This summer I am taking my first summer course ever: Canadian Political Theologies. I have been surprised (or maybe not) by how hard it has been to motivate myself for this course. I don't have to take any summer courses but this one sounded really interesting and is only a summer offering so I went for it. And it's not like I have anything more productive to do with my time. But it seems to come down to the reality that summer and school should just not go together. I need my four month break from studies...my head is not in the right space to do school in the 'off-season.' My motivation difficulties aside, this course is actually pretty interesting. We've been learning about the Social Gospel movement, Christian Socialism, Roman Catholic social teachings, etc. and the influence they have had on the Canadian political scene. As much as Canada has become a secular society, these movements have left an indelible mark on our political and social system - go CCF-NDP! I guess the question we are asking throughout this course is: what political role should/can the church play in our current context? Probably not a question many Lutherans might ask themselves...we don't have much of a history of political activism in Canada.
In other news, I have found a placement for my contextual education course next year. I will be spending my 8 hours a week at Toronto Urban Native Ministry, which I am very excited about. I don't know many more details at this point but I met with the man who will be my supervisor earlier this week and I think it will be a great placement. Hoping to learn lots about Aboriginal culture and Christianity, and also to discern ways in which I might play a role in the healing of the relationship between First Nations people and the rest of Canadians.
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