Seminary Selects History of Christianity Professor
Calvin Theological Seminary (CTS) recently announced plans for Dr. Yudha Thianto to join the seminary faculty in fall 2022 as a professor of the history of Christianity and Reformed theology.
The faculty voted Apr. 19 to recommend Thianto for a regular faculty appointment, pending successful CTS Board of Trustees and synod interviews. At its meeting May 19-20, the CTS Board of Trustees recommended Thianto’s appointment, pending his interview at Synod 2022, which plans to meet June 10-16.
Thianto comes to CTS with over 20 years of teaching experience as a professor of theology at Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, Ill. Prior to serving at Trinity, Thianto was an adjunct professor at Cornerstone University and at Calvin Seminary, and he served as a visiting lecturer at Reformed Evangelical Seminary in Jakarta, Indonesia. He currently serves as a visiting professor at South-East Asia Bible Seminary in Malang, Indonesia.
In an email to the seminary community announcing Thianto’s appointment, CTS President Jul Medenblik said, “We are impressed and encouraged by Dr. Thianto's teaching ability, scholarship, and commitment to serve the global church.”
Gary Burge, dean of the faculty, echoed this response, saying, “Dr. Thianto is a native of Indonesia and will also bring remarkable global awareness to our classrooms. He is a dynamic and thought-provoking teacher, a recognized Calvin scholar, and someone who will inspire and challenge our students.”
Thianto said he looks forward to setting down roots in the CTS community and the greater Grand Rapids area. Looking back and ahead, he added, “This year marks the 30th anniversary of my first arrival at Calvin Seminary. I came from Indonesia in 1992 to get my MTS degree at CTS, not knowing that 30 years later I might come back to Calvin to teach. Still thinking of my days as an international student at CTS, I have a large place in my heart for international students. I am looking forward to working with and for international students at CTS as a way to engage with the global church.”
