Relevant is a series of dialogues and talks about faith, culture, science, life, and more topics that are relevant to students.
Join us on zoom this year from January 19-21, 2022!
About Relevant Series
Relevant is a series of dialogues and talks about faith, culture, science, life, and more topics that are relevant to students. Join us on zoom this year from January 19-21, 2022!
The goal of Relevant Series is to engage students in thoughtful discussions and be a launching point for important conversations.
If you are a student and you are interested in exploring God’s role or existence in our world, then join us this year.
Stream Relevant 2022 on YouTube
Relevant is a series of dialogues and talks about faith, culture, science, life, and more topics that are relevant to students.
Schedule
Each day features a theme. Click a button to navigate that day’s talks.
Wednesday, January 19th
God & Science
Lunch Talk - "What is the Value of a Human Being?"
Speaker: Dr. Andy Steiger (Apologetics Canada)
Panelist: Dr. Ewan Goligher (Christian Medical and Dental Association of Canada)
Description: We are all familiar with, either through the news or firsthand, the atrocities that follow when human life is devalued? Although people agree that humans have dignity, they’re not as sure what exactly that value is or where it comes from. An important question our society is wrestling with is this: Is human value given or is it encountered? If it’s given, it can be taken away. If it’s encountered, where does it originate? Join Andy for this session as he explores human value from multiple perspectives.
Watch: Click Here
Evening Talk - "An Argument for God's Existence From Machines"
Speaker: Dr. Andy Steiger (Apologetics Canada)
Description: We are growing more and more accustomed to living our lives with machines. From the car in your garage to the smartphone in your pocket, they are all around us. As technology advances, the attempt to create ever more human-like machines is gaining interest. We are beginning to realize that the machines we create teach us something profound about ourselves and even about God. In this session, Andy will make a unique argument for the existence of God through the machines we create based on purpose.
Watch: Click Here
Thursday, January 20th
God & Suffering
Evening Talk - "Art & Faith Conversation: Suffering & Hope? Does God Care about my Pain?"
Panelists: James Paterson, Ruthia Pak Regis, Maria Gabankova
Description: In a world where we seem to be surrounded by suffering – where can hope be found? What role if any might imagination and the arts play in providing a resource for nurturing a hopeful spirit? Join us for a conversation with three visual artists as we explore how suffering and hope may come together in unlikely partnership.
Watch: Click Here
Join us for “Artists from Stations Of The Cross: A Journey to Easter Arts Exhibition” on March 2-April 14 (crossingstoronto.com)
Friday,
January 21th
God & Sexuality
Lunch Talk - "Longing for Love"
Speaker: Sam Allberry
Description: Love can often feel more complicated than we think it should be. We know a life without love is not a full life at all, but don’t always know exactly what it means to love. We’ll think together about some of the unique perspectives Christianity can bring to these areas.
Watch: Click Here
Evening Talk - "Why Would God Care Who I Sleep With?"
Speaker: Sam Allberry
Description: Jesus is both uniquely challenging and uniquely dignifying when it comes to our sexuality. We’ll think together about what he has to say and the difference it can make to our lives.
Watch: Click Here
Speakers
Dr. Andy Steiger, PhD (Apologetics Canada)
An Argument for God’s Existence From Machines
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Ruthia Pak Regis
Suffering & Hope? Does God Care About My Pain?
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James Paterson
Suffering & Hope? Does God Care About My Pain?
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Maria Gabankova
Suffering & Hope? Does God Care About My Pain?
Read Bio
Dr. Ewan Goligher (Christian Medical and Dental Association of Canada)
What is the Value of A Human Being?
Read Bio
Sam Allberry
Longing for Love?
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Partners
Relevant series 2022 is organized in partnership with the following campus clubs and Churches:
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Dr. Ewan Goligher is an intensive care physician and scientist at the University of Toronto. He is developing new treatments for patients with respiratory failure including Covid-19. He also writes and speaks on medical ethics, human value, and the relationship between religious faith and science. He lives in Toronto and attends Christ Church Toronto.
Paige McLelland is a Case Manager with the Survivor Care department at Fight4Freedom where she has been in this role for the last year and a half. She had been working with women and their families in various settings throughout her social work undergrad and was excited to be able to turn that into a career shortly following graduation. Paige is passionate about bridging the gaps for making services and supports more accessible, whether that be through working on the frontlines or advocating for policy change, and has been able to see some of this come to fruition while coming alongside those who have been impacted by the sexual exploitation industry.
