Consientia 2010

inside: di v e r s i f y i n g c a n a d a ' s w o r k f o r c e | C o m p u t e r s a n d C l i n i c a l H e a l t h c a r e

n o. 2 | 2 0 1 0 T h e R e s e a rc h Pub l i cat i o n of T r i n i t y W e st e r n Un i v e r s i t y

preserving canada’ s piece of the mediterranean

TRINITY W ESTERN UNIVERSITY ’ S

2010 ISSUE no.2

conscientia:

Latin, noun; conscientia f (genitive: conscientiae).

Etymology: From scire, to know. knowledge shared with others, being in the know, joint knowledge, knowledge within oneself, consciousness (especially of right and wrong)

All of the research featured in this issue relates to the TWU

Remarkable research is being conducted by the faculty

Strategic Research themes of interdisciplinary studies in reli-

members of TWU. They not only contribute to the corpus of

gion, culture and ethics, texts and the historical development of

Canadian scholarship, but endeavour to engage the world’s

Judaism and Early Christianity, health and its determinants, and

deepest needs as well. With the valued assistance of various

ecosystem health and dynamics. Through research as well as

public and private agencies, TWU faculty members work to

teaching, TWU seeks to contribute to the well-being of Canadians

produce relevant and innovative insights into a host of interdis-

and engage global issues. We will be pleased to receive your

ciplinary spheres of academia. It is my pleasure to present this

questions and comments.

issue of Conscientia as a sampling of that research. Our faculty members strive to produce knowledge that benefits our community, province, nation, and the world.

Elsie Froment, Ph.D. Dean of Research Office of Research and Faculty Development Trinity Western University

Jonathan S. Raymond, Ph.D. President Trinity Western University

p u r p o s e stat e m e n t

President & publis h er

Contact

To communicate to its audience of academic peers the contributions of Trinity Western University’s faculty to knowledge and understanding in the sciences, liberal arts and professions.

Jonathan S. Raymond

Office of Research & Faculty Development Trinity Western University 7600 Glover Rd. Langley, bc, v2y 1y1 Ph: 604 888 7511 (ext. 3615) Fx: 604 513 2010

editor in c hief

Joan van Dyck editor

Elsie Froment managing editor

Jay Jameson D esign / Layout

Andrea Smith PHOTOGRAP H Y

Mike Rathjen C ontributing Authors

Leighton Sawatzky, Erin Mussolum, Laura Ralph

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Email the Editor Conscientia@twu.ca twu.ca/academics/research Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to University Communications 7600 Glover Rd. Langley, bc, v2y 1y1

Printed in Canada ISSN 1499-2868 Publications Mail Agreement No. 40010502

fractures in canada,s cultural mosaic

Successful workforce integration is not the only challenge facing immigrants to Canada. twu Professor of Sociology Michael Wilkinson believes that multiculturalism in Canada is poorly understood and often poorly executed. anadian multiculturalism became official policy in 1988 with the passing of Bill c-93, the Canadian Multiculturalism Act. According to the ideology set forth in this document, ethnic diversity does not undermine Canadian identity; ethnic diversity is Canadian identity. Wilkinson’s sociological research on Canadian multiculturalism leads him to argue that “Canada’s policy of multiculturalism seems to be in tension with itself. It encourages two somewhat contrary ideals: the celebration of our disparate heritages and the integration of the different cultures those heritages espouse.”

Born in New Zealand and raised in Toronto, Wilkinson befriended many second generation immigrants and attended churches that embraced multiculturalism.

He learned at a young age how ethnic and religious diversity can be an asset to a community. But immigrants to Canada, Wilkinson contends, have not always experienced its multicultural ideal of prosperity, a great

life, and a warm welcome by Canadians.

Wilkinson is collaborating with Peter Beyer of the University of Ottawa on a sshrc-funded study entitled, “Culture, Religion, and Integration among Young Adults of Immigrant Background in Canada.” As part of this project, Wilkinson is focusing on Western Canada cultural and religious groups including Muslims, Buddhists, Sikhs, Hindi, and Christians from China, Latin America, the Middle East, and the Southeast Pacific. The aim of the research is to explore the role of culture and religion in the lives of different groups of young adults aged 18-30 of

“canada,s policy of multiculturalism is in tension with itself.”

non-Canadian background, and how they are living and interacting with other immigrant groups as well as with established immigrant and non-immigrant populations.

