The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology will host the 2016 Integrative Project Symposium next Friday, May 13, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. This annual event is an opportunity for students, staff, faculty, friends and family members, and the larger community to all come together in witness and celebration of the 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. The presentations are an overview and sample of the projects these students have pursued over their time here, and they offer a compelling glimpse into the bold, innovative, and formational education that marks our theological graduate programs.

The symposium will be hosted by the Integrative Project Faculty Advisors, Dr. Dwight Friesen, Associate Professor of Practical Theology, Dr. Angela Parker, Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies, Dr. Ron Ruthruff, Associate Professor of Theology & Culture, and Dr. Chelle Stearns, Associate Professor of Theology. Each of these professors, under the oversight of Senior Vice President of Academics Dr. J. Derek McNeil, has helped provoke, inspire, equip, and shepherd the presenting students through the formation of these projects.

This year’s presentations are organized into six framing categories: Rhythms and Spiritual Formation, Church and Renewal, Sin and the Theological Body, Death and Personhood, Suffering and Liberation, and Rethinking Church. Each category will include two or three presentations, followed by a Q&A session, and the day will culminate in a hand-washing ceremony and a reception in the Commons.

“The Integrative Projects showcase the next iteration of theological and church leadership,” says Kristen Houston, Director of Academic Services. “Everyone at the Symposium will get to hear about what is inspiring the next generation of leaders in the realms of nonprofits, churches, businesses, and the arts.”

You can learn more about the event here, and read below for a snapshot of the presentations coming up next Friday.

Practicing Our Way Forward: Spiritual Rhythms and the Shifting Church
Seth James Thomas, M.Div

Pastoral Both/And: A Complicated Story
Casslynne Joy Carroll, M.Div

An Alternative Reading to The Book of Revelation
Gregory J. Foss, M.Div

In Need of a Miracle: Revival and the Modern Day Rescue Mission
Ryan Likes, MATC

Moving From a Paradigm of ‘Good and Bad’ to a Paradigm of ‘Life and Death’ through Reframing Sin: The Work of Saint Augustine
Steven Michael Denler, MATC

Abundance and Non-Competition in the Trinitarian Life: An Invitation to Human Flourishing
Sarah Elizabeth Bailey, M.Div

Apophatic Mystery and Kataphatic Interrelationship: Re-imagining a Theology of Wilderness
Alicia Landis Choi, MATC

Women’s Role in Helping Young Girls Spread Their Wings
Elizabeth Page DeVere, MATC

The Snare: Theology In and Through Theater
Carrie Cates, M.Div

New Mother, New God: Re-Conceptualizing a Mother for Psychological and Spiritual Health
Stacey Louise Messick, MATC

Suffering and Healing Revisited: Integrating the Cross, Holy Saturday, and Existential Psychology
Caleb A. Dodson, MATC

Towards a ‘Heart to Feel’: The Theological Origins of Whiteness and White Theology’s Contribution to Re-centering Society away from Whiteness
Elise Lenore Hale-Case, MATC

A Plan for “Our Public House”: An Alternative Ecclesial Model that Addresses the Spiritual, Emotional, and Physical Needs of a Community
Jesse Michael Smith, MATC

Ministerial Maternity Leave: A Case Study/For
Alexander Michael Zarecki, MATC