Regent College is an

interdenominational Interdenominationalism is an evangelical Protestant movement of cooperation among various Christian denominations. History The movement has its origins in the founding of the London Missionary Society, a missionary society, in 1795 by variou ...

evangelical Christian Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "born again", in which an individual experi ...

College of

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

studies, and an affiliated college of the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

, located next to the university's campus in the

University Endowment Lands The University Endowment Lands (UEL) is an unincorporated area that lies to the west of the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and adjacent to the University of British Columbia and the lands associated with that campus. Pacific Sp ...

west of

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. Th ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...

. The school's stated mission is to "cultivate intelligent, vigorous, and joyful commitment to Jesus Christ, His church, and His world." About 500 students are enrolled in full- or part-time studies. In any given year, one-third to one-half of students are Canadian, another one-quarter to one-third are American, and the remaining twenty to thirty per cent come from around the globe.

History

Regent was established in 1968 to provide graduate

theological Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing th ...

education to the

laity In religious organizations, the laity () consists of all members who are not part of the clergy, usually including any non-ordained members of religious orders, e.g. a nun or a lay brother. In both religious and wider secular usage, a laype ...

, and only in 1979 started a program to train students who will become

clergy Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the t ...

. After the first summer school class, the graduate Diploma of Christian Studies began; within two years, enrollment grew from 4 to 44 students and the Master of Christian Studies was added. Affiliation with UBC followed in 1975, and accreditation by the

Association of Theological Schools The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS) is an organization of seminaries and other graduate schools of theology. ATS has its headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. History It was founded in 1918. The a ...

in 1985. The last comprehensive evaluation occurred in 2010. The principals and presidents of the college have been

James M. Houston James Macintosh Houston (born 21 November 1922) is a British-born Canadian theologian and academic who was Professor of Spiritual Theology and the first Principal of Regent College in Vancouver. Biography Born on 21 November 1922, in Edinburgh ...

(1970–1978), Carl Armerding (1978–1988), Walter Wright Jr. (1988–2000) and outgoing president Rod Wilson (2000–2015). Jeffrey P. Greenman began his term as the fifth president on February 1, 2015. Greenman is the first alumnus of Regent College to become president. Regent initially rented rooms in various buildings at UBC, including St. Andrews Hall and Vancouver School of Theology, and occupied two fraternity houses on Wesbrook Mall for a time. In 1989, Regent moved into its own new building in the current location at the corner of Wesbrook & University, with the distinctive green roof. A subsequent capital campaign finished in 2006, adding the John Richard Allison Library and the Windtower to Regent College's architectural distinctiveness.

Academic programs

Though Regent College is an affiliated school of the UBC, unlike other affiliated schools such as Vancouver School of Economy, the University does not offer any theological degree due to the ''University'' Act. The college does offer four main graduate programs, all ATS-accredited: * Graduate Diploma in Christian Studies (DipCS) * Master of Arts in Christian Studies (MACS) * Master of Arts in Theological Studies (MATS) *

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and ...

(M.Div.) *

Master of Theology Master of Theology ( la, Theologiae Magister, abbreviated MTh, ThM, or MTheol) is a post-graduate degree offered by universities, divinity schools, and seminaries. It can serve as a transition degree for entrance into a PhD program or as a stand ...

(Th.M.) * Master of Arts in Leadership, Theology, and Society (MALTS)

Student life

On Tuesdays during fall and winter term, the college community gathers for chapel, followed by optional community group meetings and a lunch of homemade soup and bread. The Regent College Student Association oversees a variety of student life activities and services, including Taste of the World, book sales, an annual Christmas Party, an annual retreat, the Regent Spouse's Network, and more. Because Regent is a UBC affiliate school, Regent students qualify for the U-Pass and the AMS insurance plan, and may make use of other UBC services such as the library system, health centre, and the pool.

Alumni and faculty

More than 4,500 students have graduated from Regent College and, due to the summer programs, over 30,000 students have taken classes. After Vancouver,

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

hosts the second greatest number of Regent graduates, with other major pockets in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, maki ...

