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Thursday, 23 May 2013
Dawn Wolthuis in Classis Hamilton "Talk Show"
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Thursday, 16 May 2013
May 2013 Meditation from Bob Sweetman
Two weeks ago or so I finished teaching a course on the intersection of philosophy and rhetoric. It was a very special seminar, one I have been missing since it stopped. I look forward to getting the papers to mark in part because it will be a little like the seminar is still on the go. Together we in the seminar looked at texts that were produced by orators and philosophers of the ancient and medieval worlds as they struggled to understand the connections between language, personal formation and wisdom. Words, they understood, can function as a principle of motion in and among their hearers and readers. Words are dynamic and communicative. You can do things with words. Of course if words are to lead to wisdom one has to pay attention to the circumstances in which words are spoken and received. Wisdom is picky it would seem.
Collectively, these ancient and medieval theorists paint a very interesting picture of words in their connection to wisdom. For one, wisdom demands more than the words themselves can mean or say. Wisdom demands love. One must fall in love with the world that words articulate if one is to encounter wisdom within the words. Speakers and writers must understand the connection between love and wisdom and structure it into their very way with words. You can lay out the truth—Athens should do this or that with respect to the Thebans or Spartans—but if you do it in a way that leaves Athenians cold, that does not provide a way for Athenians to see what ought to be done as lovely and as such moving and attractive, an object of love, you have failed in your truth-telling for truth is in matters of wisdom but a means to an end, and the way from truth-telling means to wise end is motivated by love, at least when the end is something human or divine.
If love has this role, they were convinced, then love must mark the context in which we seek wisdom, in which we seek to see and desire wisely because wisdom is present and deigns to gift us with herself. For the ancients and medievals, that context was communal, a community in which interpersonal relations were marked by friendship. A community of friends, they thought, was the most obvious context in which to generate the love that can move us from truth to wisdom and a life lived wisely. Among the Christian voices we examined there was a sense that the existence of human communities of friends always bespoke a divine agency involved transforming a speaker’s effect so that hearers would be informed, pleased and transformed. Christ the Word and the Spirit were to be numbered members of the community of friends seeking wisdom.
In remembering all this, it struck me that medieval and Christian theorists we read this semester marked out something important about ICS too at its best. It too understands there to be an intimate relationship between words, love and wisdom. It too is at its best a community of friends who struggle to think and speak the truth in love, to speak the truth in such a way that love marks the world spoken in the conviction that there is wisdom to be had in such speaking and loving. May ICS, heck, may we all truly be a community of friends in love with God’s world and as such open to God’s wisdom in service of that world.
Bob Sweetman
Collectively, these ancient and medieval theorists paint a very interesting picture of words in their connection to wisdom. For one, wisdom demands more than the words themselves can mean or say. Wisdom demands love. One must fall in love with the world that words articulate if one is to encounter wisdom within the words. Speakers and writers must understand the connection between love and wisdom and structure it into their very way with words. You can lay out the truth—Athens should do this or that with respect to the Thebans or Spartans—but if you do it in a way that leaves Athenians cold, that does not provide a way for Athenians to see what ought to be done as lovely and as such moving and attractive, an object of love, you have failed in your truth-telling for truth is in matters of wisdom but a means to an end, and the way from truth-telling means to wise end is motivated by love, at least when the end is something human or divine.
If love has this role, they were convinced, then love must mark the context in which we seek wisdom, in which we seek to see and desire wisely because wisdom is present and deigns to gift us with herself. For the ancients and medievals, that context was communal, a community in which interpersonal relations were marked by friendship. A community of friends, they thought, was the most obvious context in which to generate the love that can move us from truth to wisdom and a life lived wisely. Among the Christian voices we examined there was a sense that the existence of human communities of friends always bespoke a divine agency involved transforming a speaker’s effect so that hearers would be informed, pleased and transformed. Christ the Word and the Spirit were to be numbered members of the community of friends seeking wisdom.
In remembering all this, it struck me that medieval and Christian theorists we read this semester marked out something important about ICS too at its best. It too understands there to be an intimate relationship between words, love and wisdom. It too is at its best a community of friends who struggle to think and speak the truth in love, to speak the truth in such a way that love marks the world spoken in the conviction that there is wisdom to be had in such speaking and loving. May ICS, heck, may we all truly be a community of friends in love with God’s world and as such open to God’s wisdom in service of that world.
