MINISTRY

 

When Brian isn’t working on the farm you can find him in his day job as a Christian Reformed Campus minister at the University of Toronto where he serves as the pastor for the Wine Before Breakfast  community.

 

TEACHING

 

Brian is an adjunct professor in the theology of culture at Wycliffe [https://www.wycliffecollege.ca] and Trinity [web.trinity.utoronto.ca/divinity/] Colleges.

 

 Current Courses:

 

Postmodernity and a Biblical Worldview Winter 2016

 

What is postmodernity and what are the implications of this cultural shift for Christian faith? This course attempts to navigate the waters of postmodernity while plumbing the depths of biblical faith in such a cultural context.

 

 Beyond Homelessness (Winter 2016)

A discussion of homelessness as a cultural, socio-economic, ecological and spiritual condition in light of a biblical theology of home.

 

Theology of the City (Summer 2016)

In this course we will develop a theology of the city through biblical reflection and exegesis. Through interdisciplinary reading and reflection, together with on-the-street engagement, we will lay the foundations for an integral and transformative urban ministry.

 

Theology of Culture (Fall 2016)

Rooted in biblical reflection the course takes a “worldview approach” to cultural analysis and theology. Engaging authors such as Wendell Berry, James K.A. Smith, Andy Crouch and others we seek to develop a spiritual discernment into our times.

 

 Past Courses:

 

Biblical Theology in the Shadow of Empire [http://www.tst.edu/academic/course/biblical-theology-shadow-empire]

The biblical narrative is shaped, lived and told anew in conflict with other grand narratives, overwhelmingly imperial in character. What does the reign of God look like when set in the context of other hegemonic claims to sovereignty?

 

Towards a Christian Political Economy

A course co-taught with Bob Goudzwaard exploring the contours of a Christian perspective in political economy in the context of the dynamics of globalization.

 

Music, Prophecy and Culture

Engaging contemporary music in genres as diverse as rock, bluegrass, hip hop, folk and alternative rock, this course explores the prophetic, pastoral, liturgical and theological contribution of contemporary music to Christian reflection and praxis in a late modern socio-historical context.

 

 

WRITING

 

1. Books

 

Subversive Christianity, 2nd edition. Eugene, Or.: Wipf and Stock, 2014.

 

Kicking at the Darkness: Bruce Cockburn and the Christian Imagination. Grand Rapids, Brazos Press, 2011.

 

Beyond Homelessness: Christian Faith in a Culture of Displacement. Co-authored with Steve Bouma-Prediger. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2008.

 

Colossians Remixed: Subverting the Empire. Co-authored with Sylvia C. Keesmaat. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 2004.

 

Truth is Stranger Than it Used to Be: Biblical Faith in a Postmodern Age. Co-authored with J. Richard Middleton. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1995, and London: SPCK, 1995.

 

The Transforming Vision: Shaping a Christian Worldview. Co-authored with J. Richard Middleton.  Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1984.