爆料吃瓜网

Being Human Project

Exploring the art of the flourishing life through the lens of biblical anthropology.

Pilgrimage and the City of God: A journey of beauty, faith, and imagination

One important dimension of biblical anthropology鈥攐f being human鈥攊s that we are pilgrims in this world. This year the 爆料吃瓜网 community will take time to explore the theme of Pilgrimage and the City of God, thinking about what it means to be a pilgrim on earth. Pilgrimage encompasses the everyday life of a Christian as well as those times that we step out of our usual routines to take a particular journey in order to give us a new perspective on our lives and faith. In both cases, keeping our final destination in mind gives us direction, shapes the journey, and provides motivation and comfort when troubles arise.

Spring 2026: Pilgrimage and Calling

This spring鈥檚 Being Human Project explores vocation as a pilgrimage. Inspired by You Have a Calling by Karen Swallow Prior, we鈥檒l dive into what it means to have a pilgrim calling and a daily life oriented towards the City of God. What does it look like to live faithfully between cities, to walk a journey shaped by truth, goodness, and beauty on this earth? To help us reflect on this topic, 爆料吃瓜网 is excited to welcome the author Karen Swallow Prior, and the band Ordinary Time whose most recent album features songs based on the Psalms and Christian tradition to guide us on our journey with the voice of Scripture.

Featured Guests:

Karen Swallow Prior, PhD, is the 2025鈥�26 Karlson Scholar at Bethel Seminary and the author of You Have a Calling: Finding Your Vocation in the True, Good, and Beautiful (Brazos, 2025), along with several other books on literature, culture, and faith. A frequent contributor to Religion News Service, she has written for outlets including Christianity Today, the New York Times, the Atlantic, and the Washington Post. She is a sought-after speaker and former host of the podcast Jane and Jesus.

Karen Swallow Prior is a frequent lecturer at colleges, conferences, and cultural forums. She earned her PhD from the State University of New York at Buffalo and specializes in eighteenth-century British literature. Her scholarly work has appeared in leading academic journals and reference volumes. She is a contributing writer at the Dispatch, a senior fellow at the Trinity Forum, and a research fellow at Comment. She lives with her husband on a historic homestead in central Virginia.

Ordinary Time is an independent folk acoustic trio rooted in the Christian tradition. Comprised of Ben Keyes (guitar, piano, mandolin), Peter La Grand (guitar, banjo, dobro), and Jill McFadden (guitar, violin), Ordinary Time presents extraordinarily rich vocal harmonies, skillful instrumentation, and thought-provoking lyrics. The band seamlessly weaves the hymns of generations past with their own new songs, producing a sound that ranges from bluegrass-tinged Americana to sacred harp hymn arrangements. The band has released five records and tours semi-annually.

Grounded in tradition, innovative in expression, and mature in musicianship, Ordinary Time offers an important and unique voice, gifting us with enduring tunes for the journey of faith.

Event Schedule

February 11-13th, 2026

Wednesday

• 9:00-10:00 AM | The Evangelical Imagination Lecture - Karen Swallow Prior (Sanderson 215, Limited Seating)
• 12:00-2:00 PM | Women on the Way luncheon with Karen Swallow Prior & Kelly Kapic (The Kirk, RSVP Required)
• 2:00-4:00 PM | You Have a Calling book signing in Carter Lobby with Karen Swallow Prior

Thursday

• 9:30-1:00 PM | Various classes guest lecture - Karen Swallow Prior
• 4:00-5:00 PM | Ordinary Time Songwriting Workshop (MegaBrock)
• 4:30-6:00PM | Reading and discussion with KSP, with refreshments (Mills 1st lobby)
• 7:00 PM | Ordinary Time Concert (Chapel)

Friday

• 11:00-11:35 AM | Chapel featuring Ordinary Time

Heading Home: Glimpses of New Jerusalem

From the earliest days, Christians have looked to the vision of the New Jerusalem鈥攄escribed in Augustine鈥檚 City of God and the book of Revelation鈥攁nd seen it reflected in the art and architecture of Christendom. This fall, 爆料吃瓜网 welcomes a team whose 2022 pilgrimage from Jerusalem to London inspired the Heading Home: Glimpses of New Jerusalem exhibition and film, inviting us to glimpse that heavenly city through beauty and mystery passed down by our predecessors.

Heading Home: Glimpses of New Jerusalem is a multi-dimensional event series exploring the Christian life as a journey toward the New Jerusalem. Through art, photography, film, and conversation, this experience draws us into the profound question: What does it mean to be a pilgrim on earth?

Documentary Film

The centerpiece is the documentary film Heading Home: A 21st Century Pilgrimage, directed by Emmy-winning filmmaker, Jody Hassett Sanchez, that follows a group of pilgrims led by writer and philanthropist Roberta Ahmanson across a two-week, 4,000-mile journey. From Jerusalem鈥檚 4th-century Holy Sepulchre to the cathedrals of Rome, Pisa, Florence, Ravenna, Venice, and Aachen, and finally London鈥檚 Temple Church, the film traces nearly 2,000 years of Christian art and architecture.

Photographic Exhibition

Alongside the film is the photographic exhibition Heading Home: Glimpses of New Jerusalem by Scottish photographer Kieran Dodds, whose striking images invite us on a 鈥渕ini-pilgrimage鈥� across campus. These works provide a meditation on sacred spaces, using contemporary media to provoke reflection on the nearness of the Heavenly City.