Evangelicals and the CRC during the Interwar Years

Evangelicals and the CRC during the Interwar Years

The First Annual Conference of the League of Evangelical Students was held in Grand Rapids at Calvin College and Seminary in late 1925. The event made the cover of December 4 edition of The Banner, the flagship English language magazine of the Christian Reformed Church 

The Alexander Lodge and the “Crisis at Calvin”

The Alexander Lodge and the “Crisis at Calvin”

The 1946-1947 school year saw the opening of the “Alexander Lodge” as a dorm for Calvin College men. It was located at 1010 Alexander Street SE. Ninety men started out the year in the dorm. “Army cots, cold showers, bleak rooms, and workmen still on 

Worldly Amusements at the “West Point” of the Christian Reformed Church

Worldly Amusements at the “West Point” of the Christian Reformed Church

In the 1920s, the Christian Reformed Church debated the doctrine of common grace. Synod’s affirmation of this doctrine led a small group to separate from the CRC and form the Protestant Reformed Church. But the theological defense of the potential good of non-Christian— “worldly” —culture 

From Calvin College to Navajo Chairman – Part II

From Calvin College to Navajo Chairman – Part II

This blogpost continues the story of Paul Jones. He had become connected to Christian Reformed Church in the early 1900s, as a boy and young man at the residential school and CRC mission in Tohatchi, NM. He had lived in New Jersey with a CRC 

From Calvin College to Navajo Chairman – Part I

From Calvin College to Navajo Chairman – Part I

This blogpost is part one of two on Paul Jones, a Calvin College preparatory school student from 1917-1918 who became chairman of the Navajo Tribal Council in 1955. But first a few observations about the photo that inspired the two blogposts. *** The “cover” image 

“College Conduct” at Calvin in the 1920s

“College Conduct” at Calvin in the 1920s

Some of the Calvin College students in the cover image of this post look like they could be rascals; one or two look studious. There were troublemakers of various sorts on campus in the 1920s and 1930s, as at pretty much any school. But what 

Sadie Roelofs and Women Students at Calvin in the 1920s and 1930s

Sadie Roelofs and Women Students at Calvin in the 1920s and 1930s

In November 1928 Sadie Roelofs set off a “November Revolution.” Editor-in-chief of the Calvin College student newspaper, Chimes, she criticized apathy among students and implied the same about faculty, all in a short editorial entitled “Self-Satisfaction.” Other Chimes writers followed her lead. One urged toleration 

Architecture and Philosophy on Calvin’s Campus

Architecture and Philosophy on Calvin’s Campus

This blog post summarizes, excerpts, and links to a story done by Chimes, the student newspaper at Calvin University. The Chimes story is based on a summer research project done by student researchers Gabby Freshly and Natalie Sytsma and supervised by art history professor Craig 

Counting Presidents

Counting Presidents

Dr. Wiebe Boer is the __________ president of Calvin University. a) Second b) Tenth c) Eleventh d) Twelfth The answer to the multiple-choice question is trickier than you might think. Anyone who tells you that facts are facts is half wrong. The answer depends less 

The Rivals – The Origins of Basketball at Calvin

The Rivals – The Origins of Basketball at Calvin

While researching the origins of the Calvin-Hope men’s basketball rivalry, I was intrigued by references to a group of Calvin students around 1920 who played basketball under the name “The Rivals.” Who were these guys? Who were they rivals for (if anyone)? And was the