PThU News
- “Being alive means more than just survival”Nataliya Popovych and Kateryna Biletska are on a mission. Not just to do research for their PhD at the PThU, but to find sparks of hope and compassion for their people back home in Ukraine. Though their research is vastly different, both of them are determined to find ways for people to not just survive, but live a life of dignity. In our in-depth interview, they talk openly about their insistence on hope and sense of humanity in a time of war.
- “The capacity for trauma is universal”Calvin Ullrich has been living with a quiet sense of distress. Nature’s distress, to be specific. As one ecological crisis after the other popped up, Ullrich’s thoughts kept coming back to the same question: are we looking at our relationship with nature the right way? In his lecture in June, he argued we aren’t – and that we need to start doing one crucial thing.
- ‘Human animal among animals’What does it mean to live not above, but alongside other beings? On 6 May, writer and gardener Mariken Heitman was a guest at the Protestant Theological University, at the invitation of the Soil project. In her lecture The Mystery of the Garden, she took those present through the genesis of her latest book, The Ant Caravan. A book rooted in personal experiences - such as an encounter with a hare and her diagnosis of multiple sclerosis - that grew into a profound reflection on interconnectedness between humans and non-humans. Heitman has long been in conversation with the Soil project team about a new language for our relationship with the soil. This evening gave new words to that quest.
- Scholarship awarded to conference on church and slaveryThe Protestant Theological University (PThU) has a first: for the first time, a researcher at the institution has been awarded a KNAW Early Career Partnership. Theologian and researcher Martijn Stoutjesdijk will receive this prestigious recognition as well as a €10,000 grant for the conference ‘Christianity and Slavery in the Dutch Caribbean Islands, Surinam, and the Netherlands’ to be organised in Curaçao in November 2025 by the research project Church and Slavery (www.kerkenslavernij.nl).
- “Behind the texts and creation stands the Creator”A world in which everything relates to God - that is the perspective Aza Goudriaan will be exploring in the coming years at the PThU. In the seventeenth century, it was theologian Gisbertus Voetius who described this perspective in a fascinating way. He is therefore the key figure in Aza’s research as the new professor of Science & Piety. A fitting choice, so close to the Voetius commemoration year 2026.
- Introducing Dr. Kevin Muriithi Ndereba, Project Coordinator for Anglophone AfricaThe Editorial Board of African Theology Worldwide is delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Kevin Muriithi Ndereba as the Project Coordinator for Anglophone Africa. This appointment is made possible through the generous support of Church in Action (Kerk in Actie) and marks the beginning of a new and exciting partnership between the Protestant Theological University (the Netherlands) and Saint Paul’s University (Kenya).
- “Confessions are not fossilised history”What is the foundation of the Church? For Wim Moehn, the answer is clear: what we confess as believers determines who we are, how we present ourselves, and what we have to say in this world. That is why the so-called confessional texts play such a crucial role in the Church—not only those from the past, but also the ways in which we confess our faith today, in our current time and context. As a researcher, he has spent many years studying both classical and contemporary confessional writings. From May onwards, he will do so as Professor of the History of Reformed Protestantism at the Protestant Theological University (PThU).
- Two new professors to join PThUThe Protestant Theological University (PThU) has gained two new professors. The synod of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands yesterday ratified the PThU Executive Board's decision to grant Dr Aza Goudriaan a personal chair of Science & Piety and Dr Wim Moehn a personal chair of History of Reformed Protestantism. The appointed professors will start in their new roles on 1 May 2025.
- Prof Martha Frederiks appointed rector PThUDuring its meeting on 10 April 2025, the General Synod of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands ratified the decision of the Supervisory Board of the Protestant Theological University (PThU) to appoint Prof Martha Frederiks as rector of the PThU. Martha Frederiks is currently working at Utrecht University but will start at the PThU on 1 August. The PThU is very pleased with the appointment: 'With Martha Frederiks as rector, we are bringing in a valued theologian and someone with extensive administrative experience.’
- ‘Visibility can be liberating, but it makes you vulnerable as well’What and who is considered human is something that constantly needs to be defined—and sometimes fought for. Few understand this better than Hanna Reichel: as a professor of systematic theology at Princeton Theological Seminary and as a person who, in the current political climate in the United States, identifies as non-binary. In March, Reichel was a guest at the Protestant Theological University (PThU), engaging in profound and intensive discussions with students and faculty.
