Archives: News Stories
Looking for the perfect gifts for your favorite Trolls? Don’t forget to shop the Black Friday Sale at the Trinity Bookstore!
From Wednesday, Nov. 21 to Sunday, Nov. 25, you can take 25% off your Trinity imprinted items. From sweatshirts to license plate frames, you can find just what you’re looking to put under the tree on Christmas morning.
Check out the Bookstore website for more information and to see the selection of great items.
Over the years, Trinity has been blessed to develop strong ties to Indonesia, including a Memorandum of Understanding with South-East Asia Bible Seminary Malang, known as Seminari Alkitab Asia Tenggara (SAAT), which Trinity President Kurt D. Dykstra, J.D., and SAAT President Martus Adinugraha Maleachi, Ph.D., signed in May.
In a forum on Nov. 15, faculty, staff, and a student shared their recent experiences in the Southeast Asian nation. Throughout the presentations, speakers repeatedly mentioned the role of Trinity’s Professor of Theology Yudha Thianto, Ph.D., a native of Indonesia, who has faithfully nurtured and expanded these ties.
Dr. Bill Van Groningen, Trinity’s Chaplain and Dean of Spiritual Formation, and his wife Connie Van Groningen, Administrative Coordinator for the Nursing Department, discussed the 10 days they spent in Indonesia doing service work and speaking engagements in May and June this year. “It’s a very welcoming place, and Indonesians are so very accommodating,” said Connie. Said Pastor Bill, “God is doing good work there.”
Next, Hannah Slager ’21 spoke about the month she spent in Indonesia over the summer. During her time there, she taught English and science in two elementary schools. One was very affluent and Westernized, while the other was rural with fewer resources. While there, Slager realized the importance of flexibility. She began her teaching without knowing anything about her students, amid constantly shifting schedules. “The students were so eager to learn and so generous and hospitable,” said Slager.
Jeanine Mozie, Trinity’s Director of Admissions Operations, then discussed her trip to Indonesia this month. “In 10 days, I visited eight schools in two cities and presented to well over 700 students,” she said. Mozie also spent time with the families of several current Trinity students.
Professor of Music Mark Peters, Ph.D., also spoke about his sabbatical in Indonesia during the spring of 2018, where he served as visiting professor at SAAT.
“It all began in 2016, when Yudha asked if I would like to go to Indonesia,” said Peters. Peters went for a short trip that year, and began laying the groundwork for his sabbatical then.
Peters also shared parts of a presentation that his children prepared about their own experiences in Indonesia. Peters reflected on his time teaching four courses at SAAT and the relationships the family forged at Wesley International School where his wife, Candace, who serves as staff accompanist for Trinity’s Music Department, taught. He also described his time teaching at SAAT Ministry Center in Jakarta and attending church at Malang English Service, as well as lecturing in North Sumatra.
“There is a strong relationship between Trinity and SAAT,” said Peters. “SAAT is a special place.”
The Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO), in residence at Trinity Christian College, continues its 41st year of bringing beautiful music to the Southland with its upcoming program “Chamber Gems: A Musical Journey” on Saturday, Nov. 17.
Maestro Stilian Kirov leads the orchestra into a musical journey throughout the night. The night begins in England with Elgar’s Serenade, to the Czech Republic with Neruda’s Trumpet Concerto in E-flat, then to Norway with Grieg’s Holberg Suite. The jewel in the crown is Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 1 performed by Bulgarian guest soloists Nadejda Tzanova, piano and Peter Makedonski, trumpet.
Kirov expressed excitement for this upcoming program, “This is a concert that involves mainly strings, but it is also fascinating to witness the unlimited orchestral colors the composers were able to create through their musical genius,” he said. “It is really a program of mostly exciting discoveries that I am sure our audiences will love.”
The concert will feature two prominent and internationally award winning Bulgarian guest soloists Nadejda Tzanova, piano and Peter Makedonski, trumpet.
Tzanova has been awarded over 20 prizes and honors including: “Hopes, Talents, and Masters” in Albania; “Zeiler” in Greece; and “Valentino Buki” in Italy, just to name a few. Makedonski is a laureate of numerous competitions including National Competiton for Singers and Instrumentalists, Young Musical Talents, Ohrid Pearls, and many more.
Kirov said, “They bring first of all a fantastic program with Shostakovich’s First Piano Concerto and Neruda’s Trumpet Concerto. They bring their outstanding artistry and exciting music making. Their duo has been named Ensemble of the Year in Bulgaria. They are prize-winners of many competitions, received many awards, and are truly extraordinary artists.”
