to the sources...

I am in my third year of teaching at Calvin Christian High School.  I currently teach A.P. United States History, U.S. History, and Church History.  I also teach Humanities and Apologetics as electives.

I have a B.S. in Bible and Theology from Reformed Bible College (now Kuyper College) in Grand Rapids, MI as well as a B.A. in History from Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, MI.

I am happily married to my beautiful wife Rachael.  She works as the Administrative Assistant at Crossroads Christian Reformed Church in San Marcos, CA.

In creating this website, I have had four goals in mind.  First, I want to provide my students with an opportunity to interact with primary sources – to bridge modern technology with ancient texts.

A second hope of mine is to encourage fellow Christians to return “to the sources.”  One of the significant points of growth in my Christian life was during a one month class entitled “Hungering for God: A History of Christian Spirituality.”  The class, although a survey, plunged the depths of Christian wisdom.  I was amazed how rooted and immersed our spiritual mothers and fathers have been in Scripture. 

Third, I sense that I have been called by God to live faithfully before him as a teacher.  I cannot claim that I “know” how this is to look, but I want to explore my vocation as a teacher and I seek to explore this alongside others – some from years past, others from distant places, and others with whom I hope to meet and share thoughts.

Finally, a website serves for me as a virtual canvas, a creative outlet, for a wannabe writer.  So please forgive me for indulging myself at times. 

Mark VanderWerf