Howard Evan Runner Collection, 1928-2004 | Heritage Hall, Hekman Library

By Paul Bremer, March 2011

Printer-friendly |

Collection Overview

Title: Howard Evan Runner Collection, 1928-2004

ID: COLL/509

Primary Creator: Runner, Howard Evan (1916-2002)

Extent: 35.0 Boxes. More info below.

Arrangement: Folder level description

Date Acquired: 00/00/2008

Abstract

Professor of philosophy at Calvin College. The collection includes biographical and autobiographical information; course notes; correspondence; speeches, lectures, and sermons; materials regarding the Groen van Prinsterer Club; articles and book reviews; positions papers; D. H. Vollenhoven and H. Dooyeweerd material; creation/evolution debate material; an unpublished book, Perspectives in Philosophy, material; subject files with comments and reflections; Association for the Advancement of Christian Scholarship (AACS), Association of Reformed Scientific Studies (ARSS), Christian Labor Association (CLA), Christian Labour Association of Canada (CLAC ), National Association for Christian Political Action (NACPA), and Institute for Christian Studies (ICS) materials; and select papers written by other authors. [See also the Campus Titles Database.]

Biographical Note

Howard Evan Runner, known as H. Evan Runner or simply Evan Runner, was born in 1916 in Oxford, Pennsylvania, to Howard Clinton Runner and Sara Mabel Watterson. In his early years Runner had a love of philosophy and language-and a desire to be a missionary. He graduated from West Philadelphia High School in 1932; from Wheaton College in 1936. Although he received a scholarship to study at the University of Illinois, he went to Westminster Seminary for advanced studies. Cornelius Van Til of Westminster convinced him to learn the Dutch language so he would be able to pursue some significant thinkers of the Netherlands. Runner went to the Netherlands in 1939 and studied with Klaas Schilder and Seakle Greijdanus at the Theological School in Kampen. He returned to the US in early 1940 and went to Harvard, studing with Werner Jaeger and was a Junior Fellow of the Society of Fellows at Harvard University from 1941-1943.

After leaving Harvard he taught English and Latin at Eastern Academy in Paterson, New Jersey. He returned to the Netherlands in 1946 to study at the Free University and began to appreciate the work of reformational philosophers Herman Dooyeweerd and Dirk Hendrik Theodoor Vollenhoven. He received his doctorate in1951 cum laude.

In 1950 he joined the Philosophy Department at Calvin College. He taught with zeal and gathered students from various disciplines into the Groen van Prinsterer Society. These students became his friends and collegues. His dedication and teaching a new vision of Christian Philosphy earned Runner the Faith and Teaching Award from the Calvin Alumni Association.

He developed a program of study which included "who the Puritans were, the meaning of the Enlightenment, its influence in America, the basic ideas of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, the nature of Scholasticism, particularly as manifested in Reformed theology, the concept of natural law, the religious ground-motives that have successively given order to the experience of Western man, the origins of capitalsm, the rise of the labor movement, etc."

Runner was instrumental in formation and leadership of the Association for the Advancement of Christian Scholarship. Many of his students established their own careers, often at Christian colleges and universities in the United States and Canada.

Runner was married to Elisabeth Hendrika Wichers. They had three children, Evan, Cathy, and Jocelyn. He died in 2002.

Administrative Information

Repository: Heritage Hall, Hekman Library

Alternate Extent Statement: Boxes

Acquisition Source: Evan W. Runner, June 2008

Related Materials: Audio recordings of some of Evan Runner's classroom lectures were recorded on cassette tape and can be found in the Campus Titles database. For more information please see https://calvin.edu/offices-services/information-technology/contact/audio-visual/titles/.

Other Note: Acc. No. 08.31

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Series:

[Series 1: Runner Biographical and Autobiographical, 1928-2004],
[Series 2: Seminary Course Notes, undated],
[Series 3: Correspondence, 1930-1999],
[Series 4: Groen van Prinsterer Society, 1951-1976],
[Series 5: D. H. Vollenhoven Material, 1942-1981],
[Series 6: H. Dooyeweerd Material, 1933-1994],
[Series 7: Creation/Evolution Debate Material, 1953-1994],
[Series 8: Lecture Notes, 1952-1984, undated],
[Series 9: Speeches, Lectures, and Sermons, 1953-1990],
[Series 10: Papers Written, 1951-1981],
[Series 11: Perspectives Material, undated],
[Series 12: Subject Files and Comments/Reflections, 1954-1987],
[Series 13: Material re: National Association for Christian Political Action (NACPA), Association for Reformed Scientific Studies (ARSS), Institute for Christian Studies (ICS), and Christian Labor Association (CLA), 1961-1997],
[Series 14: Papers by Authors Other than H. Evan Runner, 1938-1992],
[Series 15: Varia, 1939-1981],
[Series 16: Photographs],
[All]

