The Paul B. Henry Institute at Calvin University

04/22/2026

Happy birthday to Henry Senior Research Fellow Rich Mouw!

(picture from Rich's visit to campus in April 2023).

03/16/2026

Henry Senior Research Fellow Richard Mouw on the passing of John Perkins:

"On several occasions over the years of my friendship with the now late John Perkins he and I would appear together as guest speakers at evangelical campuses. More than once he told this story: "After my experience with police brutality I came to the awareness that Jesus cared about justice, but I wasn't clear about how to explain the connection. Then Rich Mouw and Paul Henry invited me to one of their conferences at Calvin College. There I discovered that there were Dutchmen in Michigan who taught classes and wrote books and articles on the subject. The Lord taught me so much from them about Jesus and justice!"

Paul would certainly want to join me in insisting that we learned far more from John than he learned from folks like us. His moving testimony about his deeply painful personal experience of racial oppression did so much to inspire and motivate us to explore issues of justice. I thank the Lord for my teacher John Perkins!"

02/19/2026

The Henry Institute was honored to co-sponsor this event. We're not in a golden age of civil discourse and responsible citizenship. This documentary fostered a great opportunity for Calvin students to engage in a crucial conversation.

According to a recent Gallup poll, a record 80% of U.S. adults believe the country is deeply divided on key values. Calvin University is hosting a film that aims to turn debate into dialogue.

02/04/2026

Congrats to Calvin’s own Katie Good!

10/29/2025

It was a long time in coming, but the book I've been working on with Amy Black of Wheaton College is finally out and available. Our "Civil Religion and the Renewal of American Politics" by Cambridge University Press is both an up-to-date summary of changing religious affiliations in America and an analysis of some of its contemporary faultlines as they apply to politics. We argue that a healthy pluralistic civil religion that accommodate religious diversity and promotes democratic norms is the best way forward, building a workable pathway between the current extremes of Christian nationalism and strict secularism.

10/17/2025

Henry Institute Senior Research Fellow Doug Koopman has a nice reflection on his substack here:

Discerning, Balanced, Gracious, Dubious

08/18/2025

The Ellen Hekman Citizenship Award is awarded yearly to a student who participated in the Henry Semester in Washington, D.C. Ellen worked for the Henry Institute and Calvin University for over twenty years and with three Executive Directors. She mentored, invested in, served, cared for, and otherwise poured her time into Calvin students who are themselves now serving in various posts and callings. Ellen worked countless hours behind the scenes to make things work in ways big and small and dealt with challenges logistical and human with patience, grace, and verve, consistently putting others ahead of herself. Ellen Hekman

Recipients of the award display the same character and virtues manifested in Ellen’s tenure at the Henry Institute and beyond. This year, our Ellen Hekman Citizenship Award recipient is Ryan Klein. A rising senior at Calvin, Ryan was a needed presence during the Henry Semester in Washington, D.C. Henry Institute Program Coordinator Kylie Boss says that “one could depend on Ryan to engage every one of his classmates, especially those on the fringes, with intentional conversation and a cheery attitude. Ryan was a uniter of his classmates and a friend to all.” In the future, Ryan hopes to combine his degrees of Data Science and Political Science to work with AI and policy.

Congratulations, Ryan!

07/18/2025

If you missed our annual Henry Lecture back in April, you can now view it here through the January Series!

Week 1 of the January Series in July starts tomorrow. Join us for "God Behind Bars: A Conversation About Faith, Incarceration and the Public Square.", a rebroadcast of the 2025 Paul B. Henry Lecture.
The discussion included Todd Cioffi, Senior Advisor of the Calvin Prison Initiative (CPI); Shawn England, CPI Alumnus and Calvin Theological Seminary student; and Noah Nagy, Warden of the Parnall Correctional Facility. Together, they explored the profound impact of Christian values on the issues of justice, incarceration and public policy.

Continue being curious, and join us - https://youtu.be/aGF9Ndjegzs

05/12/2025

"The election of an American pope will likely bring renewed enthusiasm for the Church among those who profess the Catholic faith, and more curiosity about the Church and the Catholic faith among those who do not, although how long this enthusiasm and curiosity will last remains to be seen.” -- Corwin Smidt, Senior Fellow at the Henry Institute

https://www.clarin.com/mundo/papa-leon-xiv-estadounidense-favorito-donald-trump-puede-muro-contencion-politicas_0_mGHsqHoDVZ.html?fbclid=PAQ0xDSwKKF61leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABp4nwJRfd5VyV_B42efGRUECUATMIH5OysPIu-coL3AK72SHlA7IYP1LJA8Ln_aem_fKy9TlIqUFYRCTu2WTygjg

Minutos después de que se anunciara al mundo la designación del nuevo pontífice, el presidente de Estados Unidos felicitó a Francis Prevost.Pero nada indica que será un pontífice complaciente con las políticas del magnate republicano.

04/24/2025

Congratulations, Joe!

Joe was one of our Henry Semester in Washington, D.C. students this past spring and interned for Representative Moolenaar.

Thank you to Joe Toly for his outstanding work as an intern in my Washington, D.C. office this semester. Joe is originally from Grand Rapids and is finishing his junior year at Calvin University. Thank you, Joe!