Featured in this volume is the article “What is an Evangelical? And Does It Matter?” by Dr. Stephen V. Monsma. In it Dr. Monsma assesses the current status of studies of Evangelicalism, indicates flaws and lacunae in them and points the way forward for a more nuanced and care-full approach to its proper understanding.
As we entered into the production of this volume we learned that Dr. Monsma passed away on February 18th of this year. Dr. Monsma was a lifelong educator and politician. He taught political science at Calvin College for 8 years and at Pepperdine University for 17 more where he held the Blanche E. Seaver Chair in Social Science. He authored and edited 18 books and numerous essays, articles, and professional papers. For 12 years he was a senior research fellow at the Paul Henry Institute for the Study of Christianity and Politics at Calvin College and served for four years as a member of the Michigan House of Representatives (1974-1978) and four more as a member the Michigan Senate (1978-1982). He also served as an Associate Editor for Christian Scholar’s Review. Dr. Monsma embodied the ideals of the mission of CSR and we would like to acknowledge and celebrate his life and contributions to Christian scholarship and his service to the State of Michigan. It is an honor for us to publish this article with the enthusiastic encouragement and permission of his wife of 52 years, Mary Carlisle Monsma.
The publisher and editors of the Christian Scholar’s Review are also pleased to announce the recipients of its annual award for best article, the Charles J. Miller Christian Scholar’s Award, for volumes 44 and 45. The winner for Volume 44 is
Derek C. Hatch, Wingless Chickens and Desiderium Naturale: The Theological Imaginations of Flannery O’Connor and Henri de Lubac.
And for Volume 45:
Justin Bailey, Discerning the Body in Cyberspace: Jaron Lanier, Merleau-Ponty, and the
Norms of Embodiment.
These articles were selected by a panel of jurors who carefully and thoughtfully read each anonymous-reviewed article published in the respective volumes and selected those which best achieved the goals of Christian scholarship set by CSR.