Series 9: Speeches, Lectures, and Sermons --- 1953-1990

Box 20

Folder 1: Speech given to Grand Rapids League of Reformed Men's Societies, including article "To What End Men's Societies?" in Torch and Trumpet --- 1953
Folder 2: Speech at a board/faculty conference "The Christian and the World: an historical Introduction to a Christian Theory of Culture" --- 1953
Folder 3: Notes for speech on American Culture --- 1953
Folder 4: Speech "The Development of Calvinism in North America on the Background of its Development in Europe" delivered in Calgary --- 1957
Folder 5: Speech notes for opening meeting of the Groen Club --- 1960
Folder 6: Speech outline for Association of Reformed Scientific Studies (ARSS) conference "The Death of God" --- 1966
Folder 7: Address at dedication of Institute for Christian Studies "Point Counterpoint" --- 1967
Folder 8: Notes for speech at Bolton Conference --- 1968
Folder 9: Notes for speech at Jubilee Conference --- undated
Folder 10: Speech "Fundamental Issues of Christian Politics and Christian Party Formation" --- 1979
Folder 11: Notes for speech in Holland --- 1982
Folder 12: Speech "Christian Philosophical Enterprise in Light of Biblical Prophesy" given for Association for Calvinist Philosophy --- 1982
Folder 13: Speech by G.W. Knight III "Biblical Requirement of Male Leadership in Marriage and Church" with notes by H. Evan Runner --- 1984
Folder 14: Speech "Direction in the CRC" at Strathroy East CRC --- 1985
Folder 15: Commencement speech at Redeemer College, "On Being Society's Responsible Aliens" --- 1988
Folder 16: Speech "Stretching the Christian Outreach" by C.F. Henry at the Calvin Faculty Retreat --- 1991
Folder 17: Speech "What Went Wrong with CRC Thinking about American Labor Unions?" --- undated
Folder 18: Speech "Relation of Acts 1:1-4 to End of Luke" --- undated
Folder 19: Speech "The Telic Aspect of Christian Education" --- undated
Folder 20: Notes for speech on Association for Public Justice (APJ) --- undated
Folder 21: Notes for speech on Christian politics --- undated
Folder 22: Speeches to men's societies --- 1955
Folder 23: Speech given at Calvin Culture Association "Christian Witness Requires Christian Organization" and published in the Torch --- 1954
Folder 24: Speech for Christian Labor Association --- 1966
Folder 25: Notes for mass meeting of men's societies --- undated
Folder 26: Notes for speech given to International Culture Society of Grand Rapids --- 1965

Box 21

Folder 1: Students for Political Education through Christian Thought and Renewing Action (SPECTRA) lecture on Liberalism and Conservatism --- undated
Folder 2: Address given in Sarnia, Ontario on "The Word of God and the Life of a Christian" --- undated
Folder 3: Address "On Being Anti-Revolutionary and Christian - Historical at the Cutting Edge of History 1979-1980" given at the Centennial Celebration of the Anti-Revolutionary Party --- 1979
Folder 4: Speech "The Christian and the World" given at the Calvin Board of Trustees Convocation --- 1953
Folder 5: Speech "Battle and Spirits" given at Westminster Seminary --- undated
Folder 6: Notes for address "On Being Society's Responsible Aliens" --- 1988
Folder 7: Notes for Calvin Chapel talks --- 1951-1955
Folder 8: Speech for Christian Freedom Foundation --- 1968
Folder 9: Notes for speeches at the Seattle Teachers Conference --- 1963
Folder 10: Speech to Calvin CRC Men's Fellowship "Radical Youth and the Church" --- 1970
Folder 11: Notes for chapel speeches at Covenant College --- undated
Folder 12: Speech "Year of Decision - One Faith or Two?" --- undated
Folder 13: Speech to Ontario Teachers Convention --- 1964