Kirov, who also hails from Bulgaria, describes the personal connection he has to one of the soloists. “Peter Makedonski and I go way back as we went to the same music high school in Bulgaria. I believe we even played few times in the school orchestra together, so this adds another very personal exciting aspect as well.”
The upcoming concert has something that all music lovers alike can enjoy. “We have music by some great romantic composers, like Greig and Elgar, but also some more ‘edgy’ pieces like Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 1, as well as, some music of the more distant past like Neruda’s Trumpet Concerto, which is very much in the classical style. I am very much looking forward to this exciting evening,” Kirov said.
Concert single tickets start at $27 in advance. Student tickets are $10, and group tickets are available with a minimum of seven patrons. Ticketing fees may apply. New subscriber rates of up to 40% off are still available for 3, 4, 5 or all 6 concert packages.
Over the years, Trinity’s Nursing Department has graduated students who have gone on to change the lives of their patients and communities through highly skilled nursing with a Christian perspective. And with the faithful support of the TANA Pledge, the benefits of a BSN from Trinity will spread even further.
The Trinity Nursing Alumni Association (TANA) Pledge is an endowment fund created by Marv Roelofs and his wife, Dr. Lois Roelofs, Professor of Nursing Emeritus.
“I created this TANA pledge based upon the presentations given by Trinity nursing alumni at their alumni brunch on Nov. 4, 2017,” said Mr. Roelofs, who passed away earlier this year. “The testimonies given of the nursing care services they provide were powerful. I, and others in attendance, heard exciting and enthusiastic comments about the nursing profession. Their testimonies were an enthusiastic endorsement of the Trinity nursing program and its Christian perspective of service.”
The endowment has set a goal of achieving a $500,000 to $1 million TANA fund for Trinity’s nursing program, with an annual 5% distribution that would generate $25,000 to $50,000 annually for scholarships and nursing program special equipment.
The Roelofs have led by example and have donated $10,000 to encourage alumni to sign the TANA Pledge. By committing to the TANA Pledge, participants agree to give a monthly or annual donation for five or more years.
Said Amy Nagelkirk ’92, chair of the TANA board, “The TANA Board is grateful for the vision of Marv Roelofs and his encouragement to offer the TANA Pledge to alumni as a gift of gratitude and service to Trinity. We are committed to being good stewards of your gifts which will be used to support the students enrolled in the nursing program of Trinity Christian College and the needs of the nursing department. Marv passed away on July 25, 2018. His legacy of generosity and service to others will be remembered by his family and the students and faculty of the nursing department.”
To learn more, click here. To sign the TANA Pledge and ensure that future Trinity BSN students continue to make a difference in a world that needs them, click here.
Trinity was blessed to welcome Dr. Scot McKnight, Julius R. Mantey Chair of New Testament at our partner institution Northern Seminary, to campus for a WorldView lecture and other events on Nov. 7.
For his WorldView lecture in the Vermeer Fireside Room, McKnight spoke on the topic of subversion, particularly the Apostle Paul’s response to the church at Corinth. “Paul was a suberverter of values that were contrary to the way of Jesus,” he said. “He believed that the ways of Rome were not the ways of Jesus. He wanted the Corinthians to understand the resurrection life.”
Since the Romans valued qualities such as eloquence and image, while despising those who did manual labor, Paul deliberately worked to upend those expectations. And as Paul did with the Romans, McKnight called on attendees to recognize the worldliness of America now.
McKnight also spoke at a meeting presented by the Cooperativity Club, tackling a different subject—human evolution. McKnight, who describes himself as a theistic evolutionist, discussed the book he co-authored with Dennis Venema, “Adam and the Genome: Reading Scripture after Genetic Science.” In view of scientific discoveries, McKnight urged attendees to consider several approaches when reading the Bible: reading contextually, reading historically, reading the narrative theologically, and reading it with an eye towards science. “We need to help people in the church not be afraid of scientists,” he said.
McKnight also spoke at Chapel, focusing on a theme of “A Good Time for Goodness.” He addressed different examples and ideas of goodness, from the Apostle Peter to Dietrich Bonhoeffer. “We are called to goodness, because God is good,” he said. “I want to challenge you, in a world that needs goodness, to become agents of goodness.”
A recognized authority on the historical Jesus, early Christianity, and the New Testament, McKnight is a member of the Society of Biblical Literature and the Society for New Testament Studies. His books have been translated into Chinese, Korean, Russian, and Portuguese.
