Responses to the Enlightenment: An Exchange on Foundations, Faith, and Community

ICS Senior Member Emeritus Henk Hart's new book Responses to the Enlightenment: An Exchange on Foundations, Faith, and Community is now available.

From the publisher's website:
"[the book] is a dialogue between Hendrik Hart and William Sweet, two philosophers who identify themselves as Christians, and who seek to respond to the challenges of the Enlightenment and its legacy. The authors approach the relation of faith to reason, however, in very different ways: Hart from the perspective of the Calvinian tradition and postmodern philosophy, Sweet from the Catholic tradition and analytic philosophy. Among the topics discussed are the nature of religious faith and of reason, liberalism and orthodoxy in religion, the relation of religious experience and rationality, and building community in a religiously and culturally pluralistic world."

More on the book can be found at
www.rodopi.nl/ntalpha.asp?BookId=VIBS+241&type=coming&letter=P

Apr 2012: Social Justice and Human Rights Conference

The Centre for Philosophy, Religion and Social Ethics is hosting a two-day interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral conference on Social Justice and Human Rights, co-sponsored by Emmanuel College, taking place on April 27 and 28, 2012 at Victoria University in the University of Toronto. This conference will bring together participants from a wide diversity of interests, such as scholars and academic researchers, practitioners engaged in social justice and rights advocacy, leaders from various faith traditions, and other citizens who wish to reflect on the themes of the conference.

Full details about the Social Justice and Human Rights Conference will be available on the conference website at http://conference.icscanada.edu due to be launched on December 5th.

ICS Worldview Conference—Spring 2012 Edmonton, Calgary and BC

Edmonton, Calgary and Surrey readers, join us for a screening and discussion of the documentary Songs of Love and Sorrow: Re-engaging the Social Ethics of Music. A review of the Institute for Christian Studies’ Art Talks event of 2010, the documentary considers the nature of music’s role in the public sphere. Can music have a social impact? Should it? When does it cease to be music and become propaganda? What is the role of faith in socially engaged music? We will consider these and other questions as we watch the film together and discuss. The film portrays the work of several contemporary composers who engage with themes of social relevance and the interaction of these composers with contemporary philosophers and ethicists. The discussion will be introduced and led by Dr. Rebekah Smick, Senior Member in Philosophy of the Arts and Culture and ICS Junior Member Rebecca Tait.

Locations and times for the event are:

Edmonton: Monday, February 27 at 7pm at The King’s University College, 9125 - 50 Street.

Calgary: Wednesday, February 29 at 7pm at Emmanuel CRC, 3020 51 Street SW

Surrey: Friday, March 2 at 7pm at Fleetwood CRC, 9165 160 Street

Watch future issues of Channel 229 for more information about these upcoming events.

ICS Annual General Meeting Held on November 16

We are pleased to welcome four new Board members, approved at the AGM held on November 16: Alyce Oosterhuis, Matt Bonzo, John Valk and Sally Jongsma. In addition, Henriette Thompson and Aileen Van Ginkel will each begin a second term. We look forward to working with all of them.

Special thanks go to outgoing Board members Kevin van der Leek, Co Vanderlaan, Bill Van Groningen, Vicki Kok, Kathy Vandergrift and Carol Veldman Rudie, each of whom completed two terms of office.

The usual administrative and financial reports were accepted and passed; thank you to all who participated.

Nov 23-24: Cal Seerveld at Redeemer University College

Senior Member Emeritus Cal Seerveld's translation of the Biblical books of Ecclesiastes and The Song of Songs is being presented at Redeemer College in Ancaster, Ontario during the week of November 21-26. These Scriptures are conceived as unified choruses of diverse voices, and are performed along with song and musical interludes as interpretive commentary. Cal will be presenting lectures on November 23 and 24. For more information about this unique theatrical experience, visit www.redeemer.ca/mainstage.

Nov 17: John Suk in Grand Rapids

Former ICS president John Suk has recently published a book titled Not Sure: A Pastor's Journey from Faith to Doubt. Published by Eerdmans, the book chronicles both the history of faith and John's struggle with doubt. An article about the book in Northumberland Today can be found at: http://www.northumberlandtoday.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3320660.

You can now order the book from Amazon.ca or Amazon.com (which also has the Kindle version). The introduction to the book is available on Suk's blog at http://faithisntwhatyouthink.blogspot.com/.

John will be speaking as part of Eerdmans 100th anniversary authors' series, on Thursday, November 17, at 7 pm. Eerdmans is located at 2140 Oak Industrial Drive NE, Grand Rapids.

Jeff Hocking at the AAR in San Francisco

Junior Member Jeffrey Hocking will be presenting material related to his dissertation research at the American Academy of Religion's annual meeting in San Francisco. The presentation will take place Saturday, November 19th from 9:00-11:00 in the morning as a part of the first convening of the AAR/SBL Theopoetics working group. The title of his paper is “Liberating Language: Rubem Alves, Theopoetics, and the Democratization of God-Talk”. Jeff will also be attending a special session prior to the conference celebrating Clark Pinnock's life and work.