“What happens with these groups,” says Wilkinson, “is they tend to focus on the first part of Canada’s multiculturalism policy – celebrating peoples’ heritage.” This attitude has led to the formation of ethnic enclaves as well as a distinct lack of interaction between Euro-Canadians and other immigrant populations. As a result, ethnic conflict and racism are commonly reported in Canadian schools.

Scholars refer to this gap between the ideal of multicultural tolerance and reality as “cultural dissonance.” “Many times,” says Wilkinson, “religion is an important aspect of people’s cultures and lives. But often what they find is that this part of their culture is not welcome in the public sphere, particularly in schools and in politics.”

Wilkinson is hopeful that this research project will elucidate how culture and religion may affect the consequences, foreseen and unforeseen, of constructing Canada’s cultural mosaic and will help Canada better manage the increasing diversity present among the nation’s many cultures. LS Michael Wilkinson, Ph.D., a sociologist of religion, is an Associate Professor of Sociology at TWU and Director of the Religion in Canada Institute. In addition to the SSHRC project described above, he is conducting funded research for the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, on church health and ministry, and the Templeton Foundation, as part of a $3.4 million investigation on religion and altruism based at Southeastern University.

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shakespeare,s north american tragedy

In 1890, a gentleman named Eugene Scheifflin thought it would be romantic to release all the birds mentioned in Shakespeare’s writings into New York’s Central Park. hile bullfinches, chaffinches, nightingales, and skylarks did not flourish in the the northeastern United States, the starlings, which Eugene imported from England, reproduced at an incredible rate.

It is now estimated that there are over two billion of these invasive birds in the New World.

Starlings fly in flocks of hundreds, sometimes thousands, feeding on insects, grains and fruit, especially blueberries. As such, they have thrived in British Columbia’s Fraser Valley, the second largest producer of highbush blueberries in the world. The starlings’ vast numbers can easily decimate up to 30 per cent of a crop, consuming 15 per cent and fouling the remainder.

Karen Steensma, Co-Director of the Environmental Studies program and Assistant Professor of Biology at twu, learned first hand how devastating invasive species can be to farms. “When a blueberry grower bought land adjacent to our dairy it occurred to me that bird problems experienced by both the dairy and the blueberry field were a result of extreme imbalance,” she says. “Native species, including birds of prey, were not being promoted, and a non-native invasive species [the starling] was exploiting the niche of the berry-dairy interface by feeding on stored dairy forages in late fall, winter and spring, and blueberries in summer and early fall.”

Their exceptional intelligence means starlings catch on to artificial deterrents quickly, but

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Steensma has found potential in a natural deterrent - the kestrel, a small falcon that can kill a starling assistants work in mid-air. Studies have linked to re-introduce the presence of kestrels to declines orphaned kestrals in starling populations in cherry into the wild. orchards. Steensma is spearheading the Kestrel Nest Project to enhance falcon habitats in bc and Washington that have been degraded by urbanization, industrial-scale farming, and pesticide use.

She has received funding for this project from the bc Agriculture, Environment and Wildlife Fund (aewf), the Steensma and

student research

steensma has found potential in a natural starling deterrent – the kestrel, a small falcon that can kill a starling in mid-air. bc Blueberry Council and the Whatcom Farm Friends,

photo: DAVE TIMMER

and has been granted a scientific research permit from Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife to transport orphaned kestrels to Whatcom County and re-introduce them into the wild. Seattle Pacific University biology student Kate Steensma (Karen’s daughter) and twu environmental studies students Kim Heuring, David Wilson, and Tyler Bode are the current research assistants for the project, which has successfully released 12 kestrels – six males and six females – over the past two seasons.

Time will tell if the kestrel pilot work to return these beautiful raptors to their natural habitat will help eliminate the overpopulation of starlings. Initial research showed starling numbers reduced in kestrel-inhabited areas. Steensma has high hopes for the project and for her students. “Any program that gives students hands-on experience in designing a project, conducting the research, analyzing the results, and writing up a final report is valuable,” she says. “It gets them into the real world and allows them a taste of graduate-level research.” e m

Karen Steensma, MSc is Co-director of Environmental Studies, and Assistant Professor of Biology at Trinity Western University.

Her specializations include marine ecology, conservation biology, and ecological agriculture. WWF Canada and the Endangered Species Recovery Fund have funded her research on the Oregon forest snail Allogona townsendia on the TWU campus. Karen is also co-owner of Steensma Dairy, a commercial farm that strives for ecological sustainability.

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diversifying canada,s workforce ccording to Trinity Western University As the economy recovers Assistant Professor of Accounting Amanda Flint, incorporating internationally trained from the recent recession, professionals into Canada’s workforce will be critical to Canada’s economic recovery a labour shortage caused in the years to come.

Trained and educated professionals are not scarce by the 2007 employment among immigrants to Canada.

However, international differences between standards of accreditation boom is expected to resur- that otherwise highly qualified individuals areoftennotmean able to secure positions in their field of expertise.

This trend is face, and it is forecasted particularly noticeable in the field of professional accountthat a major share of those ing, especially since the Enron scandal of 2001 has made accounting firms even more sensitive about accreditation openings will be filled by requirements.

For this reason, Flint, who has 23 years of experience as a chartered accountant (ca), is working with the Centre for immigrant workers.

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Applied Settlement and Integration Studies (casis) and its founder, twu alumnus Steve Sutherland, to develop foreign credential recognition (fcr) systems to help internationally trained accounting professionals gain admission to practice in Canada. A focus of this work has been Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (plar) as a key component of the fcr process. fcr is a general process that helps immigrants with international training or qualifications become recognized by employers or regulatory bodies. But fcr is not the whole picture. “Getting recognition for previous experience in the field is an uphill battle,” says Sutherland, “particularly when that experience lies outside of formal or traditional requirements.”

The plar project’s purpose is to identify the differences and similarities between national and foreign standards in the field of professional accounting. Completed in 2008, this project was a collaborative effort between Flint, Sutherland and the Edmonton Mennonite Centre for

“getting recognition for previous experience is an uphill battle”

Newcomers (emcn), and was funded by the Department of Human Resources and Skills Development’s fcr program.

The collaborators developed a self-assessment questionnaire designed to identify strengths and gaps in accounting competencies in internationally educated accounting professionals. The questionnaire helps to guide their decision making processes in terms of academic upgrading and entry into the professional workforce.

With funding from British Columbia’s Ministry of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development, and with leadership from the Certified Management Accountants of bc, the Certified General Accountants of bc, and emcn, Flint and Sutherland completed an important fcr project in November – the website, www. accountingincanada.ca, which helps internationally trained accounting professionals (itap’s) to determine which Canadian accounting designation matches their prior learning, work experience, and career goals.

“The next stage,” says Flint, “is to use the combined competency map developed for the plar tool as the basis for an accounting-specific portfolio curriculum.” Using the plar competency maps, immigrants will be able to track and collect evidence of how their training and experience matches existing guidelines, effectively streamlining the employment and accreditation process. With input from professionals in other fields, the set of competency maps could be expanded to other industries, shortening the accreditation process for a

variety of internationally trained immigrants and assisting them in becoming integrated, productive members in their fields of expertise.

Another related project on which Flint is working, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, is to investigate the best practices for hiring international post-secondary students (ipss’s) to the ca profession.

These projects will not only benefit itap’s and ipss’s, but they will also benefit the accounting profession and the Canadian economy as a whole, since it has been proven that countries with a greater involvement in the recruitment of internationals are more likely to have greater involvement in the trade of technologies. As well, such countries become more involved in international trade at a faster rate than those less involved. These nations are also more likely to have larger movement of foreign, direct investment into and out of the country.

Sutherland looks forward to expanding his work through casis to other industry and immigrant needs, while maintaining a focus on foreign credential recognition tools and processes. Recruitment is currently underway for referees and a qalified editor for an academic journal to focus on applied settlement and integration issues as well as research. More information on casis’ work and the journal project can be found at www.casis-canada.org. LS

Formerly a Chartered Accountant for Deloitte and Touche, Amanda Flint, MBA, joined TWU’s School of Business in 2001, and holds tenure as an Assistant Professor of Accounting.

Amanda made the switch after overseeing an audit of the University. Besides her work on FCR and PLAR, she is also investigating the success of international students in Canada during the recruitment process of major accounting firms.

