Dr. Gideon Strauss Named New ICS Academic Dean

Effective September 1, 2018, Dr. Gideon Strauss will assume the role of ICS Academic Dean, replacing Dr. Robert Sweetman, who served ICS ably and faithfully in this role for the past three years. Happy to have served ICS' academic administrative needs in this way, Bob is now also happy to bequeath this responsibility to Gideon, so that he can focus more intently on several research projects he has in development, including a book-length manuscript on Thomas Aquinas.

For, his part, Gideon is looking forward to serving ICS in this important leadership role, saying: “I am grateful for this opportunity to serve my colleagues at the Institute for Christian Studies, as together we seek to nourish the love of God, of wisdom, and of the craft of scholarship.”

To ensure a smooth transition, Bob will serve as Chair of ICS’ Academic Council for one more year, thus allowing ICS to maintain uninterrupted development of existing and new academic programs while Gideon gets up to speed on these files and forges relationships with our academic partners at The Toronto School of Theology, Knox College, and The King's University in Edmonton.

The ICS community expresses its gratitude and appreciation to Bob for his years of effective and selfless service in this role, and welcomes Gideon to ICS' Leadership Team. We are looking forward to the contributions that Gideon will make at this fecund moment in the life of ICS.

ICS Convocation

The ICS community gathered this past Saturday afternoon in St. Joseph Chapel at Regis College to install the Presidents Dr Rev Tom Wolthuis and Ms Dawn Wolthuis who presented the Inaugural Address titled “He’s Got the Whole World...” (Tom Wolthuis) “...in His Hands” (Dawn Wolthuis). We also gathered to recognize and celebrate the academic achievements of seven of its Junior Members. Degrees were conferred upon Daniel Mullin (PhD – VU/ICS), Thomas McCormick (PhD - ICS), Jelle Huisman (MA), Rebecca Tait (MA), Andrew Tebbutt (MA), Elita Fung (MWS) and Clinton Stockwell (MWS). It was a wonderful afternoon of celebration!

• 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.

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.