Nov 24 - Heaven: Is It Part of Creation?

The Institute for Christian Studies presents "Heaven: Is it Part of Creation?" a public lecture by Professor Donald Sinnema.

In this lecture, Prof. Sinnema will challenge the popular Christian conception that heaven is an eternal spiritual realm outside of creation, a realm that includes God, angels, and the souls of deceased believers.

CPRSE Celebrated at Gala Launch

ICS was very pleased to host the Gala Launch of the Centre for Philosophy, Religion and Social Ethics at a reception and banquet held on Monday evening, October 24th at the University of Toronto Faculty Club. The evening began with a reception at 5:30 in the main lounge, at which several invited speakers offered congratulatory remarks from various academic institutions and the Reid Trust. The reception also included a draw for five prizes of a choice of one of Lambert Zuidervaart’s two recent books: Art In Public and Dog Kissed Tears.

Dec. 5, Book Launch & Benefit Concert - Kicking at the Darkness

At Hugh¹s Room in Toronto on the evening of Monday December 5th 2011 there will be a benefit concert and book launch for Brian Walsh's new book Kicking at the Darkness: Bruce Cockburn and the Christian Imagination. The evening will include performances by Steve Bell, Glen Soderholm, Mike Janzen and the Wine Before Breakfast band. Proceeds of the benefit will go to Parkdale Neighbourhood Church.

"God is Dead" and I Don't Feel So Good Myself--A Christian Response to the New Atheism

At 7 pm on Thurs Nov 3, in the Dunker Family Lounge at Renison University College (240 Westmount Rd N) at the University of Waterloo, Dr. Ron Kuipers, ICS professor of Philosophy of Religion and Jon Stanley, ICS PhD candidate in Theology, will be presenting a talk and leading a discussion, about how we, as Christians, can respond to the claim that God is dead, a claim being made by many prominent authors in Europe and North America.

The new atheism challenges Christians. Join us for a presentation and discussion on how faith can lead to dialogue rather than hostility between religious and secular people in our time.

Admission to this event is free. It is co-sponsored by Waterloo CRC and the campus ministry at the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University.

Social Justice and Human Rights Conference—April 2012

Save the date! The CPRSE is planning a two-day interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral conference on Social Justice and Human Rights, co-sponsored by Emmanuel College, to take place on April 27 and 28, 2012 at Victoria University in the University of Toronto.

This major conference will stimulate reflection on the relationship between different conceptions of justice and rights claims, as well as on challenges in current practice and struggles for greater social justice. Keynote speaker Dr. Nicholas Wolterstorff will explore the religious and philosophical roots of the concept of justice, based on themes from his book Justice: Rights and Wrongs. The conference will also feature panel discussions and workshops. It will be of interest to the academic community, practitioners engaged in social justice and rights advocacy, and the broader public.

Watch for further details about this important conference through various ICS channels later this fall.

Congratulations Peter Lok!

ICS alumnus Peter Lok has begun work as a lecturer in the Liberal and Cultural Studies Program at Hong Kong Baptist University. Baptist U is a Christian liberal arts university in Hong Kong. This term, Peter will teach Aesthetics, Love and Humanities, and a course on Theme Parks and other themed spaces.

Jelle Huisman in Dallas, Texas

Junior Member Jelle Huisman is travelling to Dallas on October 14 to 18, to present a paper at an international Bible Translation conference. The paper is about the use of information technology in a bible translation context and it is loosely based on a paper which he wrote for the Christianity and the ecological crisis-course earlier this year. The main challenge for Jelle is the translation from philosophy to something programmers and managers can appreciate.

Cal Seerveld in Chicago and Grand Rapids

Senior Member Emeritus Cal Seerveld is scheduled to introduce the choral reading of his translation of Ecclesiastes by the faculty of Trinity Christian College, directed by John Sebestyen, at the college for the Homecoming Alumni of 1971 at 7 pm on October 6 and 8, and in Grace Church at 2:30 pm on October 9. A jazz composer/clarinetist from Chicago is engaged to do the musical interludes. This event was prompted by ICS alumnus, former ICS Senator, and Sociology professor at Trinity, Brad Breems. For more information, visit http://www.trnty.edu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=968:091011&catid=2:events&Itemid=1204

While he is at Trinity, Cal will to teach a theology (Proverbs as Wisdom Literature) and an aesthetics philosophy class (composing pop songs--requested by Prof. Aron Reppmann).

Also, Cal is scheduled to speak on "The Church and the World of Modern Art" at Forest Hills Presbyterian Church in Grand Rapids at 10 am on Sunday, October 23, at its adult education session, organized by Henry Vander Goot.

Shannon Hoff in Newfoundland

On Oct 6 to 8, at Memorial University in St. John's, Newfoundland, Senior Member Shannon Hoff will be presenting a paper based on her inaugural address at the Canadian Society for Continental Philosophy meeting.

