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.

Home: The Family of Abraham

Stephen Chester

It is often emphasized how radical the apostle Paul was in proclaiming that, through faith in Christ, Gentiles can enter into the people of God without first becoming Jewish and taking on obedience to the Mosaic Law: “those who believe are the children of Abraham” (Gal 3:7). What is less often noticed is that Paul is here simultaneously at his most traditional. It simply never occurs to him to say that descent from Abraham is unnecessary.

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Dead to Sin? Romans 6 and New Life in Christ

Stephen Chester

We live in a time of repeated scandals in which prominent church leaders turn out to be hiding egregious sinful behaviour.

The Divine Key to Long Life and Prosperity in 2023

Annette Brownlee

11 Come, children, and listen to me; * I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

12 Who among you loves life * and desires long life to enjoy prosperity?

13 Keep your tongue from evil-speaking * and your lips from lying words.

14 Turn from evil and do good*

Jesus: A Missing Person?

Stephen Chester

I joined the faculty at Wycliffe in 2019 only a few months before the start of the pandemic. I was in Toronto first, and visited a number of churches in-person, but by the time my wife joined me the city was in lockdown.

The pastoral practice of creating lists

Annette Brownlee

As Wycliffe College Chaplain, I spend a lot of time creating lists. I consider doing so a critical part of any pastoral practice.

The battle lines of justice run through the centre of our lives

Stephen Chester

The struggle for justice seems never to be won, and it is easy for those who fight for it to become weary.  

The Difference between Truth and Opinion

Stephen Chester

“One must not argue about opinions.

We are not good at predicting the future

Annette Brownlee

On this day the Lord has acted. We will rejoice and be glad in it (Psalm 118:24)

The Tyranny of Now

Stephen Chester

My first degree was in history. I was educated at the University of York in England by professors who were by and large resolutely unimpressed by notions of human progress.

Six Gifts from St. Benedict’s Rule for living in the time of Covid

Annette Brownlee

I am in the middle of reading St. Benedict’s Rule with my 30 students in the first year MDiv course at Wycliffe called, “Life Together: Living the Christian Faith in Community.” We have come to the fun part of this portion of the class.