It would be nice if a review on a book about the events in Ferguson Missouri, which unfolded over a year ago, would be not be needed. Sadly, it is obvious that the events of Ferguson were not exceptional events. In America today, there is a great need for changes … ∞
In the past year there has been a renewal in the conversation about the experiences of women at the seminary. Last spring just over two dozen women participated in study groups to share their stories. The beginning of November brought the release of a summary of the report from those … ∞
Bees are industrious creatures. They quietly go about their short lives pollinating flowers and making honey. While we may not pay much attention to these little creatures, they provide a fundamental service to humanity. In fact, 1/3 of the food consumed by humans is thanks to bees pollinating flowers. Student … ∞
I did not go to seminary expecting to inherit a cause. No, I went to add some letters behind my name, learn a little Hebrew, and return to editing, a quiet job where I spend most of my time introducing and eliminating commas. I will not speak here of the … ∞
Have you ever considered the sound of darkness? Perhaps that is an odd question for you. Usually darkness is associated with color, not sound. Actually, darkness doesn’t really have a color. Darkness is probably best measured in the absence of light. When we see color, what we actually see is … ∞
What are the social implications of the gospel? This was the question that initially prompted our work on the November/December edition of the Kerux. The writers present a message that is rooted in the vision of never settling for what has been done. In ministry there is always progress to … ∞
At the end of this past summer, I found myself at a picnic bench having an interesting conversation with one of the student leaders from my youth ministry. We talked about the retreats she attended this past summer. Unfortunately, she wasn’t satisfied with any of them. They didn’t solve the … ∞
Last year I had no idea what CPE was; all I knew was that seminary people liked to throw around that three letter acronym. It wasn’t until I became very interested in pastoral care through Rev. Ron Nydam’s class that I began to look at what my options were for … ∞
Recently Madison Square Church and Calvin Theological Seminary partnered to host a CCDA (Christian Community Development Association) Café — an introduction to principles of community development with the CEO of the organization, Noel Castellanos. As part of the café, President of the seminary, Rev. Jul Medenblik and Director of Outreach … ∞
I am slightly older than most M.Div. students at Calvin Theological Seminary. Okay… unofficially, I am the oldest current full-time M.Div. student at CTS. It takes some of us longer than others to figure out what we want to be when we grow up. (Now that I’ve figured that out, … ∞
When I was first asked to write this article, I hesitated because the theme “Change our World” sounded too grandiose. I mean, although I did have a great Pastoral Ministry Internship experience this summer, it was only 10 weeks (it didn’t quite go past the honeymoon stage). But as I … ∞
I followed the others into the conference room with a tight knot in my stomach. This was the room at Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services where the CPE students and supervisors would meet for twelve hours each week this summer. We would be learning by listening to lectures, sharing … ∞
What would you like to talk about today? I was sitting in Karl’s office during the first of many weekly individual supervision sessions that would come to define the summer like a heartbeat—a steadying, bracing pulsation. That particular question (What would you like to talk about today?) would also repeat … ∞
When we think about “white flight” what do we imagine? Do we simply imagine white people leaving a community? Or do we consider dilapidated housing in segregated neighborhoods? Do we see the economic disparity created by the (primarily white) people who control the assets? White flight is a phenomenon which … ∞
North-Philadelphia-born rap artist, PnB Rock, glimpses some of the unforgiving urban realities that face North Philly in his song, “My City Needs Something.” Rock depicts for us the harsher side of living in the hood [1]. He paints in bleak strokes the sights and sounds of the trouble around him, … ∞