CPRSE Launch Celebration

Please join us on the evening of Monday, October 24 for the Gala Launch Celebration of the Centre for Philosophy, Religion and Social Ethics. The festivities will be held at the Faculty Club at the University of Toronto, commencing with a reception at 5:30 p.m. This will be followed by a gala banquet, featuring an inaugural address by the CPRSE's founding Director Lambert Zuidervaart on "Living at the Crossroads: Ethical Scholarship and the Common Good", as well as a performance by internationally acclaimed violinist Barry Shiffman, Associate Dean of the Glenn Gould School at The Royal Conservatory, joined by musicians of the Royal Conservatory's Young Artists Performance Academy.

Tickets for this fundraising event are $125 per person and are available online or by calling Kathy at 416-979-2331 ext. 221 (or toll-free 1-888-326-5347). The deadline for ordering banquet tickets is October 14th.

For further information or to inquire about sponsoring a table for the banquet, please contact Lyle Clark, Assistant Director of the CPRSE at 416-979-2331 ext. 247 or by email to cprse@icscanada.edu.

“God is Dead” and I Don’t Feel So Good Myself—a Christian Response to the New Atheism

Waterloo area readers, please mark your calendars: On the evening of Thurs Nov 3, at Renison University College at the University of Waterloo, Dr. Ron Kuipers, an ICS faculty member and Jon Stanley, one of our graduate students, will be presenting a talk and leading a discussion, about how we, as Christians, can respond to the claim that God is dead, a claim being made by many prominent authors in Europe and North America.

The new atheism challenges Christians. Join us for a presentation and discussion on how faith can lead to dialogue rather than hostility between religious and secular people in our time.

Janet Read: Recent Work

ICS alumna Janet Read is participating in an art show titled “The Language of Abstraction” from Sept 15 to Oct 8 at Coopers Fine Art Gallery, 111 Bathurst St. (upstairs), Toronto.

Janet will also be exhibiting new paintings at Christensen Fine Art in Peterborough from Sept 30 to Oct 22. There will be an opening reception for this solo exhibition on Friday, Sept 30 from 6 to 9 pm. For more information, visit www.christensenfineart.com.

A Pastor's Journey from Faith to Doubt

Former ICS president John Suk has published a new book titled Not Sure: A Pastor's Journey from Faith to Doubt. There is a good article about it at
http://eerdword.wordpress.com/2011/08/23/i-wish-i-could-be-afraid-by-john-suk/ and the book can be purchased at http://www.eerdmans.com/shop/product.asp?p_key=9780802866509.

Job Posting: Senior Development Officer

The Institute for Christian Studies is seeking an energetic, organized and committed individual to fill the role of Senior Development Officer, focusing on a major gift program, on a full-time, short-term contract. For more information about this position, see http://www.icscanada.edu/jobs.

Art in Public Goes Public

Lambert Zuidervaart’s new book Art in Public is featured in two recent publications:

An interview with Lambert has appeared in the newspaper Friesch Dagblad (August 27, 2011), in a two-page spread written by Dutch journalist Tjerk de Reus. The article emphasizes the importance of the arts for a thriving democracy. The article (in Dutch) can be accessed via the home page of CPRSE web site at http://www.icscanada.edu/cprse.

Art in Public is also the topic of a favourable review written by Daniel Taylor. The review appears in Comment magazine published by Cardus, a think tank dedicated to the renewal of North American public life. You can find Daniel Taylor’s review at http://www.cardus.ca/comment/article/2886/.

Wed. Sep. 14 - Faith, Film and TIFF

Seeing in the Dark: Faith, Film and TIFF

Public event hosted by Urban Remixed and Imago

Panel discussion of the theme plus a special screening of the award-winning short film "Kavi".

Wednesday September 14, 2011, 7:30 - 9:30 PM
Church of the Redeemer (Avenue Rd. & Bloor St.)

Cal Seerveld at Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids

On the evening of Thursday, September 29, at 8 pm, Senior Member Emeritus Cal Seerveld is scheduled to introduce a performance of his translation of Ecclesiastes as a unified chorus of diverse voices, at Cornerstone University, 1001 East Beltline, Grand Rapids, Michigan. This performance will be directed by Randall Burghart, along with Michael Card and others playing musical interludes as commentary. ICS alumnus Professor Matt Bonzo has taken the initiative for this event.

Doug Blomberg at New Saint Andrews College in Idaho

Senior Member Doug Blomberg will present a paper at the Association of Reformed Institutions of Higher Education (ARIHE) Symposium, "A Pedagogy for Royalty", to be held on September 15-17 at New Saint Andrews College in Idaho. Doug will also represent ICS at the ARIHE Business Meeting on Saturday afternoon. For more information visit http://arihe.org.

CPRSE Launches the Ground Motive Forum

The Centre for Philosophy, Religion and Social Ethics is pleased to announce the launch of a new internet forum under the name Ground Motive. Ground Motive is a forum to host and foster online dialogue on subjects of relevance to the CPRSE’s mandate. It is intended for the benefit of the CPRSE and of all whose subject interests or fields of research and study intersect with those of the CPRSE and its participants.

