The January Series of Calvin University: Recent Episodes
Calvin University
The January Series cultivates deep thought and conversations about important issues of the day in order to inspire cultural renewal and make us better global citizens in God's world.
Scott Sauls, senior pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church of Nashville discusses themes from his latest book, A Gentle Answer: Our ‘Secret Weapon’ in an Age of Us Against Them.
Ambassador William Garvelink is an American diplomat and former U.S. Ambassador to The Democratic Republic of the Congo. In this episode, he discusses the current COVID crisis, lessons learned from Ebola, his experience as a senior diplomat and shares why he believes pandemics will continue to be a part of our future.
Peter O’Connor, director of the Centre for Arts and Social Transformation at the University of Auckland, New Zealand and an internationally recognized expert in making and researching applied theatre and drama education shares the important role the arts play in healing trauma.
Jeffrey Rosen, President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Constitution Center, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization whose mission is to educate the public about the U.S. Constitution speaks on the Future of the Supreme Court.
Katharine Hayhoe is an atmospheric scientist who studies climate change and an evangelical Christian. She is passionate about bridging the broad, deep gap between scientists and Christians and says the key to having a real discussion is to connect over shared values like family, community, and faith.
President of the World Communion of Reformed Churches and ordained minister in the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon, Najla Kassab discusses the Reformed church in the Middle East today.
An immigrant from Guatemala now living in Baltimore, Maryland, Karen Gonzalez shares her immigration story and the work she does for immigrants and refugees through World Relief, as well as the stories of immigrants found in the Bible.
Founder of the Texas Hunger Initiative, Jeremy Everett discusses his two decades of experience dealing with the hunger disparities in the United States.
Born and raised in China, Bob Fu and his wife fled to the United States in 1997 when their illegal underground church was discovered by Chinese officials. As the founder of ChinaAid, Fu brings international attention to China's human rights violations and continues to fight for religious freedom for Christians in China.
Sandra Postel, leading authority on global water issues, discusses her approach to promoting the preservation and sustainable use of freshwater in her talk: "Replenish: The Virtuous Cycle of Water and Prosperity."
Todd Charles Wood and Darrel R. Falk are two respected scientists who hold opposing views on the topic of origins, share a common faith in Jesus Christ, and began a sometimes-painful journey to explore how they can remain in Christian fellowship when each thinks the other is harming the church.
This conversation was moderated by Rob Barrett, Chief Programming and Innovation Officer at The Colossian Forum, whose mission is to equip leaders to transform cultural conflicts into opportunities for spiritual growth and witness with a vision of a Christian community that acts Christian, especially in the face of conflict.
In her 18 years at Calvin, Coach Amber Warners has won three national volleyball championships and has learned many leadership lessons along the way, including the fierce humility in winning.
A devout Christian, lawyer and teacher, Rachael has clearly and graciously challenged Christian institutions to live more faithfully as communities resistant to abuse and safe for survivors.
Why has Christianity, a religion premised upon neighborly love, failed in its attempts to heal social divisions? Jennings exposes how the loss of land and the supersessionist ideas behind the Christian missionary movement are both deeply implicated in the invention of race.
What does it really mean to belong and how might churches welcome and weave people with disabilities and their families more fully into the life of the community? In moving from barriers to belonging, we discover the power of life lived together and how those at the margins are indispensable to the flourishing of everyone.
A third-generation New Yorker, Powers has spent two decades exploring the American culture of speed and its alternatives in some fifty countries around the world.
Thanks to social media, adolescents are often forced to grow up in public at earlier ages and stages. They are embarking upon an ancient challenge, to know thyself, while broadcasting each awkward step along the way. We must reach back to our genesis, to the radical notion that we are created in the image and likeness of God, the imago Dei.
In the midst of the discouraging reports about the aging and decline of churches today, what steps do savvy churches take that help them best love and serve teenagers and young adults? Through a landmark investigation of more than 250 diverse congregations, the Fuller Youth Institute uncovered the core commitments that are key to reaching and retaining young people.
Drawing on history, social psychology, behavioral economics, and the counsel of ancient wisdom, Arthur Brooks addresses the divisions that plague America, and finds a set of strategies to help us disagree better, forge a new model of aspirational leadership, and unite the country.
Created in 2016 through a partnership between Calvin College and Calvin Theological Seminary, the Calvin Prison Initiative is a unique program that provides a Christian liberal arts education to inmates at Handlon prison in Ionia, Michigan and results in a Bachelor of Arts degree from Calvin College.
John Swinton is a Scottish theologian and former psychiatric nurse. He is professor in Practical Theology and Pastoral Care and Chair in Divinity and Religious Studies at the University of Aberdeen. He is also founder of the university's Centre for Spirituality, Health and Disability. John is a major figure in the development of disability theology. In 2016, he was awarded the Michael Ramsey Prize for theological writing for his book Dementia: Living in the Memories of God. In 2017, his most recent book Becoming Friends of Time: Time, Disability and the Art of Gentle Discipleship won the award of merit for theology and ethics in the Christianity Today book awards.
Kevin Palau, son of international evangelist Luis Palau, joined the family business in 1985 and began directing the day-to-day operation of the ministry in the late 1990s. Under his leadership, the Luis Palau Association has produced some of the largest Christian events ever staged, created a worldwide network of hundreds of partner evangelists, and developed new models for citywide outreach that integrate major community service initiatives with open-air evangelistic gatherings. Kevin is also the founding editor of GospelMovements.org, a place for leaders to connect and share ideas on how to transform their cities by meeting needs and sharing the love of Jesus Christ.
Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum is a psychologist, administrator, and educator who has conducted research and written books on the topic of race, focusing specifically on race in education, racial identity development in teenagers, and assimilation of black families and youth in white neighborhoods. Tatum served from 2002 to 2015 as the ninth president of Spelman College, the oldest historically black women’s college in the United States. Tatum’s important book Why Do All the Black Kids Sit Together in the Cafeteria is being re-released for its 20th anniversary this fall.
Rev. Laura Sumner Truax is the senior pastor of LaSalle Street Church, a non-denominational church in downtown Chicago. She holds degrees in divinity, pastoral studies, and spirituality from Loyola University Divinity School and is currently working toward her Doctor of Ministry degree from Fuller Theological Seminary. She also serves as a teaching pastor for World Vision and for the University of Chicago Divinity School and is the author of two books. In Love Let Go she shares how her church community was transformed by the startling truth that money can buy happiness – when you give it away – and explores the connection of human flourishing to generosity.
John Inazu is the Sally D. Danforth Distinguished Professor of Law and Religion at Washington University in St. Louis and a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture at the University of Virginia. He teaches courses in criminal law, the First Amendment, and religion and law. His scholarship focuses on the First Amendment freedoms of speech, assembly, and religion, and related issues of political and legal theory. John’s book, Confident Pluralism, argues that we can and must live together peaceably in spite of deep and sometimes irresolvable differences over politics, religion, sexuality, and other important matters.
Pashon Murray has an unrelenting drive for waste reduction, recycling, and reuse of materials. She is helping to change the carbon footprint of Detroit through revitalizing neighborhoods, finding solutions for everyday waste, and eliminating trips to the landfill. In 2010 Murray co-founded Detroit Dirt, a local composting and biomass collection company that specializes in providing compost and biomass solutions for the metro Detroit community. In May of 2014, Newsweek named Murray as one of its “13 Women in Business to Bet On” and in 2015 she was invited to present her innovative business plan at the White House.
Shane Claiborne is a prominent speaker, activist, and best-selling author who worked with Mother Teresa in Calcutta and founded The Simple Way, a faith community in inner-city Philadelphia that has helped birth and connect radical faith communities around the world. He heads up Red Letter Christians, a movement of folks who are committed to living "as if Jesus meant the things he said." Shane is a champion for grace, which has led him to jail advocating for the homeless, and to places like Iraq and Afghanistan to stand against war. And now grace fuels his passion to end the death penalty.
Randy Lewis bet his career that he could create an inclusive workplace at one of America’s biggest corporations where people with disabilities could not just succeed, but thrive. No Greatness without Goodness is the story of a corporate executive who, after watching the world through the eyes of his own child with autism, realized that we all have a greater responsibility to make the world a better place for everyone, including those with disabilities. As the Senior Vice President of Walgreens, Randy created thousands of full-time jobs for people with disabilities and has created a model to follow for other employers in the United States and around the world. He gives a firsthand account of what it takes to lead with courage in order to change people’s lives for the better.
David Williams is the Norman Professor of Public Health at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health and professor of African and African American Studies at Harvard University. His research has helped us understand the ways in which race, racism, socioeconomic status, stress, health behaviors, and religious involvement can affect physical and mental health. In 2014, Thomas Reuters ranked Williams as one of the World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds.
