Leanne Van Dyk

Last updated February 25, 2020

Leanne Van Dyk (born 1955 in Grand Rapids, Michigan) is an American reformed theologian and theological educator. She has focused much of her work on atonement theology and the development of theological education. She is the tenth president of Columbia Theological Seminary.^[1]

Career

Van Dyk received a B.A. from Calvin College (1977), an M.A. from Western Michigan University (1982), an M.Div. from Calvin Theological Seminary (1987) from which she was recently given the Distinguished Alumni Award,^[2] and a Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary (1992). She additionally spent a year studying at the Theologische Hogeschool van de Gereformeerde Kerken in het Nederland, Kampen, The Netherlands (1985). In 2007, she was ordained in the Presbyterian Church (USA). After earning her Ph.D. she served as Assistant Professor of Theology (1992-1995) and the Associate Professor of Theology (1995-1998) at San Francisco Theological Seminary. At this time she was also a member of the Core Doctoral Faculty at Graduate Theological Union (1995-1998). Beginning in 1998, she served as Associate Professor of Reformed Theology (1998-2000) and the Professor of Reformed Theology (2000-2015) at Western Theological Seminary. While at Western Theological Seminary Van Dyk also served as the Dean of the Faculty(2002-2005), the Academic Dean(2005-2006), and the Dean and Vice President of Academic Affairs(2006-2015). On July 1, 2015 she began serving as the tenth president of Columbia Theological Seminary.^[3]

Thought

Van Dyk is a strong advocate for theological education. Before she earned her M.Div. she taught elementary school and has recognized the importance of education at all levels. She has written several books and contributed many articles and chapters to a number of publications. She is also on the Board of Editors for the Scottish Journal of Theology and has served on the editorial board for Perspectives, the Journal of Reformed Thought.

As a theological educator Van Dyk is a strong proponent of theology addressing the present needs of the church. She believes, "Theology is articulating the faith of the church for each new age. When it is grounded in scripture, responsive to the needs of the church, and open to the leading of the Holy Spirit, it fulfills its task as a servant of the church. My own call to ministry is to help students see the great beauty, drama, and strength of the gospel—and then, how to express the gospel for the church today." She has supported racial-ethnic diversity, leading the Faculty Fellow program at Western Theological Seminary, in which racial-ethnic scholars are brought into the community to teach while working on their Ph.D.

Van Dyk has continually sought to reform theological education through a number of organizations and programs to address the current needs of the church and the world. She serves as a member of the Board of Commissioners of the Association of Theological Schools, and has served as a member of the Catechism Committee for the Presbyterian Church (USA) Office of Theology and Worship, and as a member of the Re-Forming Ministry project where she helped "forge new patterns of shared theological work, exploring ecclesiological issues from national, congregational, seminary and judicatory perspectives."^[4]

Publications

A More Profound Alleluia: Theology and Worship in Harmony, Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2005.
Believing in Jesus Christ, Geneva Press, 2002.
The Desire of Divine Love: The Atonement Theology of John McLeod Campbell, Peter Lang Publishers, 1995.
A Proposal for Pedagogical Strategies in Theological Education in the Reformed Tradition from Reformed Theology; Identity and Ecumenicity, ed. Wallace Alston and Michael Welker, Eerdmans Publishing Co.,2003.
The Second Word, in The Ten Commandments for Jews, Christians, and Others, ed. Roger Van Harn, Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2000.
Toward a New Typology of Reformed Doctrines of Atonement in Toward the Future of Reformed Theology, edited by David Willis and Michael Welker, Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1999.
Atonement Theology and the Task of Discernment,The Catalyst, November, 1999.
Vision and Imagination in Atonement Doctrine,Theology Today, April 1993.

Related Research Articles

Union Presbyterian Seminary seminary in the state of Virginia

Union Presbyterian Seminary is a Presbyterian seminary in Richmond, Virginia. It also has a non-residential campus in Charlotte, North Carolina and an online blended learning program.

John Murray (theologian) Scottish-born Calvinist theologian

John Murray was born in Bonar Bridge, Scotland. He was a Scottish-born Calvinist theologian who taught at Princeton Seminary and then left to help found Westminster Theological Seminary, where he taught for many years.

Columbia Theological Seminary is a Presbyterian seminary in Decatur, Georgia. It is one of ten theological institutions affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA).

The Western Theological Seminary of the Reformed Church in America, known as Western Theological Seminary (WTS) is a seminary located in Holland, Michigan, in the United States. Established in 1866, it is one of two seminaries operated by the Reformed Church in America, a mainline Reformed Protestant denomination in Canada and the United States that follows the theological tradition and Christian practice of John Calvin.

Geerhardus Johannes Vos was a Dutch-American Calvinist theologian and one of the most distinguished representatives of the Princeton Theology. He is sometimes called the father of Reformed Biblical Theology.

Joan S. Gray was elected moderator of the Presbyterian Church (USA) at the 217th General Assembly on June 15, 2006. As moderator, she served as the presiding officer of the week-long General Assembly meeting in Birmingham, Alabama, followed by a two-year term as the ambassador-at-large for the denomination. She has also spent many years working in various churches and is currently serving as part of the faculty at Columbia Theological Seminary.

Nancy J. Duff is an American professor of theology. Duff is the Stephen Colwell Associate Professor of Christian Ethics at Princeton Theological Seminary, where she has taught since 1990. Duff is also a Presbyterian minister in the PCUSA denomination. She is married to United Methodist Minister David Mertz. She has taught courses on the Decalogue, Biomedical ethics, human sexuality, liturgy and the Christian life, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, James Cone, types of Christian ethics, and vocation in Christian tradition and contemporary life.

Redeemer Seminary was an Evangelical, Reformed, Christian theological seminary based in Dallas, Texas with a branch in Austin.

William A. Dyrness is an American theologian and professor of theology and culture at Fuller Theological Seminary. He teaches courses in theology, culture, and the arts, and is a founding member of the Brehm Center.

Darrell Likens Guder is a theologian and missiologist who is Professor of Missional and Ecumenical Theology Emeritus at Princeton Theological Seminary.

Catherine Gunsalus Gonzalez is an ordained Presbyterian minister, author, and professor emerita of church history at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia.

Laura S. Mendenhall is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church USA and was previously the president of Columbia Theological Seminary. She is now the Senior Philanthropy Advisor for the Texas Presbyterian Foundation.

William P. Brown is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church USA, author, biblical theologian, and the William Marcellus McPheeters Professor of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary.

George W. Stroup is J.B. Green Professor Emeritus of Theology at Columbia Theological Seminary. He is a minister in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). He is married to Dr. Donna Fox Stroup, a mathematical statistician.

Marten Hendrik Woudstra was a Dutch-born evangelical theologian, biblical scholar, seminary professor, and minister of the Christian Reformed Church. He served as president of the Evangelical Theological Society and as chairman of the Old Testament committee for the translation of the New International Version of the Bible. Woudstra's most notable contribution to evangelical scholarship is the publication of his commentary on the Book of Joshua in the New International Commentary on the Old Testament.

Kathy L Dawson is a certified Christian educator and ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Her work is primarily focused on the development of educational resources and the accessibility of resources for all educators. In 2015, she was recognized as the Educator of the Year by the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators. She is currently the Benton Family Associate Professor of Christian Education at Columbia Theological Seminary.

Deborah Flemister Mullen is an ordained pastor in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and a theological educator, specifically in the fields of modern American Christianity and Black Church Studies. She retired in January 2018 as Vice President for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion and Associate Professor of American Christianity and Black Church Studies at Columbia Theological Seminary. Her work actively engages the ongoing debates in American religion and civil society surrounding race, sexuality and social justice. In the academic field she focuses on the creation and leading of graduate theological education curriculum that prepares religious leaders for ministries throughout the world and promotes growth in academic institutions.

Martha L. Moore-Keish is an American theologian ordained in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Her work is primarily focused on Reformed theology, liturgical theology and ecumenical theology, including engagement with interfaith issues around the world. She currently engages this work as the J.B. Green Associate Professor of Theology at Columbia Theological Seminary.

Yung-Han Kim is a professor, a theologian and an ordained minister in South Korea. He is a well known scholar in South Korea. He founded the Korea Reformed Theological Society in 1996, served as the 1st, 2nd, 3rd president of the Society. He set up the Graduate School of Christian Studies in Soongsil University, served as the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th Dean. He served for 34 years as professor of systematic theology and Christian Philosophy at Soongsil University. Founder of Academia Christiana, he also has served as the president of Academia Christiana since 1988. He made the Shalomnabi, a civic organization, in 2010, has been serving as its chairman. He contributed more than 30 articles only in the Journal of Korea Evangelical Theological Society <Bible and Theology>. He published more than 20 books in Systematic Theology and Christian Philosophy, has been studying and contributing in the areas of dogmatics, Reformed theology, modern theology, hermeneutics, Christian Culture and Christian Spirituality. He was a chairman of Korea Evangelical Theological Society, a chairman of Korea Society for Hermeneutics, a chairman of Christian Philosophy Society (2006-2012), and a chairman of Korea Reformed Theology Society.

References

↑ "Leanne Van Dyk named as president of Columbia Theological Seminary". Presbyterian Church (USA). Presbyterian Church (USA).
↑ "Calvin Theological Seminary Names Columbia President Leanne Van Dyk Distinguished Alumna". Columbia Theological Seminary.
↑ "DR. LEANNE VAN DYK NAMED TENTH PRESIDENT OF COLUMBIA SEMINARY". Columbia Connections Blog. Columbia Theological Seminary.
↑ "Re-Forming Ministry". Presbyterian Church (USA) Mission Agency. Presbyterian Church (USA) Mission Agency. Archived from the original on 2013-08-15. Retrieved 2015-04-23.

External links

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] "Leanne Van Dyk named as president of Columbia Theological Seminary". Presbyterian Church (USA). Presbyterian Church (USA).

[2] "Calvin Theological Seminary Names Columbia President Leanne Van Dyk Distinguished Alumna". Columbia Theological Seminary.

[3] "DR. LEANNE VAN DYK NAMED TENTH PRESIDENT OF COLUMBIA SEMINARY". Columbia Connections Blog. Columbia Theological Seminary.

[4] "Re-Forming Ministry". Presbyterian Church (USA) Mission Agency. Presbyterian Church (USA) Mission Agency. Archived from the original on 2013-08-15. Retrieved 2015-04-23.