Trinity and Northern Seminary in Lisle, Ill., where McKnight teaches, offer a combined 5-year B.A. to M.Div. program. Through this program, students earn a B.A. degree in Biblical Studies from Trinity and a M.Div. from Northern in five years, instead of the usual seven.
Photo credit: Associated Colleges of Illinois
In August 2017, Trinity’s Troll underwent a makeover—the first time the beloved mascot had been redesigned in two decades. Last Friday, Trinity’s Communications Manager Amy Stickel and Senior Graphic Designer Pete Vega discussed the award-winning redesign at the Associated Colleges of Illinois Fall Conference.
The new Troll, designed by Vega, was unveiled on Aug. 25, 2017, during a women’s volleyball match between Trinity’s then-defending National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) national champions and Mt. Mercy University of Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
During the presentation, “Rebranding a Troll for the Digital Age,” Vega described the creative process he undertook to give the Troll its new look. Stickel discussed the logistics of introducing the Troll to the community, both during the rollout and for those who couldn’t be in attendance on the night of the event.
The ACI presentation included the video that accompanied the unveiling of the new Troll, which highlighted past versions of the Troll, and introduced the latest iteration. The video was narrated by Wayne Messmer, nationally recognized as the “voice of the national anthem” for the Chicago Cubs and other professional sports teams.
Founded in 1952, ACI is a network of 25 private, nonprofit, residential colleges and universities. ACI supports member colleges and universities by advancing independent liberal arts and sciences education and helping underserved students succeed in college, career and life. The ACI Fall Conference took place on Nov. 2 at the Microsoft Technology Center in downtown Chicago. Along with a public relations and marketing track, the professional development meeting offered opportunities for member college and university staff working in advancement, finance, and student engagement.
Trinity Christian College is pleased to announce that Mallory Boyce ’19 has been named this year’s Lincoln Laureate. Boyce will be recognized by Gov. Bruce Rauner at the Lincoln Academy Student Laureate Convocation ceremony on Nov. 17 in Springfield, Ill.
Trinity’s selection committee said that Boyce was the clear choice for this year’s honors. “Mallory demonstrates leadership, academic excellence, and wise service,” the committee noted. “Now we are able to celebrate her labors and her joyful, savvy, articulate presence among us.”
Boyce said she is grateful for the honor. “Trinity has given so much to me, and I was humbled that the selection committee considered that I had also given something of significance to Trinity,” she said.
The annual Lincoln Academy Student Laureate Ceremony recognizes excellence in curricular and extracurricular activities by seniors from each of the state’s four-year, degree-granting colleges and universities, and one student from the community colleges in Illinois. Boyce plans to attend the ceremony with Professor of Communication Arts Craig Mattson, Ph.D., Trinity’s Honors Program Director her parents, Scott and Stephanie, as well as her boyfriend, Josiah Rosario ’17, who was Trinity’s Lincoln Laureate last year.
Boyce is majoring in social work and minoring in theology. She also leads the Women’s Ministry at Trinity. “It’s been a delight to gather with women weekly, study the Word, and live life together,” she said. “God uses women for amazing things and being able to encourage, pray, and develop programming to grow spiritually alongside the women on this campus has been the best part of my Trinity experience.”
Among her favorite classes, she points to “Basic Teachings of the Christian Faith” with Professor of Theology Keith Starkenburg, Ph.D. “It was awe-inspiring to explore the depths of the theological truths that I have known my whole life and discover how rich they really are.”
A native of Byron Center, Mich., Boyce said that she spends time in Chicago both recreationally and professionally. “My friends and I love to visit different neighborhoods in the city and see what there is to see – a few of our favorites include Lincoln Park, Pilsen, and Rogers Park,” she said. “Otherwise, I’ve been able to take advantage of all the resources downtown through countless field trips, and I will be doing my social work field placement at New Moms in the Austin neighborhood.”
After graduation, Boyce said she is considering which graduate program to pursue. “I am considering a couple dual degree programs – various combinations of a Masters of Social Work and a master’s degree in an area relating to theology or ministry. After grad school, I hope to work somewhere at the intersection of the Christian Church and social justice issues.”
