Print this issueGrand Rapids, in the shadow of a president
Including first-hand photos from the Gerald R. Ford funeral
On Christmas Eve, my wife and I took a horse-drawn carriage ride through the streets of Grand Rapids. We huddled under a warm blanket and talked about all the familiar sites in Grand Rapids that we knew. After crossing the river, our driver took us on the path around Ah-Nah-Awen Park and up in front of the Gerald R. Ford Museum.
It’s a place we’d been dozen of times before. Fourth of July fireworks. Celebration on the Grand. We’d walked the path in front of the museum the night we got engaged. We had, in fact, parked in the empty Ford Museum parking lot that night and chatted with a security guard who was walking the grounds. As we walked across the pedestrian bridge to Monroe to catch our ride, we stopped for a few minutes to take pictures of the museum across the river. It was a cold, quiet night.
Kerux interview: N. T. Wright
Bishop of Durham, New Testament scholar, and author of Simply Christian
N. T. Wright is the Bishop of Durham in the Church of England and a leading scholar in New Testament studies. Wright has written numerous books and articles on many aspects of New Testament theology, especially with respect to the epistles of Paul. Wright’s new book, Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense, is billed as a contemporary work of apologetics in the same vein as C. S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity.
Wright spoke at the January Series in the Fine Arts Center of Calvin College on Friday, January 5 and met before dinner with Kerux Editor in Chief Christian Bell to discuss C. S. Lewis, cultural transformation, and political theology.
The Josiah Initiative: Speak the truth in love
The third of a four-part conversation regarding the church’s need for renewal
Some of us have been called to be apostles; some to be prophets; some, evangelists; some, pastors; and some to be teachers. No matter who God has called us to be, we have all been called to speak the truth in love. What does that really mean, particularly with people who may be affected by pornography – with people who view pornography here at CTS. How might we do that?
Two articles have been dedicated to opening the conversation about pornography at CTS. Now the time has come to lay out the answers, to come through with the cure-all, the quick fix. I am afraid that we are sorely lacking in this area. We have ideas – we have thoughts – but it is going to take a community of people who believe that pornography must be rooted out, and that people who view pornography must be loved unconditionally to do this. Thus, speaking truth in love.
How do we do this?
Advantages of a semester scheduling system
The process of curriculum revision at Calvin Seminary has been a slow one. I can still remember David DeBoer, former Admissions Counselor at Calvin Seminary, telling me about the turmoil surrounding the faculty’s decision to replace a church history course with a class on pastoral care in the core curriculum back in the day. Apparently some members of the faculty were concerned that the seminary was becoming “too soft.” Since that decision, the curriculum at Calvin Seminary has undergone further revision, with introductory Greek now taught at the seminary and Hebrew taught online. Most recently, the Systematics department reduced the number of core courses. With the exception of online Hebrew, I think that all of these changes have been positive. However, more change is needed.
Come on, white people!
A discussion about Proposal 2
The entire Calvin Seminary Community is invited to read this article, but as the title suggests, it’s directed particularly at the white folks here (specifically male ones, like myself). This article is an acknowledgement of a problem that should make us uncomfortable: racism.
As you probably know, “the people” of Michigan recently voted yes on Proposal 2, effectively banning affirmative action. The measure passed by a vote of 58% to 42%. Recently, many minorities and some white people have begun to protest the law, claiming the proposal was “unconstitutional.” Meanwhile, others (mainly white people with some minority support) continue to uphold the ban and vocalize their displeasure with the reactionary nature of the dissenters.
Winter: Delayed, and Spring?
Two poems by Joyce Ten Haven
Letters to the editor and notices
Weekly letters to the editor and seminary notices