Carrying Calvin’s Legacy: How Calvin Theological Seminary Equips Culturally Engaged Ministry Leaders
from the Summer 2025 issue of The Forum Magazine
When John Calvin opened the Genevan Academy in 1559, it’s doubtful he could have imagined the establishment, more than 300 years later and 4,000 miles from Switzerland, of a seminary named in his honor and dedicated to extending his legacy, calling and passion. Yet, Calvin Theological Seminary not only bears his name, but also carries forward the theological vision he championed: one that integrates biblical scholarship with a deep commitment to Christ’s sovereignty over all of life.
Calvin Theological Seminary’s identity and mission are also significantly shaped by the theological insights of Herman Bavinck and Abraham Kuyper, two giants of the Reformed tradition who, centuries after Calvin, embodied a culturally engaged, intellectually rich, and Christ-centered faith. Bavinck’s emphasis on holistic and contextualized theology echo through the classrooms, chapel services, and community life of Calvin Theological Seminary. Kuyper’s proclamation of God’s sovereignty over “every square inch” similarly echoes throughout class discussions, worship, and informal conversations.
In bearing Calvin’s name and embodying the theological vision of Calvin, Bavinck, and Kuyper, Calvin Theological Seminary is not merely paying homage to important theologians. Rather, it is faithfully following in their footsteps — edifying and equipping the people of God for ministry in every context and culture. This formation occurs not only in our degree programs, but in all we do and every aspect of who we are. As a recent Master of Divinity graduate (and current Master of Theology student), I experienced this living legacy in the curriculum, emphasizing cultural and contextual engagement, and, above all, the proclamation of Christ’s sovereignty over all things.
The Genevan Academy gave high priority to the study of Greek, Hebrew, biblical exegesis, and preaching – subjects necessary for the intellectual, practical, and spiritual formation of pastors (read more in Dr. Karin Maag’s article). These same subjects and others – such as church history and systematic theology – were an integral part of my education at Calvin Theological Seminary. Multiple semesters in Greek and Hebrew, combined with the wise guidance of professors, shaped me to become a stronger exegete of Scripture. Courses in pastoral care, preaching, and multicultural engagement equipped me to care holistically for the people of God, both inside and outside of a church building. While Calvin Theological Seminary’s curriculum is distinctive from that of Calvin’s Genevan Academy, it maintains Calvin’s passion for edifying and equipping people for ministry.
In her article on Herman Bavinck, Jessica Joustra notes that Bavinck’s theology promotes a “culturally engaged Christianity, giving us tools for how we, too, can seek to follow Jesus in the particular time and place God has called us.” I’ve witnessed this thoughtful engagement with culture and context in the lives of my current classmates and fellow alumni. I think of Doctor of Ministry graduate Colin Watson Sr., whose doctoral research and dissertation further equipped him to lead the Christian Reformed Church in North America for several years as its Executive Director. My fellow Master of Theology students, who come from South Korea, Indonesia, India, and other countries, selected Calvin Theological Seminary in order to be equipped for cultural engagement and Gospel-centered ministry. Students in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program are trained to serve people in need as licensed counselors, engaging a world that desperately needs hope, help, and healing. Each and every student and graduate of Calvin Theological Seminary is a living testament to the “culturally engaged Christianity” that Bavinck modeled, our education equipping us to follow Christ in our respective cultures and contexts.
In his article on Abraham Kuyper, Jordan Ballor remarks, “we still can find in Kuyper a powerful model and inspiration to recover and apply anew the Reformed tradition and its robust sense of God’s sovereignty over all things.” Whether in Bible, systematic theology, or church history courses, my professors consistently point to God’s comforting, powerful sovereignty over all things in life. This sovereignty is displayed in the storyline of Scripture, the cohesive nature of systematic theology, the diversity of cultures and peoples, the shifts in church denominations, and so many more areas.
All of what Calvin Theological Seminary is and does – through curriculum, cultural and contextual engagement, and emphasis on Christ’s sovereignty – seeks to help followers of Jesus know their Savior and themselves better, a knowledge that produces hope, joy, and love, which is so desperately needed in “the world that God cherishes dearly.”
