The vacation dilemma: solved!

Photo:Hot Day at Third Beach by keepitsurreal

So, you would like to take an opportunity to advance your understanding of Christianity, and you have seen a number of interesting courses and conferences, but you only have a limited amount of vacation time. On the other hand, you and your family would like to go someplace beautiful – full of excitement and adventure – or maybe to relax. Why choose? . . . Do both!

Regent Summer School has a program designed to solve just this dilemma. Most of the courses fit into a 1 or 2-week period with ample time to play. And there are few places better to play than Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Everything from the best of city culture to the best nature has to offer is within easy reach of Regent College.

Of course, the professors know this too, so Regent tends to draw some of the best from all over the world to teach during the summer program. Learners also come from all walks of life, and from all over the world, to create an unique environment that is hard to find anywhere else.

http://summer.regent-college.edu/

Regent College is my alma mater, so I can vouch for excellent, engaging courses and the unique environment. My wife and I discovered Regent while vacationing in the Vancouver area, so we fell in love with the blend of city and outdoors Vancouver has to offer even before we added the bonus of Regent College for my education. We love both! My first course at Regent was a Summer School course a number of years ago in Christian Apologetics. While I enjoyed most of my classes at Regent while earning my degree, the summer school was extra special due to the mixture of people attending. There were pastors, prospective students, current students, people just wanting to dig a bit deeper into their Christian faith, and most of them were also out to enjoy the company of one-another as well as see Vancouver (as most weren’t from the area). The course was designed to engage this diverse group of people.

A description from Regent:

“Classes [by] some of the foremost evangelical scholars of our day – like Alister McGrath, Bruce Waltke, Marva Dawn and Chris Wright – in the areas of theology, art, missions, spirituality, history, Bible studies, church leadership, marketplace theology and much more. If you’re pursuing a graduate degree, some of these courses may well transfer over – and not just in theology or Biblical studies. If you’re considering a career or vocational change, some of these courses will help you sort through those issues. If you’re simply seeking personal enrichment this summer in one of the world’s most liveable cities, come check us out.”

http://www.regent-college.edu/academics/summer/audio_video.php

To allow you to enjoy your vacation and maximize your playing time, you don’t have to complete the course requirements for 45 days, even if you are taking the course for credit. You can also audit many of the courses which is even more fun (as then you don’t have to turn in those assignments 45 days later).

Here are some classes I’m interested in and you might be too as an apologist:

There are also great free public lectures:

http://www.regent-college.edu/events/public_lectures.php

As for Vancouver, as I mentioned earlier, there is everything from excellent food and culture in the city, to world-class outdoor enjoyment right here. Should that not be enough, it is a short trip to places like Whistler, Vancouver Island, or even into the wine country of the Okanagan.

Here are a few pics to get your dreaming started, but really just put some of these names (Vancouver, Stanley Park, Sea to Sky Highway, Whistler, Vancouver Island, Okanagan, Vancouver Cuisine) in Google images and take a look!