The name Ground Motive is derived from a concept developed by the 20th century Dutch philosopher Herman Dooyeweerd. He theorized that a religious ground motive has “a central communal character and gives expression to a common spirit… It lies at the foundation of a community of thought, insofar as it guarantees ... mutual understanding, even between philosophical trends which vehemently combat each other.”

The Ground Motive forum can be accessed directly at www.groundmotive.net. We encourage everyone to visit the forum and post comments on our articles. And if you have any general feedback about the forum, please contact Lyle Clark at the CPRSE at cprse@icscanada.edu.

Next Issue of Perspective

The upcoming issue of Perspective will include a feature article by Henk Hart, special articles by Allyson Carr and Doug Blomberg, and an interview with Lambert Zuidervaart on the role of research in the post 9/11 world. The well-received "In-House Review" continues and will include reviews of Lambert's new book and a significant post 9/11 Bollywood movie, among others.

Watch for the latest issue of Perspective coming in mid-September.

CPRSE Launch Celebration in Toronto on October 24

Please join us on the evening of Monday, October 24, 2011 for the Launch Celebration of the Centre for Philosophy, Religion, and Social Ethics. The festivities will be held at the Faculty Club at the University of Toronto, commencing with a reception at 5:30 p.m. with words of welcome from Dr. Lambert Zuidervaart, Director of the CPRSE and Professor of Philosophy at ICS. This will be followed by a sumptuous banquet, featuring a performance by internationally acclaimed classical violinist Barry Shiffman, formerly a member of the St. Lawrence String Quartet, joined by musicians of the Royal Conservatory’s Young Artists Performance Academy. Tickets for this fundraising event are $125 per person; they will be available for purchase by phone or online through our website in early September.

For further information or to inquire about sponsoring a table for the banquet, please contact Lyle Clark, Assistant Director of the CPRSE at 416-979-2331 ext. 247 or by email to lclark@icscanada.edu. More information about this event will be posted at http://www.icscanada.edu/cprse.

Christian Philosophy Conference 2011 in Amsterdam

A number of Senior and Junior Members from ICS are participating in the international conference titled “The Future of Creation Order” held at the VU University on August 16-19 on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Association for Reformational Philosophy.

ICS will have a significant presence at this conference: Senior Member Bob Sweetman is presenting a paper at the Vollenhoven Symposium held before the conference and is responding to the opening lecture by Henk Geertsema. Senior Member Lambert Zuidervaart is speaking at the pre-conference seminar, a plenary session and the concluding panel. Senior Members Nik Ansell and Doug Blomberg, Junior Member Joe Kirby and former Junior Member Johnathan Weverink are speaking at workshops.

For more information about this conference, visit http://cpc.ziltsysteem.nl/

Songs of Love and Sorrow: Re-Examining the Social Ethics of Music - Video Released

ICS is pleased to be able to release to the public "Songs of Love and Sorrow: Re-Examining the Social Ethics of Music," a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada funded video documenting a half-day conference and music performance on the relation of music and ethics that was co-organized by ICS, the Toronto School of Theology and the Royal Conservatory in April of 2010. The video highlights the work of three contemporary composers who have responded in their music to some of the most pressing social issues of our era as it considers the character of music's relationship to ethics.

• Watch the video on YouTube

Congratulations, Pam Trondson!

Pam Trondson was ICS's Director of Student Services from 1999 till 2007. Hers was a demanding position, overseeing, organizing, and executing virtually everything related to the presence of Junior Members at ICS. Indeed, the presence of many was brought about by Pam's very effective recruiting. ICS also benefited from the activities she organized: parties, retreats, a work study program and chapel. She also looked after admissions, awards, and student care.

Obviously Pam's decision to embark on another career outside of ICS created a considerable vacuum. She had become a real friend and colleague who contributed significantly. However, Pam's heart was set on ordination to ministry in the church. Thus she became a student herself. On May 1 she ended the first phase and was ordained as deacon by Anglican Archbishop Colin Johnson in an impressive service and ceremony at St. Paul's in Toronto, which was filled to capacity. Ordination as priest will follow in a year.

Henk Hart attended the ordination service and, upon learning that Pam would preach her inaugural sermon three weeks later in Newmarket, close to where he lives, decided also to attend that event at St. Paul's Anglican. Rev. Trondson is now the assistant curate at the church for the next two years, preaching twice a month, doing pastoral duties, working with children, leading in contemplation gatherings, and carrying out special projects. Clearly she will be as busy with a variety of tasks as she was at ICS and in her gracious and gifted ways will enrich the life of the congregation in which she works.

Congratulations Pam. We wish you well!

Congratulations, Allyson Carr!

