Snell Lecture at St. James Cathedral Toronto

We are delighted to announce the next Snell Lecture, a perfect way to close out the year!

Join us for an engaging session that promises to inspire and challenge our perspectives.

On Sunday, December 8, 2024, Dr. Brian Walsh, pastor, theologian, and award-winning author known for his work in biblical theology and contemporary culture will be with us!

In this Snell Lecture, Walsh connects Leonard Cohen’s songs and poetry with Scripture, grounding his artistry in biblical imagination. By examining the prophetic and priestly themes in Cohen’s work, Walsh, along with his musical and liturgical collaborators Deb Whalen-Blaize and David Krause, creates a liturgy that resonates with our cultural moment, offering candor, grace, and hope.

The event begins at 4:30pm at St. James Cathedral with a Eucharistic liturgy and homily focusing on the second Sunday of Advent, exploring the link between John the Baptist and Cohen.

After the 4:30pm Eucharist, Dr. Walsh will give the Snell Lecture: "Rags of Light: Leonard Cohen and the Landscape of Biblical Imagination." and celebrate the launch of his new book.

In conversation with Dean Stephen Hance, Rector of St. James Cathedral, and Dean of Toronto, Walsh will take questions after the lecture and discuss the theological methods reflected in both the liturgy and his writing.

Schedule:
4:30pm – 5:30pm: Cohen Eucharist
5:30pm – 6:00pm: Reception in the Cathedral
6:00pm – 7:00pm: Snell Lecture + Q&A

For more information, click here.

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About the Lecturer:

Dr. Brian Walsh is a pastor, theologian, and award-winning author known for his work in biblical theology and contemporary culture.

Working at the interface of biblical theology and contemporary culture, his books include Truth is Stranger than It Used to Be: Biblical Faith in a Postmodern Age (co-authored with J. Richard Middleton), Colossians Remixed: Subverting the Empire and Romans Disarmed: Resisting Empire, Demanding Justice (both co-authored with Sylvia C. Keesmaat), Beyond Homelessness: Christian Faith in a Culture of Displacement (co-authored with Steve Bouma-Prediger), and Habakkuk Before Breakfast: Lament, Liturgy and Hope (co-authored with the Wine Before Breakfast community). His solo projects include Subversive Christianity and Kicking at the Darkness: Bruce Cockburn and the Christian Imagination.

Brian was the founder and pastor of the Wine Before Breakfast community at the University of Toronto. The Cohen themed Eucharist accompanying the Snell Lecture brought Brian together again with his WBB musical and liturgical collaborators, Deb Whalen-Blaize and David Krause. Together they curated a liturgy that found resonance between the readings for the second Sunday of Advent and the rich Leonard Cohen catalogue.

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About the Snell Lectures:

The Snell Lectures at St. James Cathedral honor the Rt. Rev’d George Snell, Eighth Bishop of Toronto, and are intended to further his desire for deepening the church’s teaching and preaching ministry for both the laity and the clergy.

Thanks to the Anglican Foundation of Canada for their support of the Snell Lectures.

Anglican Foundation of Canada