Should We Even Speak?

In these times of health crisis, all pastors, church leaders, all churches and theological training institutes are under pressure. Pressure to find a technological solution to the need for support, discipleship, educational presence. Pressure also to speak a word that is relevant or wise. The number of "special podcasts" and biblical articles on this time of anxiety and hope have literally exploded! Most are excellent. But what word to have? CNEF has already spoken, with strength and wisdom. But this pressure to "have to speak" can quickly turn into an unhealthy contest to have the most memorable word of wisdom. So let us ask the question: "When should we speak?" Even more radical: "Should we even speak?" (Here we should take a long pause, a time of meditative silence.) Of course, Christians cannot remain completely silent.

In these times of health crisis, we are the bearers of the only hope that has sprouted in the world, that of death vanquished by death, that of resurrection in the heart of darkness. Easter is before us, time of waiting and faith, time of joy and life. In these times of health crisis, let us simply return to the great foundations of our faith. Christ reigns. By his death he defeated all the forces that are trying to destroy his work of creation and restoration. Let us simply be witnesses to the God who came into the world and who, through his life, opened the doors of hope and eternity. Shall we speak? Yes! But in a measured way, and by making choices. Let's make the choice of hope!

In these times of health crisis, let us be intercessors, in Christ, for a suffering world. Let us implore God to remove from this world this source of death, pain, and anxiety. God hears the prayers of his people. Let us go to him as representatives of humanity. Let us go to him, who prays with us, who brings our prayers to the Father. Pray for the nursing staff. Pray for those who continue to serve the human community and go unnoticed: housekeepers, letter carriers and delivery agents, supermarket workers, and everyone else. Pray for all those who are hospitalized or in pain. Finally, let us pray for each other, without ceasing, and ask God, our Father, our brother and our counselor, to make us his faithful witnesses in a world that is suffering.

Dr. Yannick IMBERT
Dean
Professor of Apologetics
Faculté Jean Calvin
President, éditions Kerygma

(translated)

Letter from Pierre Berthoud

Yannick Imbert, Dean; Pierre Berthoud, President of Faculté Jean Calvin

Dear friends,

Dear partners, engaged alongside us in this spiritual combat which represents prayer, I would like to thank you for your loyalty and your perseverance for so many years. Indeed, the deployment, vitality and influence of our ministry are the consequence of your support in intercession. Together the Lord calls us to be a living community and to enter into dialogue with our Heavenly Father whatever the circumstances of the moment. As it exists, he hears our gratitude and our joys, our complaints and our cries of pain, our requests and our calls for help! Yes, thanks to the redemptive work of Jesus Christ and by means of the Holy Spirit, the communion that we have with our Father is inhabited by personal and intimate communication with him. What a privilege and even more what a grace! That is why we do not doubt His answers! We also do not fear them even when they do not meet our expectations!

In this period so uncertain, so dramatic and so painful for some, it is precisely the moment to approach our ultimate one-on-one, the one who presides over our destinies, the one who is our refuge and who gives us strength and the courage to live, no doubt otherwise, our vocation fully, a vocation which consists in listening to divine wisdom in order to be witnesses to the Word. That which challenges, reassures, comforts and renews life, and allows us to better serve our loved ones and our neighbors, especially the most fragile!  

Yet it is precisely in prayer that the Spirit arouses the creative imagination that allows us to be present and engaged in the turmoil that accompanies this scourge! Let us pray for God to give wisdom and discernment to the authorities of this world and of our nation, let us pray for all those in hospitals or at home caring for the sick, let us pray for the Churches and Christians dispersed in civil society so that they take up the challenges before them, speak a prophetic word, pray for Christian works and institutions so that they find the resources to pursue each their specific ministry within the city and this to the glory of our God and for the advancement of his reign! Finally let us pray for the Jean Calvin Faculty which is currently pursuing its ministry differently so that the Lord continues to accompany all the team members and students according to the needs of each one, but above all according to his generous grace.

The wisdom and strength of divine benevolence circulate faster and better than the coronavirus!

We remain united in prayer and in Jesus Christ, our peace, our consolation and our hope,

Pierre Berthoud
President
Professor Emeritus

(translated)

Letter from Yannick Imbert

With the temporary closure of the Faculté Jean Calvin, it became even more vital to pray for one another. Even if all of our students can now follow all of their courses from a distance, everyday life has been transformed. Some students were unable to return home, others get used to working remotely. For everyone else, studies add to this exceptional situation. Pray that God will keep and protect those who work in the hospital world. Pray for trust and peace: may our way of life be a witness to our faith!

During this period of confinement, the professors continue to work on the reform of the academic and pedagogical vision of the Faculté. Fundamental reflection is necessary if we are to remain faithful to our will to serve the Church. Following this same impetus, the Faculté announced the creation of two ThM (Master) programs in English. The first, devoted to biblical interpretation, will start in September 2021 and the second, focused on "public theology", will start in September 2022.

Pray that these new projects will nourish the vision of the Faculté and serve the Church of Jesus Christ!

Yannick Imbert
Dean
Professor of Apologetics
President, Kerygma Editions

(translated)

FJC Campus Activities Suspended

Dear friends of the Huguenot Fellowship,

According to the latest French government dispositions about the coronavirus (covid19), as of last Monday, we are under the obligation of suspending our activities on Campus.

All residing students have now access to their courses at a distance (via our audio platform) and all staff members are now working at home (teleworking) as much as possible.