On 15 June Allyson Carr made ICS history.  She became the first PhD candidate to complete all the requirements necessary to the reception of the first PhD from ICS in which ICS is the only granting institution.  She did so by defending her thesis entitled "Fiction as Philosophy: Reading the Work of Christine de Pizan and Luce Irigaray to Write a Hermeneutics of Socially Transformative Fiction-mediated Philosophy."  Along with thesis director Bob Sweetman, she was examined by Jim Olthuis and Lambert Zuidervaart and by two external examiners Doctors Jill Ross and Suzanne Conklin-Akbari of the University of Toronto.  In the thesis Allyson had the nerve to put women thinkers of very different eras (15th century and 21st century) and scholarly cultures into a conversation that allowed her to explore the ways in which fiction can be employed to further philosophical thought.  She succeeded in this delicate task in ways that made her thesis an exceptionally engaging piece to read and think about.  The degree will be conferred at our convocation in May 2012. Congratulations Allyson!

Congratulations, Dr. Lok!

Lok Wing-Kai (Peter) successfully defended his dissertation and received his doctorate at the VU University Amsterdam on July 5. His dissertation is titled “Foucault, Levinas and the Ethical Embodied Subject”. ICS Senior Member Lambert Zuidervaart served as Peter’s supervisor (“promotor”), and VU Professor Wouter Goris served as his co-supervisor (“co-promotor”) in the ICS/VU conjoint PhD degree program. Members of the reading and examining committees included ICS Senior Member Shannon Hoff and Jeff Dudiak, Professor of Philosophy at The King’s University College in Edmonton. In the words of Professor Zuidervaart’s laudatio, “Peter’s dissertation uses the work of two prominent French thinkers to develop a conception of the ethical embodied subject. The dissertation undertakes an extensive comparison between Michel Foucault’s later writings and Emmanuel Levinas’s post-ontological ethics. Peter discovers more in common between Foucault and Levinas than one might have expected. And he argues that where they differ, each can learn from the other. To take up two such prominent thinkers like this and put them into constructive dialogue is a notable achievement.” Dr. Lok currently lives in Hong Kong and teaches at Ling Lam University. The ICS community extends hearty congratulations to Peter and to his family, friends, and colleagues.

Congratulations, Dr. DeMoor!

Michael DeMoor successfully defended his dissertation and received his doctorate at the VU University Amsterdam on July 4. His dissertation is titled “Brandom and Hegel on Objectivity, Subjectivity and Sociality: A Tune beyond Us, Yet Ourselves.” ICS Senior Member Lambert Zuidervaart served as Michael’s supervisor (“promotor”), and VU Professor Peter Koslowski served as his co-supervisor (“co-promotor”) in the ICS/VU conjoint PhD degree program. Members of the reading and examining committees included ICS Senior Member Shannon Hoff and Paul Franks, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Toronto. In his laudatio to conclude the ceremony, Professor Zuidervaart remarked: “Michael’s dissertation offers a lucid and thorough exposition and critique of a leading American philosopher. Many scholars would think twice before tackling a thinker as protean and complex as Brandom or Hegel. To have addressed both of them, to have done this well, and to have done so as a reformational philosopher is indeed a wonderful achievement.” Dr. DeMoor currently serves as Assistant Professor of Social Philosophy in Politics, History, and Economics at The King’s University College in Edmonton. The ICS community extends hearty congratulations to Michael and to his family, friends, and colleagues.

Junior Member Jelle Huisman Welcomes His Son

Congratulations to Junior Member Jelle Huisman and his wife Janneke, on the birth of their son Laurens, on June 20th. Big sisters Marijke, Judith and Femke are delighted with their new baby brother! We thank God that all went well with mother and child and we pray for God's blessing on Laurens.

Doug Blomberg in Australia

This month, Senior Member Doug Blomberg will be speaking in Darwin, Australia at the International Transforming Education Scholarly Symposium sponsored by the International Association for the Promotion of Christian Higher Education (IAPCHE). Doug will present the opening keynote speech, titled "Where is the Wisdom We Have Lost in Knowledge?", and will partner with Professor Dinkarlal in the final plenary session to draw together the themes discussed in the symposium. Later in the week he will also be presenting a paper titled "20/20 Vision for 2020 Schooling: Remembering Rightly in a Violent World" at the International Transforming Education Conference. This conference is being organized by the National Institute for Christian Education.

Art in Public - Lambert Zuidervaart

Senior Member Lambert Zuidervaart's latest book, Art in Public: Politics, Economics, and a Democratic Culture (Cambridge University Press, 2011), has received a strong review in the Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews. To read this review, visit http://ndpr.nd.edu/review.cfm?id=24011.

Additions to Perspective Archives

We have been working on scanning our archives of Perspective starting with Volume 1 Issue 1 from 1967. Find them on our website at http://www.icscanada.edu/perspective along with more recent issues. The old pictures alone are worth the visit!

Distinguished Alumni Award for John Hulst

John Hulst, long-time ICS supporter and FICS board member, is being honoured by the Calvin Theological Seminary with a Distinguished Alumni Award. This award is given annually to recipients who have brought unusual credit to their alma mater by their distinction in Christian ministry. John Hulst has had an immensely fruitful ministry as author, speaker, and servant of the church. He has published scores of articles, reviews, and essays and has addressed innumerable church and educational bodies across North America and in international settings.

