Richard Middleton Elected President of the Canadian Society of Biblical Studies

ICS Alumnus Richard Middleton, Professor of Biblical Worldview and Exegesis at Northeastern Seminary, has been elected President of the Canadian Society of Biblical Studies (CSBS), the oldest academic humanities society in Canada, founded in 1933. Middleton was elected Vice President/President Elect at the 2018 CSBS annual meeting at the University of Regina; he became President on June 1, 2019, during the annual meeting at the University of British Columbia.

Originally from Jamaica, Middleton immigrated first to Canada (where he studied at the ICS and received his PhD from the joint ICS/VU program), then moved to the United States to take up a faculty position. He became a member of the Canadian Society of Biblical Studies in 1992 and has presented seventeen academic papers at CSBS over those years (as well as twenty-three papers at other academic societies that meet as part of the Congress).

Richard has also published a blog post on being both a Kuyperian and a Wesleyan (originally written as the Foreword to a book on Christian Worldview for Brazilian Christians).
See: https://jrichardmiddleton.wordpress.com/2019/06/12/reflections-of-a-kuyperian-wesleyan/

Truth in Husserl, Heidegger, and the Frankfurt School

ICS is happy to announce the publication of another book by Professor Emeritus Lambert Zuidervaart, titled Truth in Husserl, Heidegger, and the Frankfurt School: Critical Retrieval. Published by the MIT Press, the book is dedicated to Merold Westphal, a leading Christian scholar in continental philosophy, and to the memory of Johan van der Hoeven, Lambert’s PhD supervisor at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. In this new book, Dr. Zuidervaart takes up the most important writings and authors in recent German philosophy in order to propose a new and comprehensive idea of truth. The book has received strong endorsements from scholars in the field. They say it “adroitly moves beyond the sterile isolation” between continental and analytic philosophy (Daniel Dahlstrom) and “takes important steps toward … a more comprehensive conception, in which truth, intersecting with goodness, calls for societal transformation” (Maeve Cooke). They also describe the book as “meticulously researched and elegantly written” (James Gordon Finlayson) and as a “timely must-read for anyone interested in truth” (Barbara Fultner). For more details about this path-breaking book, be sure to visit the publisher’s website.

Art, Education, and Cultural Renewal

Professor Emeritus Lambert Zuidervaart has published a new collection of essays titled Art, Education, and Cultural Renewal: Essays in Reformational Philosophy (McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2017). The book is a companion volume to Religion, Truth, and Social Transformation, published last spring and featured in a symposium on ICS’s Ground Motive blog. In the new book, which is dedicated to Calvin Seerveld, Lambert presents a socially engaged philosophy of the arts and higher education, in interaction with leading Kuyperian thinkers such as Seerveld and Nicholas Wolterstorff. Publication of the book was made possible in part by grants from the Priscilla and Stanford Reid Trust and the Andreas Center at Dordt College. For more details about this intriguing book, be sure to visit the publisher’s website.

Alumnus Adam Smith accepts position in Iowa

ICS alumnus (2006) Adam Smith has just accepted a faculty position, after finishing a PhD in Politics at Brandeis. This fall he will be starting as Assistant Professor of Political Philosophy at the University of Dubuque, in Iowa.

Lambert Zuidervaart in Allendale MI

Senior Member Lambert Zuidervaart will speak on the topic of truth as part of the Philosophy Colloquium Series at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan. Lambert will present his paper, titled “Propositional and Existential Truth in Edmund Husserl’s Logical Investigations,” at 3:00 pm on Friday September 25.

Cal Seerveld at CIVA in Michigan

At the recent CIVA (Christians in the Visual Arts) conference held at Calvin College in Michigan, Senior Member Emeritus Cal Seerveld was part of “The First Generation” opening panel plenary session, chaired by Nick Wolterstorff, with Marleen Hengelaar (Hans Rookmaaker’s daughter), and earlier presidents of CIVA Ted Prescott and Sandra Bowden. They discussed how Christian artists and the Church interacted 35 years ago, what has changed, and how are things now. The next day there was a Q&A time for persons to ask questions and make comments.