We do not yet measure the impact these dramatic circumstances will have upon the economy of France, but also on the finances of the Seminary. We are presently considering the possible measures we might need to take so as to overcome this unexpected trial and we are confident the Lord will show us the way for us (the Seminary team) to fulfil the mission the Lord has given us,

We thank you for praying with us as we face this major crisis just as we will continue to pray for you as you face the same predicament. May the Lord give us wisdom and continue to watch over us all in France as well as abroad in the coming weeks and months so that we can all fulfill our callings, and specifically the Faculté Jean Calvin as it carries on its teaching ministry for the furthering of His kingdom in France and beyond. 

Warmest greetings to all in our Savior Jesus Christ, the sovereign Lord of the universe, of the Churches and Institutions we represent as well as of the lives of each one of us. Our destiny is indeed in His hands!

United in Christ Jesus,

Pierre BERTHOUD - President - Emeritus Professor

and

Kim TRAN - Director

Not Afraid of Bad News

Paul D. Wolfe, President

He is not afraid of bad news.

Really? He’s not? He’s not afraid of bad news?

No, he’s not.

“The man who fears the Lord,” says the Psalmist, “is not afraid of bad news. His heart is firm, trusting in the Lord” (Psalm 112:7).

I thought of this Bible verse this morning when I glanced at my phone (alas, the early morning phone glance) and the very first headline that greeted me was, well, viral:

“France confirms 19 new cases as officials declare epidemic inevitable.” Cases, that is, of coronavirus.

It’s a fast-moving story, especially in Europe. By the time you read this, days from now, will the numbers be higher? Lower? Will the situation be more fearful? Less? I’m no forecaster of such matters.

But what I do know is that when you’re reading this Psalm 112:7 will still be true. Those who know and fear the Lord, they need not fear bad news. Not because there’s no bad news in this world. (Obviously there is. Everything from global pandemics to personal heartbreak.) And not because the Christian is insensible to such things. (He’s not. The night before he died Jesus himself recoiled at the thought of what was in store for him, and we servants are not greater than our Master.) But we need not fear bad news in the sense that even the worst that comes our way, our wise and loving Father in heaven will have appointed it for our eternal good.

In the lovely town of Aix-en-Provence in the south of France, there’s a seminary we love, La Faculté Jean Calvin (FJC). And there, in campus classrooms and in conversations over café, faculty and staff are training men and women to grasp the gospel of Jesus Christ in a fearful world so they can go forth with it in the midst of every kind of virus and see people set free. Free from paralyzing fear. Free from the guilt and power of sin. Free from the thought that something they breathe in might be their undoing.

The Huguenot Fellowship’s raison d’être is to support FJC—with prayer, with encouragement, with financial support. Here in 2020 they need it all, just as we do! So we’ll continue to stand with them.

Join us, won’t you?

Yours in Christ,
Paul D. Wolfe

P.S. I’m grateful to the many who have reached out to me upon my becoming President of the Huguenot Fellowship to express your support. M erci, mes amis! Never hesitate to contact me with questions, observations, ideas: 703.385.9056; paul@newhopefairfax.org. The door to my office is always open.

Theological Crossroads

Calling for generosity is common. Many noble causes encourage us to be generous. Caring for the poor, supporting development, as well as the great mission to which God calls his Church all require generous commitment. But what light does the Bible give on generosity? If it is indeed a characteristic of the Christian life, how is our generosity different from that which we can see practiced by our contemporaries? Does the generosity presented in the Bible, lived by Christ, require a sacrifice of our goods? How should it be practiced on a daily basis, and to whom? The generosity of the people of Christ cannot be lived without examining all of these issues. This is what we will do at Faculté Jean Calvin during the Theological Crossroads weekend of March 13-14, 2020.

Study at FJC in English

The Huguenot Fellowship is very pleased to inform you that Faculté Jean Calvin now offers a new master’s program expressly for English speakers. Registration is now open for the 2020-2021 academic year. This may be a wonderful opportunity for you or someone you know. Please Help Share This News!

The Master of Theology in Biblical Interpretation program offers specialized training in biblical exegesis (Old or New Testament). This program in English includes a semester of modular seminars and a semester of dissertation preparation.

The first semester includes research seminars on various topics in the fields of exegesis, biblical languages ​​and the history of interpretation.

The dissertation topics can be selected from all areas of biblical interpretation: Old or New Testament, languages ​​(Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic), textual criticism and ancient versions, biblical theology, hermeneutics, and the history of interpretation.

This program offers the rare opportunity for in-depth study of the Old and New Testaments with international scholars in the land of John Calvin.

Two areas of specialization

Old Testament

The Old Testament track includes a required course called « Panorama of Biblical Exegesis », in which different research models are presented from a Reformed point of view. Seminars include topics in biblical theology, in-depth exegesis, and theories of interpretation. The academic year ends with a thesis in Old Testament.

New Testament

The New Testament track similarly includes a « Panorama of Biblical Exegesis » class. Research seminars include perspectives in biblical theology, exegesis of specific passages, and the history of interpretation. The academic year ends with a thesis in New Testament.

Requirements

• MDiv in theology, or equivalent

• English proficiency: minimum TOFEL test score of 100

• Completing the application form

• Completing the financial information form

• Statement of christian life

Study Fees = 4000 € per year

Quand Dans La Nuit

Kim Tran

Kim Tran is the multi-talented Directeur (head of operations) of the Faculté Jean Calvin seminary in Aix-en-Provence, France. He kindly provided a marvelous video performance of a French Christmas song.

Click on Quand Dans La Nuit.

To view the lyrics and translation, click here.

Merry Christmas from The Huguenot Fellowship