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city anc ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...

, Singapore and

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. At present, Regent College employs 17 full-time faculty. Notable faculty emeriti include Eugene Peterson, Maxine Hancock, Loren Wilkinson, Gordon T. Smith, Paul Stevens,

Gordon Fee Gordon Donald Fee (May 23, 1934 – October 25, 2022) was an American-Canadian Christian theologian who was an ordained minister of the Assemblies of God (USA). He was professor of New Testament Studies at Regent College in Vancouver, Britis ...

J.I. Packer James Innell Packer (22 July 192617 July 2020) was an English-born Canadian evangelicalism, evangelical theologian, cleric and writer in the Low church, low-church Anglican and Calvinist traditions. He was considered one of the most influential ...

and Bruce Waltke. Summer school classes are often taught by some notable Christian thinkers, including

N.T. Wright Nicholas Thomas Wright (born 1 December 1948), known as N. T. Wright or Tom Wright, is an English New Testament scholar, Pauline theologian and Anglican bishop. He was the bishop of Durham from 2003 to 2010. He then became research profe ...

, Andrew Walls, Luci Shaw,

Richard Mouw Richard John Mouw (born 1940) is an American theologian and philosopher. He held the position of President at Fuller Theological Seminary for 20 years (1993–2013), and continues to hold the post of Professor of Faith and Public Life. Educat ...

Alister McGrath Alister Edgar McGrath (; born 1953) is a Northern Irish theologian, Anglican priest, intellectual historian, scientist, Christian apologist, and public intellectual. He currently holds the Andreas Idreos Professorship in Science and Religio ...

, Malcolm Guite,

George Marsden George Mish Marsden (born 1939) is an American historian who has written extensively on the interaction between Christianity and American culture, particularly on Christianity in American higher education and on American evangelicalism. He ...

and Mark Noll.

Buildings and features

The ''John Richard Allison Library'' is one of the major theological libraries in Western Canada. It houses the resources of Regent and Carey Theological College. Its catalogue is shared with Carey Theological College, Vancouver School of Theology, and St. Mark's College. ''Regent College Bookstore'' is one of the premier theological bookstores in Western Canada. It frequently hosts public lectures and booksignings, and has its own publishing program. ''The Lookout Gallery'' showcases seven annual exhibitions, including shows by Regent students in the Christianity and the Arts concentration. ''The Chapel'' is the heart of worship and community building at Regent. The weekly Tuesday Chapel service at 11 am is widely attended by students, faculty, staff, and guests. The piano within is a Steinway grand. ''True North Windtower'' features photovoltaic art glass by artist Sarah Hall, and it has been documented by the Institute for Stained Glass in Canada. ''The Atrium & The Well,'' a coffee shop which grew out of one Regent student’s final Christianity & the Marketplace project. In 2011 the kitchen off the Atrium was re-dedicated as the Rita Houston Kitchen, to mark the powerful impact of Rita Houston on Regent’s community life over the years.

Media

Regent College produces a wide variety of print and electronic media, including: * ''Crux: A Quarterly Journal of Christian Thought and Opinion'' * ''Regent World'', a thrice-yearly newsletter * ''Et Cetera'', a student newspaper published weekly during the regular term * ReFrame, a 10-week film based small group curriculum * Regent Audio * Regent Bookstore In addition, Regent College PublishingRegent Publishing
/ref> specializes in re-publishing out-of-print Christian literature and features an increasing number of original titles. Notable recent projects include a parallel-prose edition of Milton's ''

Paradise Lost ''Paradise Lost'' is an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton (1608–1674). The first version, published in 1667, consists of ten books with over ten thousand lines of verse. A second edition followed in 1674 ...

'' and co-published works by Gordon Fee and Bruce Waltke.

References

External links

* {{authority control Evangelical seminaries and theological colleges in Canada University Endowment Lands University of British Columbia Educational institutions established in 1968 Universities in British Columbia