Category: biography

Fred Reinders (1930-2023): A Life of Structural and Moral Integrity

February 9, 2023

Born in 1930 Friesland, Fred Reinders was a dreamer, a visionary, and a leader, and he expressed that gift first of all through engineering design and construction. The Dutch have a proverb, roughly translated, that says “You can never cross the ocean until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.” Well, Fred left the shores of his native Netherlands in 1953 to see what opportunities lie in Canada and it seems his life was a series of calculated risks from there on. … More Fred Reinders (1930-2023): A Life of Structural and Moral Integrity

Caught Up in the Fray of Clergy Sexual Abuse: Media, the Megachurch, and the Mess We’re In

March 15, 2022

The news of Bruxy Cavey’s fall from grace is bigger and more wide-spread than any promotion of his gift of grace, which was teaching Jesus’ Way with words. His moral failure has overtaken his teaching charisma, like many others before him. A media presence celebrating the end of religion that took over two decades to … More Caught Up in the Fray of Clergy Sexual Abuse: Media, the Megachurch, and the Mess We’re In

A Train Wreck in Slow Motion: The Rise and Fall of Mark Driscoll’s Unbridled Charisma

November 10, 2021

This new podcast from Christianity Today is dramatic, critical, intense, and wide-ranging in its exploration of the collapse of an evangelical megachurch and its megapersonality, Mark Driscoll. The production is stellar, and the analysis both trenchant and candid. The trailer says: “Its a story of power, platform and fame, and an unflinching look at the cost.” … More A Train Wreck in Slow Motion: The Rise and Fall of Mark Driscoll’s Unbridled Charisma

Dr. Jean Bieri: A World of Wonders from Electrons to the Cosmos

October 17, 2021

Our Global Scholar Dr. Jean Bieri died of natural causes, alone in his own apartment in Montreal, Quebec, on the weekend of September 25th 2021. This was sudden and unexpected, and we are in a state of shock and disbelief. I looked back at his application for our guild and pieced together a few reflections on his life and faith. … More Dr. Jean Bieri: A World of Wonders from Electrons to the Cosmos

George Vandervelde, Passion Week, and Ecumenism: The Gift of the Hermeneutics of the Gospel

March 31, 2021

“The closer we come to the cross of Christ, the closer we come to each other.” Here I tell the story of George Vandervelde, Reformed ecumenist, but not until after I make the case for Christianity’s multi-denominational character as a mirror of the four gospels. … More George Vandervelde, Passion Week, and Ecumenism: The Gift of the Hermeneutics of the Gospel

A Bridge Too Far? Faith Seeking Understanding of Chinese Culture

March 18, 2021

Here is the story of Dr. Ruth Hayhoe — a GSC board member and a model of the kind of international faith-based academic work we seek to do: call it bridge-building, reconciliation, or being a “redemptive influence”–its making a difference in a way that the light of Jesus Christ shines through. Her story is a marvellous testimony to the wonder of spiritual surrender and international leadership. … More A Bridge Too Far? Faith Seeking Understanding of Chinese Culture

Everything is Spiritual, Including Institutions and Academics: Rob Bell Doesn’t Ring True

February 27, 2021

If you’ve never heard Rob Bell speak, he is a master craftsman of the art. Charismatic, artistic, gifted with words and drama–he can hold hundreds of people spellbound for an hour without losing their attention for a moment. His message comes with an edge, often pushing against his conservative church background and the worst of … More Everything is Spiritual, Including Institutions and Academics: Rob Bell Doesn’t Ring True

Agents of Renewal: Redemptive Journalism, Sympathetic Ethnography, and Faithful Witness in World Religions

January 16, 2021

Christian students and teachers seek to be agents of renewal and faithfulness in whatever corner of the planet they study. Put differently, they do not just do intellectual labour: they seek to transform things for the common good and God’s glory. … More Agents of Renewal: Redemptive Journalism, Sympathetic Ethnography, and Faithful Witness in World Religions

The Lucky Son of a Barber-Philosopher: The Serendipity of Al Wolters’ Worldview

December 14, 2020

Albert Wolters was my Greek professor, a columnist for The Christian Courier, expert on the Copper Scroll, and preached regularly through the decades in Christian Reformed churches, but he is best known internationally as the author of Creation Regained: Biblical Basics for a Reformational Worldview—what philosopher Nicholas Wolterstorff called “The best statement I have come across of the ‘reformational’ Christian worldview.” …But there is much more to the story. … More The Lucky Son of a Barber-Philosopher: The Serendipity of Al Wolters’ Worldview