Mary Hulst has served as the Calvin College Chaplain since 2009 where she integrates her love for scripture with her love for college students. She preaches for students weekly on Sunday evenings at the Calvin LOFT services (Living Our Faith Together). Known as “Pastor Mary” on campus, she loves to meet with any student to talk about life, faith, or anything else. When her schedule allows, Dr. Hulst also lectures around the country on preaching, teaches workshops for preachers, and consults with churches and search committees on how to listen to sermons.
Nicholas Thomas Wright taught New Testament studies for 20 years at Cambridge, McGill, and Oxford Universities and served as the Bishop of Durham from 2003 until his retirement in 2010. He now serves as chair of New Testament and Early Christianity at the School of Divinity at the University of St. Andrews. Considered one of the world's leading Bible scholars, he has been featured on ABC News, The Colbert Report, Dateline, and Fresh Air. Wright is the award-winning author of Simply Good News, Simply Jesus, Simply Christian, Surprised by Hope, How God Became King, Scripture and the Authority of God, Surprised by Scripture, and The Case for the Psalms, as well as the recent translation of the New Testament The Kingdom New Testament and the much heralded series Christian Origins and the Question of God. He has authored nearly 50 books including his most recent The Day the Revolution Began: Reconsidering the Meaning of Jesus's Crucifixion.
In the heart of conflict, there is only one kind of love big enough to change a nation: a love that strikes first. Jeremy Courtney is the founder of Preemptive Love Coalition, a development organization that works across Iraq providing lifesaving surgeries for children and more recently responds to the daily needs of those living in the shadow of ISIS. He is also the author of Preemptive Love, a book that invites you to walk along the front lines of the struggle for peace with Jeremy in a firsthand account of his team's quest to mend hearts and save lives in the world's most notorious war-torn country. Jeremy hosts conversations about peacemaking and Muslim-Christian relations and shares stories of love and hope from the front lines of Syria and Iraq, where he has lived for over a decade with his wife and two children.
Bryan Dik is Associate Professor of Psychology at Colorado State University and Co-founder and Chief Science Officer of jobZology. Bryan has published extensively on topics related to meaningful work and perceptions of work as a calling. He is co-author of Make Your Job Your Calling: How the Psychology of Vocation Can Change Your Life at Work, and co-editor of two other books: Psychology of Religion and Workplace Spirituality and Purpose and Meaning in the Workplace. Bryan earned his B.A. in psychology from Calvin College and his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota.
Eugene Cho is the founder and lead pastor of Quest Church - an urban, multi-cultural and multi-generational church in Seattle, Washington. He is also the founder and visionary of One Day's Wages, "a grassroots movement of people, stories, and actions to alleviate extreme global poverty" which has been featured in the New York Times, The Seattle Times, NPR and numerous other media outlets. For his entrepreneurial work and spirit, Eugene was honored as one of "50 Everyday American Heroes". Eugene recently released his first book, Overrated: Are We More in Love with the Idea of Changing the World Than Actually Changing the World?
From Ferguson to New York to Germany, Lisa has been leading trainings and helping mobilize clergy and community leaders around shared values for the common good as Sojourners Chief Church Engagement Officer. Prior to joining Sojourners, Lisa was the founding executive director of New York Faith & Justice - an organization at the hub of a new ecumenical movement to end poverty in New York City. She also organized faith leaders to speak out for immigration reform and organized the South Bronx Conversations for Change, a dialogue-to-change project between police and the community. Harper's faith-rooted approach to advocacy and organizing has activated people across the U.S. and around the world to address structural and political injustice as an outward demonstration of their personal faith. Harper was recognized in 2015 as one of "50 Powerful Women Religious Leaders to Celebrate on International Women's Day" by Huffington Post. She earned her master's in human rights from Columbia University and is currently in the process of ordination in the Evangelical Covenant Church.
Todd Huizinga is a senior research fellow at the Paul B. Henry Institute for the Study of Christianity and Politics at Calvin College. As a U.S. diplomat from 1992-2012, Huizinga served as deputy chief of mission at the U.S. embassy in Luxembourg, political counselor at the U.S. mission to the European Union in Brussels, consul for political and economic affairs at the U.S. consulates in Hamburg and Munich, and consul for public affairs at the U.S. consulate in Monterrey, Mexico. He has also served in Dublin, Frankfort, and Costa Rica, as well as on the European Union Desk at the State Department in Washington, D.C. Todd is the co-founder of the Transatlantic Christian Council, a public policy network dedicated to strengthening the transatlantic alliance. From 2014-2016 he was director of International Outreach for the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty. He is the author of The New Totalitarian Temptation: Global Governance and the Crisis of Democracy in Europe. He holds a B.A. in Music and German from Calvin College and an M.A. in German Language and Literature from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He speaks German, Dutch, Spanish and French.
In the spring of 2012, Justin Skeesuck asked his best friend of nearly 40 years, Patrick Gray, to tackle the epic 500-mile pilgrimage across northern Spain called the Camino de Santiago. The challenge? Justin lives life in a wheelchair. When asked, Patrick's response was simple and direct, he said, "I'll push you." Two years later, they started their journey and had absolutely no idea how they would make the 500 miles from France to the Cathedral in Santiago, they just knew they had to get there. Justin and Patrick had to rely on the help and strength of friends, acquaintances and even complete strangers in order to navigate the many challenges they faced on their 34-day journey. Since returning from Spain, they have used their heartfelt storytelling to share the comical details of their journey... the joys, the struggles, the beautiful relationships and the lessons they learned in faith, hope, love and friendship. Their goal in sharing their story is that others will walk away recognizing that each life is not defined by its limitations, but is defined by what is accomplished in spite of those limitations.
Gary Haugen is CEO and founder of International Justice Mission. Before founding IJM in 1997, Gary was a human rights attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice, where he focused on crimes of police misconduct. In 1994, he served as the Director of the United Nations' investigation in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide. In this role, he led an international team of lawyers, criminal prosecutors, law enforcement officers, and forensic experts to gather evidence that would eventually be used to bring the perpetrators of the genocide to justice. Gary received a B.A. in Social Studies from Harvard University and a J.D. from the University of Chicago. Gary has been recognized by the U.S. State Department as a Trafficking in Persons "Hero" - the highest honor given by the U.S. government for anti-slavery leadership. His work to protect the poor from violence has been featured by Foreign Affairs, The New York Times, the New Yorker, The Times of India, Forbes, U.S. News & World Report, the Guardian and National Public Radio, among many other outlets. He is the author of several books, including Good News About Injustice; Just Courage; and, most recently, The Locust Effect: Why the End of Poverty Requires the End of Violence.
Abraham Nussbaum is a physician and writer. His memoir, The Finest Traditions of My Calling: One Physician's Search for the Renewal of Medicine, explores how healthcare reform is transforming the practice of medicine, turning physicians into technicians, and hospitals into factories. Dr. Nussbaum practices at Denver Health, an academic safety-net hospital in downtown Denver. He previously directed its adult inpatient psychiatry units, which care for adults throughout Colorado experiencing mental health crises. He currently serves as Chief Education Officer, providing strategic vision, daily direction, and administrative oversight for Denver Health's clinical education programs. Dr. Nussbaum grew up in Colorado, studied literature and religion at Swarthmore, and completed medical school and psychiatry residency at the University of North Carolina. In his practice, he strives to inhabit the roles described in his book, asking how he and his fellow practitioners can restore patients to health through person-centered care.
Mark Charles is a speaker, writer, and consultant who works on issues of race, culture, and faith. He works through the ministry 5 Small Loaves and is a program affiliate with the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship in the area of worship and culture. Mark also works with numerous tribes and indigenous cultures in the United States and around the world on how best to hold onto indigenous cultures, languages, world views and educational models while living in highly Western and assimilated environments. His desire is to build "cross-cultural relationships of forgiveness, repentance, love and hope that result in walking in beauty with one another and God." He regularly writes on his blog Reflections from the Hogan. He is the son of a Dutch American woman and a Navajo man.
Karin Maag is the director of the H. Henry Meeter Center for Calvin Studies at Calvin College, one of the world's foremost collections of works on or by John Calvin. She is also a member of Calvin's History department, having begun her work at Calvin in 1997. She obtained her PhD from the University of Saint Andrews in Scotland and is the author, editor, or translator of nine books including Seminary or University? The Genevan Academy and Reformed Higher Education, 1560-1620; Worship in Medieval and Early Modern Europe: Change and Continuity; and most recently Lifting Hearts to the Lord: Worship with John Calvin in Sixteenth-Century Geneva. She has obtained five major grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities to direct summer seminars and institutes at Calvin College. The most recent of these, "Teaching the Reformation after 500 Years," brought 25 faculty and graduate students from across the United States to Calvin College for an intensive three-week institute in July 2016.