On the last evening of the conference at the concluding Arts Festival Cal was surprised to be given an award by CIVA President Cam Anderson, the Johnson Founder’s Award. It was very meaningful to Cal because he had interacted with Eugene Johnson back in 1979 when Patmos was ending in Toronto after ten years of existence, and he was beginning CIVA with colleagues at Bethel College, Minnesota. Cal was a plenary speaker for the CIVA conference when it was held at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, in 1997. That address, “From Ghost Town to Tent City: Artist community facing Babylon and the city of God” is printed in his book Redemptive Art in Society (Dordt Press, 2014).

Doug Blomberg Making Friends in the US

President Blomberg is meeting with supporters in Chicago and Grand Rapids, April 18 and 19. He will also participate in the Friends of ICS Board Meeting on the 20th. We pray these gatherings will be a rich time of interaction between Doug and members of our American community, who have been and remain vital to our mission. There is a line on the map that may seem to divide us, but in our hearts, we are united.

Bob Sweetman in Florida

Senior Member Bob Sweetman will be presenting a paper titled "Admiratio, Imitatio and the Vita Christi in Aquinas' Summa theologiae" at The New College Conference on Medieval and Renaissance Studies on March 6 in Sarasota, Florida.

Junior Members Presenting Papers This Month

Joe Kirby will present “Ontology and Living Death: Solitary Confinement in Prisons and Monasteries.” at the Penn State Philosophy Graduate Student Conference on March 1-3.

Matt Johnson will present “Songs of Solidarity: A New Approach to Liturgical Music and Community Cohesion” and Joe Kirby will present “Mysticism and Madness in Prison Awaiting Death,” at the 20th Annual Graduate Interdisciplinary Conference, held at Concordia University in Montreal on March 6.

Ruth Bott will present “Holy Blood, Menstruation as a Signifier of the Holy: A Study of the Ritual Purity Codes of Leviticus 15” and Caleb Ratzlaff will present “Ephesians and the Household Code: a Conversation with John Howard Yoder at the Advanced Degree Student Association Theology Conference at the Toronto School of Theology on March 14th.

Dean Dettloff will present “Back to the Rough Ground! Into Life!: Anti-Philosophy as Christian Philosophy,” Joshua Harris will present “Propositions, Art, and Truth: Zuidervaart’s Critique of Wolterstorff,” and Matt Johnson will present “A Particular Collision: Arendt, CERN, and Reformational Philosophy” at the 2014 Society of Christian Philosophers and Society for Continental Philosophy and Theology Conference at Trinity Christian College on March 27-29.

Joe Kirby will be presenting “Language is the Fire: Ontology in Solitary Confinement Awaiting Death” at the 2014 Philosophy and the Arts Graduate Student Conference in Stony Brook University to be held March 28-29 in Manhattan.

Cal Seerveld at Dordt College, Nov. 4

ICS emeritus Cal Seerveld is scheduled to give lectures at Dordt College, Sioux Center, Iowa, on November 4. The lectures are titled "How HOT is your Bible?" and "The Meaning of our Nakedness" (illustrated). He will also speak in several classes on the following two days.

Drew Van’t Land in Rochester

On Saturday October 19, Junior Member Drew Van’t Land will be presenting a paper titled "Impassibility amid the Principalities: Christ's Sinlessness in a Culture of Sinful Systems" at the "New Creation" conference hosted by the Canadian Evangelical Theological Association (CETA) in Rochester, New York.

Alumnus Update: Drew Van’t Land at Trinity Christian College

Congratulations to Junior Member Drew Van’t Land who has begun a position as adjunct professor for the Philosophy department at Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights IL. Drew will be teaching two introductory courses: PHIL 101 is a training course in Reformational worldview analysis and the history of philosophy, while PHIL 102 is an application of Reformational worldview analysis to the economic mode of human life.

