When she stood in a Michigan courtroom last year to make the last of 156 victim impact statements in the sentencing hearing for her abuser, Rachael Denhollander spoke with eloquent conviction and theological wisdom about forgiveness and justice—two terms she says are often misused and misunderstood, sometimes in ways that compound the trauma of the survivors of abuse.

Nicholas Kristof has spent a career in journalism telling stories from places that few of his readers have ever been, and few would otherwise notice. The longtime New York Times columnist was among the first and most persistent voices to call the world's attention to genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan in the mid-2000s, and has been a prominent voice in highlighting the global plague of human trafficking. Kristof spoke at the January Series of Calvin College.

Mary Andringa's pioneering career in business has been built on a foundation of faith, family, and community. In this conversation she reflects on the legacy of her father Gary as she captures it in her recent book Remembering Dad, and shares lessons on women in leadership, faith and work, and gathering generational wisdom.

Frederick Douglass escaped slavery to become one of the most important authors of the 19th century. How was Douglass able to overcome oppression? What does he have to teach us about Christian hope? Danjuma Gibson, professor of pastoral care at Calvin Seminary, spoke about his new book, Frederick Douglass, a Psychobiography, with Christina Edmonson earlier this year.

Catherine Gonzalez has spent a lifetime answering God’s call to break down barriers to female theologians. She was one of the first women to be ordained as a minister in the Presbyterian Church, and her pioneering academic career spanned over four decades. She recently spoke to female students at Calvin Seminary, encouraging them to follow God’s call wherever it leads.

Catherine Gonzalez is Professor Emerita of Church History at Columbia Theological Seminary.

Laura de Jong is senior pastor of Second Christian Reformed Church in Grand Haven, Michigan.

Learn more about Catherine Gonzalez

Why do some North American Christians choose fear over hospitality? What would radical hospitality as Christian discipleship look like in interfaith conversations? Matthew Kaemingk explores these questions in his new book Christian Hospitality and Muslim Immigration in an Age of Fear. He spoke at the Loving Your Neighbor conference at Calvin Seminary this summer, and sat down with Cory Willson to talk about this timely topic.

Countries around the world are wrestling with the issue of immigration. Churches are too. What does it mean to answer Jesus’ call to love your neighbor when it comes to immigrants and refugees? The Loving Your Neighbor Conference at Calvin Seminary this summer brought together church and ministry leaders to explore these questions.

What do smartphones have to do with our spiritual health? Calvin Seminary recently held a Smartphone Retreat to discern as a community the ways we use our smartphones and the effects they have on us. We found that for many of us, our smartphone use shows signs of addictive patterns, and that for all of us, we can reflect on what we do with our moments, minutes, and "downtime" throughout the day, and the implications this has for our spiritual lives and our life together in community.

How can the Church speak into a time of bitter political divisions? How can the insights of John Calvin guide us today? Matt Tuininga introduces his book Calvin’s Political Theology and the Public Engagement of the Church: Christ’s Two Kingdoms and talks with Kevin den Dulk about the implications for the Church's public witness today.

Millions of people who suffer from dementia, and their loved ones and caregivers, face slow and agonizing decline. How can we show love to these neighbors? How can we view life and death in a way that challenges North American culture? Mary VandenBerg addressed these questions at the Loving Your Neighbor conference in 2016.