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Et Cetera
generating ideas . fostering dialogue . renewing community
April 16, 2013: Winter Issue 12
From the Desk of the
Editor
When I first moved to Vancouver to attend
Regent, I didn’t want to be here. I was unsure
of my place in the world and I was hoping that
perhaps grad school could solve these issues.
How exactly I came to Regent I could not explain
to you now. Providence had something to do
with it. I knew I needed to escape, I needed to
leave everything that had come to define me.
I had become discontent—I hated my life and
the gifts that were given to me. For those of you
who met me in those first months, I am sorry.
I was arrogant (though I many ways I still am),
petulant, and a bit off-putting. You probably had
good reason to stay away from me; I wasn’t the
easiest person to get along with.
I recently had a conversation with a friend
who prayed for me on the Regent retreat that
first year. He said to me that I was cold and
guarded. I told him my reason for this was that I
was I told myself I was not going to cry. Everyone
else was crying and I was not going to give into
it, as if to give into crying would be to give up
why I had come to Regent. I didn’t want to be
healed. I came to Regent to prove myself to all
who had doubted me in the past. I was going to
show them who I could be, and if I had to be aloof
and set apart from community then so be it. No
distractions were to get in the way of my goals. I
did not enjoy my first semester. Second semester
started and it was no different. I was angry, I told
myself I wasn’t learning anything. I had no joy.
I was stressed. I was asking myself why exactly
did I come to this town, to this school, to this
country and I had no answer. Four weeks into the
semester, during that first reading break, in spite
of all I had achieved, I wanted to give up. But for
some reason I stayed
This second year has been a year of
growth. It started with a change of attitude over
the summer. I thought “why am I here if I am
not going to enjoy it?” I am learning to put aside
myself and delight in the gifts of God. My friends
are wonderful. I do not know what I would do
without you all. Everyone I have met at Regent is
bright, funny, beautiful, and marvelous in every
way imaginable. You help me take myself less
seriously. The professors this year have been a
boon—they are insistent on me giving my best
work, they do not settle for anything else. Yet, at
the same time, they are incredibly patient with
me. All this is to say: thank you, thank you, thank
you. I am amazed at how you have changed my
life, how you have made me a better person, how
you have loved me in spite of myself and my
indecorous ways. All of you have contributed into
making me a better person, one who laughs and
smiles, one who takes himself a lot less seriously,
one who is able to let go of who I thought I had to
be to be loved. You all are true gifts and I praise
God for every one of you—you have challenged
me to think better, love more, and become a
better man.
I will leave you with the greatest thing I
learned at Regent. Hope is a beautiful thing.It is
something we don’t talk about much. It has been
you dear fellows who showed me that it is okay
to hope for something better and brighter—to
reject despair for relationships that participate
On Homosexuality
To be sure, there will never be a
time on this side of the second coming that
traditional interpretations of scripture will
no longer be tested and proven wanting—as
exemplified by the multitude of theological
positions on all manner of topics. This is,
perhaps, deeply related to the reality that
God will always remain a mystery to us in
infinitely significant ways and that, though
unchanging, he will continue to reveal more
and more of himself to his people whom he
loves. As always, this revelation will come
through a variety of forms: science, nature,
visions, dreams, general lived experience…
all tested by the accountability of the
Church, believing communities, prayer,
Scripture, and the Holy Spirit.
Not only this, but humans will
also continue to change, societies will
continue to develop, and cultures will
blossom and die. New human tendencies
and adaptations—for better or for worse—
will continue to form. Nothing in life is
purely static. We are called to understand
lasting Truths in light of Scripture and
the dynamism of human experience—this
“Two Books” consideration in the pursuit of
Truth is instilled in us at Regent.
This is not to suggest that there are
not certain Truths that should be defined
as static in that they reflect a standard of
orthodoxy within the Christian faith. The
Apostle’s Creed is a defining and limiting
and thus liberating set of theological terms
that are meant to reflect such “static”ness.
