever more enveloped by fear. And who can blame us twenty-first century folk for suspecting that danger lurks in the shadows of every path? What we assumed were the unshakeable foundations of life now show themselves to be more brittle than we'd ever cared to admit. And so, in many ways, the future has become for us not the occasion for the realization of hope, but rather for the confirmation of despair.

On October 31, Wycliffe College officially launches its Reformed House of Studies (RHS)—a theological and ministerial training initiative, housed within the College, which draws on the riches of the Reformed tradition to prepare students and maturing leaders for Christian ministry. Communications Director, Patricia Paddey posed a few questions to RHS Director Lyndon Jost, who graduated from Wycliffe with a PhD in May, 2022, to learn more.

Q: What is the RHS?

Over the past few weeks I have had several long conversations with pastors who seem dangerously close to burn-out. They’re worried because some 25 to 30 percent of their congregations haven’t returned to church following the easing of pandemic restrictions. They’re worried that they might have to lay off staff. They’re working harder than ever, trying their best to minister to both gathered and online flocks, but with precious little to show for it. They’re worried, and they’re dog-tired.

As someone who has spent several decades in Church-land, I've heard literally thousands of sermons, homilies, and meditations. Too often, I hear preachers representing Jesus as someone who was uncomfortable with Judaism. They talk as if the Messiah of Israel corrected, rejected, or distanced himself from Judaism, in whole or in part. That's a historical and theological mistake.

I’ll be retiring next summer.  People ask me “why now?”.  Lots of reasons, probably: let someone younger have a place at the faculty table; family responsibilities; health; fatigue; out of synch with the culture; “work is done,” “new things to do,” generational stage of life; and so on. These are not just “my reasons,” but the kinds of reasons one is likely to hear from many others in my position.

As Wycliffe College Chaplain, I spend a lot of time creating lists. I consider doing so a critical part of any pastoral practice. Whether an accurate list of the families in a congregation, including their children, names and grades in school, or a list of seniors indicating who lives alone together with the names of their next of kin, such lists are an indispensable tool in exercising care for others.

A month ago Frederick Buechner died at age ninety-six. During that windfall of years, in which he served as a high-school chaplain, was ordained a Presbyterian minister, raised a family, and worked his unusually enchanted way with words, Buechner wrote a book that I read again each year. It came to me as a gift from a dear friend. It’s called The Alphabet of Grace.

Many positive things can be said about the benefits of online education. While in-person classes were largely suspended over the last two years because of the pandemic, students did not have to suspend their lives or learning. Wycliffe students were still able to proceed in their programs. In fact, among the 53 who walked across the graduation stage last May, there were some who obtained their degrees without ever having met another classmate or professor in person.

On August 1, 2022, Lissa Wray Beal joined the faculty of Wycliffe College as Professor of Old Testament. In the early days after her move to Toronto, she took time to participate in a conversation with Communications Director Patricia Paddey. An edited version follows.

Q: Tell us about your faith journey.

Over the past few months, I’ve had the absolute privilege of completing my Summer Parish Internship in İzmir, Türkiye (the new official name for Turkey). I was given the opportunity to immerse myself in the lives of the local believers; from going on camping trips to helping run a weekly English Club to facilitating a Bible study, I learned what it is like to live out your faith in a country where less than 0.4% of the population is Christian. Here are a few things I’m reflecting on as I’ve returned home to Canada: