As we enter November, we find ourselves at a meaningful time for reflection and preparation. With the term in full swing, our students are considering the themes they’ve engaged with so far, discerning how these ideas might inspire their final papers and projects. We ask you to join us in prayer that these moments of reflection would bring about creativity and insight as students look forward to sharing their work with others.
Monday, November 4 - Friday, November 8
This week marks the launch of regrowth, a series of monthly reflections by President Ron Kuipers, now available at medium.com/regrowth. In regrowth, Ron searches for healing and renewal in all things. One of the neat things about Medium is that users that have a free account (you can still read the articles without one) can publicly highlight their favourite passages and comment on them, allowing productive discussion and community-building. We hope that regrowth allows the ICS community to celebrate the insights that Ron has offered to us over the years and spark important conversations among ICS folk and beyond. You can sign up for free and follow regrowth here.
Additionally, on
November 4, we will gather for our Fall Scripture of Faith and Scholarship
symposium (zoom link). Entitled “What is ‘Christian’ about Christian Education? Formation
and Learning,” Dr. Edith van der Boom, will present a vision of Christian
education as concerning the whole person. According to van der Boom, Christian
education necessarily emphasizes the importance of
love, knowledge, and embodied learning spaces. These spaces nurture a deep
connection with Christ, personal growth, and formation. Please join us in praying that Edith’s
presentation offers educators of all stripes an opportunity to come together
and discuss practices that enrich their shared learning journeys.
Monday, November 11 - Friday, November 15
This week we begin distributing the Advent Appeal, ICS’s annual financial appeal. We
invite you to pray with us that our community of supporters will come together
generously, enabling our students and faculty to continue the meaningful work
of spreading the good news of God’s renewal. It’s a time of great need, and we
are profoundly grateful for the faithful support that allows us to carry out
our mission.
Also, we begin ramping
up our promotional efforts for courses in our upcoming winter term. These
include:
- Material Spirituality: Rethinking Religion (with Dr. Neal DeRoo) - Explore how religion shapes our experience of the world, rather than being just one type of experience among others. Using insights from religious studies, phenomenology, secularism, and Continental philosophy, examine how religion is influenced by historical and material contexts while also shaping them.
- Rhetoric as Philosophy from Isocrates to the Age of Abelard and
Heloise (with Dr. Bob
Sweetman) - Explore the ancient and medieval study of rhetoric, focusing
on its claim to be a philosophical discourse, via texts by Isocrates,
Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, Augustine, Abelard, and Heloise. In the process,
consider whether historical philosophies should be viewed as speculative
sciences, arts of living, or something else entirely.
- God in Flesh and Blood: Revolutions in Christology (with Dr. Nik Ansell) - Examine
Christology from the perspective of biblical theology, focusing on how the
New Testament relates to themes from the Hebrew Bible. While traditional
theologians often explore systematic questions about Christ’s nature and atonement,
this course will emphasize how Old Testament concepts like exile and
return inform our understanding of Jesus’ birth and crucifixion. Explore
questions such as: How do early followers’ worship of Jesus before the
Resurrection shape our view of his humanity and divinity? What
implications arise from Mary’s encounter with Gabriel? How does
Elizabeth’s greeting to Mary connect to figures like Jael and Judith?
Guiding this exploration of contemporary Christological issues will be
works by James Dunn, Jane Schaberg, and NT Wright.
On November 13, from 6-8PM, Dr. Nik Ansell welcomes guests into Biblical Foundations (RSVP). Please pray that students and visitors alike will find new perspectives and encouragement as they explore how, after so many years, Scripture still speaks anew.
Finally, we invite you to join us in prayer for those attending the Board meeting on November 15. May God grant them wisdom and discernment as they make important decisions for ICS.
Monday, November 18 - Friday, November 22
This week, we relaunch Ground Motive, a dialogue forum that features
opinions from the larger ICS community. It concerns the crossroads of
philosophy, religion, and social ethics (medium.com/ground-motive). We pray that Ground Motive will
foster vital conversations on topics that matter deeply to our community and
beyond.
On November 21 at 7PM, prospective students are invited to join us for an information night on Art in Orvieto, our summer program with Dr. Rebekah Smick in Orvieto, Italy (RSVP). This three-week residency invites participants to explore the intersection of art, religion, and theology. Please pray that prospective students find the inspiration and direction they need as they consider this transformative opportunity.
On November 19, from 2-5PM, Dr. Neal DeRoo welcomes guests into Religion, Life, and Society (RSVP). Consider attending to get a taste of our Newest Senior Member’s take on the Reformational tradition. Please keep him and those attending in your prayers as they dive into questions of reformational philosophy in the context of today’s social landscape.
Monday, November 25 - Friday, November 29
As we enter the last week of November, we invite you to pray with us for our
American friends celebrating Thanksgiving. Many of our new cohort of students
come from the United States, and we pray that this holiday offers a time of
fellowship, gratitude, and respite as they head into the final weeks of their
semester.
We also look forward
to sharing the fall issue of Perspective, which will be available in a
new digital format at medium.com/perspective-ics. This issue, titled Building Up in Love,
introduces our new students and invites readers to reflect and discuss what it
means to “Build Up in Love” in today’s world. We pray that this message spreads
widely, encouraging all who read it.
On November 28, from 2-5PM, Dr. Ron Kuipers welcomes guests into his class Philosophy at the Limit: Richard Kearney (RSVP). This session will explore the boundaries of philosophical inquiry, asking us to consider how our understanding shifts at the edge of intellectual knowledge. Please consider attending and pray for Ron, along with all those participating.
As we close the month
and look towards the start of Advent on December 1, we pray for new life and
direction in our world and hearts. May this season of anticipation bring
renewed hope, guiding each of us to deeper purpose and commitment.
Thank you for your
prayers and ongoing support. It is through your faithfulness that we’re to
continue our work with strength and hope.