The day, however, that the Church’s stance
on same-sex relations creeps its way into
fundamental Christian creeds is the day the
Church has begun to derail. It would hint
at the problematic assumption that now,
we finally arrived at the perfect and full
understanding of God and of the human
person created in his image. There are
countless things begging for the Church’s
consideration regarding homosexuality, but
I will try to focus on just a couple.
One is the consideration that
same-sex relationships have historically
been unable to reveal themselves as
contradictory to the traditional position
with one another in the body of Christ.
This can be most difficult in times of
transition, but keep in mind that we, as the
body, strengthen one another and call one
another back to the hope of the promises
of God. It is through hope that we
experience the joy of God’s gifts, for they
are only a taste of what God will continue
to give us. So join me in practicing hope.
Look forward with me to the blessings that
God has in store for us. While they will
not always taste sweet, they will transform
us by filling us with the gifts of the Spirit.
Hope is our great weapon that counteracts
our greed, hatred, and despair, for it
teaches us to look beyond our immediate
selves and cling to the promises of God. So,
until more recently. Many of us at Regent,
perhaps, adopt the traditional view on
same-sex relationships because it is, well,
traditional; it has the backing of time and
thus a very impressive line-up of Christian
bigwigs behind it. We believe there is a
reason for that—I would agree. But one
must consider that that reason is the same
reason Christian academia still has a
place in the world—that being, traditional
theological views will continue to be
necessarily challenged because the Church
and the world will never be ready to know
everything True all at once. Again, we will
never know everything even as a collective
Church—arguably even in the eschaton. Is
it possible, then, that the Church has not,
until now, been able and ready to open
itself to an alternative vision of an old
reality?
A second consideration is that many
Christians who hold to the traditional
position do so out of utter faithlessness
and insecurity. What do I mean? If healthy
same-sex relationships exist among devout,
orthodox Christians, and if neither party
of said devout, orthodox Christian samesex couple spontaneously combusts nor
becomes a heroine addict, but rather
integrates themselves as a serving unit
in a theologically robust worshiping
community, and by all other standards
reflects a flourishing relationship of
missional and worshipful value, then what
do we say about them? Are we challenged
by this idea? Do we get defensive and
threatened by it? Do we have the humble
curiosity to, for example, ask why more
and more thoughtful, orthodox, devout
Christians are considering the possibility
of same-sex relationships as something
other than sin in every instance (surely sin
exists in some of the relationships, just as
all varieties of relationships)? Or do we so
lack faith in the power of Truth that we feel
compelled to tag all possibilities—outside
the traditional ones—as just airy-fairy and
indicative of back-sliding?
(Cont. pg. 3)
as my final word to you dear Regent, I call
you to hope—for the God who brought you
out of darkness into the light calls you by
name, and asks you to participate in His
great revelation. Do not despair, let go,
for the God of hope is the God of healing,
the God of hope is the great gift giver who
gives Himself to us so that He can give
Himself to us more and more and more.
We can hope because the great redeemer
makes all things new, and we, the bearers
of this hope are transformed into the gifts
God has given to the world. This is how
God loves the world: he gives us to the
world so that we may show the world the
hope of Christ.
2
April 16, 2013: Winter Issue 12
Editors Note: Both these articles appeared
last year in the Etcetera. Due to the sheer
brilliance of these two articles I have opted to
print them again. It is my hope that whoever is editor next year will due the same.