Congratulations from the ICS community!

Phone-a-thon 2011

We are wrapping up our annual Phone-a-thon. A BIG THANK YOU to our ICS Board members, FICS Board members, faculty members and student volunteers who are making the calls and to all our supporters for taking the time to speak with them.

Many of you have shared your ICS stories with our callers—stories that encourage us as we look to a positive future, including the opening of the Research Centre. Our students also enjoyed sharing their ICS stories—stories that have given you a first-hand glimpse of how your gift is helping ICS through its programs to bring renewal and hope to our world.

If for some reason we missed connecting with you by phone, you still have time to send in your gift. Your gift is vital to our work. You can donate online at http://www.icscanada.edu/ics/giving/, call us at 414-979-2331 ext 223 (Vidya Williams) or ext 221 (Kathy Lynch) to make a credit card donation or mail your cheque to Institute for Christian Studies, 100-229 College St., Toronto ON M5T 1R4.

THANK YOU for your partnership!

Senate Report: 2011

The Senate, ICS's academic governing board, met on May 19 to review the work of our faculty, junior members, and research centre during the past academic year. After discussing materials prepared by ICS's Professional Status Committee and conducting interviews, the Senate approved Senior Members Nik Ansell (Theology) and Ron Kuipers (Philosophy of Religion) for continuing appointment (i.e., tenure). Nik and Ron also received approval for sabbaticals next year, and Ron was promoted to the rank of Associate Professor. Senior Member Rebekah Smick (Philosophy of the Arts and Culture) was re-appointed for a further three-year term. In addition, Doug Blomberg was appointed Academic Dean for two years, and Lambert Zuidervaart was appointed to a second one-year term as Director of the Centre for Philosophy, Religion and Social Ethics. We thank these faculty members for their excellent work and congratulate them on their significant achievements.

ICS's Senate has fourteen members: six "internal senators" from our administration, faculty, and junior members, and eight "external senators" from other schools. Each external senator serves for a five-year term and can serve two consecutive terms. Two of our senators reached the end of their terms on May 19: Professor Barbara Carvill (Emerita, Calvin College) and Professor Nicholas Wolterstorff (Emeritus, Yale University). They have served us faithfully and well for a combined total of more than 20 years. Professor Carvill has also served as ICS's chancellor in recent years. We offer our heartfelt thanks to Barb and Nick.

On May 19 the Senate appointed Dr. Jennifer Harris to be ICS's next chancellor. The chancellor represents ICS in public academic settings, most notably in the awarding of master's and doctoral degrees. A member of ICS's Senate for the past five years, Dr. Harris is Associate Professor in the Christianity and Culture Program at the University of St. Michael's College and the Director of Graduate Studies in the Department for the Study of Religion at the University of Toronto. We extend our hearty congratulations to Jennifer and thank her for taking up the chancellor's position.

April 9 in Edmonton: Healing Art

Music, creative writing and the visual arts can be agents of healing in a broken world. But they need healing too. Join Lambert Zuidervaart as he shares insights from his most recent books. Lambert will talk about the role of the arts in society, and he will reflect on how music and creative writing have helped him live with personal loss.

You will have a chance to greet Lambert at a book-signing reception, where copies of Dog-Kissed Tears: Songs of Friendship, Loss and Healing and Art in Public: Politics, Economics and a Democratic Culture will be on sale.

Saturday, April 9, 2011
The King's University College
9125 50 St., Edmonton

10:00-11:30 Art in Public
11:30-12:30 Break, book sales
12:30-1:30 Dog Kissed Tears
1:30-2:30 Book signing, reception

April 7 in Calgary: Dog-Kissed Tears: Songs of Friendship, Loss and Healing

Dog-Kissed Tears explores the life and loss of a remarkable 15-year-old retriever named Rosa. Lambert Zuidervaart tells the story of a furry family member’s unconditional love and gives voice to the quiet grief of losing a canine companion and dear friend. His meditative memoir, sprinkled with musical references and spiritual overtones, connects Rosa’s friendship to his circle of human friends. Lambert's reflections on Rosa’s life and death bring back childhood memories and lead him into self-discoveries of middle age. Join Lambert as he reads from his book and reflects on how music and creative writing can help us live through personal loss.

Thursday, April 7, 2011 7:00 pm
Emmanuel Christian Reformed Church
3020 51 Street SW, Calgary

April 6 in Toronto: Art Exhibition and Art Talks!