Box 22

Folder 1: Introductory lectures for Philosophy 300 --- 1954
Folder 2: Lecture given at Eastern Avenue CRC "Year of Decision - One Faith or Two?" --- 1956
Folder 3: Lecture given at Edmonton --- 1966
Folder 4: Lectures given in Iowa --- 1971
Folder 5: Lecture "The Radical Christian Facing Today's Political Malaise" sponsored by SPECTRA --- 1972
Folder 6: Lectures on Aristotle --- 1972
Folder 7: Lectures for "Perspectives" courses --- 1972-1973
Folder 8: Lectures for Philosophy 151 and 152 --- 1978-1979
Folder 9: Notes for lecture at Jubilee Conference --- 1981
Folder 10: Lecture "How to Engage Philosophy in a Christian Manner" sponsored by SPECTRA --- undated
Folder 11: Lectures on Philosophical Enterprise and Philosophical Movements --- undated
Folder 12: Lecture "Education in America" --- undated
Folder 13: Lecture "Spiritual Consequences of Revolution Produced by Alexander the Great" --- undated
Folder 14: Lecture notes for "Ancient Philosophy" course --- undated
Folder 15: Lecture on Cambridge Platonists --- undated
Folder 16: Lecture "Introduction to Langley" --- undated
Folder 17: "Popular Lecture" given to Association for Reformed Scientific Studies --- undated
Folder 18: Outline for SPECTRA lecture on "Dualism" --- undated
Folder 19: Miscellaneous lecture notes, including lectures for CLAC, ARSS, and Toronto --- undated
Folder 20: Lecture notes "Philosophizing by the Light of God's Word" --- undated
Folder 21: Notes for lectures in Toronto --- undated
Folder 22: Notes for Chapel talk on Evolution --- 1967
Folder 23: Participation in Calvin CRC's Easter Service --- 1985
Folder 24: Talk to young people at Oakdale CRC --- undated
Folder 25: Lecture "The Radical Christian Facing Today's Political Malaise" sponsored by SPECTRA --- 1972
Folder 26: Lecture notes on organizing experiences --- undated
Folder 27: Lecture notes for Calvin CRC Adult Education Program --- 1977
Folder 28: Lecture for Calvinist Culture Association --- 1953
Folder 29: Lecture notes on "Relation of Christianity to Humanism" --- undated
Folder 30: Notes on lecture to the Faculty Seminar --- 1963
Folder 31: Book published by ARSS, The Relation of the Bible to Learning, from lectures given at the Unionville Study Conferences 1959-1960; [HERH BR100 .R85] --- [1967]

Box 23

Folder 1: Lecture notes on "Order" --- undated

Folder 2: Lecture on "American Politics" --- 1980

Folder 3: Lecture material for Philosophy 151 and 152 courses --- undated

Folder 4: Notes for lecture "Year of Decision - One Faith or Two?" --- undated

Folder 5: Sermons "Christian Growth," "The Resurrection in Christ," "The Nature of Saving Faith," and "Paul's Redeemed Position" --- 1937

Folder 6: Sermon by Peter J. Gomes "The Preaching of Jesus: Law" --- 1984

Folder 7: Issue of Christian Opinion with article "Some Demands of Christianity upon Curriculum" by H. Evan Runner --- 1946

Folder 8: Torch and Trumpet articles, including: "The Christian and the World," "Het Roer Om!" and "Does Christian Social Action Demand Absolute Break?" --- 1953-1955

Folder 9: Response to article by N. Wolterstorff "The Word of God and Learning" in the Reformed Journal --- 1960

Folder 10: Article by Elizabeth Runner "The Bible and the Life of the Christian" --- 1962

Folder 11: Focus article "Questions on Religion and Science" and response by H. Evan Runner --- 1963

Folder 12: Christian Courier articles "The Death of God" --- 1966

Folder 13: Article "Bankrupt Humanism and Vital Christianity" in Christian Economics --- 1969

Folder 14: Articles in Perspective re: H. Evan Runner --- 1967-1978

Folder 15: Article "Bankrupt Humanism and Vital Christianity" in Christian Economics --- 1969

Folder 16: Article by H. Evan Runner "A Christian Political Opinion" in Ar Staatkunde --- 1979

Folder 17: Article by H. Evan Runner "A Christian Political Opinion" in Ar Staatkunde --- 1979

Folder 18: Article in Christian Renewal "Reflection on Synod" --- 1984

Folder 19: Christian Renewal articles re: Klaas Schilder --- 1990

Folder 20: Banner articles

Item 1: “A Glimpse of Vollenhoven of Amsterdam” --- 1961
Item 2: “Dooyeweerd’s Passing: An Appreciation" --- 1977

Folder 21: Calvinist Contact articles

Item 1: "ARSS and its Reorganization” by H.E. Runner --- 1962
Item 2: “Institute Remembers 25 Years of Claiming Learning for Christ” by Bert Witvoet re: ICS and H.E. Runner --- 1992

Folder 22: Chimes articles re: H. Evan Runner --- 1962-1981

Folder 23: Grand Rapids Press article --- undated

Folder 24: Beweging articles (by others) --- 1975-1986

Folder 25: Various magazine articles on "Christian Perspectives" (by others) --- 1960

Folder 26: Article "Relations Natural and Unnatural- Response to J. Boswell's Exegesis on Romans 1" by Richard B. Hays with highlighting by H.E. Runner --- undated

Folder 27: Issue of Pro Rege with an article by Nick Van Til entitled "Calvinism and Art" with notes by H.E. Runner --- 1982