Trinity Christian College Lincoln Laureates
2017 – R. Josiah Rosario
2016 – Courtney Kalous
2015 – Hallie Wisse
2014 – David (Woody) Lucas
2013 – Megan Anderson
2012 – Adam Perez
2011 – Alberto LaRosa
2010 – Joseph Wydra
2009 – Jon Vander Woude
2008 – Caitlin Fillmore
2007 – Elizabeth VanderSpek
2006 – Allison Backous
2005 – Erin Marshalek
2004 – Rachel Van Oort
2003 – Yvana Hansen
2002 – Evan VanderZee
2001 – Nate Bosch
2000 – Laurie Johnson
1999 – Hanna Vancer Zee
1998 – Kristen Devine
1997 – Heidi Boeck
1996 – Julie Tinklenberg
1995 – Keri Dyksterhouse
1994 – Mark Mulder
1993 – Kristen Hart
1992 – Sarah Ver Velde
1991 – Aron Reppmann
1990 – Nathan Van Der Male
1989 – Drew Sweetman
1988 – Erik Hoekstra
1987 – Kimberly Dykema
1986 – Edward Wiener, Jr.
–By Alexis Knake ’19
How Trollstock officially got started is still a mystery to us all. Of course, there are random stories passed down, various myths…
But how did Trollstock really get started?
It has been said that long ago, Trinity held an entertainment show known as “Woodstock,” which is where we get the name Trollstock now.
Things looked a lot different at Woodstock than they do now. It was held in the lawn behind Tibstra, and anyone could come up and perform, like an open mic style.
What we do know, is that Trollstock is definitely something you do NOT want to miss. Each year, the Student Activities Chair Head gets the opportunity to take Trollstock into his or her own hands and create a spectacular show.
And this year, may be looking at something even GREATER. Yes, you heard that right. This year at Trollstock, leader Breanna Eissen has some exciting things hiding in her back pocket. A theme you can look forward to seeing is one that resembles that movie loved by many, The Greatest Showman.
This year’s Trollstock theme? Glamorous Circus.
And what comes with going to a circus? Yes, Popcorn!! Garrets popcorn will be provided for every person attending. If Garretts isn’t enough incentive to get out of your dorm room, maybe seeing your highly talented classmates will! So, what else can you expect to see this year?
Well, you can expect to see fewer acts than previous years. According to Eissen, the focus is more towards the actual show itself, so the number of acts will be condensed into the most unique, exciting, and talented entertainment.
Another unique factor added to this year’s Trollstock is the addition of an opening and closing number that includes every one of the acts of Trollstock and Trinity’s own Gospel Choir.
“I hope that this year’s production will feel very theatrical, and that it leaves the audience feeling inspired and joyful,” said Eissen.
With all that and more, we hope to see the biggest crowd yet at this year’s Trollstock.
Come out and support your fellow Trolls as they conquer the stage and show you what they are made of. Because whether it’s Woodstock or Trollstock, or however this tradition got started, it has brought so many different kinds of people together to share laughs over creative acts and entertainment.
It really will be one of the greatest shows!
The 22nd Annual Trollstock will take place on Nov. 3 in Ozinga Chapel Auditorium. Doors open at 7 pm. Admission is FREE. Can’t make it to the event? Live Stream it and check out all the amazing acts!
President Kurt Dykstra shared the following reflection with the Trinity campus on October 29 following the mass shooting at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, PA. As it is a message that extends beyond that particular event, it is reprinted in full below.
Trinity Community:
Perhaps you, like me, are starting your week with heaviness upon your soul. The last week in our nation’s history has been one that we hope will not repeat: attempted bombings, attempted shootings, massacres at houses of worship – which is to say nothing of the “ordinary” stories of violence, injury, and death that accompany every week. We are right to pray for victims and their families, for our nation and world. We are right to think about how we might, through policy or legal means, evaluate existing paradigms and ponder whether new ones might alleviate some of the terribleness that seems to surround modern life.
To appreciate history is to know that these are not the first days of extraordinary violence that our nation has witnessed. Fifty years ago, this nation endured a series of extraordinarily violent acts – from bombings to assassinations – that, I pray, is unlike anything that we will see in our day. One hundred and fifty years ago, there were plots, and some actions, to burn down significant parts of New York City in order to sow terror among our own people. As a nation, we long have experienced vicious political campaigns and visceral hatred of one group by another. These are but a few examples. None of this is new, though it may be fresh to us. All of this is horrible, whether of recent vintage or consigned to history.
What then are we at Trinity to do? We acutely understand that evil lurks at every corner – this is part of our theology. Yet, we also deeply know that this is not the way it is supposed to be, that Jesus Christ has broken the chains of death, and that there will come a day when lion and lamb lie down together and there will be no more strife – this is a bigger part of our theology. How do we remain faithful and present today, while also claiming the hope that we know is coming?
