Toronto — (CANADIAN CHRISTIAN NEWS SERVICE) — “Western Churches in a spiral of decline.” “Crosses toppled and churches demolished in China.” “Christendom in death throes.” These are not good news headlines for Christian Churches. There is a desperate need for serious Christian formation in our country.
Desiring the Kingdom: Christian Formation in the Here and Now is a Conference designed to attend to the foundations of our faith with honesty, insight, and imagination. Keynote speaker Dr. James K. A. Smith has authored 14 books, three of them directly bearing on Christian formation. Taking his cue from Augustine’s “we are what we love,” Smith contends that “the postmodern future of the Church is in remembering things that we’ve forgotten.” Making disciples is not so much about presenting information as about being “enfolded into the right story.” The mind and body bear witness to the interdependence of the two in shaping belief and practice. The goal is not so much “information” as “formation.”
Four engaging workshops will address different age groups: the “little church” in the home (The Rev. Stephanie Douglas-Bowman), youth (The Rev. Dr. Val Michaelson), and adult education (The Rev. Dr. Paul Bramer and The Rev. Dr. Tim Perry) provide an array of creative approaches that will send you away, not just inspired, but equipped with practical ideas to implement in your church and family. Finally, a panel (The Rt. Rev. William Anderson, Tiffany Robinson, Dr. Brad Faught, and The Rev. Dr. Ephraim Radner) moderated by The Rev. Dr. Ron Kydd will explore these ideas more deeply in discussion.
Music has traditionally played a central role in nurturing and sustaining faith. Two outstanding musicians will portray the gospel through organ and song. Tom Fitches will improvise a medley of hymn tunes prior to the two evening lectures on October 22 and 23 and accompany our singing on the newly restored Casavant organ. Dr. Melissa Davis’ expressive vocal interpretation will draw us into a deeper mode of praise, joy, and prayerfulness.
Dates: October 22 to 24, 2015
Location: Tyndale University College and Seminary, 3377 Bayview Ave. Toronto
About Us: Three groups are sponsoring the Conference. The Anglican Communion Alliance is a theologically conservative think tank within the Anglican Church of Canada. Wycliffe College is an evangelical Anglican theological College located in the heart of the University of Toronto with a denominationally diverse student population in addition to its Anglican base. Tyndale University College and Seminary is an interdenominational evangelical college and has just formally opened its new campus on Bayview St. between Steeles Ave. and Cummer Ave.
Contact: Roseanne Kydd, Conference Chair
email: info@anglicancommunionalliance.ca
website: www.desiringthekingdom.ca