President of Diyar Consortium and of Dar al-Kalima University College in Bethlehem and president of the Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb also serves as the senior pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem, Palestine. The most widely published Palestinian theologian to date, Dr. Raheb is the author of 16 books including: I am a Palestinian Christian and Faith in the Face of Empire. His books and numerous articles have been translated into eleven languages. Recipient of many prestigious awards, his work has received wide media attention from major international media outlets and networks including CNN, ABC, CBS, 60 Minutes, BBC, ARD, ZDF, DW, BR, Premiere, Raiuno, Stern, The Economist, Newsweek, and Vanity Fair.
Dr. Kurt Alan VerBeek directs Calvin College's Justice Studies semester in Honduras. He has lived and worked on development and justice issues in Central America for more than 25 years. Kurt has conducted research on the role of faith in development, the effects of short-term missions, and the impact of the maquila industry on Honduras. He is also a co-founder and board member of the Association for a More Just Society (AJS), a Christian justice organization with a specific focus on Honduras. By standing up for victims of violence, labor and land-rights abuse and government corruption in Honduras, organizations around the world, including Transparency International and the United Nations, are increasingly recognizing AJS as a pioneer in achieving justice for the poor. AJS has faithfully worked in one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Tegucigalpa and in the last eight years has witnessed a drop of over 75% in the neighborhood's crime rate. In addition to fighting against soaring crime in Honduran neighborhoods, AJS works towards peace and public security reforms on a national level. Recently, these efforts have included the signing of an agreement between AJS and the president of Honduras that makes AJS an official monitor of the president's anti-corruption plan.
The Salgueros are co-lead pastors of the multiethnic Lamb’s Church in NYC which worships in three languages – English, Spanish, and Mandarin. They have ministered extensively in Europe, Latin America, and Africa. The Rev. Gabriel Salguero is also president of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition (NaLEC) and is a powerful voice on issues that affect Latino communities in the United States. Focusing on poverty, immigration, and education, Gabriel’s leadership of the NaLEC offers an important voice for growing diversity and changing demographics in our country. He has been named one of the most prominent Latino evangelical leaders by the Huffington Post, the Center for American Progress, El Diario, and Jorge Ramos’ Al Punto. In addition to her leadership at Lamb’s Church, the Rev. Jeanette Salguero provides leadership with Urban Strategies’ efforts to promote national health and wellness initiatives that empower Hispanic communities. She is recognized for her work on multiethnic outreach and Hispanic women’s leadership empowerment.
Jere Krakow recently completed a public service career with the National Park Service and previously was a college professor in American history. Krakow served as superintendent of nine National Historic Trails, including the Oregon, Santa Fe, Pony Express, and Trail of Tears National Historic Trails. He has a long-standing goal of connecting the historic sites of the nation with students and citizens alike. Krakow is a fellowship recipient from the National Endowment for the Humanities and holder of awards from several historic trail friend groups. He is a member of the Western History Association and a consultant on the administration of historic trails, commemorative events, and the activities associated with them. Currently serving as a Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow, Krakow’s presentation will help us celebrate the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service.
Leroy Barber has dedicated more than 25 years to eradicating poverty, confronting homelessness, restoring local neighborhoods, healing racism, and living what Dr. King called “the beloved community.” He is the Co-Founder and Director of the Voices Project and College Pastor at Kilns College. Rev. Barber is on the boards of The Simple Way, Missio Alliance, The Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN), and the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA). He is author of New Neighbor: An Invitation to Join Beloved Community and Everyday Missions: How Ordinary People Can Change the World. He was a contributor to Tending to Eden and the groundbreaking book UnChristian. His third book was just released this spring, Red, Brown, Yellow, Black and White: Who’s More Precious in God’s Sight? A call for diversity in Christian missions and ministry.
An expert on Russia and the former Soviet Union, Jill Dougherty spent 30 years at CNN where most recently she served as Foreign Affairs Correspondent, based in Washington, D.C., covering the State Department and providing analysis on international issues. Previously she served as U.S. Affairs Editor for CNN International; Managing Editor of CNN International Asia/Pacific, based in Hong Kong; CNN's Moscow Bureau Chief and Correspondent, and CNN’s White House Correspondent. During her tenure she covered the presidencies of George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Boris Yeltsin, and Vladimir Putin. Since leaving CNN in 2013 she has plunged full-time into Russian affairs – writing, speaking, blogging, teaching and traveling to Russia. She conducts her research on Russia and Putin as a fellow at Harvard University and at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
Bethany Haley Williams is the founder and executive director of Exile International, an organization that exists to restore Africa’s former child soldiers and children orphaned by war. With a PhD in counseling psychology and a master’s in clinical social work, she is a leader in the specialized field of war-affected children rehabilitation with worldwide organizations such as the United Nations and the Global Trauma Recovery Institute. With more than twenty years of experience in the field, Bethany maintains a small counseling and coaching practice in Nashville, TN. She and her husband, Matthew, reside in Nashville, Tennessee, and lead the work of Exile International together.
The founder and executive director of the Interfaith Youth Core, a Chicago-based international nonprofit building the interfaith youth movement, Patel has a doctorate in sociology of religion from Oxford University and is a regular panelist for the Washington Post/Newsweek magazine On Faith blog. His core belief is that religion is a bridge of cooperation rather than a barrier of division. He’s inspired to build this bridge by his faith as a Muslim, his Indian heritage, and his American citizenship. He has spoken about this vision at places like the TED conference, the Clinton Global Initiative, and the Nobel Peace Prize Forum, as well as college and university campuses across the country. He has written two books about interfaith cooperation, Acts of Faith and Sacred Ground.
Renowned thought leaders George Marsden, Richard Mouw, Alvin Plantinga and Nicholas Wolterstorff come together for a panel discussion, each sharing a 10-minute talk on what has captured their heart during their careers. Each one served as a professor at Calvin College for over two decades in the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s before moving on to the halls of Notre Dame, Yale and Fuller Seminary. Each has over forty years of experience teaching in the academy and have authored scores of books. Calvin students today continue to read their writings in classes. In this presentation they will come together once again at Calvin to share with us their deep love of knowledge.
Chair of the theology department at Whitworth College, Jerry Sittser is the author of several books including A Grace Disguised, A Grace Revealed, The Will of God as a Way of Life and Water from a Deep Well. He holds a master of divinity degree from Fuller Theological Seminary and a doctorate in history from the University of Chicago. During his presentation he will weave in some of his own personal story of loss as he focuses on how adversity in general and suffering in particular can be formative in the Christian life.
Paul Marshall is a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute’s Center for Religious Freedom in Washington DC, a distinguished senior fellow at the Institute for the Study of Religion at Baylor University, a senior fellow at the Leimena Institute in Jakarta, Indonesia, and is a visiting professor at the graduate school of the State Islamic University, also in Jakarta. He is the author and editor of over twenty books on religion and politics, especially religious freedom. According to the Pew Research Center, Newsweek and the Economist, among others, Christians are the world’s most widely persecuted religious group and yet many Westerners are unaware that so many followers of Christ live under governments and among people who are often openly hostile to their faith. They think martyrdom became a rarity long ago. Dr. Marshall will offer a glimpse at the modern-day life of Christians worldwide and provide insight on this global pattern of increasing violence.
Professor Louters is one of Calvin’s most-beloved professors, becoming one of four Calvin profs to be listed in The Princeton Review’s Top 300 Professors and earning both the college’s Professor of the Year award and the Presidential Award for Exemplary Teaching. To Calvin students he’s known as a caring teacher and a wonderful research mentor, leading research projects relevant to diabetes and cancer with up to five students each summer. He has initiated and continues to direct summer Chemistry Camps for middle school students and local fifth graders who visit his annual spring “Chem Demos Program” and know him as the crazy science guy who blows things up and makes test tubes glow in the dark. Prof. Louters will use chemical demonstrations to illustrate the wonders of chemistry and share how his passion for his work has strengthened his faith through the years.
A graduate of Wheaton College and Princeton Theological Seminary, where she received her master of divinity degree, Ms. Dias is a correspondent for TIME Magazine covering religion and politics. She has written cover stories on Pope Francis, Trayvon Martin and American Christianity—including The Latino Reformation and Barbara Brown Taylor. She will share with us what is involved in being a correspondent for a major news magazine, what it is like covering Pope Francis and the Dalai Lama, how politics affect religious stories, and what she anticipates will be the future stories.
