Modern Calvinism, the Plato Club, and the Calvin ‘Colony’ at Michigan

Modern Calvinism, the Plato Club, and the Calvin ‘Colony’ at Michigan

Calvin College’s relationship with the University of Michigan began in the 1890s. In its founding in 1876 the Theological School (as the seminary was known then) had created a “literary” program to prepare students with no high school education for its theological program. In the 

The Other Calvin Colleges

The Other Calvin Colleges

“The” Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is not the only Calvin College there has been in the United States. There were two others. One existed in a comic book universe where a superhero, Al Pratt, AKA The Atom, was a student majoring in nuclear 

Family Stories (Origins 42-1: Free Article)

Family Stories (Origins 42-1: Free Article)

“Family stories” can mean a lot of things. For the Spring 2024 issue of Origins, it means two things: stories about families in the literal sense and stories that expand and diversify how we think about the Reformed “family.” This blogpost includes one of those 

A Feminist Poem at Calvin College – 1936

A Feminist Poem at Calvin College – 1936

First some context. Leaders at Calvin College and leaders and members of the Christian Reformed Church worried about the morality and Christian faithfulness of students at the College. Some feared that it was becoming a hotbed of radicalism. The country was in the midst of 

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 “Calvin Seminary Dames” – Part II

The “Calvin Seminary Dames” – Part II

Part I of this story began by describing the founding of the Calvin Seminary Dames club in 1927, when a few of the wives of seminary students began meeting to socialize and discuss “such topics as might later prove helpful in our station as wives, 

The “Calvin Seminary Dames” – Part I

The “Calvin Seminary Dames” – Part I

“In the month of October 1927, Mrs. C. Bouma entertained the ladies of the married men of the Calvin Seminary.” So reads the first sentence “in the “Record Book of Calvin Seminary Dames” (aka, the club’s minutes book). “At this gathering they spoke somewhat carelessly 

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 

Albertus Van Raalte, Religious Entrepreneur (Origins 41-1–Free Article)

Albertus Van Raalte, Religious Entrepreneur (Origins 41-1–Free Article)

The Spring 2023 issue (Volume 41, Issue 1) of Origins: Historical Magazine of the Heritage Hall Archives has been mailed to subscribers. If your not yet a subscriber you can order a copy by emailing Heritage Hall (crcarchives@calvin.edu) or subscribe online. This blog post includes 

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