The Geneva College Center for Faith & Life aims to engage culture with biblical truth while strengthening the College from within. CFL Program Coordinator Judy Willson and I are doing this through a number of initiatives.

One of these is our Faculty Fellows program, the first cohort of which includes Professors Henrique Alvim (MAHE), Matt Fuss (Business), Mildred Johnson (Criminal Justice), and Joel Ward (Communication). The Center provides resources for the Fellows to enhance their scholarly work and community service, while the Fellows serve the College in impactful ways. Starting this fall, the Fellows will mentor new Geneva faculty and play a critical role in another CFL program called Dialogue Wheels. These are carefully structured, timed dialogues which aim to create conversations that increase mutual understanding and develop skills in critical reasoning and listening. They are especially useful for teaching college students how to respectfully engage one another on sensitive contemporary issues.

We are also excited about the inaugural CFL Christian Perspectives Conference planned for February. The topic is “Technology and Personhood” and will focus on three issues: artificial intelligence, in-vitro fertilization, and social media. Prominent Christian scholars will deliver plenary talks on each of these issues. The conference will also produce online symposia, including interviews and panel discussions featuring keynote speakers and other select presenters.

There are two CFL lecture series initiatives. One of these is a biennial series featuring Reformed scholars from a variety of disciplines. In each case, the featured scholar delivers four lectures that do deep theological integration on a topic within their field of expertise, culminating in a published monograph. I recently completed the inaugural 2025-26 lectures, which will be published this fall by Cascade Press under the title A Thing of Beauty: How Everything is Art and Art is Everything. In addition to this special biennial series, the Geneva Visiting Arts and Lecture Series continues under the auspices of the CFL. We are excited about our 2026-27 GVALS line-up, which will be announced soon.

Finally, keep an eye out for the inaugural issue of the CFL Quarterly Digest, entitled Faith & Life, which will feature articles on important contemporary issues. Authors will include Geneva College scholars and other thought leaders who have expertise in the subject areas they address. Topics will range across the disciplines (e.g., art, science, history, theology, popular culture, etc.). Our first issue is scheduled for release this August.

We hope you will be blessed and enriched by CFL programs in the coming year!