Director and co-founder of the Yale Prevention Research Center, Dr. Katz is recognized as one of America’s top physicians in preventative medicine by the Consumers’ Research Council of America and is the recipient of many awards for his contributions to public health and medical education. He is a prominent voice in health and medicine in the media, serving as ABC News’ medical consultant. He speaks routinely at conferences and meetings throughout the US and around the world. He is a recognized thought leader in nutrition, chronic disease prevention/health promotion, weight management and integrative medicine. He is the principal inventor of the Overall Nutritional Quality Index (ONQI) used in the NuVal Nutritional guidance System. As an expert health consultant, Dr. Katz addresses the challenges in our “obesigenic” environment, and describes the blend of public politics and personal empowerment needed to take us toward a healthier future.
As a jazz advocate and promoter, Alyce Claerbaut served as the president of the Northeastern Illinois University Jazz Society and was co-founder of the Skokie Valley Jazz Ensemble in the 1980s. She has been involved in the arts scene primarily in Chicago with membership on grants panels for the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and as a panel member for the Illinois Arts Council. She served the Chicago Jazz Orchestra from 2003–2010, two years as Director of Public Relations and five years as Executive Director. Ms. Claerbaut’s formal music training includes concentration in applied voice. She has sung professionally in many types of settings—jazz, classical, art song and popular song—with a specialty in choral repertoire. She is the niece of the famed Billy Strayhorn—contemporary to Duke Ellington—and is currently the president of Billy Strayhorn Songs, Inc., a family-owned music publishing company. In this role she interacts with music publishers, producers and educators, particularly in jazz. Ms. Claerbaut is a Calvin alumna and was instrumental in helping to bring Duke Ellington to perform in the Calvin Fieldhouse in 1967. Billy Strayhorn’s only solo recording during the Ellington years was a record called “The Peaceful Side” which features him on the piano playing the titles that he considered his favorites. Calvin welcomes Ms. Claerbaut back to campus as she helps us explore Strayhorn's life through those songs as his expression of who he was.
James Fishkin holds the Janet M. Peck Chair in International Communication at Stanford University where he is professor of communication and professor of political science. He is also director of Stanford’s Center for Deliberative Democracy and chair of the department of communication. He is the author of a number of books and is best known for developing Deliberative Polling, a practice of public consultation that employs random samples of the citizenry to explore how opinions would change if they were more informed. Professor Fishkin and his collaborators have conducted Deliberative Polls in the US, Britain, Australia, Denmark, Bulgaria, China, Greece and other countries as well as in locations across the United States.
Venture capitalist, tech entrepreneur, New York Times bestselling author of Disciplined Dreaming and The Road to Reinvention, and a top-rated innovation keynote speaker. As Founding Partner of Detroit Venture Partners, he helps startups disrupt the old guard while helping to rebuild his hometown of Detroit, Michigan. Josh is on a mission to drive innovation, creativity and reinvention in individual lives, businesses and cities. And he also plays a mean jazz guitar.
The number reads A27633 and it’s been tattooed on her forearm for over 70 years. Tova Friedman is one of the youngest known survivors of the Auschwitz concentration camp. She entered the camp with her mother and father at the age of 5 and, despite being led into the gas chambers, she miraculously survived. She was one of the 7,000 prisoners found alive during the liberation of Auschwitz by the Soviet army in January 1945—this January marks the 70th anniversary of their liberation. She and two other women among the children liberated were interviewed by Holland, Michigan, author Milton Nieuwsma for the 1998 book “Kinderlager: An Oral History of Young Holocaust Survivors” which was made into a PBS documentary in 2005. Friedman’s parents also survived and the family eventually immigrated to New York in 1950. Friedman went on to attend the City College of New York and to receive a masters of social work at Rutgers University. She has spent a great deal of her life working for the Jewish community. Friedman lived in Israel from 1967 to 1977 with her husband and four children, and she taught at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. She is the retired director of Jewish Family Service for Somerset County in New Jersey.
We wake up to our iPhones and sign off to Facebook. In between, we’re texting, downloading and streaming—inundated with information from Google, Hulu and iTunes. How do we filter all our media to discern what matters? Craig Detweiler, who has his PhD from Fuller Theological Seminary, is a professor of communication and director of the Center for Entertainment, Media, and Culture at Pepperdine University where they are asking these kinds of questions. He is also an author, award-winning filmmaker and cultural commentator who has been featured on CNN, NPR and in The New York Times. In his book “iGods” he interacts with major symbols of our distracted age—like Apple, Amazon, YouTube and Twitter—to investigate the impact of the technologies and cultural phenomena that drives us.
Dr. Hurlbut is a physician and consulting professor at the Neuroscience Institute of Stanford University Medical Center. After receiving his undergraduate and medical training at Stanford, he completed postdoctoral studes in theology and medical ethics at Stanford and the Institut Catholique de Paris. In addition to teaching, he served for eight years on the U.S. President’s Council on Bioethics. He has also worked with NASA on projects in astrobiology and since 1998 has been a member of the Chemical and Biological Warfare working group at the Stanford University Center for International Security and Cooperation. He will share with us the beauty and mystery of the human brain from a faith perspective.
Anne is a resource development specialist for global and multi-cultural resources at the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship living with her husband and four sons in Cairo, Egypt. Anne received her Bachelor’s degree from Calvin College in Psychology and Sociology in 1999, her Master’s degree from the American University in Cairo in the field of Social Psychology in 2002, and her Masters of Divinity from Calvin Theological Seminary in 2009. Anne, who was born in Egypt, and her husband, Naji Umran, pastored two churches in Michigan and British Columbia but always planned to return one day to Egypt to live and serve. In September 2011, nine months after the events of the Arab Spring, they felt called to make the move. Anne will share with us what life is like in Egypt for Middle Eastern Christians and share with us were she finds her hope.
On September 7, 1979, ESPN was launched. Entrepreneurial daring, irrepressible enthusiasm and a dash of good luck gave the world the first 24-hour television network. ESPN’s impact forever changed the way we watch television. The man who had the dream, the founder of ESPN, is Bill Rasmussen. A life-long entrepreneur and sports fan, Rasmussen’s innovations in advertising, sports and broadcasting are too numerous to list, but they include the creation of Sports Center, wall-to-wall coverage of NCAA regular-season and “March Madness” college basketball, and coverage of the College World Series. Rasmussen is a frequent guest on radio, television and the internet, and is the author of the best-selling book, Sports Junkies Rejoice! The Birth of ESPN.
Dr. Sweet is an associate clinical professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.She practiced medicine for twenty years at Laguna Honda Hospital in San Francisco, where she began writing. In her book, God’s Hotel: A Doctor,a Hospital, and a Pilgrimage to the Heart of Medicine, she lays out her evidence in stories of her patients and her hospital for some radically new ideas about medicine and healthcare in this country. In our attempts to get control of healthcare costs by privileging “efficiency,” she suggests, we’ve been headed down the wrong path. Medicine works best that is, arrives at the right diagnosis and the right treatment for the least amount of money when it is personal and face-to-face; when the doctor has enough time to do a good job, and pays attention not only to the patient but to what’s around the patient. Dr. Sweet calls this approach Slow Medicine.
Born into Mississippi poverty, the son of a share-cropper, John M. Perkins fled to California when he was 17 after his older brother was murdered by a town marshal. Although Dr. Perkins vowed never to return, in 1960 after he accepted Christ, he returned to his boyhood home to share the gospel of Christ with those still living in the region. His outspoken support and leadership role in civil rights demonstrations resulted in repeated harassment, imprisonment, and beatings. Today, Dr. Perkins is president of the John M. Perkins Foundation for Reconciliation and Development of Jackson, Mississippi. He is one of the leading evangelical voices to come out of the American civil rights movement. He is also an internationally known author, speaker, and teacher on issues of racial reconciliation and Christian community development.
Domestic minor sex trafficking happens all over the world including the United States. At least 100,000 U.S. children are exploited in prostitution every year in America. In response, Linda founded Shared Hope International. She is the author of From Congress to the Brothel and Renting Lacy. She has testified before Congress, presented at national and international forums, and has been published in news outlets and journals. Linda served as a Washington State legislator (1983-93) and in the U.S. Congress (1994-1998). Shared Hope International is dedicated to bringing an end to sex trafficking through a three-prong approach – prevention, restoration, and justice.
Appointed in June 2012, Le Roy is the 10th and current president of Calvin College. From 1994-2002, Le Roy taught political science at Wheaton College. In 2002 he returned to his alma mater, Whitworth, where he taught political science for three years before being appointed vice president of academic affairs and dean of faculty. He is a strong believer in the role of Christian liberal arts in the landscape of Christian higher education and is leading Calvin College forward during a challenging era in the history of higher education.
Designated a “Global Leader for Tomorrow” by the World Economic Forum, Karabell is bringing a profound and refreshingly optimistic outlook to a world economy in crisis. A regular contributor on CNBC and Fast Money, he is also a frequent commentator on MSNBC, NBC Nightly News, CNN, Fox News and The History Channel. Karabell writes for The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, New Your Times and Newsweek: the Daily Beast. He is also the author of several books including Sustainable Excellence: The Future of Business in a Fast-Changing World. He is a graduate of Columbia, Oxford and Harvard.
