The Institute for Missional Engagement is pleased to host James K. A. Smith for the Pastor Seminar Day.

Christians live a faith that is "nowhen." They are disconnected from the past or imagine they are somehow "above" the flux of history, as if every generation starts with a clean state. They lack an awareness of time and the effects of history — both personal and collective — and thus are naive about current issues, prone to nostalgia, or fixated on the end times and other doomsday versions of the future.

Popular speaker and award-winning author James K. A. Smith explains that we must reckon with the past in order to discern the present and have hope for the future. Integrating popular culture, biblical exposition, and meditation, he helps us develop a sense of "temporal awareness" that is attuned to the texture of history, the vicissitudes of life, and the tempo of the Spirit.

He shows that awakening to the spiritual significance of time is crucial for orienting faith in the twenty-first century. It allows us to become indebted to the past, oriented toward the future, and faithful in the present.

Smith will engage pastors around his newer work and most recent publication, “How to Inhabit Time.”

He is a professor of philosophy at Calvin University and serves as editor in chief of Image journal, a quarterly devoted to “art, mystery, and faith.” Trained as a philosopher with a focus on contemporary French thought, he is an award-winning author and widely traveled speaker. Smith has emerged as a thought leader with a unique gift of translation, building bridges between the academy, society, and the church.

PASTOR SEMINAR DAY
Date: January 30, 2024
Time: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Cost: $49 and includes lunch and materials
Location: Ariel Arena, Foster Hall
Deadline to register: January 23, 2024