Kurt Tillman – A Tribute to Don ‘Bubba’ Church (1934-2020)

This is how I last saw Don Church, in 2016, at Wheaton College

That Don Church (‘57) matriculated at Wheaton College in the fall of 1953 is something of a miracle. And the miracles continued to grow in size and impact throughout the remainder of his 85 years on this earth.

Shortly after his graduation from Wheaton and marriage to Ann Stromberg (’56), Don began doing a series of tasks around the Athletic Department for his former coach and mentor Harv Chrouser. What began with sweeping the floor of Coray Gym and scouting football games grew into a 35 year career as a coach (football, track & field and cross country) and faculty member in the Physical Education Department.

Along the way, Don and Ann had three sons, David (’81), Andrew (’84 and Thomas (’86). For 18 years Don devoted his summers to work at Honey Rock Camp. Beginning in 1968 he led multiple track and field teams to compete in Mexico, Africa and behind the Iron Curtain. He also launched a number of international initiatives at the college, including the Faculty Mission Project, the European Summer Study Program and the Timothy Project, that significantly deepened Wheaton’s engagement with the Global Church. Don’s status at Wheaton evolved from tenured faculty to treasured teacher, coach, mentor and catalyst.

Why do I suggest that all of these circumstances can be characterized as miracles? Because Don was severely dyslexic. All of his life he struggled mightily to read. His grades at every level of school hovered barely above the minimal requirement to pass grade levels or graduate. Don often said that until his dyslexia was diagnosed in his 30’s he simply believed that he was stupid.

By God’s grace, Don’s struggles gave him a deep empathy and compassion for the circumstances of others, be they students, faculty, staff, internationals or anyone else he met. Also in his 30’s Don grew to more profoundly realize that he was a beloved child of God.

For many, an encounter with Don felt like an embrace from the Father. In conversation, his curiosity and enthusiasm would build, his eyes would shine, his eyebrows would start to arch, and his Kansas drawl would grow excited. Inevitably his exhortation would end with “you know God is good, he REALLY loves you”.

Most of us believe that last sentence is true, but for many of us it is difficult to let that theological conviction fully infuse our daily lives and experience. For reasons I still can’t explain, that truth seemed to pervade Don’s every waking moment.

I believe Don’s greatest gift was that of encouragement. It is a humble gift, but Don used it faithfully to open the eyes and hearts of others to the miraculous love of God.

Arthur F Holmes – A History of Philosophy

HERE is a series of lectures on the history of philosophy by Prof. Arthur F Holmes, from Wheaton College.

You may watch below the first in this series of lectures.

Ahmed Rehab speaks at Dr. Larycia Hawkins Press Conference

As the only Muslim speaker at the Chicago faith leaders’ press conference with professor Larycia Hawkins this morning, CAIR-Chicago’s Executive Director Ahmed Rehab spoke on behalf of Chicago area Muslims to convey appreciation for her as her own magnanimous act of solidarity with us now puts her in the crosshairs. But we will do more than talk. We will act. Please stay tuned for action alerts as we confer with Dr. Hawkins and her lawyers.

CAIR-Chicago will not abandon those who stand with us as Dr. Hawkins has. We will NOT let her stand alone.

All I Really Need to Know I Learned from Evangelicalism | Matthew Milliner | First Things

All I Really Need to Know I Learned from Evangelicalism | Matthew Milliner | First Things.

Although, as a high-church Anglican, I still consider myself an evangelical, well, to be fair, in fact more a (post)evangelical, I cannot say, like Milliner, in this article, that ‘all I really need to know I learned from evangelicalism’. In fact, it was my deep encounter with Eastern Orthodoxy that helped me discover the historical roots of Christianity and its liturgical and sacramental dimensions, to list just the most important reasons that led me to mainline Protestantism.

I surely never became an Orthodox, and probably never will, as I am, structurally and fundamentally, a Protestant. Yet, as an ecumenical Christian, my catholic and orthodox (small ‘c’ and small ‘o’) identity is stronger that my particular denominational identity, as important as that may be for me.

Anyway, wherever you find yourself on the denominational puzzle, you may benefit from reading Milliner’s article.

Dr. Jerry Root – CS Lewis si problema raului

O conferinta organizata la 4 iulie 2013 de Centrul Areopagus la Universitatea de Vest din Timişoara.

Dr. Jerry Root este profesor la Wheaton College, in Wheaton, Ill.

A Century of Change in American Protestant Missions

Risking Conversation with the Face of Occupation

Gary Burge, an Anglican Biblical scholar teaching at Wheaton College writes in the last issue of Sojourners an account of his participation on Sunday 14 March 2010, in Beit Jala, Bethlehem, in a peaceful demonstration against the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.  Here is a fragment:

Why Evangelicals Turn to the Church Fathers

Ikon of Ft. Serafim of Sarov

Why Evangelicals Turn to the Church Fathers?

Because of their mutual commitment to Scripture, says Robert Louis Wilken, evangelicals and the church fathers have a natural affinity.

by David Neff | November 4, 2009

On October 29, the nation’s attention was focused on Yankee Stadium and game two of the World Series. But at Wheaton College, several hundred people chose instead to crowd into Barrows Auditorium to mark the public beginning of the Wheaton Center for Early Christian Studies.

NT Wright la Wheaton

Prietenul Marcel Cosma mă anunţă că NT Wright a fost invitat la Wheaton College, la o conferinţă cu tema Jesus, Paul and the People of God (detalii AICI).

Cu Kevin Vanhoozer predând acolo şi NT Wright invitat să conferenţieze, se pare că sunt zile noi pentru această şcoală, care a stat multă vreme nu prea departe de fundamentalismul zilelor lui de la inceput.

Nou program de studii patristice la Wheaton College

Revista Christianity Today, anunţa cu puţin timp în urmă, prin glasul redactorului său şef, David Neff, crearea la Şcoala de studii postuniversitare de la prestigioasa universitate evanghelică Wheaton College, în Illinois, a unui program de Studii creştine timpurii, sub coordonarea Dr. George Kalantsis, al cărui obiectiv este să încurajeze interacţiunea dintre ortodocşi, catolici şi protestanţi, cu privire la moştenirea lor comună din primele secole creştine. Acest program a devenit posibil datorită generoasei donaţii primite de la doi medici din California, Frank and Julie Papatheofanis.