That is the question that many of the faithful are asking, Christians of all sorts and non-Christians, too.
First, we pray. That is where we always start. We pray for victims and families. We pray for hearts to turn toward God. We pray for our nation and world. We pray because we believe that God can do more than we ask or imagine, because it is what God’s people have been doing for millennia, and because it is what Jesus himself did in times of trouble.
Second, we comfort. God’s people have been the ones to show up over time and history. Yes, we care for spirit – but also for mind and body, too.
Those two items are our “given;” they are what Christians do, time after time, tragedy after tragedy. And they are no small things, either. We should never doubt that they are big, faithful, important acts. We often call on these things especially after some sort of event of evil or tragedy. What else might we be about that helps us to faithfully live in our fallen world?
I cannot help but think of the current divisive state of American life. To know that this isn’t the first such occurrence of societal discord – or even the worst – offers some comfort, though in limited quantity.
Trinity, I am convinced that we have a role to play, our little school tucked away in a middle ring suburb in the Midwest. Our world needs Trinity, and places like her, to be a faithful presence throughout society, to be a leavening agent – or better yet, to be salt and light in the world.
This is not the first significant season of discord in American life. It is not the first time of witnessing extraordinary violence and terror. At the same time, this is our season to be a faithful presence and, in this season, there are broader cultural and technological realities that make our faithful work more challenging. You have heard me say something like the following on more than a few occasions:
Our world, more and more, is comprised of autonomous actors organizing their lives as they see fit, abetted by technology and without the leavening influence of mediating organizations to help them rise above their base interests. We are more able than ever to live in self-created bubbles and do so with increasing regularity: “red” places become redder and “blue” places bluer, we can consume our news from the sources we choose, associate with the people with whom we want to be associated, and live in the places full of people like us. Those places that, generations ago, helped to mold, shape, fence, and guide, at best largely have shed their authority and, at worst simply no longer exist.
This bubbling or clustering has very real societal consequences. It is much easier to assume the best about ourselves when everyone we know thinks and acts as we do. Conversely it is much easier to assume the worst about those different from us when “those people” can be kept as an abstraction or reduced to a caricature.
While, thankfully, the actors who have engaged in these acts of extraordinary violence over the past few years are far outside the American mainstream, the breaking news is barely reported before noxious tribal finger pointing and posturing begins. Surely hacks and partisans will always be among us, but I cannot help but believe that sizable “like-minded clustering” plays a role in the impulse for vitriol at others. If one’s friends, one’s news sources, one’s social media followers and feeds, one’s network of influence see the world in identical fashion, how can one not see the best in ourselves and the worst in others? Abstractions are neat, clean, and easy; actual people are messy and relationships are complicated. Too much of American society is too invested in abstraction and too devoid of actual people and complicated relationships. A 2003 essay in The Atlantic has stuck with me for over 15 years, as has this line: “Many of us live in absurdly unlikely groupings, because we have organized our lives that way.” (I commend the entire essay to you.)
When we at Trinity talk about vocational calling across the disciplines, or when we understand that “every square inch” of the creation and culture matters to God, or when we speak about being agents of restoration in our culture, or when note that we are trying to get in on what God is doing in the world, we are expressing that we seek to faithfully live as God’s children in this world. We are not a tribal people!
And, in part, I firmly believe that the state of our culture reflects the state of the Christian witness “beyond the bubble.” Writing during the Second World War, C.S. Lewis penned one of his most important works, The Abolition of Man. Many of us have read it and, more than a few, repeatedly. In it Lewis argues that it is the human chest that mediates between the head (“cerebral man”) and the heart (“visceral man”) in a way that allows human beings to be truly human. It is the chest where “emotions [are] organized by trained habit into stable sentiments” so that humanity truly can be moral creatures. Take away moral truth – make “Men Without Chests” as the chapter is titled – and societal disaster follows:
And all the time — such is the tragi-comedy of our situation — we continue to clamour for those very qualities we are rendering impossible. You can hardly open a periodical without coming across the statement that what our civilization needs is more ‘drive’, or dynamism, or self-sacrifice, or ‘creativity’. In a sort of ghastly simplicity we remove the organ and demand the function. We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honour and are shocked to find traitors in our midst. We castrate and bid the geldings be fruitful.
Friends, we are called to be a heady, hearty, and “chesty” people and to be so in every nook and cranny of the world in which we live. That is why at Trinity we devote so much time and attention to developing both disciplinary knowledge and a broadly Christian worldview.