Bob Sweetman
Ruthanne Crapo in Dayton, Ohio
Junior Member Ruthanne Crapo will present a paper titled “Nature, Bodies, and Representation: Philosophizing with Underrepresented Students as an Underrepresented Philosopher” at the Diversity in Philosophy Conference to be held on May 29-31, 2013 at the University of Dayton in Ohio.
Wednesday, 15 May 2013
ICS Convocation
• Watch the Inaugural Address(es)
Picture, from left to right: Tom Wolthuis, Henriette Thompson, Daniel Mullin, Andrew Tebbut, Elita Fung, Clinton Stockwell, Dawn Wolthuis, Nicholas Terpstra.
Thursday, 2 May 2013
May Prayer Calendar
Wednesday, May 1: We ask for God's guidance for everyone who is involved in planning for next year, including those doing work on our budget.
Thursday, May 2: As we continue our annual Phone-a-thon, we offer prayers of thanks for the diligent work of the volunteers, and the wonderful support of the ICS community.
Friday, May 3: We pray for stamina and wisdom for all those who are preparing for the upcoming Senate and Board meetings later this week.
Sunday, May 5: ICS President Tom Wolthuis will be preaching at New Life Christian Reformed Church in Guelph.
Monday, May 6: We ask God to bless Junior Member Andrew Tebbutt as he defends his MA thesis today.
Tuesday, May 7: We ask God to bless Junior Member Rebecca Tait as she defends her MA thesis today.
Thursday, May 2: As we continue our annual Phone-a-thon, we offer prayers of thanks for the diligent work of the volunteers, and the wonderful support of the ICS community.
Friday, May 3: We pray for stamina and wisdom for all those who are preparing for the upcoming Senate and Board meetings later this week.
Sunday, May 5: ICS President Tom Wolthuis will be preaching at New Life Christian Reformed Church in Guelph.
Monday, May 6: We ask God to bless Junior Member Andrew Tebbutt as he defends his MA thesis today.
Tuesday, May 7: We ask God to bless Junior Member Rebecca Tait as she defends her MA thesis today.
Wednesday, May 8: Today the Leadership Team meets. We offer prayers for God’s wisdom to guide them in their discussions and decisions.
Thursday, May 9: The Senate meets today. We are grateful for our Senators and ask for safe travel and for God's wisdom as they reflect upon and assess the initiatives of the Academic Council and the Professional Status Committee of the past academic year.
Friday, May 10: The ICS Board of Trustees meets today. We are thankful for our Board members and ask for God's guidance as they deliberate, together with other stakeholders, about the strategic direction for ICS. We pray for wisdom as they make decisions concerning our future, addressing the financial challenges and opportunities facing ICS as we move into our next fiscal year.
Thursday, May 9: The Senate meets today. We are grateful for our Senators and ask for safe travel and for God's wisdom as they reflect upon and assess the initiatives of the Academic Council and the Professional Status Committee of the past academic year.
Friday, May 10: The ICS Board of Trustees meets today. We are thankful for our Board members and ask for God's guidance as they deliberate, together with other stakeholders, about the strategic direction for ICS. We pray for wisdom as they make decisions concerning our future, addressing the financial challenges and opportunities facing ICS as we move into our next fiscal year.
Saturday, May 11: We offer prayers of celebration for the successful completion of the academic programs of seven Junior Members, each of whom will be recognized and honoured tomorrow afternoon at ICS's Convocation ceremony. We also celebrate the installation of our new Presidents, Tom and Dawn Wolthuis.
Allyson Carr is presenting a paper in Kalamazoo today. We pray for blessing on everyone who attends this conference.
Sunday, May 12: Today we celebrate Mother's Day. We ask for God's blessing on all mothers, that they may spend a peaceful, joyful and restful day with their loved ones.
Monday, May 13: Today we pray for God's help for those who are struggling with illnesses. We ask God for strength, patience and for good results from treatment.
Tuesday, May 14: We offer prayers of praise for the talents of ICS alumna Janet Read, who is exhibiting her new paintings at Galerie d’Avignon in Montreal.
Wednesday, May 15: We ask God to grant our Junior Members the energy and enthusiasm they need to complete their coursework for this semester.
Thursday, May 16: We pray for God’s blessing for our alumni association. We ask that God will make it an instrument of his will.