Dan MacDonald left his law practice in 1990 to pursue a call to full-time ministry. He currently serves as the Senior Pastor for Grace Toronto Church, which he started with his wife in 2005. Grace Toronto has planted two congregations over the past 5 years and has seen 3 of its interns go on to plant churches in Toronto and Ottawa. Dan served as Director of The GraceNetwork for 4 years until 2017. He currently sits on the National Council of The Gospel Coalition Canada. Dan loves Jesus- but he also loves college football, fountain pens, Lord of the Rings and Italian espresso. Dan has been married to Sue (“the one upon whom the sun rises and sets”) for 22 years. They have a beautiful young woman Shaila (12) who is teaching them more about love, grace, drama and the gospel than they ever wanted to know.
Dr. Domenic Ruso is a church planter (the180.ca) and native of Montreal Quebec. After completing graduate studies at Concordia University, Dom felt called to lead and serve in the local church while pursuing a PhD. He is passionate about helping the church be a voice of change and hope. In addition, he believes that when we create space for people to share questions and struggles God’s gracious ways become more visible and transformative. His passion is to see new and emerging leaders who learn to articulate this good news of Jesus in fresh ways.
Julien Musolino is a cognitive scientist, public speaker, and author who holds a dual appointment in the Psychology Department at Rutgers University and the Rutgers Center for Cognitive Science (RuCCS). Julien is also a member of the graduate faculty in the world-renowned Department of Philosophy at Rutgers. Julien’s research spans a broad range of topics in the sciences of the mind with the overarching goal of shedding light on what makes our intelligence distinctively human. Research topics include questions about language, rationality, agency, memory, and belief formation/updating. Julien’s research has been published in leading scientific journals and it has been funded by the National Institute of Health and the National Science Foundation. Julien’s work also takes a public dimension and explores the implications of cognitive science for a range of issues of broader societal importance. The goal of this work is to promote the role, understanding, and importance of science, reason, and critical thinking. Julien is regularly invited to speak in the United States and around the world, he has been the recipient of multiple teaching awards, he has appeared on national television, participated in public debates, his work has been discussed in popular magazines, and he has been a guest on radio and podcast programs in the United States and abroad.
Jen is a counsellor at Shalem Mental Health Network in Hamilton. She has 20+ years of experience working within a faith-based non-profit community setting. She has created safe spaces for discovery and vulnerability in conversations on mental health and spiritual growth. This led to her current work of becoming a counsellor. She is an alumni of the University of Toronto where she completed her Honours BA degree in Chinese studies. Her particular topics of interest are attachment, trauma and interpersonal relationships. She is eager to support clients in their journey in toward mental and emotional health by coming alongside them, providing the support and frameworks necessary to help individuals reach their goals. Her newest hobby developed since pandemic lock down is watercolour. At the time of writing, she was painting pictures of lemons, “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.
Kaitlyn Ranasinghe is the Director of Survivor Care at Fight4Freedom. She has been involved in anti-trafficking advocacy for many years and turned this passion into a career when she joined the Fight4Freedom team in 2017. Kaitlyn has a Master of Arts from York University where she focused on Canada’s anti-human trafficking movement. Kaitlyn is passionate about providing relevant and empowering supports to those who have experienced human trafficking and has a heart for advocacy that inspires structural and systemic change in Canada and the world.
Reverend Doctor Ray Aldred is a husband, father, and grandfather. He was ordained with the Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada. He is status Cree from Swan River Band, Treaty 8. Born in Northern Alberta, he now resides with his wife in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. Ray is the director of the Indigenous Studies Program at the Vancouver School of Theology whose mission is to partner with the Indigenous Church around theological education.
Jon Waind is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Theological Studies at Concordia University and holds a PhD in Religious Studies from McGill. He researches and teaches on the intersection of religious ethics and public life. Jon’s main research and teaching interest is in philosophical and theological approaches to human vulnerability and social issues proceeding from that basic condition. Prior to pursuing an academic career, Jon served as a youth pastor for ten years in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia.
Lee Maracle is a Canadian award-winning poet, novelist, performance storyteller, scriptwriter, actor and keeper/mythmaker among the Stó:lō people. She speaks out as a critic of the treatment of indigenous people by the Canadian people and she particularly highlights the issues relating to indigenous women. She currently is Mentor for Aboriginal Students at University of Toronto where she also is a teacher and also the Traditional Cultural Director for the Indigenous Theatre School, where she is a part-time cultural instructor.
Paul Seungoh Chung has been interested in the question of how we intellectually form our worldviews, and how this affect the way we understand the world as well as the people who hold different beliefs from us. He has worked as a speaker, pastor, and writer, and has taught courses in Christianity and science at the University of Toronto, and Christianity and culture at Tyndale University College. He is the author of God at the Crossroads of Worldviews, published through University of Notre Dame Press.
