International study week on the Kingdom of God in Utrecht
From 4 to 11 October, the Protestant Theological University welcomed students and lecturers from the Netherlands and abroad for an intensive study week on the theme “The Kingdom of God.” The event was part of the Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programme (BIP), a collaboration between four theological universities: the Protestant Theological Institute in Cluj-Napoca, the Reformed Theological University in Debrecen, and the PThU.
Learning and exploring together
This year, the PThU hosted and organised the programme. Building on the foundation laid during last year’s edition in Debrecen, the Utrecht gathering added a new, theologically challenging perspective. Under the motto from the Lord’s Prayer, “Your Kingdom come,” students and lecturers reflected on what the Kingdom of God actually means. Is it a realm, a reality, or a way in which God reigns? And how do the Bible and tradition speak about it?
The study sessions allowed space for a wide range of perspectives. Guided by colleagues from Cluj, Debrecen, and the PThU, students delved into Old and New Testament texts, Reformation writings, and contemporary missiological reflections. They read passages from Erasmus, Luther, and Calvin, and shared interpretations in small groups. This created a lively dialogue between tradition and today’s world, where theological reflection and personal faith experience deepened each other.
Learning in community
Each day began with morning prayer, led by students from the participating universities, and ended with Bible reading and singing. Study and prayer thus remained intertwined — head and heart found their place in one shared process of learning.
The historic Pieterskerk in the heart of Utrecht provided the setting for the programme. In this eleventh-century church, named after the apostle to whom the “keys of the Kingdom” were entrusted (Matthew 16:19), the discussions took on special depth and symbolic meaning.
Encounter across borders
Alongside academic reflection, international students also discovered aspects of Dutch church life. They attended a service in the Jacobikerk, met Utrecht students from the Voetius association, visited a Christian museum, and explored the city. This exchange fostered not only knowledge but also understanding and connection.
Gratitude and perspective
The PThU looks back with gratitude on a week in which faith, scholarship, and international cooperation came together. The shared reflection on the Kingdom of God once again revealed what theology can be: a quest that brings people from different contexts together in wisdom and wonder.