Friday, May 17: We offer prayers of gratitude and appreciation for the faithfulness of you, our wonderful donor community, who have continued to give ICS gifts of prayers, money, concern and appreciation. It is truly a blessing to have the continued interest and support of so many people. Thank you!
Sunday, May 19: ICS President Tom Wolthuis will be preaching at Fellowship CRC in Edmonton.
Monday, May 20: We pray for blessings and energy for ICS Presidents, faculty and staff as they work together to manage their many responsibilities.
Sunday, May 12: Today we celebrate Mother's Day. We ask for God's blessing on all mothers, that they may spend a peaceful, joyful and restful day with their loved ones.
Monday, May 13: Today we pray for God's help for those who are struggling with illnesses. We ask God for strength, patience and for good results from treatment.
Tuesday, May 14: We offer prayers of praise for the talents of ICS alumna Janet Read, who is exhibiting her new paintings at Galerie d’Avignon in Montreal.
Wednesday, May 15: We ask God to grant our Junior Members the energy and enthusiasm they need to complete their coursework for this semester.
Thursday, May 16: We pray for God’s blessing for our alumni association. We ask that God will make it an instrument of his will.
Friday, May 17: We offer prayers of gratitude and appreciation for the faithfulness of you, our wonderful donor community, who have continued to give ICS gifts of prayers, money, concern and appreciation. It is truly a blessing to have the continued interest and support of so many people. Thank you!
Sunday, May 19: ICS President Tom Wolthuis will be preaching at Fellowship CRC in Edmonton.
Monday, May 20: We pray for blessings and energy for ICS Presidents, faculty and staff as they work together to manage their many responsibilities.
Tuesday, May 21: ICS President Tom Wolthuis and CPRSE Director Ron Kuipers will be speaking at West End CRC in Edmonton.
Wednesday, May 22: The upcoming summer months are often a time when Junior Members give sustained attention to their Masters and Ph.D. thesis projects. We pray for our Junior Members and ask for God's blessing on their research and writing.
Thursday, May 23: We offer prayers for wisdom and energy for the ICS faculty as they continue to mark the papers from the spring semester.
Friday, May 24: ICS President Tom Wolthuis and CPRSE Director Ron Kuipers will be speaking at Emmanuel CRC in Calgary.
Sunday, May 25: ICS President Tom Wolthuis will be preaching at River Park CRC in Calgary.
Monday, May 27: We ask God's help and guidance for all those who are doing advancement work for ICS both in Canada and in the US. Please pray that support for the vision and mission of ICS continues to grow.
Tuesday, May 28: We thank God for all the applicants to our programs. We pray that the successful applicants will be able to join us in our mission.
Wednesday, May 29: We ask for blessings on Senior Member Ron Kuipers as he continues his work as director of our Centre for Philosophy, Religion and Social Ethics.
Thursday, May 30: We offer prayers of praise for the talents of Junior Member Ruthanne Crapo who will be presenting a paper in Dayton, Ohio today.
Friday, May 31: Senior Members often spend much of the summer developing course curriculum and giving attention to research projects. We are extremely grateful for the work of our Senior Members and ask for God's blessing on them.
Wednesday, May 22: The upcoming summer months are often a time when Junior Members give sustained attention to their Masters and Ph.D. thesis projects. We pray for our Junior Members and ask for God's blessing on their research and writing.
Thursday, May 23: We offer prayers for wisdom and energy for the ICS faculty as they continue to mark the papers from the spring semester.
Friday, May 24: ICS President Tom Wolthuis and CPRSE Director Ron Kuipers will be speaking at Emmanuel CRC in Calgary.
Sunday, May 25: ICS President Tom Wolthuis will be preaching at River Park CRC in Calgary.
Monday, May 27: We ask God's help and guidance for all those who are doing advancement work for ICS both in Canada and in the US. Please pray that support for the vision and mission of ICS continues to grow.
Tuesday, May 28: We thank God for all the applicants to our programs. We pray that the successful applicants will be able to join us in our mission.
Wednesday, May 29: We ask for blessings on Senior Member Ron Kuipers as he continues his work as director of our Centre for Philosophy, Religion and Social Ethics.
Thursday, May 30: We offer prayers of praise for the talents of Junior Member Ruthanne Crapo who will be presenting a paper in Dayton, Ohio today.
