Continuing to Serve in Retirement

Faculté Jean Calvin Professors – Continuing to Serve in Retirement

Dr. Paul Wells, along with his wife Alison, served at Faculté Jean Calvin for 40 years.  The Wells share their story of how God led them to help with the very beginnings of the seminary in the Huguenot Fellowship blog post of April 16, 2021.   Paul currently holds the position of Honorary Professor of Systematic Theology, and has a new book coming out in French, “La Grace (étonnante) de Dieu” (Volume 1) – Une Théologie Biblique et Systématique de l’Alliance (The Surprising Grace of God – A Biblical and Systematic Theology of the Covenant).   The book will be published in mid-August 2021, and pre-publication orders can be made by visiting the Excelsis-Farel website - https://www.xl6.com/.

As Dr. Wells was considering the possibilities of such a project, he was aware that it was also a daunting task.   He writes: “Yet as I prayed about how to go about things, it seemed to me that I should not altogether ditch the knowledge I had acquired over so many years’ teaching & writing, but rather build on it to write something for believers today.

Since retiring from the Faculté Jean Calvin in 2012, I have become increasingly aware that we are deep in the unprecedented turmoil of a social and cultural revolution. The old modernist liberalism with its thought patterns is being beaten down and replaced by a new post-Christian worldview dominated by the dictates of "intersectionality".

Today the Christian faith is despised, believers are a minority, civil laws are rapidly being changed and relativism is taking hold everywhere. The old systematic theologies were written for a society in which Christianity and rationalism were more dominant, and it seemed crucial to write in a way that would take into account the new state of affairs. No doubt my work does not go far enough as attitudes continue to change, but I hope others after me will carry on the task.”

There are 56 chapters in all, each about 7-9 thousand words, with indexes. 

Volume 1 (26 chapters) consists of two parts:  1. The Specificity of the Christian Faith and 2. God: the world constructed and deconstructed.   

Volume 2 (30 chapters) also includes two parts: 3. The Mediator and the Refounding of the world and 4. The new community in Christ. 

The pre-publication offer of 26 euros is available until the end of August.   See linked document for the publisher’s announcement in French.   

The Local Church: “This is My Family”

On June 20th, the 54 congregations of the Protestant Reformed Evangelical Church across France celebrated a common theme in their church services – “This is My Family”, using a song by this title written by Pastor Pascal Gonzalez, a 1998 graduate of Faculté Jean Calvin.

 Pascal has been pastor in the denomination for 23 years, and being gifted in music and evangelism, he and his wife, Evodie, lead a children’s choir, Aquarium, and are currently organizing a music festival – “Aqua tu Sers” – for July.  

The song gives a beautiful presentation of the reality of life in the Body of Christ, with all its wrinkles, joys and challenges, and always living under the Grace of God.   We are broken clay vessels, but our Covenant-keeping God uses us to carry the message of Gospel Hope to a hurting world.   Listen to the song here.    

Translation:   

This is my Family, This is my Family…..

We exhibit patience; we respect science.

We desire Truth, but not without Love.

In the two Testaments, it’s always the same God.

And always highlighting the difference between the sin and the sinner.

This is my Family, This is my Family….

Of course, sometimes we argue; we get on each other’s nerves in our discussions.

We’re not a perfect Church; we can be defeatist sometimes.

However, whatever happens, these bonds hold me fast.

They tell me: “Don’t be afraid”; you’ll always have your place here.

This is my Family, This is my Family….

Sometimes I get discouraged, I feel the storm coming;

I feel like going elsewhere, being with other brothers and sisters.

I come across other worlds, sometimes more joyful or more somber.

But I come back, and I realize again: in our Family, grace abounds!

In order to not preach in vain, keep reading John Calvin!

To stay vigilant, we need to keep re-inventing ourselves.

To keep growing, Love needs to spread like a virus.

To keep our youth dancing, we remember the Covenant.

This is my Family, this is my Family……

We have the same Father, the same Core Values,    

We are governed by a synod, with a Presbyterian structure;

We enjoy the classic hymns; we sit on benches that are sometimes quite old,

We love the Huguenot cross, our singing is not always on key;

We are reformed, but not “deformed”,

We may be a bit atypical, but we’re evangelical;

We love the Cevennes Mountains, which run through our veins,

Yes, sometimes, we get on each other’s nerves, but we live under grace!

This is my Family, this is my Family……

Graduation at Faculté Jean Calvin - 2021

This is why we do what we do at the Huguenot Fellowship. Both on-site and distance-learning students received their diplomas on June 18th.  

The mission of John Calvin Seminary is to serve the Church by preparing its leaders with an excellent practical, spiritual and theological training, grounded in Scripture, rooted in the Calvinist tradition and in step with contemporary realities. 

Pray for these new graduates, the faculty and staff, and the Lord's ongoing work at John Calvin Seminary.