Art and Theology in Dialogue

Concerning the Spiritual in Art
Art Exhibition of works by Toronto artists Tim Whiten, Ted Rettig, Paul Fournier and Lynne McIlvride-Evans

Exhibition Opening Reception:
April 6, 4:30 - 6:30pm
Toronto School of Theology, 47 Queen's Park Crescent East

Panel Discussion with the Artists:
April 6, 7:00-8:30pm following the opening reception
Moderated by Dr. Rebekah Smick, Institute for Christian Studies
Fr. Bob Madden Hall, 100 St. Joseph Street (in Carr Hall)
University of St. Michael’s College (USMC)

Exhibition Hours
April 6 - May 6, 2011
Monday - Friday • 9 am – 5 pm
Toronto School of Theology
47 Queen’s Park Crescent East, Toronto, Ontario M5S 2C3

Private Tours
New this year! Private tours of Fr. Dan Donovan’s extensive art collection housed at USMC – escorted by Fr. Donovan himself!
Limited opportunity, each tour with a maximum of 15
Sign-up begins at the April 6 Panel Discussion
Thereafter by telephone: 416-978-4039

Sponsored By
The Toronto School of Theology | www.tst.edu | 416.978.4039
Institute for Christian Studies | www.icscanada.edu | 416.979.2331 | 1.888.326.5347

"Art in Public" Resources Available

Resources related to Lambert Zuidervaart's recent "Art in Public" events in Grand Rapids have become available at http://artinpublicingr.wordpress.com/ including the outline and summary for the lecture "Who’s Afraid of the NEA? Justice, Solidarity, and a Democratic Culture."

April 14 in Grand Rapids: Reception for Lambert Zuidervaart

There will be an Open House Reception for Lambert Zuidervaart (director of the Centre for Philosophy, Religion and Social Ethic) on Thursday, April 14 7:00-9-00 pm. The reception is hosted by Alice and Morris Greidanus, and Janet and Peter Borgdorff. RSVP: (616) 560-2092 or peterborgdorff@comcast.net

March 23 in Toronto: Art, Civil Society, and Public Justice: A Double Book Launch

Join authors Jonathan Chaplin and Lambert Zuidervaart in celebrating the launch of their new books in social and political philosophy. Jonathan and Lambert will introduce their books, respond to your questions, and talk about one another’s work. Come greet the authors, enjoy refreshments and conversation, and purchase your own signed copies of Herman Dooyeweerd and Art in Public.


Wednesday, March 23, 2:00 pm
Leonard Hall, Wycliffe College, University of Toronto
5 Hoskin Avenue, Toronto (enter from Tower Road)

Sponsored by Centre for Philosophy, Religion, and Social Ethics at the Institute for Christian Studies (research.icscanada.edu). Hosted by Crux Books (www.cruxbooks.com)

About the authors and books:

Dr. Jonathan Chaplin is the first Director of the Kirby Laing Institute for Christian Ethics, Cambridge. He was Associate Professor of Political Theory at the Institute for Christian Studies, where he held the Dooyeweerd Chair of Social and Political Philosophy.

Dr. Lambert Zuidervaart is Professor of Philosophy at the Institute for Christian Studies and founding Director of ICS’s Centre for Philosophy, Religion, and Social Ethics. He is an Associate Member of the Graduate Faculty in Philosophy at the University of Toronto.


Herman Dooyeweerd: Christian Philosopher of State and Civil Society. University of Notre Dame Press, 2011. ISBN: 9780268023058

The twentieth-century Dutch philosopher Herman Dooyeweerd (1894–1977) left behind an impressive canon of scholarly works. Jonathan Chaplin shows how Dooyeweerd helps us understand that state and civil society should be related to achieve justice and the public good.


Art in Public: Politics, Economics, and a Democratic Culture. Cambridge University Press, 2011. ISBN: 9780521112741 (hardback), 9780521130172 (paperback)

Lambert Zuidervaart makes a vigorous case for government arts funding, based on crucial contributions the arts make to civil society. He proposes an entirely new conception of the public role of art, one with wide-ranging implications for education, politics, and cultural policy.


Long information for other publicity about the authors and books:

Dr. Jonathan Chaplin is the first Director of the Kirby Laing Institute for Christian Ethics, Cambridge, a member of the Divinity Faculty of Cambridge University, and a Visiting Lecturer at the VU University, Amsterdam. He was Associate Professor of Political Theory at the Institute for Christian Studies from 1999-2006, holding the Dooyeweerd Chair of Social and Political Philosophy from 2004-6. He is editor of God and Global Order: The Power of Religion in American Foreign Policy (Baylor University Press, 2010) and wrote the report Talking God: The Legitimacy of Religious Public Reasoning for the UK think tank Theos (2009).

Dr. Lambert Zuidervaart is Professor of Philosophy at the Institute for Christian Studies and founding Director of ICS’s Centre for Philosophy, Religion, and Social Ethics. An accomplished musician and writer, he is the former president of the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His other recent books include Dog-Kissed Tears (Wipf & Stock, 2010), Social Philosophy after Adorno (Cambridge UP, 2007), and Artistic Truth: Aesthetics, Discourse, and Imaginative Disclosure (Cambridge UP, 2004). Lambert is an Associate Member of the Graduate Faculty in Philosophy and a Faculty Associate of the Centre for Ethics at the University of Toronto.