Friday, May 31: Senior Members often spend much of the summer developing course curriculum and giving attention to research projects. We are extremely grateful for the work of our Senior Members and ask for God's blessing on them.
Janet Read’s Art Exhibit
Allyson Carr in Kalamazoo
CPRSE
Associate Director Allyson Carr is giving a paper at the International
Congress on Medieval Studies in Kalamazoo on May 11. The title is
"Christine's Stories: Libera and the Sabine Women as Images for Ethical
Political Action".
Lambert Zuidervaart in Kalamazoo
Senior
Member Lambert Zuidervaart will be a featured speaker and guest at a
major conference on “Art, Social Justice, and Critical Theory” at
Kalamazoo College in West Michigan, May 16-18. Friday morning of the
conference is devoted to his work—especially his books Artistic Truth
and Art in Public—and the work of the German philosopher Martin Seel. It
features papers on Zuidervaart and Seel’s philosophies of art by
Professors Paul Guyer (University of Pennsylvania), Richard Eldridge
(Swarthmore College), Michael Kelly (University of North Carolina), and
Elizabeth Millán (DePaul University). Zuidervaart and Seel will give
responses to all four papers, and on Friday afternoon they will comment
on a paper about Schopenhauer’s aesthetics by Professor Sandra Shapshay
(Indiana University) and a paper about Heidegger and Merleau-Ponty by
Professor Veronique Fóti (Pennsylvania State University). Lambert also
will moderate a panel discussion about “Museums and Curatorship” on
Saturday morning. The conference is sponsored by the Arcus Center for
Social Justice Leadership, and it is free and open to the public. More
information is posted at reason.kzoo.edu/criticaltheory/conference/.
Tom Wolthuis to Preach in Guelph, Edmonton and Calgary This Month
On
Sunday, May 5, ICS President Tom Wolthuis will be preaching at New Life
Christian Reformed Church, 400 Victoria Road North, Guelph.
On Sunday, May 19, he will be at Fellowship CRC, 9125 - 50 Street, Edmonton.
Tom Wolthuis and Ron Kuipers in Alberta
Edmonton and Calgary area readers: Please
join us for an evening of celebration and discovery of the new
initiatives and faces at today's ICS. Dr. Tom Wolthuis, new ICS
co-President, and Dr. Ron Kuipers, new Director of ICS' Centre for
Philosophy, Religion, and Social Ethics (CPRSE), would like to express
appreciation for your ongoing support and share news about some exciting
developments now taking place at ICS:
- A partnered, community-based research project with the Christian Reformed Church in Canada exploring the different ways CRC congregants understand the relationship between the Gospel's call to pursue justice and their own sense of spiritual identity
- A planned multi-sector conference on Economic Justice, in partnership with the King's University College, to be held at TKUC in May 2014
We'll
include time for discussion of these and other projects so we can hear
your thoughts about what we are doing, or even about what you think we
should be doing!
Edmonton location: West End CRC
Edmonton location: West End CRC
10015 - 149th St. Edmonton
Tuesday, May 21 at 7 pm
Calgary location: Emmanuel CRC
Calgary location: Emmanuel CRC
3020 - 51 St. SW Calgary
Friday, May 24 at 7 pm
Refreshments will be provided.
We encourage you to invite anyone who you think might be interested in the work of ICS to this event. We are eager to share our work with as wide an audience as possible, and we hope to see you at either the Edmonton or Calgary event!
Refreshments will be provided.
We encourage you to invite anyone who you think might be interested in the work of ICS to this event. We are eager to share our work with as wide an audience as possible, and we hope to see you at either the Edmonton or Calgary event!
To help us with our planning, we would greatly appreciate an RSVP to klynch@icscanada.edu.
May 11: Convocation and Installation
You
are invited to attend the Annual Convocation of the Institute for
Christian Studies for the Conferral of Degrees upon Junior Members and
for the Installation of our Presidents, Tom and Dawn Wolthuis.
Saturday, May 11, 2013 at 2:00 pm
Saturday, May 11, 2013 at 2:00 pm
St. Joseph Chapel, Regis College
100 Wellesley Street West, Toronto
Please join us for the celebration! We have seven Junior Members on track to graduate, and we will be installing our new Presidents. If you are able to join us for this important celebration in the life of ICS and its Junior Members, please RSVP no later than Wednesday, May 8, 2013 to sstovell@icscanada.edu. Space is limited.
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