Promotion of Jelle Creemers during the annual doctoral week at ETF

LEUVEN, 1 September 2014 – In the first full week of September, in keeping with tradition, the doctoral week takes place at the Evangelische Theologische Faculteit in Leuven (ETF). This year, the program includes the promotion of Flemish theologian Jelle Creemers and the farewell address of Prof. Dr. Willem Ouweneel.

Doctorates
During this 29th doctoral week, two promotions will take place. On September 2^nd, Benjamin Kilchör, a Swiss theologian and lecturer of the Old Testament at the Staatsunabhängige Theologische Hochschule in Basel, will be defending his thesis, ‘Mosetora und Jahwetora. Das Verhältnis von Deuteronomium 12-26 zu Exodus, Levitikus und Numeri’.

On September 4^th, Jelle Creemers, lecturer of Systematic Theology at ETF in Leuven, will be defending his thesis about the international dialogue between the Roman Catholic Church and the Classic Pentecostal movement. Since 1972, an annual meeting has been taking place. Over the decades, this has grown into a robust and constructive dialogue between representatives of these very different Church communities. Together they have explored in depth various topics, such as conversion, the sacraments, fellowship, evangelism and baptism in the Spirit. Jelle Creemers’ research focuses on the methodological questions of this dialogue, in particular with regard to the Pentecostal Churches: over the years, in what way were they represented in this dialogue, and how were the dialogue meetings organized with a view to fruitful results.

Inaugural address by Prof. Dr. John Franke
Prof. Dr. John Franke (US) will also be giving his inaugural address as professor of Religious Studies and Missiology. Prof. Franke is sometimes called the theologian of the emerging Church. Rector Prof. Dr. Patrick Nullens says of his appointment: “John Franke brings the practicality of being a Christian in the current pluralist culture and society into dialogue with classic theology. His critical and refreshing approach fits in with the open view of the ETF and is useful for missiology in a secular context.”

Prof. Emeritus Dr. Willem Ouweneel
With his address ‘Theology and the Eternal-Feminine’, Prof. Dr. Ouweneel will be bidding farewell from  ETF on September 4^th. Rector Patrick Nullens: “We look back with much gratitude on the work of Professor Ouweneel. His lectures on dogmatics were particularly appreciated by our students. Evangelical theology from the Scriptures is not static but moving; Ouweneel has already demonstrated this.”