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The Mediterranean appearance of the Garry oak ecosystem is an unexpected sight amidst the rainy woodlands of BC.

preserving canada,s piece of the mediterranean

The existence of a rare Garry oak ecosystem on Trinity Western University’s Crow’s Nest Ecological Research Area on British Columbia’s Salt Spring Island has given Professor David Clements and his pupils the opportunity to study, and learn how best to restore, one of Canada’s richest and most endangered ecosystems.

arry oak ecosystems developed during the native plants are unable to grow and reproduce at a warm interval between 7,000 and the same rate as their invasive competitors. The invasive 10,000 years ago, and they covered a grasses are able to overtake more ground and, due to their much greater area than they do today. superior height, reduce the amount of sunlight the native In Canada, the habitat type is found plants receive. The result is a cycle of invasion, overgrazing, only in small areas in southwestern overshadowing, and further invasion that degrades the original ecosystem. bc, primarily on Vancouver Island, Clements has been experimenting with various and the Gulf Islands that pepper the Strait of Georgia. methods of controlling the presence of invasive species.

As well, less than five per cent of Garry oak ecosystems “Restoration is a key word here,” he says. “We’re not just remain in a near natural condition, due to the increasing letting nature take its course. Humans are supposed to presence of non-native plants and animals. be an active part of the ecosystems we inhabit. But how Named for what may be their most prominent feature, do you decide what an ecosystem should be restored to?”

Garry oak ecosystems are home to hundreds of rare and endangered species, some unique to the Garry oak ecosys- Clements is using diversity of species as a goal. Without disturbance, the diversity of the ecosystem will decrease tem. The Garry oak, like many of the species it shares its and will diminish ecological processes, such as nutrient ecosystem with, is ideally adapted to warm, dry weather. cycling. “The theory is that The tree’s intricately gnarled an increase in the number branches and leathery leaves of species in an ecosystem give it a Mediterranean “how do you decide what an increases its stability, appearance, and the meadecosystem should be restored to?” which increases its overall ows that make up these health,” he says. ecosystems have more in Clements is attempting to restore diversity at Crow’s common with an African savanna than the bogs and rain Nest in two ways: biomass removal, and herbivore control. forests that comprise much of bc’s woodlands.

Biomass removal has historically been accomplished Also befitting their adaptation for arid climes is the by controlled burning. Clements, however, is using an surprising resilience of these ecosystems to fire. Fires have played an important role in their history. First Peoples his- easier method of control — mowing. The effectiveness torically set fires in Garry oak ecosystems as a part of their of this method of restoration was measured in a fiveyear collaborative study on Crow’s Nest by ubc doctoral camas plant harvest. These fires helped to create the open habitat that is now typical of the ecosystems. The native student Emily Gonzales, her supervisor Peter Arcese (ubc plants recover quickly from grass fires, allowing them to Professor of Forest Renewal and bc Chair in Applied re-establish themselves in the burned area. Native animal Conservation Biology), Clements, and summer student and insect species seem to respond favourably as well. For research assistants. instance, when examining the site of a recent fire, one of Clements’ students found caterpillars in a low branch, entirely unharmed.

A non-native species, plant, or animal is considered invasive if it spreads aggressively and impacts native species after being introduced to an ecosystem. The Professor Clements discovered his passion for invasive major culprits in the case of the Garry oak ecosystems species on one of the most invaded group of islands on are European shrubs and grasses that were introduced to earth – the Hawaiian Islands. There he observed that the area by European settlers. For example, most of the aggressive consumption of native plants by the feral pig sites that Clements has investigated are dominated by the from Europe allows invasive plant species to proliferate. perennial Anthoxanthum odoratum, or sweet vernal grass.

The experience drew Clements to make invasive species A study recently conducted by Clements revealed sweet his field of study. Now the Queen’s University graduate vernal grass in each of the 56 plots examined, making up and agricultural scientist communicates his passion 25 per cent of the total biomass, more than twice as much to students by leading a travel study to the Hawaiian as the leading native perennial.

Islands every two years.

This foreign grass is generally avoided by local herbivores in preference for native plants. Consequently, www.earlham.edu/~biol/hawaii/mammals.htm

other islands at risk

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“Herbivory,” Clements says, “is another strong detriment to diversity.” When bc coastal areas were settled by European immigrants, local populations of wolves dropped.