Professor of Old Testament, Graduate Director
Tracy Trinita originally from Bali, Indonesia, she was the country’s first-ever supermodel modeling for top designers such as Yves Saint Laurent, Jean Paul Gautier, Kenzo, and Benetton, among others, in Paris, Milan, New York, and other major capitals around the world. A life of glamor, fame, and glory never filled the gnawing emptiness she felt and, in 2002, she received Jesus as her Savior and Lord. Tracy is now a speaker and writer for RZIM Asia-Pacific focusing on training and teaching within the fashion, arts, media, and entertainment industries.
Sam Bird is anishinaabe, of Peguis First Nation in Treaty 1 territory. She currently works as a librarian in Thunder Bay, on the traditional territory of Fort William First Nation, Robinson-Superior Treaty territory.
Samuel Sey is a Ghanaian-Canadian currently residing in Brampton, Ontario, a great city just outside of Toronto. He is a blogger mostly about Christ and culture, and his articles have been featured on Challies.com, SovereignNations.com, StatementOnSocialJustice.com, Wretched.org, EzraInstutute.ca, BooksAtAGlance.com, Desiring God’s Nightly Brief, and more.
Associate Professor, Department of English, University of Toronto, ON. 
In response to a conversation with a victim of sex trafficking, in 2009, Mike started a work to help those caught in sex trafficking called Fight4Freedom. Through working with a team of dedicated staff and volunteers, they are reaching out to the strip clubs, massage parlours, prisons, hotels, online platforms, and streets of several cities across Canada and the Philippines, hoping to identify and give support to women and men impacted by the sex trade and trafficking.
Logan Gates is an Itinerant Speaker with RZIM Canada. He earned a master’s degree in theology from the University of Oxford alongside two years of study at the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics. Logan’s passion is to help others encounter God by exploring the big questions in life. Topics he often tackles include “Why believe anything?”, “Jesus: Man, Myth, or More?”, “Why Would a Loving God Judge Me?,” and “Finding Unity in a Culture of Division.” Logan also speaks Spanish and French and speaks at universities and other audiences both in Canada and abroad. He lives in Toronto where he loves to surf, drink tea, and cook Thai food with his lovely new bride, Samantha.
Louis (Lou) Phillips is a full-time OCCA Fellow based in the greater New England area. He grew up outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with his parents and five older siblings. Lou attended Grove City College and was graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree double majoring in Molecular Biology and Political Science. Lou interned for the Heritage Foundation at their Center for Health Policy Studies and then became the Health Policy Legislative Correspondent for Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma. While in Washington, Lou felt the call of God elsewhere in his life and joined an evangelistic outreach called Silver Ring Thing (SRT). For three years, Lou traveled with this ministry all across the United States putting on concert-style events talking to teens about love, sex, and life. Through this evangelistic experience, he developed a passion for apologetics. Lou received his Certificate of Theological Studies from Oxford University (Wycliffe Hall) and was trained at the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics (OCCA) where he was involved in many evangelistic events and outreaches. Coming from a large family, Lou loves to hang out with his siblings and their spouses, as well as spend time with his ever-growing number of nieces and nephews. In his spare time Lou likes to stay active and do anything outdoors.
Riffat Aziz , holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics, and an MBA from the Zicklin School of Business, located in New York City. She currently works as a Manager at IFSSA, Islamic Family and Social Services Association. Riffat has had the honor of working and living in 4 countries, the United Arab Emirates, where she was born, the United States, a brief stint in Calcutta, India and now in Edmonton, Canada which she calls home. Throughout her experiences in these countries, her passion remains the same: to develop and align her growth with the teachings of Shia Islam. She was until recently heavily involved in the Sunday school at the ISIA, and served as Principal of the school from 2016 to 2018, with more than 100 students under her care. She now volunteers at Al Baqir Academy, the only Shia Islamic school located in Alberta. Riffat is fluent in 4 languages and is a dedicated single mum of two young boys.
Maria Gabankova grew up in former Czechoslovakia with her brother, Jan, in a family of visual artists. Her parents, Antonia and Jozef Gabanek (Prague Academy of Fine Art), had a profound influence on her development through their art and dissident lifestyle. Based in Toronto, she also spends time in British Columbia and in Prague. Frequent stays in Europe provide fresh contact with the Czech and international visual art, cinema and music scenes.
Dr. Wayne Sumner is University Professor Emeritus in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Toronto. He holds a PhD from Princeton University and is the author of numerous books in the fields of ethics, philosophy of law, and political philosophy including “The Moral Foundation of Rights” and “Welfare, Happiness, and Ethics.” He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and in 2009 was awarded the Molson Prize by the Canada Council for the Arts.
Wesley Huff was born in Pakistan and spent his childhood in the Middle East. He has a BA in Sociology (York), a MTS in Christian foundations (Tyndale), and is currently a PhD student in New Testament at the University of Toronto. His is interested in inter-faith dialogue between Islam and Christianity, primarily in the textual histories of the Bible and Qur’an. Wes lives in Toronto with his wife Melissa and their son.
