IRT Affiliate News

The Calvin Institute of Christian Worship 

The Calvin Institute of Christian Worship offers both rigorous scholarship and practical resources to enrich Christian worship in churches throughout North America. 

May 20 – 22, 2008: Philosophy and Liturgy: Ritual, Practice, and Embodied Wisdom (seminar)
Prince Conference Center, Grand Rapids, MI
The renaissance in philosophy of religion has engendered sustained philosophical reflection on a number of key aspects of theology, but there has been a notable paucity of philosophical engagement with a central aspect of religious practice: worship and liturgy. This conference brings together leading scholars in philosophy and theology to investigate key themes in worship with the tools of philosophy, with the ultimate goal of informing practice. There is also the reciprocal goal of letting liturgical practice become a fund for philosophical reflection on classic questions and themes. The conference will thus stage a reciprocal encounter between philosophy and liturgy, with the goal of generating a liturgical philosophy, and a philosophically-informed liturgy. Hosted by James K.A. Smith, John D. Witvliet, and Nicholas Wolterstorff. Plenary speakers: Sarah Coakley, Terence Cuneo, Reinhard Hütter, Peter Ochs, James K.A. Smith, and Nicholas Wolterstorff. Call for papers by February 15, 2008. Co-sponsored with Calvin Seminars in Christian Scholarship.  For more information, go to: http://www.calvin.edu/scs/2008/conferences/philosophyandliturgy.htm.                   

June 23 - July 18, 2008: Congregations and Religious Diversity in Contemporary America (seminar)
Calvin College, Grand Rapids, MI
Led by R. Stephen Warner, Professor of Sociology, Emeritus, at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and in collaboration with Seminars in Christian Scholarship, this seminar focuses and capitalizes on the intersection of two recent trends in American religion and American religious studies, the rapidly growing new literature in "congregational studies" and the increasing diversification of local religious institutions in the U.S.  Further details can be found at: http://www.calvin.edu/scs/2008/warner/. 

June 23 - July 3, 2008: An Overview of Christian Hymnody in Historical Perspective (seminar)
Calvin College, Grand Rapids, MI
Led by Edith Blumhofer, of the Institute for the Study of American Evangelicals at Wheaton College, this seminar will offer an historical overview of Christian hymnody with an emphasis on the period since the Reformation. Historical perspective provides a context for thinking about contemporary changes and how other generations have embraced or rejected new styles of Christian song. The seminar will invite participants to understand more deeply the traditions of hymnody that have shaped the church as we know it. The emphasis will be on Western hymnody written and sung in the West and what it suggests about larger issues in Christian history and practice, but we will also consider the use of Western hymns abroad. For more information, go to: http://www.calvin.edu/scs/2008/hymnody/. 

June 23 - July 2, 2008: Polyphony Camp: Singing Together for the Fun of It (workshop)
Calvin College, Grand Rapids, MI
Directed by Anne Heider, Roosevelt University, Polyphony Camp is not about rehearsing for a choral performance; it’s about sharing the pleasures of singing together. Registration on a first-come-first-served basis; no auditions needed; appropriate for adults and high-schoolers. For details, visit: http://www.calvin.edu/scs/2008/heider/. 

For more information on these and other events, go to http://www.calvin.edu/worship/, call (616) 526-6088, or write the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, 1855 Knollcrest Circle SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546-4402. 

The World Alliance of Reformed Churches 

WARC has agreed to unite with the Reformed Ecumenical Council (REC) to create a new global Reformed body representing more than 80 million Reformed Christians worldwide. 

The historic decision was taken at WARC’s Executive Committee meeting that was held in Trinidad and Tobago in October 2007. WARC wants the new body to be called the World Communion of Reformed Churches and is calling for a uniting General Council to be held in Grand Rapids, Michigan, June 18-28, 2010. 

The key callings of the new Reformed body will be: 

• to foster Reformed confessional identity and communion among Reformed churches, and unity in the whole church;
• to promote justice in the economy and the earth, and all of God’s creation, and to work for peace and reconciliation in the world;
• to encourage the renewal of Reformed worship and spiritual life as a global family of God’s people;
• to strengthen leadership development and the nurture of the covenant community;
• to promote the full participation of women and youth in all aspects of the church’s life;
• to renew a passion among Reformed Christians for God’s mission, both witness and service, in a spirit of partnership and unity;
• to interpret Reformed theology for contemporary witness and for the unity of the church. 

For more information, go to: http://warc.jalb.de/warcajsp/side.jsp?news_id=1327&part_id=0&navi=5.