Around Town: Spirituality & health, Bonhoeffer, space for faith at UBC . . .

It’s good to see a Catholic health care community working with an evangelical nursing school to explore the role of spirituality in healing.

Providence Health Care (which runs 10 hospitals, clinics and residences in Metro Vancouver, including St. Paul’s) and Trinity Western University’s School of Nursing are teaming up for a major conference May 8 – 10 in downtown Vancouver.

Inspiring Person Centredness: A Call to Action is both the 7th Biennial Spirituality Conference and the 4th Faith and Nursing Symposium. Organizers describe the nature of the gathering:

We are excited to bring together an inspirational conference full of learning, sharing and networking. Spirituality is the Invisible Ingredient in Health and Healing. Join in conversations about encounters as the basis of spirituality, and spirituality as the basis of wellness. Engage in the paradox of how a focus on the individual – a person-centred focus – is also the foundation of togetherness, relationships and connection.

Among the speakers will be Dr. Julio Montaner, a man with a formidable resume:

UBC and St. Paul’s Foundation Chair in AIDS Research. Dr. Montaner is a UBC-Killam Professor of Medicine, the Executive Director and Physician-in-Chief of the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, and the UNAIDS Special Advisor on HIV Therapeutics (2014-2017). Dr. Montaner played a key role in the development and implementation of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) as the modern standard of care for HIV disease.

Montaner will speak on this topic ‘Social Justice, personally and globally – do health care institutions matter?’

John Swinton will also address the conference. A Professor in Practical Theology and Pastoral Care at the University of Aberdeen, he will speak on ‘Health Care and Social Isolation: Theological Reflections.’

Swinton will be kept busy while he is in town. As a visiting faculty member at Regent College, he will teach a course (Reimagining Disability and Mental Health, May 13 – 17) and deliver a lecture (Hearing Voices: Human and Divine, May 13). He will also speak on ‘Interpersonal Relationships and Mental Health’ at Tenth Church May 15 as part of the Redefining Healing Seminar.

The organizing team for the Spirituality Conference is a strong combination of leaders from each institution, including Christopher De Bono, PhD (Vice President, Providence Health Care Mission, People and Ethics) and Sheryl Reimer-Kirkham, PhD (Acting Dean and Professor, TWU School of Nursing).

Bonhoeffer book launch

Dietrich Bonhoeffer remains a subject of fascination – and of many books. Regent College professor Jens Zimmerman has joined the conversation with a very well received book, which he will launch next Wednesday (May 8).

Here is what Regent says about he evening and the book:

Join us for a special evening lecture with Jens Zimmermann, marking the release of his new book, Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Christian Humanism (Oxford University Press, 2019).

Why did Bonhoeffer think that the Christian life is all about becoming truly human? Why did he think that both church and government should cooperate in human flourishing? How do we explain this pacifist’s endorsement of assassinating Hitler to stop the Nazi terror? What does Bonhoeffer mean when he says that “the sacred is only found in profane, and the revelational only in the rational? And why would this Protestant theologian so deeply inspired by Karl Barth consider recovering human rights on the basis of natural moral theology so important?

Dr. Zimmermann will address these and other questions by claiming that Bonhoeffer’s views arise from his Christian humanist outlook firmly rooted in the mystery of the incarnation.

Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury, and Stanley Hauerwas, famed American theologian (who has spoken at Regent and will be leading a workshop at VST next week, both think highly of the book, so Zimmerman’s talk should be insightful.

Making space for faith at UBC

‘Supporting students of faith at UBC’ was the title of an April 17 article in UBC News. Here is some of the content:

UBC has opened a temporary prayer room to give Muslim students an accessible space on the west side of campus to practice their faith during the high-pressure exam period. . . .

As research increasingly supports a link between wellness and spirituality, the prayer space is one way in which UBC is striving to support the spiritual needs of a diverse population of students, faculty and staff.

“We want students to feel a sense of connection and belonging,” says Patty Hambler, UBC director of health promotion and education. “And for some people, the community of faith on campus is their main point of connection.”

UBC does not have data on students’ religious affiliation, but the number of AMS faith-based clubs is an indication of how important religion and spirituality are for many UBC students. (The most recent Undergraduate Experience Survey included a question on religious or spiritual affiliation, but the data is not yet available.)

A recent picture of UBC chaplains; Craig O’Brien is second from the right. Picture from UMCA Facebook page.

There are currently 25 faith-based societies and associations at the AMS, ranging from the Chinese Christian Fellowship and the Jewish Students Association to the Campus Association for Bahá’í Studies and the Zen Sangha club.

In addition to the clubs, students of faith can also connect with one of 14 university chaplains at the University Multi-Faith Chaplains Association (UMCA).

“We do lots of referrals to counseling, but if students are looking for encouragement, for affirmation, to be able to end a conversation with prayer is really affirming to students who come from a faith perspective,” says coordinating chaplain Craig O’Brien, a Baptist pastor.

Go here for the full article. O’Brien is pastor of Origin Church, which meets on the UBC campus. Eight of the 14 chaplains (described here) represent Christian groups: Anglican, Baptist, Brethren Tradition, Mennonite Brethren, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic and United.

UBC president Santa Ono has led the way in faith-friendly initiatives. Next week (May 8), for example, he will deliver The Carr Lecture at St. Mark’s College.

He has spoken at Origin Church and taken part at least once in a Chapel UBC event at the Chan Centre, as well as preaching off campus at Tenth Church, addressing a major Canadian Scientific and Christian Affiliation conference and being the keynote speaker for the BC Leadership Prayer Breakfast.

May 2019

Jun 2019

HomeStart Foundation Garage Sale – June 1, 2019 at All Day
Canadian-American Theological Association (CATA) Conference – June 2, 2019 at All Day
Peter Craigie Memorial Lecture 2019: Rethinking Samuel – June 2, 2019 at 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Gordon T. Smith: Christ Centred or Spirit Centred? Why the Question Matters & Why the Answer Makes All the Difference – June 3, 2019 at 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
ARC Canada Conference: Family Vibes – June 4, 2019 - June 5, 2019 at All Day
Near-Future Evangelicalism: Anticipating the Next 10 Years – June 5, 2019 at 12:00 pm - 12:45 pm
Roots: Shaping a Deeper Life (Wednesday evenings) – June 5, 2019 at 7:00 pm - 9:15 pm
Vancouver Formosan Singers – June 5, 2019 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Mark Noll: 'Liberty' Has Been Precious for Canadians & American, But Have They Meant the Same Thing? – June 5, 2019 at 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Welcome to Worship – June 6, 2019 at 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Starfield: The Reunion Tour – June 7, 2019 at 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm

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Around Town: Spirituality & health, Bonhoeffer, space for faith at UBC . . .

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