RCSA Academic Symposium
Papers and Presenters
PAPERS & PRESENTERS
We are so thankful to everyone who submitted a paper this year. Special shout out to our team of reviewers who each read the numerous submissions, discussed the candidates, and selected the final papers to be presented.
Please find the list of the students presenting with an abstract on their papers below:
Andrew Jake
Morgensen
Andrew is an American living in Vancouver BC, currently taking classes at Regent College. He loves riding motorcycles, hiking and camping, coaching youth soccer, and engaging in productive Christian discussion. Being fascinated by the human condition and having served as a pastor and church planter for many years, he is passionate about helping people grow and mature socially, emotionally, and spiritually. He remains active in the discipleship ministries at Christ City Church. “Above all, I'm a Christian, I love Jesus and the Bible, and seek to serve him faithfully by following his Way, loving other people, and doing good in our world.”
KENOTIC ANTHROPOLOGY: BECOMING MORE HUMAN, NOT LESS
Kenosis may be an unfamiliar term, but Christians face the struggle of it every day. Kenosis means “to empty” oneself. What did it mean for Christ to empty himself? What does that mean for us, who are called to follow in his example? Do we all have to become monks? Are there human passions we can still pursue? In this talk Andrew will present the idea that Christ’s kenosis was an embracing of humanness, not throwing it away. Kenosis is moving away from positions of status to allow us a life along more humble and human paths.
Jonathan Saunders
Jonathan Saunders is a singer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist based in Wheaton, IL. He grew up in England where he was exposed to a wide range of musical influences and opportunities, from big band and combo jazz, to the English choral tradition, to contemporary church music. His academic and compositional work lies at the intersection of music and theology. He is currently pursuing the MATS (Arts Track) at Regent College.
MUSIC FOR BRAIN AND BOOTY: SNARKY PUPPY AND THE ART OF BECOMING HUMAN
Two modern tendencies pose a threat to both humanity and artmaking: reducing humanity and art to only one aspect of it, and the seeking transcendence, or the “spiritual,” beyond the limits of humanity. This paper explores how the music of Snarky Puppy, an instrumental pop band, responds to these tendencies—and what their music says about the image of God. Rooted in the music of the black American church, Snarky Puppy’s music presents a full orbed vision for humanity, one in which to be truly spiritual is to be fully human.
Jeremy Derksen
I am a third-year MATS student with an Interdisciplinary concentration, following my parents’ footsteps to study at Regent. Originally from Southern Ontario, I’ve lived and worked in the U.S., Costa Rica, and Sweden. Before coming to grad school, I worked as a middle school teacher and enjoyed weaving play into learning. I was first introduced to the concept of play as a young child, and I have been passionate about it ever since.
PLAY AND THE IMAGO DEI: EXPLORING THE THEOLOGICAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL VALUE OF PLAY
This paper explores the theological and anthropological significance of play, arguing that play is not merely a childhood activity but an essential aspect of personhood. Accounting for freedom, constraint, and the intrinsic value of human persons, play offers a way of being in the world that is consistent with the Christian understanding of the Imago Dei. Play is intrinsic to human flourishing since it integrates mind and body, fosters culture, and resists instrumentalization in a technological world. Play is woven into the fabric of Creation, and play anticipates the Kingdom of God, where life will be unending play.
Xelian Louw
I have an insatiable love for Jesus. My dream is quite simply to be a vessel for the love of God to the nations, to see people falling in love with the truest lover of their soul. More specifically I hope to be a bridge between the brilliant scholarly insights of people like those at Regent and the remaining Christian world. I came to Regent with a bachelors degree in Biology from Trinity Western University and am close to finishing my MA in Theological Studies with a concentration in the New Testament. When I’m not studying (which is most of the time) you’ll find me loving on and sharing Regent’s wisdom with the undergraduate students of UBC (serving on staff with University Christian Ministries).
A PROPOSED THEOLOGY OF SEXUALITY CONSIDERING AN INTERTEXTUAL READING OF THE EUNUCH IN ISAIAH 56, JEREMIAH 38, AND ACTS 8
This paper explores the theological significance of eunuchs and celibacy in Scripture, taking this into account to propose a theology of sexuality. Eunuchs in the Bible serve as exemplars of covenantal fidelity, demonstrating that intimacy with God supersedes earthly sexual fulfillment. The eunuch’s hermeneutical arc—from Deuteronomy 23:1, to Jeremiah 38, to Isaiah 56, to Matthew 19, to Acts 8—reveals a God who, while unchanging in character, moves with a divine pedagogy through history to fulfill His redemptive purposes.The emerging theology maintains that sexuality is an element of personhood that has the potential to move all of us—whether celibate or married—into deeper union with God.
Xiaoyu Joseph
Sun
Saved by Christ when studying in Thailand 18 years ago, Sun Xiaoyu (Joe) has been a translator for Christian books and materials before finally joining Regent College. Having spent significant time with different cultures and churches in 4 countries, he made curious observations about gender roles and expectations among Christians. With a MATS from Regent, Joe recently moved to Kelowna with his wife Renee after accepting a job offer from a local church for the position of their Chinese congregation pastor. Still adapting to this new reality, Joe is also fighting to finish his Master of Theology degree remotely.
AM I MAN ENOUGH FOR CHRIST: A HERMENEUTIC CASE STUDY OF JOHN ELDREDGE’S MASCULINE THEOLOGY
This paper applies the Ricoeurian Three-World Textual Analysis to John Eldredge’s masculine theology, popularized by his Wild at Heart book series. Using Eldredge’s story of how he counselled his son through bullying as a microcosm of his theology, this paper examines larger themes in Eldredge’s books through the lens of Christ-centered transformation. Looking at Wild at Heart’s reception in both the West and China, its cultural and theological impacts, and the student’s own complex relationship with these books, the paper appreciates Eldredge’s sensitive care for men’s struggles but also questions if his theology is transformative enough.
Daniel Jihoon
Choi
Daniel Choi is an MDiv student at Regent College. Prior to his studies at Regent, Daniel finished his Bachelor of Arts in Theology at King’s University in Edmonton, Alberta. Daniel grew up in Prince George, in Northern BC and came to Regent College after sensing a desire to pursue pastoral ministries. When Daniel is not in his classes, he likes to spend his time cooking food or playing badminton (when the weather is cooperating). Feel free to ask him what the most recent meal he made was. It was likely Korean.
UNMASKING SEXUAL BROKENNESS: PASTORAL GUIDANCE AGAINST PORNOGRAPHY
Ever since the advent of high-speed internet, internet pornography has become increasingly accessible. Pornographic viewership has increased substantially; unfortunately, pastors are not immune. Consumers of pornography simultaneously harbour shame and a longing for freedom. I argue that carving a redemptive path toward freedom from pornography derives from a recognition of the injustice in pornography and a church community that promotes confession and personal introspection. Churches can cultivate a safe space for confession and communal healing that restores pastors through accountability while also introspecting, looking at the causes of pornography consumption. Both practices will lead pastors to unmask their sexual brokenness and direct them toward sexual and relational healing.
Christina Day
Eickenroht
Christina Day Eickenroht is an M. Div. candidate at Regent College, concentrating in Christianity and the Arts. Her current studies build on her education in biblical theology at Reformed Theological Seminary and in theology and the arts at Georgetown University, where her undergraduate thesis explored Bruegel and Dostoevsky. Through her studies, her work in college ministry, her apprenticeship at King’s Cross Church, and her formation at L’Abri, Christina has come to love hospitality, story, Scripture, liturgy, the arts, the history of ideas, cultural exegesis, gardening, fitness, puzzles, cups of tea, and children’s books. Upon graduating from Regent, Christina intends to pursue PhD study on the works of Frederick Buechner in the Institute for Theology, Imagination, and the Arts at the University of St Andrews.
ALL IS GIFT, ALL IS PASSING AWAY, AND ALL SHALL BE MADE NEW: NUANCED VANITAS AND RESURRECTION HOPE IN WILLEM CLAESZ HEDA’S 1633 STILL LIFE WITH AN OVERTURNED SILVER TAZZA, GLASSWARE, PIES, AND A PEELED LEMON ON A TABLE
The table is set: In his 1633 Still life, Willem Claeszoon Heda spreads before us a theologically rich feast. After offering a thick description of this painting and surveying the history of interpretation of such paintings, I will sketch a visual theology of Heda’s still life which honors its pervasively Calvinist context. I will argue that Heda’s 1633 Still life is a nuanced vanitas painting which hints at resurrection hope, affirming not only that all is gift, even as all is passing away, but also that these temporal gifts are harbingers of a delightfully solid and substantial New Creation in the age to come.
Jared Borders
Hi friends! My name is Jared, and I am a third-year student in Regent’s MDiv program. I’m from Atlanta, Georgia in the States, and before Regent, I was doing nothing related to academic theology. I worked as a management consultant full-time and helped with homeless case management part-time before deciding to start my MDiv, and I would have been more likely to be found backpacking than in a library. Times have changed a bit! Since coming to Regent, I have been in the process of discerning pastoral ministry within an Anglican setting, and I’m currently interning at King’s Cross Church in East Van.
MAID, EUTHANASIA, AND SUICIDE: EXAMINING MAID FROM CONTEMPORARY, HISTORICAL, THEOLOGICAL, AND BIBLICAL LENSES
Canada’s implementation of its euthanasia program, Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID), marks specific theological and anthropological claims that get to the heart of the interpretation of life, suffering, pain, and death. As such, this paper will seek to explore some of the contemporary, historical, theological, and biblical implications of euthanasia and suicide as it relates to its contemporary Canadian usage in order to inform practical ministerial outlets. The core of this exploration revolves around the claim that human life is given, dependent, and limited and seeks to move beyond pure legal objection to cultivating a sense of what it means to die well in the land of the living.
Gracie Roorda
Gracie is in her third year of her Masters of Divinity with a concentration in chaplaincy. After years of supporting people with various disabilities and the elderly with Dementia and Alzheimers, she felt called to pursue an education in theology and pastoral care. Once she finishes at Regent College, she hopes to integrate her love for God, studying him, and loving others in a ministry setting with people who have intellectual disabilities. Most of Gracie’s time is spent studying or working at Spectrum Society for Community Living, an organization that helps people with disabilities lead their own lives. But you can also find her outdoors, reading at the beach, riding her bike, or playing the piano.
AN EXEGETICAL AND RESEARCH-DRIVEN STUDY OF 2 SAMUEL 9: HOW THE STORY OF MEPHIBOSHETH SHAPES THE UNDERSTANDING OF MISSIONAL, DISABILITY-INTEGRATED CHURCHES
Mephibosheth: a descendent of King Saul with physical disabilities and a name that is hard to say and too little talked about. Though his story is often forgotten, it vitally displays the kindness of Yahweh - a kindness which brings people with disabilities to a place of belonging. Our churches today frequently do not know “what to do” with members of their congregation who have disabilities. However, exegetically analyzing the story of Mephibosheth through a missional hermeneutic can inform how the church should engage people with disabilities; not only creating a space of belonging for all but going one step further by encouraging, uplifting and enabling congregants with disabilities to participate in all aspects of the life of the church.
Laura Kilpatrick
Laura Kilpatrick, from Lisburn, Northern Ireland, is currently in her final semester of the MACS program. Her interest in Christologies from the Global South was sparked through her studies with Diane Stinton in the course “Faces of Jesus: Perspectives on Christology from the Majority World.” This course deepened Laura’s understanding of how our knowledge, love, and perception of Jesus are shaped by cultural context, yet also highlighted the richness and diversity found in these global Christologies. In particular, reflecting on Christ as the co-sufferer who empathizes with and stands alongside the poor and marginalized has profoundly influenced Laura’s experience living in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES). The question, "Who is Jesus in my neighborhood?" has become a cornerstone of her reflections, guiding her understanding of how Christians are called to follow this Christ in our communities.
DALIT CHRISTOLOGY: THE THREAT OF THE “DALIT CHRIST” IN INDIAN SOCIETY AND THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH
Dalits, often referred to as the “untouchables,” are the marginalized outcasts of India due to their exclusion from the hierarchical Hindu caste system. Dalit Christology, however, presents Jesus as the co-sufferer, liberator, and, notably, as a Dalit himself. This perspective raises a profound question: How can not only Indian society but also Indian Christian churches, deeply entrenched in a culture of hierarchy and exclusion, embrace this image of Jesus? This paper argues that Dalit Christians pose a threat to Indian society and Indian Christian churches. While the caste system is absent in Western contexts, Dalit Christology still has the power to confront churches globally, urging them to reconsider their treatment of the outcasts and marginalized within the Body of Christ.
Noel Hilst
Noel grew up in Seattle and feels most at home in the forests and mountains of the Pacific Northwest—hiking, trail running, or skiing. With a background in Psychology and Spanish, Noel initially pursued counseling psychology before being drawn to biblical studies by the literary artistry and intertextuality of Scripture. Currently, Noel is working toward the MATS at Regent with a concentration in Old Testament, enjoying his life as a full-time student and part-time barista. His research interests focus on social scientific approaches to the Old Testament as he seeks to understand how Scripture forms its readers.
ALTAR AND ZIGGURAT: THE POLITICS OF DIVINE PRESENCE IN GENESIS 11:1-9 AND 12:1-9
In the constant shadow of empire, biblical Israel told stories to forge an identity capable of resisting imperial claims. This paper explores Genesis 11:1-9 and 12:1-9 as a counter-narrative to Mesopotamian imperial ideology. It argues that the Babel narrative undermines imperial ideology that coopts divine presence to legitimate itself. In contrast, the Abram narrative presents an alternative vision of divine presence grounded in divine freedom and human response, marked by altar-building rather than ziggurat-building. Together, these texts shape Israel’s identity as a community formed by responsiveness to YHWH’s initiative, resisting imperial claims to divine sanction and supremacy.
Stephanie
Loli Silva
Stephanie Loli is a Brazilian student pursuing a Master of Arts of Theological Studies at Regent College, focusing on World Christianity and Latin American Theology. She holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from São Paulo State University, with coursework in Political Science at the University of Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Stephanie has experience in product development, campus ministry with IFES Brazil, and is currently working in refugee protection in East Vancouver.
SAVIOR, LIBERATOR AND PROVIDER: THE CHRISTOLOGY OF THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD
This paper explores the Christology of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG), a leading force in Brazil’s neo-Pentecostal movement. It examines how the church presents Jesus as "Savior, Liberator, and Provider," offering a distinct interpretation of Christ that contrasts with Christian orthodox perspectives. This Christology deeply resonates with Brazil's marginalized communities, promising material prosperity through faith. The paper also investigates how the UCKG incorporates elements of African-Brazilian spirituality, creating a syncretic theology. Finally, it addresses the ethical and theological challenges posed by the church’s Prosperity Gospel and its implications for both the Brazilian and global church.
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