-Alexander Grudem
Life Lessons from a
Female Janitor
By Caroline Crawford
We’ve all read the advice of our elders in
the first edition of Et Cetera and are grateful for
the wisdom that has been imparted to us, particularly the part about the crack-bread. But as a lowly
first year, I’ve realized I too have a piece of advice
to share with the class: get to know your professors. I know you’ve heard it a million times, but in
this case I’m not talking about signing up for office
hours, asking questions after class, or participating in discussion. I’m advocating a much more
time-efficient method: listening to a lot of other
people talk about them, obtaining master keys to
the building, and going through their trash. Before
you jump to conclusions about the moral ambiguity of this method, don’t worry—I am being paid to
do this. It’s called being a janitor. Now, not all of
Adventures of a
Janitorial Artist:
Sacramental Tapestries and Cloning
By Caroline Crawford
It’s been a whole semester, and I have really
started to settle into my role as one of Regent
College’s janitorial artists. When I first started,
Rick stressed that Regent janitors not only serve
in cleaning the building, but also by acting as the
college’s sole security force. If I saw anyone acting
suspicious, he warned me, I was to ask them to
“come outside and have a little chat.” Basically,
I’d be Regent’s official bouncer. With the build
of a Mexican drug lord’s prime enforcer, a voice
like stampeding elephants, and a crushing bicep,
I had no concerns. I accepted the charge: to serve,
protect, and sanitize. But there was one thing I
wasn’t sure about: how was I to tell seedy loiterers apart from our professors? I’d heard about the
eccentricity of Regent professors and knew some
of them worked late. But as a brand new student,
how was I to recognize them?
The bad news: I am apparently very bad at telling
the difference.
The good news: I’ve been able to “chat” with
nearly all my professors—without even scheduling
office hours!
The first of such misunderstandings occurred
when I was doing some light vacuuming in the
Atrium just before close and noticed in my periphery a tall figure—a strange amalgamation of
long, skinny limbs sauntering toward me—wearing nothing but a small, ratty towel which appeared to have a faded Winnie the Pooh design on
it.
I clear my throat. “Excuse me, sir,” I stammer.
“I’m sorry, but full clothing is required for Regent
guests. You’re not allowed to be here in just a
towel.”
us in this world are cut out to work as custodians
(it’s only for those of you who really, really want it;
don’t stop dreaming!). But as one of the few, the
proud, the employees of Rick, lucky enough to survive his marathon job interview, which included an
official jousting match, eating two sheep eyeballs,
and the gender-neutral “World’s Strongest Person
Contest,” (which it turns out is me, despite the best
efforts of Ricky, Alec, and Philemon), I am going
to be kind enough to share this knowledge with the
rest of you.
While “sorting the recyclables,” I’ve gleaned
all sorts of information about our faculty. First of
all, all of your suspicions about Loren Wilkinson
are correct. Most of you have probably experienced
the oasis of solitude, beauty, and transcendent
peace which radiates from every leaf-decorated
corner of this room. In the center stands a table,
perennially set for an elaborate high tea, complete
with the fanciest fair-trade tea accoutrements
Tibet has to offer and placed with such immaculate
precision I can only assume he regularly entertains
members the British parliament, OR he is training
to be a geisha. Here’s hoping for the latter.
In his trashcan: Nothing. The Wilkinsons USE ALL
PARTS OF THE BUFFALO.
I have to be careful when entering the
Wilkinson’s lair. On the occasional night the
Wilkinsons sleep in their office because they have
a long commute and because, I’m pretty sure he
mentioned once, he wanted to commune with the
He balked at me. ‘’THIS,” he yelled (or tried to
yell, it barely registered above a whisper), “is a
SAC-RA-MENTAL TAPESTRY!!!”
“Oh,” I said, recognizing him now by his reputation for sacrament-obsession, “Sorry, I’m new.”
“It’s quite all right,” he replied. “Actually,” he said,
his eyes lighting up, “it can be worn…46 different
ways!!!”
“Oh my.” “Pareo! Fraternity toga! Sun dress! Jesus frock!”
He said, beaming.
I saw that Hans was attached to this towel, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy-style, so I saw no
point in trying to intervene.
“That’s very impressive, Hans, but I must get back
to work!” I said, darting into the nearest office
before he could demonstrate these “fashions.”
