The Wycliffe Blog - Vestigia Dei

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. 

Memories of September 11, 2001

This week is Orientation Week at Wycliffe College. Monday, September 11 2017, will be the first day of classes in the Fall semester. It will be a day that will mark a poignant anniversary for Executive Administrator Karen Baker-Bigauskas, as she remembers her first September 11 here. She blogs about her memories, below.

By Karen Baker-Bigauskas

 

I began working at Wycliffe College in May 2001....

Tue, September 05, 2017

Hurricane Harvey

Hurricane Harvey: A Christian Response

By Ephraim Radner

 

A Houston residential neighbourhood is under water following days of heavy rains during Hurricane Harvey.

 

By Ephraim Radner

 

We are all praying for the people of Houston and surrounding areas: for their protection and safety, and for courage and consolation after the tremendous loss to persons and property the waters have caused. We pray for the means to put their lives back together after the devastating...

Wed, August 30, 2017

Course explores essentials of Christian faith

 

The Christian Foundations course gives participants a basic introduction to Christianity.

 

By Jacky Bramma

 

Christian Foundations, subtitled “A Grounding for a Life of Faith,” is so comprehensive that it might equally well have been dubbed, “All You Ever Wanted to Know About Christianity But Were Too Afraid to Ask.” This new nine-module course was written under the direction of the Rev. Canon Dr. Judy...

Tue, August 22, 2017

On Truth, Public Discourse, and Being Bothered

"Is God a figment of the imagination?" It's a question worth pondering, and one that Wycliffe College invites you to think about at a unique event this fall. Why would a Christian seminary host such a dialogue?  That is also a question worthy of reflection, one that prompted the blog post below.   

By Steve Hewko

 

Ray Bradbury in his dystopian classic, Fahrenheit 451, follows the story of...

Tue, August 15, 2017

John Wycliffe: more than just a stained glass face

 

John Wycliffe, as seen in a stained glass portrait, which is featured as a part of one of the windows in Founders' Chapel at Wycliffe College. 

By Thomas Power

 

The man for whom Wycliffe College was named lived a relatively short life by today’s standards; he was about 64 when he died in 1384. Of course, people did tend to live shorter lives in the fourteenth...

Tue, August 08, 2017

Luther's love-affair

Alec Ryrie is Professor of the History of Christianity at Durham University and a licensed lay preacher in the Church of England. His books include Protestants: The Faith that Made the Modern World (2017), the prize-winning Being Protestant in Reformation Britain (2013) and The Sorcerer's Tale (2008). He is co-editor of the Journal of Ecclesiastical History.

By Alec Ryrie 

 

It's the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s 95 Theses, the traditional starting-gun for the Protestant...

Tue, August 01, 2017

Dr. Scott Sharman

“I’m an ecumenist because I’m schismatic”

The Rev. Dr. Scott Sharman (left) is a graduate of Wycliffe College, a priest in the Anglican Church of Canada, and professor of Church History at Newman Theological College. He has recently been appointed by the General Synod as Animator for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations. He lives in Edmonton with his wife and two young children. He blogs for Wycliffe this week about why he chose to study here, and...

Tue, July 25, 2017

Hildebrands Cain and Abel

Of innocent blood and exile

Limestone sculpture by Adolf von Hildebrand (1847 – 1921) depicting Cain’s murder of his brother Abel. In the following blog, Wycliffe's Dr. Catherine Sider-Hamilton shares some of the journey of learning and thinking that gave rise to her new book, The Death of Jesus in Matthew: Innocent Blood and the End of Exile. 

*

By Catherine Sider Hamilton

It all started (my dissertation, now this book just published) with...

Tue, July 18, 2017

Story of a calling

Philip Stonhouse (pictured) is a graduate of Wycliffe College. Originally from Saskatoon, Sask., he came to Toronto to pursue an acting career, performing in plays, musicals, operas, film, commercials, and more. Since completing his studies at Wycliffe, he has served at many churches: he was a missioner/lay pastor at St. Monica’s (Toronto), trying to plough new ground for Christ; he helped to plant a church in Ajax; more recently, he...

Tue, July 11, 2017

Of Safety, Serious Consideration, and Sober Thoughts

Professor Wanda Malcolm with students at the Alexandria School of Theology in Cairo, Egypt. From left to right are: Rev. Emad Basilios, Mario Nagy, Amir Samy, Wanda Malcolm, Peter Awad, and Rev. Osama Fathy. Together they studied The Place of Forgiveness at Home, in the Church, and in Our Communities.

*

By Wanda Malcolm

 

Since returning home from Cairo Egypt, I’ve been asked again and...

Tue, June 27, 2017