Calvin Symposium to Feature Seminar on Changes to Christianity

January 11, 2006 == MEDIA ADVISORY

Media are invited to cover the annual Symposium on Worship at Calvin
College, to be held January 26-28.

One highlight of the event, which will draw over 1,500 registrants to
Calvin's campus from almost 20 countries around the globe, will be a
seminar on Thursday, January 26 on how Christianity has changed over the
last 30 years.

The panel is titled "What We've Learned Along the Way: Thirty Years of
Worship Renewal" and will see noted authors Brian McClaren, Eugene
Peterson and Nancy Beach examine such religious beacons as Vatican II,
Willow Creek and the Emerging Church movement.

Says John Witvliet, director of the Worship Institute at Calvin (the
host for the Symposium): "Arguably, Christian worship practices have
changed more, and in more different directions, in the last 30 to 40
years than in any single period, with the possible exception of the
earliest days of the church. How we conceptualize this change-whether we
see it as mostly good or mostly harmful-significantly affects the
attitudes and trajectories of our ministries today. During the day, we
will hear very different perspectives on the last three to four
decades."

Panelists include:

*Albert J.D. Aymer, president of Hood Theological Seminary, Salisbury,
North Carolina, a native of Antigua, and pastor of churches in the
Caribbean and New Jersey

*Nancy Beach, programming director for Willow Creek Community Church,
South Barrington, Illinois

*Brian D. McLaren, pastor of Cedar Ridge Community Church in
Spencerville, Maryland, and author of many books on the emerging church,
including A Generous Orthodoxy (Zondervan, 2004)

*Eugene Peterson, author of many books, including his widely acclaimed
paraphrase of the Bible, The Message

*Larry Sibley, lecturer in practical theology at Westminster
Theological Seminary, Philadelphia

*John D. Witvliet, director of the Calvin Institute of Christian
Worship and author of Worship Seeking Understanding: Windows into
Christian Practice

*Joyce Zimmerman, director of the Institute for Liturgical Ministry in
Dayton, Ohio, and founding editor and columnist of Liturgical Ministry
magazine.

Concludes Witvliet: "In one day, in one room, attendees will be able
to take the temperature of the vast stretches of North American
Christianity."

Contact Witvliet at 616-526-6806
Also, see http://www.calvin.edu/worship/sympos/schedule.php

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Received on Wed Jan 11 15:15:48 2006