The Korean Student Association (KSA) is composed of Korean students and student families at Calvin Theological Seminary who are trying to help and support each other in the Korean student community. KSA seeks to become a sound community: through shared spiritual disciplines, shared life, and shared pursuit of academic excellence. … ∞
Pastor Dave Beelen of Madison Square CRC who recently taught Theological Education for Formation in Ministry to many first year students wrote an article titled, “Radical Depravity.” In this article, excerpted from a longer essay, he talks about some of his experiences and reflections on racism and the church’s role … ∞
It’s uncomfortable at times to talk with and get to know someone who is different from yourself. It is easiest to remain within your own culture, age, race, or nationality. Even though we would never want to be inhospitable, we often are not hospitable because that requires us to open … ∞
The Student Senate ad-hoc Hospitality Committee was formed this year to meet the needs of the international student body at Calvin Sem. When we began, we thought that the needs would be mostly logistical: transportation, help navigating the postal system, demystifying grocery shopping, etc. However, we found that the need … ∞
It is very unlikely that, over the last fews months, you have not heard the words and phrases “Ferguson,” “Hands up, don’t shoot!” “I can’t breathe!” “Grand Jury Indictment,” and the names Michael Brown and Eric Garner. Though the topic of race is often not very far from the national … ∞
The CTS Table Hockey League crowned a repeat champion this season, as Stanley’s Cup fought off the competition for a second title. In the Cup Finals, Anthony Vander Laan’s squad battled the top team during the season, Ryan Hoekstra’s Potential Problem. The Problem finished atop the table with a sterling … ∞
This previous book of the semester, Tanner Colby’s Some of My Best Friends Are Black, has sparked some thoughtful questions such as “Just how diverse is Calvin Theological Seminary?” “What are some misconceptions about diversity?” And lastly, “Are we as students burned out from talking/thinking about diversity and social justice?” … ∞
After months of work fundraising and participating in leadership trainings, I am finally sitting in my seat on a British airways flight, just outside of Sierra Leone in West Africa. My nerves are beginning to set in. The reality presses upon me that I am entering a place I’ve only … ∞
The Kerux is a Calvin Theological Seminary student publication that has served a variety of purposes over the years including being a place for news, opinions, interviews, announcements, prayer requests, and classifieds. Kerux has been regularly published since 1965 (based on the current volume number). At times, Kerux was a … ∞
This year we are excited to welcome to Calvin Seminary 3 new professors: Amanda Benckhuysen, Danjuma Gibson, and Sarah Schreiber. To help you get to know them, we’d like to spotlight each in a different edition of the Kerux. Our first new faculty spotlight is with Amanda Benckhuysen. What brought … ∞
White people seem to rarely engage in public discussions of racial equality. Perhaps this is partly why the term “integration” has fallen out of favor and been replaced by more popular term “diversity”. At least this was the case until Calvin Theological Seminary’s book of the semester, Tanner Colby’s Some … ∞
This past Thursday CTS welcomed Jonathan Bradford, Reggie Smith, and three community reading groups to a town hall lunch and discussion about “Some of My Best Friends are Black,” our book of the semester. Jonathan Bradford is the head of the Inner City Christian Federation. His organization works to transform … ∞
Scripture Memory club has kicked off well this year according to its facilitators Charles Van Hoffen and Willem DeVries. Grant Hofman commented on how Scripture memorization has enriched his life: “I have noticed that my devotional life often tends to be in dichotomous relationship with the actual daily living of … ∞
Toastmasters is an internationally known organization founded in 1924 which seeks to help people develop their speaking and leadership abilities, to become masters at giving toasts. There are a total fifteen Toastmasters clubs in the Grand Rapids area. The club at CTS is known as Ted Spoelstra’s Toastmasters due to … ∞
Don’t forget to check out some of the opportunities next door at Calvin College! Recently I attended one of Calvin College’s “Christian Perspectives on Science” Seminars, a lecture by Tom McLeish entitled “Faith, Nature, and the Wisdom Tradition.” These seminars presented by leading scholars open conversations on the relationship between … ∞