The subsequent increase in deer populations resulted in an overgrazing of native plants, allowing non-native species to spread rapidly. On the Salt Spring Island research site, Clements and his students set up 1  1 metre fenced areas

“an increase in the number of species in an ecosystem increases its stability, which increases its overall health.” to prevent overgrazing by large herbivores, like deer. They found that when plots were both fenced and mowed, biomass dominance shifted back to native grasses.

Clements’ search for methods of restoring diversity to threatened ecosystems continues. Supported by a nserc Discovery Grant, Clements has been able to hire twu alumnus Seth Luginbill to assist him with the research on Salt Spring Island’s Garry oak ecosystem. Clements

the butterfly effect Studying an e n da n g e r e d i nha b ita n t of TWU ’s eco l og i c a l p r e s e rv e

In recent years butterflies have become indicator species for at risk ecosystems.

Devin Methven, one of David Clements’ undergraduate thesis students, recently had the opportunity to observe the Propertius duskywing butterfly (Erynnis propertius) in the wild at TWU’s Crow’s Nest ecological preserve. In Canada, the larvae of this threatened species develop solely on Garry oaks. With little known about these larvae, Methven worked to identify and observe individuals in the field. Although one of the research sites was burned by a recent brush fire, Methven found that the oak leaves were still green and the larvae appeared to be thriving.

Currently, his research is looking at the correlation between larval distribution and the concentration of Garry oak leaf chemicals.

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plans to take the research to a new level, with larger 5  5 metre enclosures, which will house a more in-depth study of native plant recovery through experimental plantings, seed banks, and pollination biology. Whereas Gonzales’ study showed that restoration can happen through these methods, Clements’ new study will help uncover why it happens, and determine how aggressively the beautiful, at-risk Garry oak habitats need to be preserved. LS David Clements, Ph.D., is a Professor of Biology in the Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences. He’s working with the Garry Oak Ecosystem Recovery Team (GOERT), a partnership of agencies and individuals spanning all levels of government, various academic institutions, land trusts, First Nations, and naturalist groups.

When not working on Garry oak ecosystem restoration and invasive plant species research, he enjoys attending his sons’ football games, acting as media correspondent for the North Langley Football Association and vacationing on Salt Spring Island with his wife Deb (also a plant scientist) and their four sons.

Examples of Computerized Adaptive Tests can be found on the PROMIS group’s homepage, at nihpromis.org. Hosted tests evaluate patient experiences of pain impact and effects on behaviour, anger, depression, and physical function.

computers & clinical health care

WU Associate Professor of Nursing Richard (Rick) Sawatzky is examining the use of computerized health-assessment tools to obtain information about the impact of health challenges, like arthritis, on health outcomes relevant to people’s quality of life, such as their ability people interpret and respond to questions about the impact of to perform daily activities, their pain, and their emotional health on their daily lives in the same way?” Sawatzky asks. well-being.

“Does one individual’s score mean the same as another’s?”

Supported by the Canadian Arthritis Network and the Sawatzky’s program of research examines how differences Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research, Sawatzky in people’s backgrounds and life experiences may influence is working with scientists at the Arthritis Research Centre their interpretation of questions about their health and qualof Canada and the University of British Columbia on selfity of life. For example, individuals with painful chronic conreported health outcomes measurement information systems. ditions may interpret questions about their pain differently This research will help to improve the accuracy and trustwor- from others. Irrespective of their health, individuals taught thiness of computerized health-assessment tools for the next to hide or downplay emotions may provide different selfgeneration of health professionals. reports of their emotional well-being than those encouraged A computerized adaptive test is an electronically adminto express emotions. By using sophisticated mathematical istered questionnaire in which individuals’ answers to prior techniques, called “mixture item response theory,” Sawatzky questions about their health and quality of life are used to seeks to better understand how these types of factors may select subsequent questions that are informative and relaffect individuals’ responses to questions about their health evant to the patients’ condition. So far, these computerized and quality of life. health-assessment tools have been predominantly used for His current research focuses predominantly on persons research purposes rather than in clinical settings. “Much living with chronic joint ailments, but Sawatzky’s research more work needs to be done to ascertain the trustworthiness is applicable to other health care contexts as well. With the of these tools, especially with respect to their use for cliniinvention of new methods to accommodate differences in cal purposes,” says Sawatzky. “The resulting information how people report on their health and quality of life, the about self-reported health outcomes can be used to facilitate development of reliable, accurate, self-report based health decision-making and communication between health care assessment tools is one step closer to reality. LS consumers and health care professionals, and to monitor the effectiveness of medical treatments and supportive services.” After completing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree at TWU, Sawatzky believes that computerized tools for self-reported Rick Sawatzky went on to doctoral studies at the University of British health outcomes measurement will see widespread use in Columbia, where he was awarded a Ph.D. in 2007. He began teachhealth care in the near future. ing at TWU after completing his Master of Science in Nursing degree One of the challenges of using computerized healthin 2002, and now offers courses on research synthesis and quantitaassessment tools to obtain individuals’ self-reports on their tive research methods in the Master of Science in Nursing program. health and quality of life is that people may not interpret and He has been a co-investigator on a number of SSHRC-funded research respond to the questions in the same way. It is not clear, for projects, including studies about spirituality and religion in nursing and example, how individuals’ experiences in life, their culture, explorations of the representation of marijuana use in Canadian news their gender, their personality and other factors may affect media. He has presented on his research about self-reported health how they self-report on important health outcomes such as outcomes measurement in a variety of national and international settheir daily activities, pain, and emotional well-being. “Do tings, including Portugal, Italy, and Uruguay.