Dr. Tanya Walker completed her undergraduate degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE) from Oxford University. Tanya then worked in various political roles before returning to postgraduate research. She holds an MA in Islamic Societies and Cultures and a PhD in Politics and International studies from the University of London. Tanya speaks internationally on the intersection of religion and culture for the UK division of RZIM (Zacharias Trust). She is also the Dean of the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics where she teaches postgraduate students on the toughest questions asked of the Christian faith. Based in Oxford, Tanya is married to Toby and they have two young children.
Nathan Rittenhouse is an Itinerant Speaker with Ravi Zacharias International Ministries. He was graduated from Bridgewater College in Virginia with a double major in Physics and Philosophy and Religion, and a minor in Mathematics before attending the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics. He holds an M.Div. from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Nathan has interests in topics of science and religion, church history, and systematic theology. He grew up in an active church and Christian family and developed an enthusiasm for Christ that has intensified with his academic studies. As a student, Nathan refreshed his mind by running track and cross-country and continues to enjoy a variety of outdoor activities with his wife and kids. Nathan spent the last three years traveling and speaking in universities throughout New England, and is currently focusing on the Mid-Atlantic region.
Neil Vimalkumar Boniface is Senior Apologist and Trainer with RZIM Life Focus Society. He is trained as an engineer from the Allahabad University. Coming from a Christian home, he committed his life to the Lord Jesus during his college years and with a mounting interest in the big questions of life, he pursued an MA (Honours) in Theology from SAIACS, Bengaluru. Neil completed a second masters from the University of Edinburgh (UK), specializing in Science and Religion. Since 2003, Neil has traveled widely and spoken on varied platforms both in India and abroad. His audiences include students and faculty from premier educational institutions, corporate boardrooms, and professionals from different walks of life. His inspirational lectures have been well-received in the public arena. He enjoys interacting with his audiences as he presents the message of Jesus Christ to them. Neil has preached in Christian conferences, leading churches, retreats, and has been instrumental in training many in sharing and defending the faith. He has also spoken on radio broadcasts with AIR FM and FEBA. Neil and his family make their home in Chennai, India.
Michael Suderman is an Itinerant Speaker with Ravi Zacharias International Ministries and is based in Washington, DC. He graduated from Tabor College in Kansas with a double major in Philosophy and Biblical & Religious Studies, and a minor in Psychology. He recently completed a Masters of Theology at the University of Oxford alongside two years of study at the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics. Michael has interests in topics related to faith and science, world religions, and the intersection of Christianity and culture. His passion is to help facilitate the discovery and rediscovery of Jesus by communicating and clarifying the gospel as the most profound solution to life’s most meaningful questions. Prior to studying in Oxford, Michael was involved with youth and university ministries and participated in educational and volunteer work throughout India.
Nathan Betts is an apologist with RZIM. He speaks frequently across the US and Canada. His focus areas include the interface of faith and culture, digital technology and belief, and youth apologetics. Nathan co-wrote and co-presented RZIM’s Short Answers to Big Questions video series. He contributes regularly to RZIM’s A Slice of Infinity and Just Thinking Magazine publications and his writing has been featured in The Seattle Times and Christianity Today. Nathan completed his undergraduate degree at Tyndale University and his MA in Bible and Ministry at King’s College, University of London. He is also a graduate of the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics. He is an avid percussionist and a keen baseball fan. Nathan and his wife, Brittany, live near Seattle, Washington, with their young children.
Matthew Mittelberg is a fulltime OCCA Fellow based in Boston, Massachusetts. He was raised in an environment of apologetics and evangelism, as his father, Mark Mittelberg, writes and teaches in these areas. He earned a bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurial business from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona. During his time there, he started and led the Defenders Apologetics Club for three years and was in a number of leadership roles including Servant Scholar and Senior Senator. Matthew received his Certificate of Theological Studies from Wycliffe Hall and was trained at the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics. He has spoken at universities, churches, societies, and training events, and has led international missions trips in Europe and Asia. Matthew loves competing in ultimate Frisbee, eating Japanese food, and spending time with his friends. He’s passionate about helping people understand that faith in God makes sense, removing barriers to belief, and personally introducing others to Jesus.
Luna Wang is an OCCA Fellow with the Zacharias Trust. She comes from China where she did her undergraduate study in Law and Economics in Beijing. She worked in the real estate industry for several years before coming to Oxford for a master’s degree in Sociology. She became a Christian in that year, subsequently joining the St Ebbe’s Church staff team, working in postgraduate student ministry for three years. She has recently completed the one-year program at the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics.