1855 Knollcrest Circle SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546-4402 USA
On the campus of Calvin University
© 2026 Calvin Institute of Christian Worship
For centuries preachers were told that exposition of the biblical text is the most important and sacred task of preaching. In recent decades the emphasis has shifted more toward storytelling. "Show, Don't Tell" is a well-known adage to anyone who aspires to be a creative writer. "Showing" a concrete story or image always packs more vivid emotional punch—and is for that reason much more memorable—than the "telling" of information could ever achieve. Human beings are, after all, "narrative animals" who frame most everything that happens to them in terms of story. But what about a sermon’s impact beyond the emotional? What about the biblical illiteracy rampant among church-goers, as well as those who stay home on Sundays? Can storytelling help with those issues? Scott Hoezee and Mike Graves think there is much preachers can learn from stories, but maybe there are some limitations too. What is the most important word in preaching these days: Story or Exposition?
In this seminar, Graves and Hoezee present some compatible and contrasting ideas from their recent books, including some hands-on exercises to demonstrate what this approach looks like in action. The time also provides ample opportunity for dialogue and conversation.
“Deconstruction” is a popular term among young people who grew up in the Christian church. In this public lecture, Robert Chao Romero will consider the challenge of widespread deconstruction while offering a hopeful path forward. Expanding on Phyllis Tickle’s analogy of the church having a rummage sale of ideas every few centuries, Romero invites us to consider the contributions of Latina/o theology and the history of the Brown Church as valuable resources for reconstruction on the other side of deconstruction.
Carmen Imes has spent the past fifteen years immersed in the book of Exodus, writing about it for both her master’s thesis and her doctoral dissertation. In this lecture, Imes will share some of the most paradigm-shifting insights she’s had while reading Exodus through an Egyptian lens.
Modern song writers are continually setting the psalms to new music for band-led worship contexts. Join Paul Ryan, Nate Glasper, and the Calvin University Worship Apprentices to sing contemporary psalm settings sung in public worship at Calvin.
“Deconstruction” is a popular term among young people who grew up in the Christian church. In this public lecture, Robert Chao Romero will consider the challenge of widespread deconstruction while offering a hopeful path forward. Expanding on Phyllis Tickle’s analogy of the church having a rummage sale of ideas every few centuries, Romero invites us to consider the contributions of Latina/o theology and the history of the Brown Church as valuable resources for reconstruction on the other side of deconstruction.
Carmen Imes has spent the past fifteen years immersed in the book of Exodus, writing about it for both her master’s thesis and her doctoral dissertation. In this lecture, Imes will share some of the most paradigm-shifting insights she’s had while reading Exodus through an Egyptian lens.
Modern song writers are continually setting the psalms to new music for band-led worship contexts. Join Paul Ryan, Nate Glasper, and the Calvin University Worship Apprentices to sing contemporary psalm settings sung in public worship at Calvin.
Join this excursion through compositional method, use of text, melodic creation, vocal range, and inner insights. The session includes the presentation of new psalm settings by Rawn Harbor.