Gasping for breath, I turned around to see which
office I had landed in. “What the--?” I thought to
myself. “We don’t have any chemistry professors
here.” The room was chock full of bubbling cauldrons, disconcertingly fecund petri dishes, and
caged rats. “Oh! Ross Hastings! Sorry, I didn’t see
you there. It’s uh, so nice you’re still using your
chemistry degree.”
“Thanks, I do try,” replied another man sitting on
the opposite side of the room.
“Oh, sorry. Didn’t realize you had company,” I began, before the other man turned around to reveal
that he was not a guest, but somehow—an exact
duplicate to the man at the cauldron!
“I…uh. Sorry, are you a twin?”
“Not exactly!” rang another familiarly dignified
voice from behind a skeleton in the corner. I
turned abruptly to see yet another duplicate!
Sensing my confusion, one of the Rosses began
to explain, “you may know that I have a bit of an
interest in the Trinity,” he began.
“—And a bit of an interest in cloning!” interjected
potted plants in the lobby in privacy. The rest of
the time the Wilkinsons are an island-dwelling
people (on those nights I sleep in the office), living in perfect harmony with the ocean, sun, and
killer whales of the Pacific, in a dwelling I can
only imagine resembles the beavers’ house in The
Chronicles of Narnia, except that the trees outside
can not only hear but also interject perfectly-timed
Annie Dillard quotes into your conversations. It
may seem like an invasion of privacy, but a centaur
passing through the office told me it was okay to
hang out there since “all things are one.” He also
told me to absolutely sign up for whatever Wilkinson class is offered before they retire. I suggest you
all do the same.
The president’s office: it has chocolate. That
is all ye know on campus, and all ye need to know.
If you can’t become a janitor (God have mercy on
you), at least try to get in some very serious disciplinary trouble or possibly donate all of your student loan money to the school. Or perform some
sort of acrobatic feat while avoiding the alarm
system. Clearly I have no idea how one actually
gets invited to the president’s office. Just get there.
Be creative. Be bold. Some of the chocolate even
has little pieces of toffee in it!
Love,
Your female janitor
Tune in next time when I “clean” other parts of the
building. Like the library!
duplicate 2.
“Oh boy,” I said, looking for an excuse to leave,
“you mean you cloned yourself—twice—to learn
more about the trinity?”
“Well, you see,” resumed the man at the cauldron.
“It’s really about people in relationship…”
“Not if those people are your clones!” exclaimed
duplicate 1.
“NOW YOU TWO BE QUIET! I’m the father!”
“Hey, don’t get all pastoral on us. You were the
father last time! I am NOT playing the Holy Spirit
again!”
“Well, I’m just saying the last time you played
Jesus, you got a little self-righteous, my friend!”
“Hey, I never asked to be ensconced OR interpenetrative with the two of you clowns!”
With the trinity distracted, I turned to make an
exit, but before I did, I grabbed a copy of some
notes, entitled, “A Trinitarian Inquiry into a Truly
Tri-une Understanding of the Three-Person Trinity of the Trifecta in the Time of the Triumvirate
of the Triceratops.” Beneath the title, he had listed
a few items under the heading, “Benefits.”
1. Can have talking races! Who can fit the most
words into one lecture?
2. Able to play Twister—and win!—at any time.
3. Able to form a cheerleader-style human pyramid AT ANY TIME!!
4. Having two other people in the world who understand my lectures.
I put the notes into the (correct) recycling bin and
got back to work. The professor(s) ended up making a complete mess in their office, but luckily I
found some sacramental tapestries in the janitor’s
closet, so all was well.
3
April 16, 2013: Winter Issue 12
Last Week’s Soup
(Homosexuality, cont. pg 1.)