Herman Dooyeweerd: Christian Philosopher of State and Civil Society. University of Notre Dame Press, 2011. ISBN: 9780268023058

The twentieth-century Dutch philosopher Herman Dooyeweerd (1894–1977) left behind an impressive canon of philosophical works and has continued to influence a crossdisciplinary community of scholars in Europe and North America. Jonathan Chaplin introduces Dooyeweerd to many English readers by critically expounding Dooyeweerd’s social and political thought and by exhibiting its pertinence to contemporary debates about civil society. Chaplin outlines the distinctive theory of historical and cultural development that underlies Dooyeweerd’s substantive social philosophy; examines Dooyeweerd’s notion of societal structural principles; and sets forth his theory of the state, its definitive nature, and its proper role vis-à-vis other elements of society. Dooyeweerd’s contributions, Chaplin concludes, help us understand how state and civil society should be related to achieve justice and the public good.

Art in Public: Politics, Economics, and a Democratic Culture. Cambridge University Press, 2011. ISBN: 9780521112741 (hardback), 9780521130172 (paperback)

This book examines central questions about funding for the arts: Why should governments provide funding for the arts? What do the arts contribute to daily life? Do artists and their publics have a social responsibility? Challenging questionable assumptions about the state, the arts, and a democratic society, Lambert Zuidervaart presents a vigorous case for government funding, based on crucial contributions the arts make to civil society. He argues that the arts contribute to democratic communication and a social economy, fostering the critical and creative dialogue that a democratic society needs. Informed by the author’s experience leading a nonprofit arts organization as well as his expertise in the arts, humanities, and social sciences, this book proposes an entirely new conception of the public role of art with wide-ranging implications for education, politics, and cultural policy.

March 17-18, Lambert Zuidervaart in Grand Rapids

March 17 and 18: Grand Rapids area readers, Lambert Zuidervaart will be in Grand Rapids for a book launch, lecture, and symposium connected to his new book Art in Public: Politics, Economics, and a Democratic Culture which was recently published by Cambridge University Press.

Lecture and Launch of Art in Public: Politics, Economics, and a Democratic Culture
Thursday, March 17, 2011 7:00 pm
Cook Auditorium, Grand Rapids Art Museum, 101 Monroe Center, Grand Rapids, MI
This free lecture is co-sponsored by the Grand Valley State University Department of Art and Design and the Grand Rapids Art Museum.


Symposium: Art in Public in Grand Rapids
Friday, March 18, 2011 1-4pm
UICA (Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts), 41 Sheldon SE, Grand Rapids, MI
This free symposium is co-sponsored by the Grand Valley State University Department of Art and Design, Civic Studio, and the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts. The symposium is organized in two parts: The first part will look at national and historical contexts, and the second part will focus on the local Grand Rapids context.

For more information about these events, visit artinpublicingr.wordpress.com

Freedom Unlimited

Toronto, March 3, 2011, 5:30 PM
Book Launch and Discussion

Freedom Unlimited: Liberty, Autonomy, and Response-ability in the Open Theism of Clark Pinnock
By Jeffrey S. Hocking

Hosted by Crux Books at Wycliffe College in Leonard Hall
University of Toronto Campus
5 Hoskin Avenue, Toronto (off Tower Rd.)


Reception immediately following

Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN 13: 978-1-60899-469-4
Copies Available for $17

"Like Open Theism itself, the volume works with the concepts of human freedom, which is a category needing to be opened up in open theism. Is not the freedom that God longs to see in us more than bare or indifferent choices but loving freedom? . . . This book is not written in a critical spirit but one which issues an invitation to life."
—Clark Pinnock, from the Foreword

"Hocking pushes the discussion of human freedom and divine power in new and important directions. He seeks to overcome the harsh either/or choice between independent human autonomy or deterministic divine heteronomy by proposing free human faithfulness. And he proposes a doctrine of divine power that is participatory rather than unilateral. This book makes a profound contribution to how we might best think about God's love and free creaturely responses!"
—Thomas Jay Oord, from the back cover

Join us for a discussion of the book and the themes of freedom, heteronomy, and obedience with:

Jeffrey Hocking, Author: Freedom Unlimited

Jon Stanley, Editor/Contributor: Freedom Unlimited, Co-Editor: God is Dead and I Don't Feel So Well Myself

Nik Ansell, Senior Member in Theology at the Institute for Christian Studies

March 23, Toronto, Art, Civil Society, and Public Justice...

March 23, Toronto, Art, Civil Society, and Public Justice, a double book launch: "Sponsored by Centre for Philosophy, Religion, and Social Ethics at the Institute for Christian Studies. Hosted by Crux Books..."

Songs of Love and Sorrow

Toronto, February 17, 2011, 5:00 PM
Documentary Presentation

Songs of Love and Sorrow: re-engaging the social ethics of music

You are cordially invited to the premiere of this documentary with honoured guests the composers Jonathan Berger and James Rolfe.

The documentary showcases the conversations from the "Songs of Love and Sorrow" conference and performance of April 10, 2010

Emmanuel College
75 Queen's Park Crescent, Room 119
Toronto

Reception to follow. For information, contact ICS 416-979-2331