- PThU can start the new Bachelor of TheologyAfter the Minister of Education made a positive decision in November last year, the Protestant Theological University (PThU) has now also received positive word from the accreditation organisation NVAO about the new Bachelor of Theology. This means that the PThU can proceed with the new programme. "We are extremely pleased with this decision, as it confirms the quality of the programme and the structure of this course," said Rector Klaas Spronk. "Now we can welcome the first students as early as September."
- Moral Compass Project to be expandedThe Moral Compass Project (MCP) is being expanded with four new research projects. This new funding will firstly enable the MCP's major questions to be investigated in very concrete areas of life where the good living together must be given shape. Secondly, interdisciplinary research is incorporated in the project with studies into ancient Jewish and early Christian sources. How can the wealth of values from these sources be unlocked for moral reflection and practice in the present day?
- “Christians in Spain hold up a mirror to us”How can churches make themselves more visible in society? That question led Marten van den Toren-Liefting to a Pentecostal church in Spain in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. There, he conducted research into how these churches engage with society through their faith. On February 24, he defended his PhD thesis on this research.
- "Prayer is not mine, and it does not depend on me"Researcher Ilonka Terlouw hasn’t always been a prayer warrior, she says. But she has experienced the power of prayer in her life—perhaps most profoundly when she left the ‘talking to God’ to others. “That was when I realised just how much prayer is also about connection with one another.” Fascinated by the way prayer connects us to God and to each other, she recently began a study into the value of prayer.
- A glimpse of God through the textsShe compares studying and interpreting the Bible to detective work. The witnesses have long since passed away, and only fragments of texts and archaeological findings remain. Yet, we strive to take another step forward in understanding what is written. With this approach, Marjo Korpel will be continuing her work, now as Professor of Old Testament. 'It's fascinating to recognise glimpses of real people from long ago in these ancient texts. And to realise that, at times, they wrestled with ideas of faith just as we do now.'
- Not just a bowl of soupWhen Thijs Tromp speaks about the future of diaconate, he becomes energised. He is thrilled that in the coming years, he will continue his research on diaconal practices and theory as a professor at the PThU. Working together with diaconal organisations is essential for this academic chair, he emphasises. 'That connection is incredibly important.'
- PThU Professor Mirella Klomp appointed Theologian Laureate of the NetherlandsMirella Klomp, Professor of Practical Theology at the Protestant Theological University (PThU), has been appointed Theologian Laureate of the Netherlands for 2024-2025 (Theoloog des Vaderlands) during the Night of Theology. This coming year she will represent and give voice to theology in Dutch society.
- Waiting for God: an afternoon with Andrew RootOnce, the world had not yet been disenchanted, and the role of the Church was clear: to provide access to the transcendent through the sacraments. After the Enlightenment, the world became a material universe in which faith retained a place only within the Church. In our postmodern era, however, all forms of belief are fundamentally questioned. Therefore, as a Church and as a community, we must focus on actively waiting for God, according to American theologian Andrew Root. He spoke on 5 November to around 120 ministers and other church workers. His talk was given at the invitation of the research project "Future-Oriented Church."
- PThU appoints two professorsThe Protestant Theological University (PThU) has appointed Dr Marjo Korpel as Professor of Old Testament Studies and Prof Dr Thijs Tromp as Professor of Diaconate Studies. The proposed appointments by the PThU’s Executive Board received formal approval from the General Synod of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands on Thursday, 7 November, thus finalising the appointments. Through these appointments, the Executive Board aims not only to deepen and strengthen teaching and research at the PThU, but also to connect with and inspire practical work within the church.
- Contaminated history in StellenboschDangerous Memories. To discuss this topic, researchers from the Protestant Theological University (PThU) travelled to meet their counterparts at their partner university in Stellenbosch, South Africa, for their annual joint consultation. In the South African context, dangerous memories quickly evoke thoughts of colonialism and apartheid. These forces not only shaped history but continue to influence the present. How should we deal with memories that pose a danger in today's world?