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computers and critical editions

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Preparing the critical edition of an ancient document is a painstaking process that involves collecting and collating the surviving manuscripts of that text and carefully examining each one of the contexts in which manuscripts disagree in order to determine what the original writer’s wording must have been. hile making these textual decisions, the researcher includes both external and internal evidence. External evidence refers to the age and reputation of the manuscripts, while internal evidence is the intrinsic probability of the originality of one reading against all the others. Only when the external and internal analyses are complete can the massive data be shaped into the coherent whole that is known as a critical edition, containing both the reconstructed original text and all the relevant variant readings.

One important body of literature on which significant text-critical work continues to be performed is the Septuagint, the version of the Hebrew Scriptures that Jewish scholars began translating into Greek in the third century bc. This version is the one that the authors of the New Testament cited as many as 300 times when quoting from the Old Testament. Rob Hiebert, Ph.D., a Septuagint scholar and Professor of Old Testament at Trinity Western University’s Graduate School of

hiebert is using his work on iv maccabees and genesis to tune and test the system.

Theological Studies, is creating an interactive web-based tool that will greatly facilitate detailed textual research.

The tool is called the Web Application for Textual and Exegetical Research, or water. Hiebert is currently researching iv Maccabees, a composition that was written in Greek in the first century ad and that came to be included in some Greek Bible manuscripts. He is using water to prepare the critical edition of iv Maccabees that will become the standard reference work for all subsequent textual research on that book.

The idea for the creation of a tool like water occurred when Hiebert’s research assistant, Nathaniel Dykstra, a twu Master of Arts in Biblical Studies student with knowledge of computer programming and web design, suggested that web technology could be useful for textcritical work. Together, they began to construct a web application that includes both a text module and a commentary module. The text module is designed to handle the various tasks associated with the preparation of a critical edition, from entering the data for all the manuscripts of a given book of the Septuagint, to editing and analyzing that information, and, finally, to generating the reconstructed original text and an apparatus of variant readings.

The commentary module is being created as a tool that could be used by those involved in the Society of Biblical Literature Commentary, for which Hiebert serves as a Joint-Editor-in-Chief and is writing a volume on the book of Genesis. This module is integrated with the text module in such a way that all of this information can be utilized and augmented with additional data that is relevant for the writing of a commentary, including other ancient versions of the text, pertinent literary and historical documents, and bibliographical items.

Hiebert is using his work on iv Maccabees and Genesis to tune and test the system. Once the various algorithms have been enhanced and the necessary design features implemented, the plan is to make this tool available to scholars involved in these and similar projects.

Since water is web-accessible, scholars from around the world will be able to develop their own text and commentary modules by using the existing database architecture via the internet.

Septuagint scholars have expressed great enthusiasm for earlier phases of this web application when Hiebert and Dykstra have reported on it at various international conferences. Hiebert expects the application to be completed within the next two years, along with his critical edition of iv Maccabees and the first draft of his Genesis commentary. These projects have been supported by sshrc Standard Research, Conference and Institutional Grants, the Priscilla and Stanford Reid Trust Grant, and private donors. LS Rob Hiebert holds a Ph.D. from the University of Toronto, where he studied under renowned Septuagint scholars, Albert Pietersma and John Wevers. In 2005, he and three other TWU colleagues launched the Septuagint Institute. Recently Professor Wevers donated his extensive and valuable personal library to TWU. Now that U of T’s world-class Septuagint Studies program has been discontinued, TWU’s Septuagint Institute is proud to be recognized as Canada’s premier centre for Septuagint scholarship.