Update on the Separatist Law

The proposed separatist law, also referred to as the “Law to Reinforce Republican Values”, continues to move through the legislative system in France.  The proposed law is designed to stem radical Islam that has been at the root of numerous terrorist attacks in France, and, if enacted, would place restrictions on the freedom of worship in France.  The CNEF (Conseil National des Evangéliques de France) estimates that, if approved, any application of the law would not take place until Spring 2022, given the time to create statutes and methods to enforce the law. 

Impact France summarizes the current status of the deliberations:

Discussions have concluded and the bill is entering the final stages of the National Assembly vote which is projected to be at the end of June. The version of the law that is currently in the Assembly is NOT the version the Senate passed but the Assembly’s original bill that they approved. This final version of the bill will be sent to the Senate where the same process will take place (discussions, debates, vote).  To learn more about the evolution of the process click here (in French).

The CNEF is still working with different parliamentarians and advocating for the rights of the Church. Even if the “spirit of the law” doesn’t change, the CNEF is hopeful that the amendments and concrete measures to apply the law will not move France into a surveillance state when it comes to faith. The passage of the law is also dependent on the Constitutional Counsel – which can be another safeguard.

Click for news source and further information from ImpactFrance.org.

May the Church in France be faithful to Her witness, and may the Lord give wisdom to church leaders of the CNEF, in particular, as they engage with government leaders regarding the potential impact of this law.  

Day of Prayer

Faculté Jean Calvin - Day of Prayer
June 12, 2021

“…apart from me, you can do nothing.”  John 15:5

« …sans moi, vous ne pouvez rien faire. »   Jean 15 :5

 It is in this spirit of dependence on the Lord - in our daily lives, in the work of Faculté Jean Calvin, in the seminary’s vocation of training men and women for service in Kingdom work - that the Seminary Board, Faculty and Staff are calling for a Day of Prayer on Saturday, June 12th, starting at 9AM, local France time.   

From 9-10 AM, Seminary Dean Yannick Imbert will share prayer needs of the seminary. Because of the time difference (with the Day of Prayer starting at 3 AM Eastern Time in North America) and recognizing that many friends of the Seminary will be unable to join at that time, we wanted to highlight two prayer needs:

1) After much consultation and prayer, the seminary professors have embarked on a project of reworking the seminary’s academic program in order to be more relevant to the everyday realities of local churches. This is in no way a case of changing theology, but rather listening to the needs of local churches and responding with the most effective training for future servants. 

• Would you pray for wisdom and clarity as the seminary team navigates this process, and that they would be led to the right people to collaborate in this significant undertaking? 

2) So many pastors in France are shepherding churches in several locations, due to the limited number of pastors.  Churches across France are needing a new wave of servants who are called to a pastoral ministry.

• Would you ask the Lord to raise up more workers for His Church, those individuals who will faithfully bring the message of Gospel Hope to those who have never heard the life-giving message of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ? May the Lord raise up those who will respond to His call.

If you are able to join the time of prayer at 9 AM in France, the Zoom link is here.

For those who read French, here is a message from FJC Board Chairman and Professor Emeritus Pierre Berthoud regarding the Day of Prayer.

A Conversation with Linda Boice & Jean-Philippe Bru

Jean-Philippe Bru, Ruth Ann Leduc, Linda Boice

The Huguenot Fellowship recently launched the fundraising campaign for the support of the Willaim Edgar Chair of Apologetics at Faculté Jean Calvin seminary in Aix-en-Provence, France.  And yet, this endeavor is not new for the Huguenot Fellowship, as the James Montgomery Boice Chair of Practical Theology was launched 19 years ago. 

The legacy of former Tenth Presbyterian Church (Phila.) Pastor and Huguenot Fellowship Trustee, Dr. James Boice, continues in so many ways. Faculté Jean Calvin is one means whereby his influence continues through the ministry of Professor Jean-Philippe Bru, occupant of the James Montgomery Boice Chair of Practical Theology at the seminary.  Linda Boice and Jean-Philippe sit down with Huguenot Fellowship Trustee Ruth Ann Leduc to talk about Dr. Boice's introduction to France, the ministry of the seminary, and his enduring legacy through this endowed Chair.

Listen to this 26-minute interview to hear how God led through divinely appointed circumstances to bless His Kingdom work in France, and how that legacy continues today through the teaching of practical theology.

Distance-Learning

Dr. Yannick Imbert, William Edgar Chair of Apologetics Professor and Dean of Faculté Jean Calvin, talks with Huguenot Fellowship trustee Ruth Ann Leduc about the use of distance-learning at the seminary. Faculté Jean Calvin was the pioneer of distance-learning among theological institutions.

Click to view this 9-minute video.

Donald Cobb

Donald Cobb is Professor of New Testament and Greek at Faculté Jean Calvin. Huguenot Fellowship trustee Ruth Ann Leduc talks with him to learn how he came to the seminary and the challenges facing the Church in France.

Click to view this 6-minute video.