Fulgham is the president and founder of The Expectations Project, a national organization that mobilizes people of faith to support public education reform and close the academic achievement gap. Former vice president of faith community relations at Teach for America, she has appeared on CNN and ABC News, and was named to the list of “50 Women to Watch” by Christianity Today. She is the recipient of an Education Entrepreneur Fellowship with The Mind Trust and serves on the board of several non-profit and community organizations, including the National Association of Evangelicals and Faith in Public Life.
An associate professor and chair of the department of media and communication at Trinity Western University in British Columbia. Schut writes about the intersection of communication, culture, media, technology and faith, primarily by talking about computer and video games. He is a Calvin College alum returning to share his insights into the compatibility of the Christian faith and interactive entertainment.
Senator Snowe stunned Washington in February 2012 when she announced she would not seek a fourth term. After serving in the legislative branch at the state and federal levels for 40 years, including 18 years in the U.S. Senate, she explained that Washington wasn’t solving the big problems anymore. In her book, Fighting for Common Ground, she explores the roots of her belief in principled policy-making and bipartisan compromise. Senator Snowe proposes solutions for bridging the partisan divide in Washington, most notably through a citizens’ movement to hold elected officials accountable. In 2005, Snowe was named the 54th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes magazine. In 2006, Time magazine named her one of the top ten U.S. senators.
Clark is associate provost for regional campuses and strategic projects and professor of youth, family, and culture at Fuller Theological Seminary. A well-known practitioner, adolescent and family scholar, and author, Clark has more than 30 years’ experience in direct ministry, including 15 years with Young Life, as well as positions with several churches, Denver Seminary, and Youth Specialties. He is the senior editor of Youthworker Journal and president of Foothill Community Ministries, Inc., the parent organization for the ParenTeen and HURT Seminars. Dr. Clark has remained in direct ministry with young people, and is committed to the equipping and training of men and women who recognize the Church's mandate of reaching out to young people in the name of Christ. He is the author of many books, articles, and videos that focus primarily on relationships. Most recently, he published Hurt 2.0 and coauthored Sticky Faith with Fuller’s Kara Powell.
Pauley is a professor of Communication Arts and Sciences at Calvin College and teaches American oratory. He specializes in the area of the rhetoric of the American civil rights movement, American political rhetoric on civil rights issues, and colonial era American sermons. Pauley earned his PhD from Penn State and is a past recipient of a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Communication Association's Karl Wallace Memorial Award. He will speak to our audience on the topic of presidential speeches just days prior to the 2013 presidential inauguration.
Armstrong has a background in nutrition, agricultural research, education, international and executive management and currently serves as the CEO of the National FFA Organization. Since 2008, Armstrong served as the founder and principal of JDA Consulting, LLC. Prior to that, he served at Provimi, a global nutrition company, and as president of North American Nutrition Companies, Inc. He received his undergraduate degree in Animal Science from Murray State University, earned his Master’s degree in Nutrition from Purdue University and received his Ph.D. in Nutrition from Purdue. FFA is a national youth organization of over 500,000 student members all preparing for leadership and careers in the science, business and technology of agriculture.
Van Duzer is the author of Why Business Matters to God: And What Still Needs to be Fixed and dean of the School of Business and Economics at Seattle Pacific University. He is also professor of business ethics and law, and prior to his work with SPU he served as a partner with Davis A. Wright Tremaine, an international law firm. Van Duzer has spoken at a number of different venues, including Redeemer Presbyterian Church’s Gospel and Culture Lectures in 2010.
Captain Smiley, a Ranger and combat-diver qualified infantryman, was the Army's first active-duty blind officer and its first blind company commander. On April 6, 2005, he lost use of both eyes when a suicide car bomber blew himself up 30 meters in front of Scotty's Stryker vehicle. Since that day, Smiley has surfed in Hawaii, skied in Vail, skydived, climbed Mount Rainier, completed a triathlon, and graduated from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business with his MBA. The Army Times named Captain Smiley its Soldier of the Year in 2007 and in 2008 he won an ESPY as the world's Best Outdoor Athlete. Scotty, a recipient of the Bronze Star and Purple Heart, recently taught the core course in leadership at West Point and now commands the Warrior Transition Unit at West Point's Keller Army Medical Center. Captain Smiley was recently named a recipient of the Army’s prestigious MacArthur Leadership Award and currently holds an honorary PhD from Mount St. Mary College in Newburgh, NY. Scotty and his wife, Tiffany, are both from Pasco, Washington. They are the proud parents of two young sons.
Mouw has served as president of Fuller Theological Seminary since 1993. A philosopher, scholar, and author, Mouw joined the faculty of Fuller Theological Seminary as professor of Christian philosophy and ethics in 1985. Before coming to Fuller he served for 17 years as professor of philosophy at Calvin College. Mouw has served for six years as co-chair of the official Reformed-Catholic Dialogue, and is a leader for interfaith theological conversations, particularly with Mormons and Jewish groups. Robert Millet is the leading Mormon theologian and a BYU professor. Together they will discuss the history of their interfaith dialogue and explain the areas where they agree and disagree.
Yang is the Director of Advocacy and Policy for the Refugee and Immigration Program at World Relief. In this position, Jenny works with members of congress, their staffers, and the administration to improve refugee and immigration policy. Previous to World Relief, she worked at the largest political fundraising firm in Maryland managing fundraising and campaigning for local politicians. Jenny has researched refugee and asylum law in Madrid, Spain through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. She is the co-author of Welcoming the Stranger.
Ahmanson is a writer and philanthropist whose public activities focus on the vital role the arts play in shaping human experience and the critical role of religion in public life. She is chairman of the board of the Museum of Biblical Art in New York City, a regular speaker at the International Arts Movement’s annual encounters, and a frequent commentator on the arts. She has sponsored a number of international art exhibitions, the most recent being “The Sacred Made Real” at the National Gallery, London, in the fall of 2009. Ahmanson is also chairman of the board of the Media Project and a contributor to Oxford University Press’s 2008 award-winning book, Blind Spot: When Journalists
If performing heart surgery isn't difficult enough, try doing it in the war-torn country of Iraq. Jeremy Courtney is the executive director of Preemptive Love Coalition, a non-profit that provides medical training for Iraqi physicians and heart surgeries for children in Iraq. He makes a compelling case for extending a helping hand first and asking questions later. In the process of mending hearts, he is mending cultural discord, unmaking violence, and living out the call of Jesus to be a peacemaker.
Tom Wright is a leading New Testament scholar and former Bishop of Durham in the Church of England. His academic work has usually been published under the name N. T. Wright; his books aimed at a more popular readership, such as What St Paul Really Said and Simply Christian, are published under the less formal name of Tom Wright. He is generally perceived as coming from a moderately evangelical perspective. He is associated with the so-called Third Quest for the Historical Jesus, and the New Perspective on Paul (a complex movement with many unique positions, originating from the probing works of James Dunn and E. P. Sanders). He argues that the current understanding of Jesus must be connected with what is known to be true about him from the historical perspective of first century Judaism and Christianity .
Ralph Edmond was born into privilege in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. That is a rare thing indeed, but rarer still is the fact that Ralph, with opportunity to live in luxury in North America, has chosen to give his life in changing the country he loves for the better. After High School in Haiti, Ralph graduated magna cum laude from Baruch College in New York and returned to his native Haiti to develop a homegrown pharmaceutical company.
Joel Salatin is a fulltime alternative farmer in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. He writes extensively for agriculture magazines and is a popular speaker who defends small farms, local food systems, and the right to opt out of the conventional food paradigm. His family’s farm, Polyface Inc, has been featured in Smithsonian Magazine, National Geographic, Gourmet, and countless other radio, television and print media. Profiled on the Lives of the 21st Century series with Peter Jennings on ABC News, his after- broadcast chat room fielded more hits than any other segment to date. The farm achieved iconic status as the grass farm featured in the New York Times bestseller Omnivore’s Dilemma by food writer guru Michael Pollan and more recently the movie Food, Inc. He is author of a number of books including the recently released Folks, This Ain't Normal, which is a farmer's advice for happier hens, healthier people and a better world.
Adam Russell Taylor is vice president of advocacy at World Vision, USA. He recently completed a yearlong fellowship at the White House, and he formerly served as the Senior Political Director at Sojourners, where he was responsible for leading the organization's advocacy, coalition building and constituency outreach. He has also served as the executive director of Global Justice, an organization that educates and mobilizes students around global human rights and economic justice. Before cofounding Global Justice, he worked as an associate at the Harvard University Carr Center for Human Rights and as an urban fellow in the Department of Housing Preservation and Development in New York City. Taylor is a graduate of Emory University, the Kennedy School of Government and the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology. He is also an ordained minister who recides in Washington, D.C..
After graduating from college with a Classics degree, Jennifer wasn’t sure what she wanted to do with her life. She is drawn to the Appalachian Trail, a 2175-mile footpath that stretches from Georgia to Maine. Though her friends think she’s crazy and her mom worries about her safety, she sets out alone to hike the trail, hoping it will give her time to think about what she wants to do next. The next four months prove to be the most physically and emotionally challenging season of her life. She quickly discovers that thru-hiking is harder than she had imagined: coping with blisters and aching shoulders from the 30-pound pack she carries; sleeping on the hard wooden floors of trail shelters or trying to put up a tent in the dark; hiking through endless torrents of rain and even a blizzard. With every step she takes, Jennifer transitions from an over-confident college graduate to a student of the trail. She learns that she is stronger than she thought she was as she braves situations she never imagined before her thru-hike. The trail is full of unexpected kindness, generosity, and humor. And when tragedy strikes, she learns that she can depend on other people to help her in times of need. Read more about her 2005 AT journey in her adventure memoir, Becoming Odyssa. It is a drama filled, laugh out loud, coming-of-age story that will be enjoyed by both hikers and non-hikers.
Michael Gerson is a nationally syndicated columnist who appears twice weekly in the Washington Post. He is the author of Heroic Conservatism (HarperOne, 2007) and co-author of City of Man: Religion and Politics in a New Era (Moody, 2010). Gerson serves as Senior Advisor at ONE, a bipartisan organization dedicated to the fight against extreme poverty and preventable diseases. He is the Hastert Fellow at the J. Dennis Hastert Center for Economics, Government, and Public Policy at Wheaton College in Illinois. He serves on the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, the Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Committee on Conscience, the Board of Directors of Bread for the World, the Initiative for Global Development Leadership Council, and the Board of Directors of the International Rescue Committee. He is co-Chair of The Poverty Forum and Co-Chair of the Catholic/Evangelical Dialogue with Dr. Ron Sider. From 2006 to 2009, Gerson was the Roger Hertog Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). Before joining CFR in 2006, Gerson was a top aide to President George W. Bush as Assistant to the President for Policy and Strategic Planning. He was a key administration advocate for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the President's Malaria Initiative (PMI), the fight against global sex trafficking, and funding for women’s justice and empowerment issues. Prior to that appointment, he served in the White House as Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Presidential Speechwriting and Assistant to the President for Speechwriting and Policy Advisor. Gerson joined Bush's presidential campaign in early 1999 as chief speechwriter and a senior policy adviser. He was previously a senior editor covering politics at U.S. News and World Report. Gerson was a speechwriter and policy adviser for Jack Kemp and a speechwriter for Bob Dole during the 1996 presidential campaign. He has also served Senator Dan Coats of Indiana as Policy Director. Gerson is a graduate of Wheaton College in Illinois. He grew up in the St. Louis area and now lives with his wife and sons in northern Virginia.
Gabe Lyons is the author of The Next Christians: The Good News About the End of Christian America and the founder of Q, a learning community that mobilizes Christians to advance the common good in society. Additionally, he is the co-author of UnChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity and Why It Matters, a bestselling book based on original research that revealed the pervasiveness of pop culture’s negative perceptions of Christians. Prior to launching Q, Gabe co-founded Catalyst, a national gathering of young leaders. His work represents the perspectives of a new generation of Christians and has been featured by CNN, The New York Times, Fox News and USA Today. Gabe, his wife Rebekah, and their three children reside in Manhattan, New York.
Eric Metaxas is the author of the New York Times #1 bestseller, Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy, which was recently named "Book of the Year" by the ECPA. Bonhoeffer also won the 2011 John C. Pollock Award for Biography awarded by Beeson Divinity School and a 2011 Christopher Award in the Non-fiction category. Called a "biography of uncommon power," Bonhoeffer appeared on numerous 2010 "Best of the Year" lists and was featured in the Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, The New Republic, Harper’s, Kirkus (starred review), NPR, FoxNews, C-SPAN’s Book TV, Christianity Today, The Weekly Standard, and First Things. Metaxas is the 2011 recipient of the Canterbury Medal awarded by the Becket Fund for Religious Freedom. Previous medalists include Archbishop Charles Chaput and Elie Wiesel.
Edith Mirante is an American artist and author of Burmese Looking Glass: A Human Rights Adventure and a Jungle Revolution published in 1993 and Down the Rat Hole: Adventures Underground on Burma’s Frontiers published in 2005. Her most recent book, Down the Rat Hole, is about a hidden world of guerrilla warfare and jade trading, the AIDS pandemic, rainforest destruction in Burma western border among the Arakanese, the Chins and the Kachins. She is also author of several reports about politics, human rights and environmental issues about the Chins among others; "The Chin Compendium (1997)", "Ashes and Tears (2001)" (A report a bout Chin/Burmese refugees in Guam), the "Razor Edge" (Survival Crisis for Refugees from Burma in Delhi, India-2004) and "Mithuns Sacrificed To Greed: The Forest Ox of Burma's Chins (2004)". Her commentaries are regularly broadcast on the BBC World Service, she's lectured for Amnesty International and Greenpeace, her articles appear in New York Times, Asiaweek, and she's given evidence about Burma before the US Congress and the European Trade Commission and International Labor Organization. Ms. Mirante is founder and project director of Project Maje.
As a turnaround specialist, Mr. George has uniquely applied his turnaround skills to our nation’s struggling public education system. Sajan’s particular focus and passion has been to realize the dream that all students, regardless of background, can learn and succeed in American society. He works alongside the nation’s governors, state superintendents, mayors, chancellors and school superintendents as well as two of the largest education philanthropic investors, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Eli & Edythe Broad Foundation. Dissatisfied by the status quo in public education in this country, he has worked at restructuring some of the largest K-12 and higher education institutions in the country including two of the nation’s most complex urban school systems in New York City and Washington, DC as well as the New Orleans Parish Schools in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and most recently the State Departments of Education in Indiana, New Mexico and Arkansas. He is currently leading a team in Detroit to manage the city’s K-12 special education department.
Dr. Worster is the Hall Professor of U.S. History and Environmental Studies at the University of Kansas. He has taught at Yale University and the University of Hawaii and has held fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Australian National University, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Mellon Foundation, and the American Council of Learned Societies. He is the author of many highly acclaimed books including biographies on John Muir and John Wesley Powell. He is primarily interested in the emerging field of environmental history – the changing perception of nature, the rise of conservation and environmentalism, but especially the ways that the natural world has impinged on human society and provided the context for human life over time.
Jackson Kaguri was raised in Uganda, graduated from Makerere University, attended graduate school in the U.S. and was a visiting scholar at Columbia University. He is the founder and director of the Nyaka and Kutamba AIDS Orphans Schools in Uganda and the author of the recently released The Price of Stones, the stirring story behind the founding of his schools. In the book he weaves together inspiring accounts of building the first school stone by stone against tremendous odds to meet the needs of the growing number of children in his town left orphaned by AIDS. Kaguri shows how one person with a modest idea is capable of achieving monumental results. He was recently featured in the June 14 issue of TIME Magazine in an article entitled “Power of One”. As the article states, “he had an American job, an American wife and the beginnings of a down payment to buy a house. Then in April 2001, he took his wife to visit his home village and the grannies flooded in, seeking help raising their grandchildren left orphaned by AIDS.” His life has not been the same since.
Nikki is on staff at InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and serves as the Program Director for Urbana, a student missions conference that gathers 20,000 students from 120 different countries. She consults and speaks for a variety of campuses, churches and organizations and currently sits on the board of Mission Year, serving as their chairperson of the multi-ethnicity committee. Much of her insights stem from experiences living among the poor people in the slums of Nairobi, Cairo, and Bangkok. Prior to entering ministry, Nikki spent several years working as an engineer in Silicon Valley. She is the co-editor of More Than Serving Tea, a collection of essays, stories and poems looking at the intersection of race, gender and faith for Asian American women.
Dr. Geelhoed serves as a surgeon and faculty member at the George Washington University Medical Center in Washington DC, although he spends most of his year living in remote areas of the world. For nearly 40 years he has led teams of medical students and professionals to some of the poorest and most medically needy areas on earth. They have traveled to places such as Haiti, the Philippines, Somaliland, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Congo, Sudan, and Rwanda. In recognition of his work Dr. Geelhoed was named one of George Magazine’s Humanitarians of the Year in 2000 and was recently inducted into the Medical Mission Hall of Fame, affiliated with The University of Toledo’s College of Medicine, which honors those who have improved the human condition through better public health care. Dr. Geelhoed is a Calvin alum who will return to his alma mater to share his experiences on the medical mission field and the lessons he has learned in human resilience, lessons he calls “gifts from the poor”.
