The enduring question that has shaped Calvin for 150 years has been how to be in the world. Should Calvin be a sanctuary from worldly temptations? Or should the two schools be training grounds for Reformed Christians who will confidently participate in society and politics as citizens? This mix of wariness and confidence about engaging the world has inspired a creative tension that has shaped how the two schools understand and enact their mission. This course will describe how various factions at the University and Seminary—and in the church—thought about the question. And it will survey how the two schools implemented their missions, focusing on issues and moments in the twentieth century when they discussed or fought over what we might call the right kind of worldliness. These examples will include the viewpoints and experiences of students as well as faculty, staff, and church leaders. 

Subject: history 

Will Katerberg is professor of history and curator of Heritage Hall at Calvin University. He has taught a wide variety of classes at the university and Canadian church history at the seminary. He has published books and essays on North American religious history, Christian Reformed history, Dutch North American history, the American West, and immigration policy. He is working on a history of Calvin for the 150th anniversary of the two schools.