Drew successfully defended his MA thesis on 21 Aug 2013. The title of his thesis is "The Rhetorical Roots of Radical Orthodoxy: Augustinian Oratory and Ontology in Milbank’s Theopo(e/li)tics" His Senior Member Mentor was Bob Sweetman. Drew will graduate with his MA at Convocation on Saturday, May 10, 2014.

ICS offers MWS in Urban Ministry

MWS in Urban Ministry, 2014 cohort in Central America. Tell others — we have plans for starting a pilot of our emerging MWS in Urban Ministry in January in Central America. You might know someone who could make a difference in the world through this opportunity to learn and serve. See the MWS in Urban Ministry page for details and the printable brochure.

Applications will be accepted until September 30.

Sea to Sea Rides through Toronto

A big thank you to those who came out to the Humber Bay Arch Bridge in Toronto to cheer on the Sea to Sea cyclists, riding to address poverty, cheering them on with ICS, the Lighthouse, and Classis Toronto. This leg of their ride began in Ancaster and finished in Ajax Ontario, making Toronto a likely place to offer the cyclists snacks and water as well as encouragement.

We also wish the cyclists safe travels in their remaining two weeks before reaching the coast of New York.

To learn more about Sea to Sea, visit www.seatosea.org.

Lambert Zuidervaart is Visiting Scholar at Calvin College

Senior Member Lambert Zuidervaart recently began a five-year term as Visiting Scholar at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Lambert and his household moved to Grand Rapids last summer, and he recently switched to a half-time position at ICS, where he will teach classes one semester per year until he retires in 2016. As a visiting scholar affiliated with Calvin’s Philosophy Department, Lambert has many faculty privileges, including full library access and IT and office support. The appointment gives him an institutional “home” in West Michigan. Lambert says he looks forward to interacting with colleagues at Calvin and beyond, especially during the months when he is in Grand Rapids.

ICS Alumni Network

The ICS has always been a forward-looking institution. And while I celebrate ICS's forward-thinking, I also celebrate its journey. After all, the ICS has produced a great wealth of scholars, philosophers, and leaders over many decades. And what better way to celebrate the journey than to connect with those who have walked along the way?

Over the past year, a handful of alumni have been meeting regularly to talk about the development of an ICS alumni network. Each meeting, both formal and casual, has been a hive of creative thinking and storytelling, as together we begin to craft a vision for what we could be with the involvement of more alumni willing to share their stories.

I believe an alumni network could bring the family a little closer in those times of difficulty and change. The ICS changed my life during my time there. It gave direction to a young Christian thinker who had difficulty reconciling faith with his own rationale. What a blessing, I confess, that I didn't end up anywhere else. Among philosophical schools, the ICS is an anomaly in that it is both philosophically rigorous and faith-based. There really is nothing like it. It is a jewel in our tradition. I believe that it is worth fighting for.

We're looking for your interest. We want to hear your ideas about what an alumni network can do for ICS. Share with us what the ICS meant, and what it continues to mean to you. We want you to connect with us and share with us what you have to give. If the idea of an alumni network interests you, please share that feeling with Jeffrey Hocking (MA ‘09, PhD cand.), our alumni point-person on staff at ICS. Send him your email, even if just to encourage. We are planning our first alumni network meeting sometime this coming fall. We will be announcing further information this summer related to the meeting date and agenda. We still have a lot of organizing to do. I hope to hear from you!

Jonathan Weverink (MPhilF ‘00)

(You can reach Jeffrey Hocking, Student Services & Financial Aid Officer at alumniaffairs@icscanada.edu.)

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.

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/.

Deepest Sympathy for the Borgdorff Family

It is with great sadness that we relay the news of the tragic passing last month of Leonard Borgdorff, son of Peter Borgdorff. Leonard was tragically killed in a vehicle accident.

The ICS community extends its deepest sympathy to the Borgdorff family, and we ask that you keep Peter and his family in your prayers during this most difficult time.