Embracing Our Legacy
In Calvin鈥檚 chapel, students from diverse Christian backgrounds and faith stories pause weekday mornings to gather in worship.
In 1926, to mark the 50th anniversary of Calvin, the Semi-Centennial Volume: Theological School and Calvin College was published. Nearly 100 years later, as we approached this year鈥檚 sesquicentennial, I began reading鈥攁nd re-reading鈥攖his treatise.
In a particularly prophetic chapter, then-seminary president Dr. Samuel Volbeda laid out ideals for the joint school. It strikes me how this section demonstrates the consistency of the spirit of Calvin from its beginnings. It also serves as an encouragement for us to take up these ideals as the Calvin community and ensure they continue to thrive in new and innovative ways.
These are the ideals I鈥檝e carried with me, quite literally in this book, as I鈥檝e visited members of the global Calvin family, together imagining how Calvin will live out these ideals in the coming years. This year will bring more travels and conversations, and I鈥檓 grateful for this foundation Calvin leaders gave us a century ago.
Loyalty to the Reformed Faith
According to Volbeda, the first Calvin ideal, that of being loyal to the Reformed faith, precedes all others because of its expressed commitment to the holy word of God. Volbeda saw a rooted and active Reformed faith as paramount to a Calvin education, a sentiment that has continued throughout our history.
Calvin鈥檚 鈥淓xpanded Statement of Mission,鈥 another treasure trove in itself, reminds us that 鈥渁t Calvin, the Reformed tradition of Christian faith has been and continues to be our guide to hear God鈥檚 voice and to respond obediently to God鈥檚 call.鈥
This faith has guided us to clean up the Plaster Creek Watershed, to foster literary connections through the Festival of Faith and Writing, and to invite scholars and artists from all fields and experiences onto this campus for years through the January Series and Student Activities Office. This faith has prompted us to create a global launchpad for Christian healthcare professionals, sending out in-demand alumni who are highly equipped for their medical professions in heart and mind. This faith has helped us foster deep connections with industry leaders in fields like engineering and business that allow students to interview with employers and secure jobs they once only dreamed of, even before they walk across the stage at Commencement.
All of this is fueled by a desire to seek Christ鈥檚 renewal in the world, in every field and sector. Without embracing this Reformed worldview, we would lose our footing, because this is the foundation Calvin is built upon. And, thanks to our Reformed principles, we are compelled to look more widely to our Christian neighbors and together accomplish Christ鈥檚 work of renewal in God鈥檚 world.
Loyalty to God's Word
Volbeda鈥檚 next ideal, loyalty to God鈥檚 word, is both a declaration of scriptural authority and a call to ecumenical partnership. It broadens the Calvin narrative from the specific, rich, and rooted Reformed faith to the various traditions of Christ-centered worship. In Volbeda鈥檚 words,
"If an inventory be made of the beliefs which Christians of all ecclesiastical and confessional shades have in common, it will appear that there is a surprisingly wide consensus, and that this consensus embraces many of the most pivotal and fundamental doctrines of truth."
When I think of the many Christian backgrounds and denominations from which Calvin students come, I am encouraged by this notion. Christ followers, as Volbeda argues, have more in common with each other than not. We have more to unite us than to divide us.
In 2025, we continue this Calvin legacy of engaging with the broader church based on our core unity in Christ. We live out our connections to the global body of Christ through our multi-denominational church fair, through partnering with pastors who serve local churches while serving our students, and through the various praise teams and worship styles that guide our chapel services.
We also pursue joint opportunities for fellowship and scholarship through centers and institutes such as the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship and the Nagel Institute for the Study of World Christianity, and our memberships in collaboratives such as the International Network for Christian Higher Education, just to name a few.
Within the Calvin community, we also hold diverse perspec- tives. This university has proven to be a place where iron sharpens iron (Prov. 27:17), where people of different ideas and passions in the body of Christ live, serve, learn, and grow together. As I have talked with university community members, I have learned that sometimes we grow not despite differences in opinion but because of them鈥攊f we are willing to listen.
Loyalty to Whole-Person Learning
Another ideal Calvin re-committed to in 1926 was the 鈥渋ntellectual and spiritual training of men and women.鈥 Though Volbeda does not explicitly name this ideal as a 鈥渓oyalty,鈥 I believe it is proper to name it as a loyalty to whole-person learning. This principle often translates into the modern concept of the integration of faith and learning, and relies on the Christ-centered spiritual and intellectual aspects of education being inextricably linked.
William Katerberg, professor of history and curator of Heritage Hall, also harkened back to Volbeda鈥檚 chapter in 鈥淚deals for the School,鈥 an article he wrote for the archives鈥 Origins blog upon Calvin becoming a university in 2019. In his reflections on Volbeda鈥檚 training concept, Katerberg writes:
"[Volbeda] rejected the idea of separating the soul and faith from knowledge, erudition, and work. Graduates would contribute to 鈥渢he upbuilding and extension of God鈥檚 blessed Kingdom in our land鈥 in many areas of life. To accomplish this goal as fully as possible, Calvin should aspire to expand 鈥渋nto a full-fledged university.鈥
Volbeda saw Calvin鈥檚 evolution into a university as a way to advance the cause of holistic Christian education. That鈥檚 because students at every level, in every field, benefit from training, shaping, thinking, and dialogue from Christ- following teachers and mentors. Calvin fulfilled Volbeda鈥檚 vision in name and official reorganization upon becoming a university, but the propensity he writes of is one that has always been present in Calvin鈥檚 liberal arts DNA.
Today we see the evidence of this in graduate programs, high school dual enrollment, the Calvin Prison Initiative, the Wayfinder program for adults facing barriers to higher education, and all the ways that Calvin鈥檚 strategic expansion displays how such educational blooming is only possible through strong roots and years of cultivation.
Authenticity in the Journey
No matter how many times I read this chapter, I see Volbeda鈥檚 words come alive in new ways through the Calvin of today. I believe our contemporary Calvin would make those who founded it in the 1870s, and those who celebrated it in the 1920s, grateful for how it exemplifies our founding ideals. This is what we, of all Calvin generations, celebrate during the 150th anniversary.
But perhaps what makes me most grateful is not only that Calvin lives up to these loyalties, but that we do so with authenticity. The next generation of Christians, as well as our neighbors who are not Christ followers, are looking for us to be the people we claim we are. Calvin is committed to authentically living out our enduring ideals. The everyday workings of this place are not divorced from these concepts, but driven by them.
With humility before God, we continuously aim for these unchanging standards. Through the contributions of Calvin faculty, staff, students, and alumni worldwide, we get closer to our university ideals every day鈥攖ogether. And that鈥檚 worth pursuing wholeheartedly for the next 150 years.