Professor Emerita of Interdisciplinary Studies and Spiritual Theology
BEd, MA, PhD (University of Alberta); DHum (Honorary, Trinity Western University)
Maxine Hancock is Professor Emerita of Interdisciplinary Studies and Spiritual Theology at Regent College, where she taught from 1998 to 2010. She is also an author, speaker, and broadcaster. Her many books and articles have gained a wide audience and won awards from the Canada Council, the Canadian Church Press, and the Evangelical Press Association (US). Some of her earlier publications combine life experience and theological reflection, and include Living on Less and Liking it More; Re-evaluating Your Commitments; and Love Knows No Difference: Learning to Give and Receive. Dr. Hancock’s publications also include academic work on seventeenth-century narrative prose, as well as a collection of short essays, Gold from the Fire: Postcards from a Prairie Pilgrimage. She has been honoured with the Word Guild’s Leslie K. Tarr Award (1990) for her contribution to Christian writing in Canada, and the Leading Women’s Award in Communications and Media (2004) for her leadership in communicating the Christian faith in Canada. Dr. Hancock and her husband now live in Nova Scotia. They have four adult children.
Session 1: “Courageous Aging: Finding a Path Beyond Denial or Despair”
Board of Governors’ Professor of Spiritual Theology
MA (Edinburgh), MA, BSc, DPhil (Oxford)
Dr. James Houston is the one of the “founding fathers” of Regent College; he was the first principal of the College from 1970–1978. He has been the Board of Governors Professor of Spiritual Theology since 1991. His major areas of interest include the Christian mind, the Trinity, prayer, and the traditions of Christian spirituality. Dr. Houston’s current research is on the role of the penitential psalms in the history of the Church. Dr. Houston has published numerous books and articles. His recent books include two volumes of Letters of Faith Through the Seasons (David C. Cook, 2006, 2007), and five volumes in the Soul’s Longing series—The Desire, The Fulfillment, The Prayer, The Creator, and The Disciple (David C. Cook, 2007; The Prayer was previously published as The Transforming Power of Prayer (NavPress, 1996), and as The Transforming Friendship (Lion, 1989)). He has also recently published The Psalms as Christian Worship: A Historical Commentary (Eerdmans, 2010) with Bruce Waltke as well as A Vision for the Aging Church: Renewing Ministry for and by Seniors (IVP, 2011) with Dr. Michael Parker.
Session 2: “The Challenge of Aging for the Culture and the Church”
Samuel Gale Professor of Law, Professor in the Faculty of Medicine
Founding Director of the Centre for Medicine, Ethics and Law, McGill University
Margaret Somerville has an extensive national and international publishing and speaking record and frequently comments in all forms of media. Her work has included research, speaking engagements, and consultation on issues related to euthanasia; aging populations; human rights in health care, including in a global context; the role that scientific and medical research and technology play in the formation of societal values and the societal paradigm; and many other issues. Her books include The Ethical Canary: Science, Society and the Human Spirit (Penguin 2000), and The Ethical Imagination: Journeys of the Human Spirit (Anansi 2006; CBC 2006 Massey Lectures). She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and among her many other honours and awards are the Order of Australia, seven honorary doctorates, and the UNESCO Avicenna Prize for Ethics in Science.
Session 3: “An Aging Society as a Litmus Test of Our Ethics”
Board of Governors' Professor, Theology, Regent College
MA, DPhil (Oxford)
J.I. Packer became Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology at Regent College in 1979. In 1989, he was installed as the first Sangwoo Youtong Chee Professor of Theology. In 1996, he became Board of Governors’ Professor of Theology. Dr. Packer has preached and lectured widely in Great Britain and North America, is a frequent contributor to theological periodicals, and is an Executive Editor of Christianity Today. He was General Editor of the English Standard Version of the Bible, published in Fall 2001. Dr. Packer’s more recent publications include Life in the Spirit, A Grief Sanctified, Truth and Power, Knowing and Doing the Will of God, Great Power, Great Grace, Great Joy, The Redemption and Restoration of Man in the Thought of Richard Baxter, Knowing God through the Year, Knowing God’s Purpose for your Life, Never Beyond Hope, God’s Plans for You, Faithfulness and Holiness, One Faith (with Thomas Oden), and Praying (with Carolyn Nystrom). His Collected Shorter Writings are available in four volumes, and a selection of his articles has been published as The J.I. Packer Collection.
Session 4: “Toward the Blessed Hope: An Eschatology for the Aging”