Let us consider these questions with
integrity. What aspects of God’s character
are upended, threatened, invalidated by
the existence of same-sex relationships? Is
there any reason beyond “Because God said
marriage is between a man and a woman”
that marriage should be disallowed as a
possibility between same-sex couples? If so,
surely it will be revealed! True, it is simply
enough for God to have spoken. However,
God is not some power-hungry, bigoted God
who just makes arbitrary laws because he is
insecure. No, he makes laws to protect his
people, to compel them to holiness, to love
them in strong, challenging, compassionate,
just, and merciful ways.
The onus is on the Church, as
missional, to face these kinds of questions
without fear. God loves us deeply and
desires to protect us from evil and darkness
and death. Where is the evil, darkness,
death inherent in same-sex relationships
that makes it an enduring sin for all times,
places, and situations? Right now, the
Church seems to have little beyond “Because
God said so in certain passages of Scripture
and because we’ve always believed it.” Now
let us marry that with his revelation and
make sure it remains consistent, and seek
further when it does not.
I write this with a bit of fear, I must
confess. I write this realizing that my article
will be assumed to simply be a defense for
same-sex marriage rather than the much
broader intention: to challenge a faith
community that ought to gladly—rather
than fearfully—face the difficult questions
that challenge its long-held convictions. And
to do so with utter compassion and humility
rather than the “Of course it’s wrong! What
an individualistic, entitled, and depraved
culture we live in!” posture that disqualifies
our voice from entering the arena of
thoughtful, humble, and critical dialogue.
-Sarah To
I write this with fear because of the witchhunt-mentality that pervades this issue—this
witch-hunt-mentality that seems otherwise Madras Chicken Soup
so foreign to the ethos of Regent College.
Gina & Luigi’s Minestroni Soup (6
Why have classes and classes and years
servings)
and years of devout, orthodox Christians
struggled, wrestled earnestly through their
complex sexuality in silence and darkness?
4 medium cloves of garlic Why have they not been able to struggle in
1.5 medium onions the light? Why has it not become a habit to
1 cups of celery do so at Regent? Is it possible that Regent
1.5 cups of carrots is an incredibly judgmental place? I don’t
think so, generally. But it nonetheless baffles 3 medium potatoes me.
1 cups of frozen chopped mature spinach To me, Regent, in some way,
¾ cups, loosely packed, Italian parsley
exemplifies one reason why same-sex
relationships are more predominant in
leaves “liberal” and even unorthodox Christian
1 can of Romano beans(or light red kidney
off-shoots. Christians who struggle with
same-sex attraction eventually get squeezed beans or other beans) rinsed and drained 1 cans of lentils (or about 1/2 cup of raw
out of the Church, because that’s the only
place they are able to struggle and face their orange lentils because they cook quickly) reality in the light. Defend till the cows come
1.5 Knorr beef bouillons home the need to stand for right and wrong.
That will not change the reality that one of
20 mins before serving add 1/4 c. cooked
“the lepers” of our time is often in hiding,
and remains largely so at Regent. Jesus is
rice per person to the pot to absorb the
going out to them to be light in their life,
flavors.
while the Church remains a building filled
with Pharisees ready to throw their stones—
or at least the valid fear of that as reality.
Method: Again. The onus is on us. What does it look
like for us to bring those who struggle in
1. Coarsely chop the garlic and add to a pot
various ways with same-sex attraction into
that allows you to cover it well with water.
the light? Are we afraid of what they will
find if they earnestly seek these answers
Cook till somewhat tender. Blend with
under our Green Roof? Surely we have more
handheld blender. Add to your soup pot
faith in the Lord and the enduring strength
whenever it’s done.
of his Truths than this.
Reading and the End-ofTerm Doldrums
be a life-long friend.
5. Sleeping With Bread: Holding What Gives
You Life, Sheila, Dennis, and Matthew Linn
This book is a simple, illustrated introduction
to the practice of the examen. As the subtitle
suggests, it gives its readers the tools to look at
their lives and hold fast to what is life giving and
beautiful while surrendering to God what is not.
