Also at ETF Leuven large number of new theology students

24 September 2024

Also at ETF Leuven large number of new theology students

“There are many people, young and not so young, with a heart for the church”

With 82 new students, the Evangelical Theological Faculty (ETF) in Leuven opened the academic year 2024-2025 last night. This is a large number and a continuation of the upward trend of recent years. Prof. Dr. Steven C. van den Heuvel inaugurated as professor of systematic theology and gave the opening lecture on Bonhoeffer’s ethics of responsibility as a promising paradigm for contemporary public theology.

The total number of students for 2024-2025 is estimated at 270.

‘Who is Jesus Christ for us today?’

The opening lecture was the inaugural speech by Prof. Dr. Steven C. van den Heuvel, entitled ‘Who is Jesus Christ for us today?’. He spoke about his vision of the task of public theology. Within this relatively recent theological tradition, research is conducted into the contribution that can be made from the richness of the Christian tradition to reflecting on current, ‘public’ questions. Van den Heuvel took the theology of the German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906–1945) – specifically his thoughts on ethics – as a starting point. Bonhoeffer reflected deeply on both the nature and the task of Christian ethics. Van den Heuvel: “Good public theology does justice to both God’s self-revelation in Christ and to the realities of the world we live in.”

Heart for the church

It is not only young people who choose to study theology at ETF Leuven. There is also a large group of lateral entrants: people who already have a career and who combine their commitment to work and/or family with studying theology. Prof. Dr. Jos de Kock (rector) said in his opening speech: “Nowadays, attention is often drawn to the declining loyalty of people to the church. But then we easily overlook another reality. The growth in student registrations shows that there are still many people today, young and not so young, who have a heart for the church. They want to serve in responsible positions to share the good news of Jesus Christ in the world.” The increasing number of theology students is a cause for gratitude, but also comes with a responsibility. Approximately twenty percent of the costs incurred by ETF Leuven must be covered by donations from its supporters. De Kock: “We want to encourage everyone who has a heart for the church to contribute financially to the work of our ETF Leuven. This contribution has a significant impact: sufficient well-equipped pastors for the church today and tomorrow.”

About ETF Leuven

The Evangelical Theological Faculty in Leuven is a Flemish institution for academic higher education. It is characterized by a Protestant-evangelical identity, a denomination-transcending orientation, an international character and a combination of highly qualified academic work and attention to community building and spirituality.

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