We are made to be Christ’s Ambassadors in our local communities, yes, but also in the broader culture and world. As University of Virginia sociologist, James Davison Hunter, has argued, to change culture requires a cadre of influential persons positioned in influential institutional places, with influential expertise and training, and possessing influential networks of good and like-situated persons. It requires the right people, with the right training, in the right networks, in the right places. It is a serious and important undertaking. It is what you and I are called to do and be, even as we live our daily lives of seeming routine.
Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, where the massacre occurred on Oct. 27, has a wonderfully biblical name. One cannot help but think of Genesis 2 where God creates the tree of life among all other kinds of trees. Perhaps a lesser known reference of the tree of life is found in Proverbs 3:18: “She [wisdom] is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called happy.” Even in the midst of this horror and evil, God speaks through a name, for Proverbs 3 continues this way:
My child, do not let these escape from your sight:
keep sound wisdom and prudence,
and they will be life for your soul
and adornment for your neck.
Then you will walk on your way securely
and your foot will not stumble.
If you sit down,[a] you will not be afraid;
when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
Do not be afraid of sudden panic,
or of the storm that strikes the wicked;
for the Lord will be your confidence
and will keep your foot from being caught.
Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
when it is in your power to do it.
Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again,
tomorrow I will give it”—when you have it with you.
Do not plan harm against your neighbor
who lives trustingly beside you.
Do not quarrel with anyone without cause,
when no harm has been done to you.
Do not envy the violent
and do not choose any of their ways;
for the perverse are an abomination to the Lord,
but the upright are in his confidence.
The Lord’s curse is on the house of the wicked,
but he blesses the abode of the righteous.
Toward the scorners he is scornful,
but to the humble he shows favor.
The wise will inherit honor,
but stubborn fools, disgrace.
Proverbs 3 is a call for faithfulness, confidence in the Lord, assurance, holiness, and engagement with the world. Those are precisely the words that we all need to hear on this day as we pray, comfort, and take up our task, as Trinity’s mission states, “to be coworkers with Christ in subjecting all cultural activities to the reign of God.”
The Trinity community was blessed to welcome Dr. Miroslav Volf, Dr.Theol., Henry B. Wright Professor of Systematic Theology and Founding Director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture, for several events on Oct. 25.
Volf discussed “Vocation and a flourishing human life” on campus and downtown Chicago as part of the College’s WorldView Series and Downtown Lecture Series.
While we live in the mundane realm, we must strive to embrace the transcendental world if we are to flourish, he said. “The world, even the flawed world, is a gift from God,” Volf told his audiences.
In his discussions, Volf explained his view of the relationship between our calling and our flourishing. “We should affirm the goodness of everyday, ordinary life,” he said. “Yet the paradox is that we find ourselves alienated precisely from the things that will satisfy ourselves.”
In our struggle to reconcile our calling with a flourishing life, Volf described the challenges presented by today’s age, with its emphasis on economic, educational, reputational, and aesthetic capital. “How much time do we spend acquiring these four modes of capital?” he asked. “We are like a dog chasing its tail.”
We also tend to inflate the negative, and become blind to the good around us. We must learn to celebrate the good in life, which is given to us by God. When we become too busy to hear God’s call, we are unable to heed his message.
He compared the struggles we face with the souls in in Canto III of Dante’s “Paradiso,” who “only long for what we have.”
He also cited Adam and Eve, their inability to avoid the fruit from the forbidden tree, and their decision to hide from God, who called to them, “Where are you?” Volf said he believes the forbidden tree was placed it the center of the Garden of Eden to remind Adam and Eve of all the blessings they had, not to torment them with what they couldn’t have. “It underscores that everything else is given to them. It was a reminder, not God’s perverse desire to taunt them.”
Volf also suggested that his audiences rethink what they strive for and encouraged them to revisit how they view the Sabbath, and to use it as a break from striving—not as a day to prepare to take up striving again during the rest of the week.
Volf’s lunchtime presentation was the inaugural event for the three-part Downtown Lecture Series, “Working toward a good and satisfying life for you, your communities, and the world.” The series is sponsored by Trinity, Chicago Semester, and Grace Chicago Church.
WorldView is Trinity’s annual community and college series for film, word, current events and music, held at the college. As part of WorldView, Dr. Scot McKnight, Julius R. Mantey Chair of New Testament at Northern Seminary, will be on campus on Nov. 7 as the guest speaker at Chapel at 10 am, and an evening lecture at 7 pm.