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the life, death, and resurrection of god: Returning religion to the social sphere

Over one hundred years ago, Friedrich Nietzsche saw the secularization of society and developments of science as signaling the death of God, the end of religion. ifty years ago, one of Time Magazine’s most controversial issues of all time - “Is God Dead?” - suggested that religion had indeed become a relic of the past. In contemporary times, the rejection of religion as a reference point for society and the belief that science alone has the potential to improve and perfect humanity is maintained by certain atheist thinkers like Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett, and Christopher Hitchens – a foursome referred to by philosopher Richard Kearney as the “Death of God Squad.”

According to Trinity Western University Professor of English and Canada Research Chair in Interpretation, Religion and Culture Jens Zimmermann, Ph.D., this purely scientific perception of humanity has run its course.

Zimmermann refers to this “religious turn,” or the realiza14 conscientia | 2010

tion that an entirely secular view of the world is bankrupt, as “the exhaustion of secular reasoning.” He argues that there is an increasing awareness in the humanities disciplines that Western civilization is fundamentally rooted in a religious understanding of humanity and that there is also a growing realization that a secular view of society renders basic definitions of the human person meaningless.

“The language of science is based on observation, verification and repeatability, and cannot generate the values we require for social life together,” he says. “Its narrow definition of reason no longer allows us to ground or understand terms such as sanctity of life, human dignity, or even the language of rights in terms of science. We need religion for talking about questions of meaning and value.”

But turning to religion to explore these questions is not without its detractors. Many individuals are opposed to a

“return to religion” as the basis of a definition for humanity Bonhoeffer, “in the becoming human, we recognize God’s or the foundation for society because they fear that it will love toward God’s creation,” and “since we know ourselves lead to conflict or eradicate human difference. to be accepted and borne within the humanity of Jesus, our Although Zimmermann understands this fear, he new humanity now also consists in bearing the troubles considers it irrational because any stated belief, whether and the sins of all others. The incarnate one transforms his atheist or religious, is a belief held with universal intent disciples into brothers and sisters of all human beings.” that by necessity excludes other truth claims. “Conflicting Zimmermann explains, “Beyond reminding Christians truth claims are inevitable,” says Zimmermann. “Not only of their solidarity with humanity as a whole, Bonhoeffer religious beliefs, but every human being who expresses also stresses that Christians must carefully interpret what he or she believes to be true does so with universal within each given situation what God’s love for humanity intent, claiming to say what is really the case.” requires them to do – a beautiful antidote to fundamenAccording to Zimmermann, “the real question is talism.” From this perspective, Bonhoeffer’s incarnational whether a religion has the ability to make room, at the theology demonstrates how Christianity can create space very heart of its theology, for others as others, recognizing for difference and individuality, while also providing a their sameness while also acknowledging their freedom.” framework for a common humanity and social ethic.

Zimmermann has spent the majority of his research Numerous scholars agree with Zimmermann that over the past five years investigating this question. His Bonhoeffer’s theology and thought provide the foundation research has led him to several Christian theologians for a religiously inspired social ethic. With twu alumnus whose thought Brian Gregor, exemplifies the Zimmermann the real question is whether a religion ability of religion to recently has the ability to make room, at the very define our humanco-edited and ity, spirituality and heart of its theology, for others as others, co-authored, social ethic, while Bonhoeffer and recognizing their sameness while also making room for Continental acknowledging their freedom. individuality and Thought, a human differcollection ence. In particular, he has studied the theology of Dietrich of essays by international scholars on the thinker’s Bonhoeffer, a thinker known in popular culture as a contribution to the religious turn in philosophy. They are Christian martyr who was involved in the anti-Nazi resiscurrently collaborating on a second book, Being Human, tance movement.

