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.

Andrew Van’t Land Wins Award

On Saturday October 19, Junior Member Andrew Van’t Land won "The Jack and Phyllis Middleton Memorial Award for Excellence in Theology", the first prize for best paper at the "New Creation" theology conference hosted by the Canadian Evangelical Theological Association (CETA) at Northeastern Seminary in Rochester, New York. His winning paper is titled "(Im)Peccability amid the Principalities: Christ's Sinlessness in a Culture of Sinful Systems". Drew had written this paper for Nik Ansell's course on systematic theology.

Read Andrew's paper in the ICS Institutional Repository.
(hdl.handle.net/10756/304843)

Bryan Richard's Thesis Defence

Bryan Richard successfully defended his thesis this month, earning his MA. Bryan's mentor Shannon Hoff had this to say…

The idea for Bryan’s thesis, like the best projects, had deeply existential origins. His goal was to reconcile two ideas that seem to lie in tension with each other: the idea that the responsibility for living one’s life lies only in oneself, such that to live honestly and authentically means owning up to one’s status as an individual, and the idea that our lives are essentially and primordially immersed in the lives of others and a social world, such that living honestly and authentically requires us to own up to our indebtedness to this broader world. He finds a worthy interlocutor in Martin Heidegger, and Heidegger finds an eloquent defender in Bryan, who shows that there are indeed insights of ethical and political import in Heidegger’s thinking. The thesis—“Ow(n)ing Existence: Human Meaning, Identity and Responsibility in Heidegger’s Being and Time”—is impressive in many ways: Bryan has become an excellent scholar, competent with the technicalities of Heidegger’s thinking, but also an excellent communicator, devoted to making Heidegger’s dense and difficult philosophy clear and concrete. Bryan has accomplished much in this time at ICS, both philosophically and personally, and has shown through his experience the possibilities of personal transformation that lie in the process of doing philosophy. We warmly congratulate him both for facing the difficult challenges involved in completing the thesis and for being accepted into the Ph.D. program at the University of Guelph.

Janet Read’s Art Exhibit

ICS alumna Janet Read is exhibiting her new paintings at a solo show at The Art Gallery of Peterborough, from November 8 to January 14. To get more information visit the gallery’s website: www.agp.on.ca

Re-formed and Re-forming, A Presidential Musing by Dawn

It is Halloween, All Hallows’ Eve, the day before All Saints’ Day, Reformation Day. I have been in many conversations about the words “Reformed” and, more recently, “reformational.” It is not surprising that there are so many definitions of each. Such is the nature of words.

A Presbyterian friend told me that she did consider herself “Reformed” because that sounds so done, as if we have arrived. I had thought that Presbyterians considered themselves to be within the Reformed umbrella. Apparently there is not agreement on this. Such is the nature of people.

Maybe “Reforming” would be better than “Reformed.” My friend liked that better, but she was still not interested in applying that term to her denomination. So, I passed along to another person that this friend from a church in a Calvinist tradition did not resonate with the word “Reformed” in the denominational name “Christian Reformed Church” (CRC). He said that he thought the more offensive word in the name was “Christian.” Really? That is who we are. He indicated that it sounded like the implication was that other denominations were not Christian. Sigh.

How ICS presents itself in words matters. I won’t attempt to tackle the array of opinions I heard regarding the word “reformational” here. In addition to the word “Christian” in our name, which of these words do you think convey something important about the Institute for Christian Studies -- Reformed, Reformational, Dooyweerdian, Kuyperian, Calvinist, philosophical, religious, theological, spiritual, interdisciplinary, academic, foundational, ethical, justice-oriented, scholarly, transformational, biblical, worldview-oriented, post-modern, engaged, educational, …?

Of course, we are not simply trying to have the words be meaningful. The work of the Institute and how it affects the world around us matters a great deal, but we know that the words matter too. If you have ideas regarding the above words or others you think would resonate with those drawn to the Institute, perhaps you could tweet your ideas with @InsChr? When it comes to what we do, what words we use, and the media we choose, we are re-formed and always re-forming.

Prayer Letter: November 2013

Friday, November 1: We offer prayers of praise for the talent of ICS Junior Member Andrew Van’t Land, whose paper was awarded first prize in Rochester, and for the talent of ICS alumna and artist Janet Read who is exhibiting her paintings in Peterborough until January.

Monday, November 4: Senior Member Emeritus Cal Seerveld will be presenting lectures at Dordt College in Iowa. Please pray for safe travel, stamina, and a joyful time.

Tuesday, November 5: We ask for God's blessing on Ed Hayley, Director of Finance and his team, who are planning the Annual General Meeting to be held on Monday, November 25. We pray for energy and enthusiasm for all who are involved.

Wednesday, November 6: The Faculty meets today. We pray for God's wisdom to guide this meeting.

Thursday, November 7: We ask God to bless those who are teaching, as they balance reporting, paperwork and course work with managing their families.

Friday, November 8: The Alumni Association will be meeting this month. We ask for prayers as they get together, that they find unity and purpose.

Monday, November 11: Today we observe Remembrance Day in Canada. We are reminded of the wars that continue to rage and the soldiers and civilians who continue to suffer around the world. We pray for peace.

Tuesday, November 12: We continue to pray for blessings and energy for ICS Presidents, Tom and Dawn Wolthuis, as they manage their many responsibilities and provide ICS with their leadership.

Wednesday, November 13: The Academic Council meets this afternoon. We ask for God’s wisdom to guide this meeting.

Thursday, November 14: We offer prayers of gratitude and give thanks to you, our many supporters who have presented ICS with gifts of prayer, money, and expressions of appreciation. We are constantly blessed with your interest and support.

Friday, November 15: Faculty Colloquium

Monday, November 18: Today we ask for God's help for those who are struggling with cancer and other illnesses. We pray for strength, patience and for good results from treatment. We pray for the ongoing needs of Junior Member Tina Covert’s sister-in-law Deb Covert who is struggling with cancer.

Tuesday, November 19: Many of our Junior Members are working on their their Masters and PhD thesis projects. We pray for our Junior Members and ask that they will have time, concentration, and wisdom.

Wednesday, November 20: The Leadership Team meets today. We pray for God's blessing and guidance to lead their discussions and decisions.

Thursday, November 21: We ask God's help and guidance for all those who are doing advancement work for ICS in Canada and in the USA. Please pray that support for the vision and mission of ICS continues to grow.

Friday, November 22: The ICS Senate meets today. We pray for God’s guidance and wisdom for this meeting.

Monday, November 25: This afternoon ICS will hold its Annual General Meeting, where members will elect new Board members and conduct the annual required business for ICS. We are extremely grateful for our committed and hard working Board members. Please pray for wisdom and guidance at this meeting.

Tuesday, November 26: We offer prayers of thanks for all the hard work done by the outgoing Board members. We ask God for wisdom and energy for the incoming Board members.

Wednesday, November 27: As the fall semester draws to a close, we ask God for energy and wisdom for all our Junior Members who are working hard in their courses and for a sense of balance as they deal with families and jobs as well. We pray too that student jobs will be found where they are needed.

Thursday, November 28: Today is Thanksgiving Day in the United States. Pray for safe travel for those who are going to join their families and friends for this holiday. On this day, let us reflect on God's grace and give thanks for family and friends.

Friday, November 29: The season of Advent begins on Sunday. We pray for God's blessings as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ.