OACS News Service
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New Redeemer president answers call Krygsman identifies the death of secular humanism and rationalism as a reality demanding significant attention, noting that "many people are looking in other places for meaning, purpose and faith." Redeemer’s uniquely vibrant faith life and commitment to helping young people and the broader community find “meaning and a purposeful life rooted in relation to God” is “crucial in our age of post-modernity,” he says.
The tremendous social and economic needs of the day also cannot be ignored, as cannot a third feature these needs are triggering which is migration and resulting cultural mixing. Krygsman notes in light of this latter reality there are significant questions that must be answered around how people live together. “On what basis will we have some sense of community and commonality?” Part of the answer to peaceful co-existence is the need for a mentality of care and service, he says. Krygsman also points to another critical issue of the times — a reality the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico shows all too clearly — the importance of caring for creation. “(We need) to learn how to care for the world that we’re set in,” Krygsman tells OACS News. “To (have) a real deep caring and appreciation for the structure of creation . . . to (realize) that it’s not ours for our own service but it needs to be honoured as God’s creation.” Again, Krygsman points back to Redeemer and similar Christian institutions with a comprehensive biblical worldview as places that can “teach people to have a high sense of our calling to serve others and serve creation around us, and to care for others and the creation.” He notes that in the short time he’s been at Redeemer he’s already seeing a strong grasp of and commitment to this calling. The school also offers a strong academic preparation for students to understand the broader world, the structures of creation and the root of its problems. Based on that understanding they can then develop a creative and what Krygsman calls a “faithful Christian response” to those challenges. He has also been encouraged to observe a strong commitment by Redeemer students, faculty and staff to “roll up their sleeves and get involved in the community and make that part of the learning process.” The school’s interest in growing its international student base also holds great promise for having a direct impact on making the world a better place, he says. “As Redeemer becomes somewhat more diverse and looks to attract international students, I think it will grow that sense of being that caring community that is outward looking and seeks to understand the wider world.” Born and raised in Canada, Krygsman returns to Ontario after 20 years of teaching and administration at Dordt College in Iowa. “(I have) this tremendous sense of calling and privilege to be back here and working in this community that has such a strong track record of commitment to Christian education and to a broad biblical worldview,” he says, noting now is a great time to be joining the well-established and supported institution. If you have feedback on this article please contact michelle(at)axiomnews.ca, or call the newsroom at 800-294-0051, ext. 27. |
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