This morning was the seminary graduation--no nostalgia for me, just glad to be home gardening.

I received a phone message yesterday from Charley Honey of the GR PRESS, asking me if I would make a comment for the story he was writing on the 2 new women professors at CTS. He needed my comment by mid-afternoon and it was too late when I got the message. It's better that way. I have no comment for the PRESS. In a less public forum such as this, I will say that I continue to remain disappointed that women such as Mary Hulst have not cared enough to even inquire about my situation. But I didn't want to add sour grapes to a story Charley was doing. Nor did I want to comment on Mary's blog and her post of yesterday. She tells about the process of getting to the point of CTS Board approval (which was yesterday), and then she concludes:

"I think Calvin Seminary is on the move; on the move the way Aslan goes on the move in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and the snow melts and animals come out of hibernation and spring returns and the birds sing. No longer will it be always winter and never Christmas. No, no my friends. Good things are a'comin'. Watch for 'em!"

It just seems a bit over the top--maybe melodramatic?

For anyone who has forgotten the C.S. Lewis story to which she is referring, I quote from an online source: "The White Witch magically forced Narnia into a never-ending winter during her reign, which at the beginning of the book had lasted for a hundred years. Even though it had been winter for so long, the Witch prevented a Christmas from existing during that time."

It's hard to figure out her precise analogy. Is CTS Aslan or is her coming to CTS the coming of Aslan--as in the coming of Jesus? I'm not sure.

Who's the White Witch? It may be me, but I certainly didn't preside over 100 years of CTS winter.

I wonder how all of my one-time male colleagues (many of whom have been around the seminary for decades) feel about Mary bringing them out of the long winter.

ONE WOMAN'S STORY

I was talking with a woman recently and commented about all the accolades I have heard about her late husband. His name is very well known in CRC circles as one who has profoundly influenced the lives and ministries of countless people. She responded that she hears such words often and then she began to name people--names many of you would know--who have told her what her husband meant to them. I was about to move on to another topic when she stopped me, and with some hesitation began to pour out her heart about how abusive her husband was behind the scenes. She told how the family suffered for years and still suffers today because of his neglect and his abuse. For ten minutes I just listened. I asked her if she had written her story down or if she had ever told anyone. Her answer surprised me. Yes, she said, I've told you. She went on to say that she couldn't confide in people because her husband was regarded so highly and she knew people would not believe her. She showed no bitterness, just painful honesty. How sad it is that she must be silenced and bear her burden alone---though I have plans to meet with her soon. Her story reminded me of Frank Schaeffer's autobiographical novel, Portofino--a story that suggests a very troubling behind-the-scenes perspective on his "saintly" father, Francis Schaeffer. This woman's story also reminds me of the Seminary administrators who behind the scenes are very different from the "godly" exterior they present to the public.