Father Greg is a Jesuit priest and the founder and executive director of Homeboy Industries, the largest, most successful gang intervention program in Los Angeles. Homeboy, whose motto is “Nothing Stops a Bullet Like a Job”, takes gang members (homeboys and homegirls) fresh out of detention centers and offers everything from job training and placement to tattoo removal. Reflecting on over 20 years of experience with the gangs, Father Greg has recently published “Tattoos on the Heart” which has been on the Los Angeles Times best seller list all summer. He has received numerous humanitarian awards, among them the California Peace Prize. He lives in Los Angeles.
Andy is the author of Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling, winner of Christianity Today’s 2009 Book Award for Christianity and Culture and named one of the best books of 2008 by Publishers Weekly, Relevant, Outreach and Leadership. A senior editor at Christianity Today International, he has served as executive producer of the documentary films Where Faith and Culture Meet and Round Trip and was editorial director of the Christian Vision Project from 2005 to 2008. He also sits on the editorial board of Books & Culture and has been a columnist for Christianity Today. A classically trained musician who draws on pop, folk, rock, jazz and gospel, he has led musical worship for congregations of five to twenty thousand. He and his family live in Pennsylvania.
Ms. Grandin is the most accomplished and well-known adult with autism in the world. An expert on animal behavior, she has designed humane handling systems for half the cattle-processing facilities in the US and consults with the meat industry to develop animal welfare guidelines. She is an Associate Professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University, a prominent author and speaker and was recently named as one of the 25 "Heroes" in this years' Time 100 annual list of the world's most influential people. Her books about her interior life as an autistic person have increased the world’s understanding of the condition with personal immediacy – and with import, as rates of autism diagnosis rise. An HBO movie was recently made about her life starring actress Clare Danes. She is revered by animal rights groups and members of the autistic community, perhaps because in both regards she is a voice for those who are sometimes challenged to make themselves heard.
Professor of philosophy at Calvin and program director of the “Values & Virtues in Contemporary China” global initiative 2010-2013. Author of numerous books including Philosophers Who Believe and The Story of Ethics. With the number of Christians in China possibly outnumbering the members of the Communist Party, the Party senses an increasing political threat posed by religion, yet China’s constitution guarantees freedom of religion. Professor Clark will help us understand China’s religious contradictions.
Ms. Seng was born in Phnom Penh in January 1971. Under the Khmer Rouge, she lived in Svay Rieng province bordering Vietnam, where the killings were most intense and where she spent five months in prison. The Khmer Rouge killed both her parents. In November 1979, at the age of eight, she and her surviving family trekked across the border for Thailand and emigrated to the U.S. one year later (first settling in Grand Rapids, MI with the support of a local CRC church). Theary graduated from Georgetown University’s school of Foreign Service with a BS in International Politics and received a Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan Law School. Theary returned to Cambodia in 2004 and is the founder and board president of the Center for Justice & Reconciliation. She wrote a book about her life entitled Daughter of the Killing Fields and is currently working on a second book.
Ms. Tippett is host and producer of On Being (formerly Speaking of Faith), which airs on more than 200 public radio stations in the U.S. and internationally via the Web. A Peabody award-winning broadcaster, she is known as one of the most intelligent and insightful commentators on religion, ethics, and the human spirit. Through the show and her writing she has endeavored to enliven public discussion about the intersections of spirituality, faith and everyday life. She is the author of two books Speaking of Faith and Einstein's God.
As a child, Elias Chacour lived in a small Palestinian village in Galilee. The townspeople were proud of their ancient Christian heritage and lived at peace with their Jewish neighbors. But in 1948 and ’49 their idyllic lifestyle was swept away as tens of thousands of Palestinians were killed and nearly one million were forced into refugee camps. As an exile in his native land, Elias began a years-long struggle with his love for the Jewish people and the world’s misunderstanding of his own people, the Palestinians. He is convicted by the haunting words of the Man of Galilee: “Blessed are the Peacemakers”. Father Chacour has become an ambassador for non-violence. He has a vision and passion to build peace through education and is the founder of the Mar Elias Educational Institutions, open to all the children of Israel; Jewish, Christian and Muslim. He has received many international peace awards and been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize on three occasions. He is the author of Blood Brothers and We Belong to this Land. Father Chacour is the Archbishop of the Melkite Catholic Church in Haifa, Israel.
Ghanaian economist at American University, recognized authority on Africa and Economic Development, and author of the influential book Africa Unchained . He has coined the term “the Hippo and Cheetah generations” referring to the old and new African elites. He focuses on bottom-up economics through “Cheetah Enterprises” – projects starting at the grassroots level that enable Africans to improve their quality of life. He speaks passionately about empowering Africans to take back Africa.
A renowned speaker, Rich DeVos has appeared before hundreds of thousands of people worldwide. His recorded talk, “Selling America,” received the Alexander Hamilton Award for Economic Education from the Freedom’s Foundation. He has written four books: BELIEVE!, Compassionate Capitalism, Hope From My Heart: Ten Lessons for Life and most recently Ten Powerful Phrases for Positive People. He is the Cofounder of Amway Corporation and chairman of the NBA Orlando Magic.
The Milton B. Engebretson Associate Professor of Church Growth & Evangelism at North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago, IL. He is the author of The Next Evangelicalism: Freeing the Church from Western Cultural Captivity (IVP, 2009). He served as the founding senior pastor of the Cambridge Community Fellowship Church, a multi-ethnic, urban, post-modern generation church in the Central Square neighborhood of Cambridge, MA. He currently serves on the boards of Sojourners and the Catalyst Leadership Center. He will be our speaker for Martin Luther King, Jr. day speaking on the vision for the multi-cultural church.
Founder of Wikipedia, one of the ten most visited web sites in the world. He is a U.S. Internet entrepreneur and wiki pioneer. Ranked 12th by Forbes Magazine in their first annual “Web Celeb 25” list and named one of TIME Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People”. In 2007 the World Economic Forum recognized Wales as one of its “Young Global Leaders.” Mr. Wales predicts that the Internet will democratize developing countries by making the world “flat”, opening markets, promoting cultural understanding, and giving developing nations the resources they need to compete in the 21st century.
Current member of Egyptian Parliament, Board Chairperson for the Association for the Protection of the Environment, Ms. Greiss works with the poor and marginalized Christian community of garbage collectors in Cairo. Her work focuses on environmental protection and the empowerment of women and children.
Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Congregational and Ministry Studies at Calvin College. He describes his work as “undertaken in the borderlands between philosophy, theology, ethics, aesthetics, science, and politics.” He is most interested in bringing critical thought to bear on the practices of the church and the church's witness to culture. Smith has written many books, and his presentation will be based on his most recent which was released in September 2009.
Prison Warden of the Louisiana State Penitentiary. His steadfast rejection of a “lock ‘em up and throw away the key” mentality can be seen in the progressive, compassionate programs and sound correctional procedures he has implemented. The hallmark of his remarkable administration is his relentless efforts to help each inmate discover value and purpose in his life, to experience true freedom of the soul. His story is a story of hope and transformation in America’s bloodiest prison. He is the subject of the book Cain’s Redemption.
An independent consultant on US/Asian relations, North Korea, and nuclear arms, known and highly respected by business and government leaders throughout Asia and the U.S. He serves as Asian advisor to New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson. He has traveled to North Korea nearly thirty times and for this presentation he will use his experience of dealing with North Korea over the past twenty years to reflect on current situations. Namkung is a 1967 Calvin alum.
Founder and senior pastor of Citadel of Faith Covenant Church, a congregation of 800 in Detroit, Michigan. Located in one of the poorest zip codes in America, Citadel of faith is committed to providing real solutions for people and communities in distress. Pastor Carey serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Central Detroit Christian Community Development Corporation, a non-profit providing social services, housing, and enrichment activities for youth and children. Pastor Carey, who grew up in the projects of southside Chicago, is an exceptional communicator, widely known for his ability to communicate the transforming truth of God's Word.
Newly appointed president of the American Enterprise Institute, former professor of business and government policy at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. Dr. Brooks' research and writing have investigated the connections between culture, politics, and economic life in America. In the past ten years, he has published five dozen academic articles, scores of magazine and newspaper essays, and seven books on subjects ranging from the economics of the arts to philanthropy to military operations research. His most recent books are Gross National Happiness, Social Entrepreneurship, and Who Really Cares, which discusses the surprising truth he discovered about compassionate conservatism after years of researching the giving trends in America.
