Spirituality, Religion, and the Call to Love

On November 14 Lambert Zuidervaart presented his paper On Being a Reformational Philosopher: Spirituality, Religion, and the Call to Love in a lecture to the ICS seminar series "Scripture, Faith, and Scholarship". We are pleased to present both the lecture and excerpts of the question and answer session of this insightful, thorough, inspiring and personal examination of the relationships between religion, spirituality, scripture, and Christian thought and practice. Click here to watch the videos and read the paper.

Shawn Stovell's Appointment at Knox College

Shawn Stovell, Associate Academic Dean and Registrar, has accepted appointment as Registrar and Manager of Academic Services at Knox College, University of Toronto. We heartily congratulate Shawn as he accepts the call to a new challenge. He will, however, be sorely missed at ICS.

Shawn's appointment was effective Monday November 17 on a part-time basis to enable a period of transition for ICS, and will become full-time as of December 20. We are particularly grateful to Shawn for arranging this time of transition. We are all deeply thankful for Shawn's sterling service these past several years, as he stepped up to steadily increasing responsibilities at ICS.

Jeff Hocking, Student Services and Financial Aid Officer, has agreed to accept appointment as Interim Registrar, for a period of three months. We are grateful indeed that Jeff is willing to increase his time and responsibilities for this purpose. We are confident that he is well prepared for this role. We are also grateful that Shawn has been able to work part-time with Jeff in this transition.

Please join us in praying for Jeff and Shawn as they take up their new responsibilities.

Prayer Letter: January 2015

Thursday, January 1: At the beginning of 2015, we look ahead to another year and ask God's blessing on all our learning and teaching that will happen here at ICS.

Friday, January 2: For all the Senior Members who are busy with the final preparation for their winter classes, we pray for guidance and stamina.

Monday, January 5: The first week of classes of the winter semester begins today! Today is the first day for “Albert the Great, Meister Eckhart and Women’s Spirituality” with Senior Member Bob Sweetman. We ask for God's blessing on all the course participants.

Tuesday, January 6: Today is the first day of two courses: “Faithful Thinking and World Orientation: Augustine, Aquinas, Dooyeweerd, Olthuis” with Senior Member Bob Sweetman and “Reconsidering Kant’s Aesthetics” with Senior Member Rebekah Smick. We ask God to bless all the course participants.

Wednesday, January 7: Two new courses begin today: “Aristotle’s Political Philosophy at the Crossroads of Ethics and History” with Senior Member Bob Sweetman and “The Radical Theopolitics of John D Caputo” with Senior Member Emeritus Jim Olthuis. We offer prayers for God's blessing on all the course participants.

Thursday, January 8: There are two courses beginning today: “Grace as an Aesthetic Concept” with Senior Member Rebekah Smick and “To the Unknown God: Paul and Some Philosophers” with Senior Member Ron Kuipers. We pray for God's blessing on all the course participants.

Friday, January 9: Senior Member Nik Ansell's course begins today: “Birthpangs of a New Creation: Judgement unto Salvation in the Book of Revelation”. We pray for God's blessing on all the participants.
The Educational Policy Committee meets today. We pray for God’s wisdom to guide this meeting.

Monday, January 12: Two distance courses begin this week: “Leadership: Vision and Mission” with Dr Clinton Stockwell and “Liberating Theologies: Talking about God in the Context of Social (In)Justice” with Jeff Hocking. We pray for God's blessing on all the course participants.

Tuesday, January 13: There is an ICS Community Meeting this morning. We pray for blessings on all the participants.

Wednesday, January 14: The Academic Council meets this afternoon. We pray for God's wisdom to guide the discussions and decisions at this meeting.

Thursday, January 15: We offer prayers of thanks for the many people who have presented ICS with gifts of prayer, money, and expressions of appreciation, particularly through December and the busy Christmas season. We are deeply grateful to be blessed with so much support and interest.

Friday, January 16: Today we pray for blessings for the Friends of ICS Board and all those who are doing advancement work in the US.

Monday, January 19: For any of us who are ill or who have family or friends who are ill, we pray for peace, strength, hope and healing.

Tuesday, January 20: We continue to pray for blessings and energy for ICS President Doug Blomberg, as he manages his many responsibilities and provides ICS with his leadership.

Wednesday, January 21: There is a Board Meeting this evening. We pray for God’s wisdom to guide this meeting.

Thursday, January 22: We ask God's help and guidance for all those who are doing advancement work for ICS. Please pray that support for the vision and mission of ICS continues to grow.

Friday, January 23: We are blessed by the administrative work at the ICS. We offer thanks to God for the work they are given. We thank God for administrative excellence during hard times.

Monday, January 26: Today we pray for the general well-being of the ICS. We ask for blessings and energy for ICS faculty and staff as they work together to manage their many responsibilities.

Tuesday, January 27: Today we pray for blessings on Shawn Stovell, who is now working at Knox College, and for Jeff Hocking, as he begins his work as Interim Registrar here at ICS.

Wednesday, January 28: We ask God to bless Senior Member Ron Kuipers and Dr Allyson Carr as they continue their work with our Centre for Philosophy, Religion and Social Ethics.

Thursday, January 29: We ask God to bless those who are teaching, as they balance reporting, paperwork and course work with managing their families.

Friday, January 30: With the winter weather here bringing colds and flu, please pray for the health of staff, faculty and students at ICS.

Annual General Meeting: Thursday December 4

All ICS members are invited to attend our Annual General Meeting on Thursday, December 4 at 7:00 pm in Suite 103 at ICS, 229 College Street, Toronto. Materials have been distributed.

Changing to Stay the Same: CPRSE Publishes Volume of Bob Sweetman’s Channel 229 Reflections

Just in time for Advent: The ICS Centre for Philosophy, Religion and Social Ethics is pleased to announce the publication of Changing to Stay the Same: Reflections on Faithfulness and the Witness of the Institute for Christian Studies, by Senior Member Bob Sweetman. The book collects fifty-two of Bob’s reflection pieces that were written over the course of several years for this very e-newsletter. Organized according to the seasons of the church calendar, the collection is intended as a devotional companion through the year, and is dedicated with gratitude to our support community.

Click here to purchase this book online or inquire about other purchasing options.

Coming Soon (with the Generous Help of the Reid Trust): Lambert Zuidervaart’s Essay Collection on the Legacy of Reformational Philosophy

Senior Member Lambert Zuidervaart has been awarded a $4,000 grant from the Priscilla and Stanford Reid Trust to subsidize the publication of a forthcoming collection of essays in and about reformational philosophy. The book’s working title is Religion, Life, and Society: Essays in Reformational Philosophy, Volume 1, and will be published by McGill-Queen's University Press.