Vestigia Dei
Wycliffe College Blog

Vestigia Dei  – is a Latin term meaning “traces of God.” As a theological term it is associated with natural theology – that is, the view that there are vestiges of God within creation. We’ve chosen this term as the title of the Wycliffe College blog because our hope is that through these writings, readers might glimpse evidences for God as our writers interact with the wider world.

Choose Joy

Wycliffe College Blog
In a world where contentment is often unattainable, Director of Development, Shelley McLagan, delves into the idea of choosing joy—not because Christians are exempt from struggles but because we have a God who is always with us when we go through them. Read more

The Temptation of the Godless Sermon

Judy Paulsen

Some time ago I visited a church in which the sermon, delivered by a guest preacher, concluded with the sentence “If you do this you’ll be happy, and your neighbour will be happy.”

Scripture Readings for a Church in Trouble

Judy Paulsen

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.

Body Talk: Is there a Christian Way to Think About Our Bodies?

Judy Paulsen

The first time I encountered the term eating disorder I was about twelve and read a letter addressed to Dear Abby, a syndicated advice column published in many North American newspapers.

Subway Prayer (or How to Pray for Strangers)

Judy Paulsen

Eight years ago, our family moved into the heart of Toronto. One of the surprises that came with this move was being freed from my car; something I was completely dependent on while pastoring in suburbia. Now I was taking public transit every day as I travelled into Wycliffe College.

How by doing what churches told them to do -- they failed their kids.

Judy Paulsen

Esther was one of many gracious life-long members of our church. A real salt-of-the-earth type, who with her husband had raised three kids to be successful, fully-launched adults. She was now thoroughly enjoying a bunch of grandkids, most of whom were already teenagers.

My Journey with Jesus: A Symphony in Five Movements

Judy Paulsen

It began in my childhood home in northwest India. My father was a Canadian Anglican priest who, after serving as a padre during the horrors of the Second World War, went to minister to a leper colony and small Anglican parish in the foothills of the Himalayas.

Alumni Profile: Patrick Tanhuanco: Pastor, Principal in the Philippines

Wycliffe College Blog

“[Wycliffe] College has balanced change with tradition, the building itself reminding faculty, trustees and students alike that they did not start Wycliffe, that each new generation stands on the shoulders of all who have been there before, that to become part of the College is to be received

Why it’s never too late to study theology: ministry at a deathbed

Judy Paulsen

I was asked to write a blog on the topic, “Why it’s never too late to study theology.”  It seemed like a nice, safe topic that wouldn’t require too much of me in what is a busy part of the academic term.

Meet Wycliffe College’s first successful conjoint PhD graduate in Theological Studies

Wycliffe College Blog

Shaun Christopher Brown will go down in the history books as Wycliffe College’s first successful conjoint PhD graduate in Theological Studies.

When bad things happen to good people

Judy Paulsen

A vulnerable senior loses their life savings to a fraudulent telemarketing scheme. A young mother gets cancer. Innocent lives are lost to a crazed gunman, or a drunk driver, or in a plane crash. We seem to hear about such tragedies almost every day.

Witthaya Phuttharaksa, Wycliffe PhD student, Langham Scholar

Wycliffe College Blog

Witthaya Phuttharaksa is a PhD student at Wycliffe College, Toronto and a Langham Scholar. Now entering his second year of New Testament studies, his eventual goal is to help strengthen the Church in his homeland of Thailand.
 

Struggling to make sense of the senseless

Wycliffe College Blog

In the wake of the mass killing in Toronto yesterday, journalists are - like all of us - struggling to make sense of the senseless. Most Canadians reacted to the news of yesterday’s tragic events with shock, disbelief, horror.

"God we hurt": Unpacking Sean Brandow's lament

Wycliffe College Blog

It began with self-deprecation but quickly moved to raw anguish.

George A. Lindbeck, 1923-2018

Wycliffe College Blog

Some of us are fortunate to have one or more teachers in our lives whose influence on us is significant and memorable.  In this blog post, Wycliffe Professor of Systematic Theology, Joseph Mangina writes about one 

Different ways of doing church

Wycliffe College Blog

Late last month in Sussex, England, Wycliffe’s Professor of Evangelism Judy Paulsen attended an international learning community on Fresh Expressions—a movement that explores different ways of doing church.

Of Canons, Friendship and Wycliffe College

Wycliffe College Blog

If you haven’t grown up in the Anglican (or Episcopal) Church, you might think a “Canon” is just a fancy kind of camera. But to those familiar with Anglican tradition, a canon is much more. And now, Wycliffe College can boast of two new canons within its close knit family.