6. Anything by Eugene Peterson
Seriously, I don’t think this man has written
anything that was not both poetically written and
full of pastoral sensitivity. If you’re lagging or
feeling jaded about study or ministry, Peterson
will surely be an encouragement.
7. Hannah Coulter or Jayber Crow, Wendell
Berry
This Kentucky farmer’s stories about the fictional
town of Port William are captivating. He tells us
of the lives of this community—their victories,
losses, and loves. Each book focuses on a new
character, but the real hero of Berry’s novels is
the town of Port William itself.
8. Wrinkle in Time series, Madeline L’Engle
This juvenile science fiction series is an addictive
read. Taking on the cosmic questions of good
and evil through the lives of the quirky Wallace
children, L’Engle paints a vivid world that will
delight you, even as it rescues you from the doldrums of studying and the weary-mindedness of
post-term life.
We’ve all been there. The semester is almost
over, we’ve logged an unimaginable numbers
of hours in the library or squirreled away at our
desks. We’re lucky if we have ten minutes to
bolt down our leftovers before we’re back to the
grind, and the last thing we think about doing is
reading for fun. And once the term is over, our
benumbed minds feel like they will never absorb another useful piece of information again,
much less read for pleasure. But the right book
can break through our lethargy and exhaustion,
bringing hope, uplift and an appropriate amount
of escapism. Here are a few of my favorite end of
semester reads:
1. On Tremendous Trifles, G.K. Chesterton
This collection of short essays made me laugh
out loud on an airplane. It is a light-hearted but
still thought provoking read, and with everything
from reflections on lying in bed to jokes about
neo-Catholic philosophy, there’s something for
everyone.
2. Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing, Sally
Lloyd-Jones
While this book of reflections was technically
written for children, I’d recommend it to anyone.
The illustrations are gorgeous and the text offers
beautifully simple truths to comfort and challenge us all.
3.The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson-Burnett
I love this book. Juvenile fiction is a gold-mine
for stressed out students. With good youth fiction you find fantastic writing and engaging plot
as well as an approachable read. This classic is
a story of self-discovery and new life, ideal for
crotchety library-dwellers who haven’t seen the
sun in weeks.
4.Thirst, Mary Oliver
This book of poetry is one of my favorites. Written in a time of deep grief, her poems offer a
voice of understanding and hope. This book will
This column is brought to you by the
Regent College Bookstore.
The Regent Bookstore seeks to provide the
community with a knowledgeable staff and
fantastic discounts on one of the best selections
of theological books in the country. Drop
by and see why we love to work here.
2. Meanwhile, while your garlic is cooking,
chop your onion (about 1cm pieces); add
to soup pot and add enough water to cover
by a few inches. Turn on your burner to
start cooking the onion. 3. Cut your celery
stalks length-wise into 3 pieces and chop
into 1/2cm chunks, add to your soup pot,
adding enough water to cover well so
won’t stick. Keep it all boiling gently while
you prepare each additional ingredient
and add it to the pot(we started with the
ingredients that needed to cook longer).
1.
Next, chop 1/2 of your carrots to
3/4cm pieces and add to pot, adding
enough water to cover well.
2.
Crush 1/2 of your beef bouillons and
add to pot.
3.
Chop 1/2 of your potatoes to 1cm
pieces and add to pot. Add only enough
water to cover by 1 inch or so. Make sure
your spinach is chopped no larger than
1cm. Add all of it to pot. 4. Add 1 can of beans, but mash them a
bit first and 1 can of lentils.
5.
Mince all of the parsley leaves and
add to pot.
Cook everything for 20 more minutes.
After the 20 minutes, add the rest of the
bouillon, crushed. Add the rest of the
carrots, cut the same size. Then add the
potatoes (same size as before). Cook all
for 30 minutes more till the potatoes are
tender. Then add the rest of the beans and
the lentils and cook until the beans are
tender.
4
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April 16, 2013: Winter Issue 12