Becoming Human: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Social Thought, Zimmermann has become an internationally featuring essays on Bonhoeffer’s contribution to social recognized expert on the significance of Bonhoeffer’s thought and definitions of a common humanity. theology to social thought and practice. Since 2004, he Zimmermann’s interest in Bonhoeffer contributes to has published extensively on Bonhoeffer, and presented his larger research project – the recovery of a religiously papers at conferences around the globe. grounded humanism. Although in contemporary In a social climate in which individuals fear that discourse humanism is usually associated with a scientific strongly held religious beliefs inherently lead to conflict or understanding of humanity, Zimmermann’s research violence, the tendency is to shy away from Christian theshows that authentic humanistic thought is deeply rooted ology. According to Zimmermann, however, Bonhoeffer’s in a religious understanding of being. L r theology demonstrates that the more rigorous the theological doctrine, the more incentive there is for the Christian church to engage with the world. A key aspect Jens Zimmermann, Ph.D., is Professor of English and Canada of Bonhoeffer’s theology is his retrieval of an ancient Research Chair in Interpretation, Religion, and Culture at Christian tradition of seeing in the incarnation God’s love Trinity Western University. He has received a SSHRC Standard for humanity as a whole and an intrinsic link between the Research Grant to study Religious Humanism, and a CCCU church and the world.

Initiative Grant for examining the correlation of reason and faith.

“Bonhoeffer argues that because God became human, In addition to his interest in Bonhoeffer, he is currently writing a died a sacrificial death and rose again, human life gains book on religious humanism and studying the ethical philosophy a completely different dimension,” he says. To quote of Emmanuel Levinas and Hans-Georg Gadamer.

TRINITY WESTERN UNIVERSITY

15

Canada Research Chairs

F or more infor m at i o n o n the s e & oth e r Ca n a da R e s e a rch Cha i rs, s e e www. c h a i r s . g c . c a Peter W. Flint, Ph.D., holds the Canada

Eve Stringham, Ph.D., holds the Canada

Research Chair in Dead Sea Scrolls Studies

Research Chair in Developmental Genetics and

and is Professor of Religious Studies as well as

Disease, and is involved in two major research

Co-Director of the Dead Sea Scrolls Institute

projects that aim to improve the understanding

at TWU. The CRC program has enabled Flint

of the body at a molecular and cellular level.

to appoint qualified and promising graduate assistants and

Her goal is to gain a greater understanding of cell migration

researchers for several research projects being conducted

and shape change in order to better understand cancer,

at TWU. The most recently completed CRC project is the

neurodegenerative disorders, and to promote healing after

official edition of the Great Isaiah Scroll and the second

neural injury. This research is also supported by a Discovery

Isaiah Scroll from Cave One (Discoveries in the Judaean

Grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research

Desert 32, 2010). In addition, CRC support has made

Council of Canada (NSERC). Stringham also analyzes the role

possible several Dead Sea Scrolls events, including a

of insulin in growth, stress resistance, immunity, and aging

conference in 2007. Flint has also authored many studies on

with the intent to aid in the treatment of cancer, diabetes,

the Dead Sea Scrolls, including The Dead Sea Psalms Scrolls

and other chronic diseases. Stringham has also received

and the Book of Psalms (1997) and The Meaning of the Dead

equipment grants from NSERC and the Canada Foundation

Sea Scrolls (2003), and has edited over 25 Dead Sea Scrolls

for Innovation for a high resolution microscopy laboratory to

for Oxford University Press.

support research in cell and developmental biology.

recent twu books Deane Downey, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of English (co-editor) Christian Worldview and the Academic Disciplines: Crossing the Academy, McMaster Divinity College Press and Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2009.

Michael Goheen, Ph.D., Geneva Professor of Religious and Worldview Studies (co-editor and contributor) The Gospel and Globalization: Exploring the Religious Roots of a Globalized World, Regent College Publishing, 2009.

Grant Havers, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Philosophy and Political Studies (author) Lincoln and the Politics of Christian Love, University of Missouri Press, 2009.

Don Page, Ph.D., Senior Fellow and Professor Emeritus in Leadership Studies (author) Servant Empowered Leadership: A Hands-on Guide to Transforming You and Your Organization, Power to Change Ministries Inc., 2009.

Jens Zimmermann, Ph.D., Professor of English and Canada Research Chair in Interpretation, Religion and Culture (co-editor) Bonhoeffer and Continental Thought: Cruciform Philosophy, Indiana University Press, 2009.

Office of Research & Faculty Development Trinity Western University 760 0 Glover Road, Langley BC V2Y 1Y1