This two-week course invites participants to explore the radical approach to justice that defines the Association for a More Just Society (ASJ). Building on themes from Bear Witness, the course examines how ASJ combines “healthy pressure” on government systems with practical, research-based solutions—an approach that has driven measurable reforms in education, health, and environmental protection in Honduras. Through readings, conversation, and reflection, participants will wrestle with questions of vocation, ethics, and faith in public life: How do we pursue justice without partisanship? What does faithful action look like amid resistance and risk? Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of what it means to act courageously, humbly, and effectively for justice in their own contexts. 

Recommended book: Bear Witness by Ross Halperin, ISBN: 978-1324090786. Participants may pick up a free copy of the book either in the CALL office or on the first day of class. 

Subject: ethics, sociology 

Kurt Ver Beek and Jo Ann Van Engen have lived in Honduras for more than three decades. They graduated from Calvin in 1986 and later began directing Calvin’s Justice Studies Semester in Honduras. They were instrumental in founding the Christian nonprofit Association for a More Just Society (ASJ) alongside many local Honduran partners, including fellow ASJ cofounder and Bear Witness subject Carlos Hernandez. ASJ works to confront systemic violence, corruption, and broken institutions, employing rigorous research, advocacy, and “healthy pressure” to propose and monitor reforms.