Assistant Professor of Sociology, Rice University. Faculty Associate of Leadership Rice and Assistant Director of the Center on Race, Religion, and Urban Life. He is the author of two books, both with George Gallup, Jr., and has written many scholarly and popular essays. He has received numerous awards for his writing, teaching and speaking and writes a regular column for REV! magazine. His book, Faith in the Halls of Power , is based on personal interviews with over 300 prominent evangelical Americans including two former presidents, dozens of political and government leaders, more than 100 top business executives, plus Hollywood moguls, intellectuals, athletes, and other powerful individuals.
Senior Vice President of Justice Operations for International Justice Mission, Ms. Wu oversees IJM’s operations in Africa, Latin America, South Asia and Southeast Asia, developing intervention and investigation strategies and advocating with local and national authorities. Ms. Wu received a B.A. with Honors from University of Virginia, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School, cum laude. Prior to working at IJM, she was an associate with Arnold & Porter in Washington, DC, representing private and governmental entities in litigation and international trade matters. She regularly briefs government officials in the U.S. and abroad on various human rights issues and has provided interviews for The New York Times Magazine, CNN, FOX News, BBC World, “Dateline” and various other media outlets.
To many people, Jazz is something that is not very "listener-friendly." Often it may seem that the musicians are in their own world sharing secrets with the other musicians on stage. Even if people enjoy listening to Jazz, they still may not really understand what is going on. Xavier Davis, joined by bassist Brandon Owens and drummer E.J. Strickland to form the Xavier Davis Trio, will attempt to demystify Jazz. Attendees will leave with a greater appreciation for this American art form. This greater appreciation and understanding will hopefully lead to greater enjoyment when listening to this rich music.
Associate Professor of Applied Theology at Howard University School of Divinity and president of Globe Community Ministries in West Philadelphia, PA. His area of expertise is in social policy and religion and urban ministry. He is a fellow at The Center for Public Justice in Washington DC. His current work and passion is in the area of prisoner re-entry into society and the role of the church. This lecture will examine the restorative justice tradition of the Christian church and its relevance for persons returning from incarceration, their families, churches and communities.
Having worked as an assistant director on more than forty Hollywood productions, including Minority Report, Honeymoon in Vegas and the epic television series Lonesome Dove, Rooy now focuses his energy on creating media programs that engage and educate people about important human issues. His company, Rooy Media LLC, has worked in more than twenty countries in partnership with such organizations as UNICEF, the Microcredit Summit Campaign, the Grameen Foundation and Rodale Institute. He is arguably one of the foremost chroniclers of microfinance, an innovative anti-poverty strategy that has helped millions of families escape poverty. To Our Credit, his seminal PBS documentary series featuring Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, introduced many Americans to this ground-breaking idea. It was the first of a dozen programs he has produced on the subject and the first of several collaborations with Dr. Yunus. Rooy, a former president of Calvin Thespians, returns to his alma mater to share his journey of discovery, his belief in the power of people-centered development, and his commitment to using the powerful tool of film on behalf of the disenfranchised.
Writes frequently on public health for various publications, including The New York Review of Books and The New York Times Magazine . She has conducted extensive research on public health in developing countries for Human Rights Watch, the Open Society Institute, the Rockefeller Foundation and other organizations. She is a scientist, research scholar, consultant and writer having completed her doctorate at Cambridge University and post doctorate work at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the University of California, Davis. Her book, The Invisible Cure, has been referred to as “traveling into remote and hard-to-comprehend territory with an unblinking and sure-footed guide.” It's the product of more than a decade of research resulting in a book that the New York Times called “enlightening and troubling”.
Professors of Physics and Astronomy at Calvin College. Deborah, with a Ph.D from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, researches galaxies and cosmology; and Loren, with a Ph.D. from Harvard, studies electrical activity of nerve cells. Together, they have explored the science and theology of origins, speaking at numerous conferences, colleges and churches. In their book, Origins, they explore what both God's Word and God's world teach us about creation, the age of the earth, evolution, and intelligent design. Some views on origins reject modern science while others reject Christian theology, but there is a range of views that take both seriously. The Haarsmas summarize areas where Christians agree, while sympathetically presenting the strengths and weaknesses of positions where Christians disagree.
Serves on the General Assembly Council of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) as Coordinator of the Middle East and Asia Minor and as Coordinator/Executive Director of the Jinishian Memorial Program. Makari is a native to Egypt and has been a minister in the PCUSA since 1966. He has been involved in a variety of ministries locally, nationally and internationally. He has broad experiences in ecumenical and interreligious dialogue and cooperation, both domestically and internationally.
Senior pastor at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church in Menlo Park, California. He is the best-selling author of many books including The Life You've Always Wanted, God is Closer Than You Think, Everybody's Normal Till You Get to Know Them, When the Game is Over, It All Goes Back in the Box and his newly released Faith and Doubt. Ortberg served as a teaching pastor at Willow Creek Community Church from 1994 to 2003 and holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Fuller Theological Seminary.
Jonas Robitscher Professor of Law and Director of the Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory University. He is the recipient of the 2008 National First Freedom Award for his contributions in advancing religious liberty in the United States. He is a specialist in legal history, marriage, religious liberty and the life of John Calvin. He is the author of 21 books and countless publications. He has won dozens of awards for his teaching and research. In this presentation he will address John Calvin's political legacy and its enduring lessons for us still today.
Douglas Diekema, M.D., M.P.H., is Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine with an adjunct appointment in the Department of Medical History and Ethics. He serves as Director of Medical Ethics and Chair of the IRB at Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center. He currently serves on the Committee on Bioethics of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
William Garvelink is the current Ambassador of the US to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Prior to this appointment, Garvelink served as the Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Timothy George is the founding dean of Beeson Divinity School and has been at Beeson since its inception in 1988. He teaches church history, historical theology, and theology of the Reformers. He is currently serving as executive editor for Christianity Today along with serving on the editorial advisory boards of The Harvard Theological Review, Christian History, and Books & Culture.
Meg Lowman, better known as Canopy Meg, is the Director of Environmental Initiatives at New College of Florida. Her expertise involves canopy ecology, particularly plant-insect relationships, and spans over 25 years in Australia, Peru, Africa, the Americas, and the South Pacific.
Dr. James Abbington is an Associate Professor of Music and Worship at Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. His research interests include music and worship in the Christian church, African American sacred folk music, organ, choral music, and ethnomusicology.
Mr. Berg, a global nuclear expert, is Sr. Vice President of Infrastructure Development for UniStar Nuclear Energy, a joint venture of Constellation Energy and Électricité de France (EDF). He joined UniStar Nuclear Energy in February 2007 and is responsible for fleet wide training, workforce development, human resources, information technology, and establishing UniStar Nuclear Energy's key business and administrative processes necessary for the development of the company's emerging fleet of evolutionary power reactors.
Michael Griffin was nominated by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the US Senate in April 2005 as the 11th Administrator for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. He leads the NASA team and manages the U.S. vision for space exploration.
I am an Associate Professor of English at Calvin College, where I have taught since 1996. I teach early modern British literature, world literature, Shakespeare, composition, and poetry. For me, teaching and writing are mutually enriching actions. Teaching keeps me in contact with great literature of the past and present and with the unmatched vitality of young minds. Writing allows me to reflect, imagine, and enter a larger human conversation about things mundane and eternal. In 2002, Tarcher/Putnam published my first book, "Great with Child: On Becoming a Mother" , a meditative account of my third pregnancy and my son's first year. My second book appeared in February 2005, published by Jossey-Bass, called "So Much More: An Invitation to Christian Spirituality", it is a kind of imaginative orientation to the Christian faith. My editor describes the book as "a doorway for people to look through and see home."
Chris Seiple is President of the Institute for Global Engagement (IGE). He previously held the position of Executive Vice President of IGE. Before coming to the Institute, Seiple was an Earhart Fellow at the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy at Tufts University , where he wrote his dissertation on "U.S.-Uzbekistan Relations," receiving his Ph.D. in 2007.
Sonia Nazario, a projects reporter for The Los Angeles Times , has spent more than two decades reporting and writing about social issues, earning her dozens of national awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing for her series, "Enrique's Journey," about the experiences of Latin American children who immigrate to join their parents in the United States. Expanding on the series, Nazario has written the book, Enrique's Journey, fully recounting the unforgettable odyssey of one Honduran boy who braves unimaginable hardship and peril to reach his mother in the United States. The story is now being turned into a miniseries by HBO.
Is more really better? This is the main question that January Series speaker Bill McKibben asked in his talk titled “Deep Economy.” He began by talking about global warming and his experience in Vermont leading awareness campaigns urging Congress to cut carbon emissions by 80% by 2050, but that was only his introduction. What McKibben really wanted to get to was the way in which Americans have become accustomed to living in the past fifty years—with increasing amounts of material wealth. Promising to return to global warming and environmental awareness later, he plunged into a talk that explored more existential matters.