At the end of every academic year, we host the Integrative Project symposium, in which The Seattle School’s alumni, current students, faculty, staff, and the Seattle community at large are invited to witness and celebrate the bold, thoughtful, and creative work of our graduating Master of Divinity and MA in Theology & Culture students.
For these students, the Integrative Project serves as a capstone of their time in graduate school—born out of years of study, countless conversations with peers and faculty, and each student’s distinctive embodiment of text, soul, and culture. Their work utilizes a blend of research methodology, personal exploration and engagement, and The Seattle School’s unique lens.
In this video, Ryan Likes (MATC) presents on his project, “In Need of a Miracle: Revival and the Modern Day Rescue Mission.” Ryan pulls from his work as a counselor in a year-long addiction recovery program at Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission, where he was confronted with the devastating cycles of addiction and relapse. Ryan’s hopelessness in the face of that cycle sparked his deep desire to see a miracle in the lives of the people he worked with.
Ryan’s project dives into Scripture and church history to wonder about miracles, revival, and the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit. As he pursued this work, Ryan began noticing commonalities that were present in many of the miraculous revivals in church history: renewed emphasis on the Spirit, repentance and forgiveness, unity, compassion, a yielded life, evangelism, and prayer. “Revival is about spiritual formation,” he says. “Revival comes when people are transformed.”
After identifying those common themes, Ryan began realizing that they are already woven into the fabric of the 12-step programs that are prevalent in recovery movements and rescue missions. In other words, the church has a lot to learn about miracles and revival from addicts and those who are honest about their own brokenness.
“Not only is the need for revival great, but so is the potential to produce it.”
You can watch the full video of Ryan’s talk below. We are consistently inspired by the work that our graduating students present in their Integrative Projects. You can see more videos from last year’s graduating class here.