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book reviews; positions papers; D. H. Vollenhoven and H. Dooyeweerd material; creation/evolution debate material; an unpublished book, Perspectives in Philosophy, material; subject files with comments and reflections; Association for the Advancement of Christian Scholarship (AACS),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 12: Subject Files and Comments/Reflections --- 1954-1987

Box 26

Folder 12: Reflections on Christian action --- undated
Folder 13: Reflections on Aristotle --- undated
Folder 14: Reflections on Cambridge School --- undated
Folder 15: Notes on presentations given by various people at Calvin --- 1987
Folder 16: Notes on the Christian University Association --- undated
Folder 17: Material for Calvinistic Study Conference --- 1957
Folder 18: Reflections on Europe and the fortunes of Calvinism --- undated
Folder 19: Reflections on "The Unity of Western Christendom" --- undated
Folder 20: Notes on The Origin of Attic Comedy --- undated
Folder 21: Notes on Comte and Positivism for Philosophy 151 --- 1978-1979
Folder 22: Notes on Ernst Cassirer (1874-1945) --- 1956
Folder 23: Reflections on church publications --- undated
Folder 24: Reflections on Catholic and Reformed perspectives --- undated
Folder 25: Reflections on the Calvinist Culture Association --- 1954-1955
Folder 26: Notes on visit with Chuck Colson --- undated
Folder 27: Reflections on Common Grace --- undated

Box 27

Folder 1: Notes on "The Present Task of Calvinism in America" --- undated
Folder 2: Reflections on Augustine's De Beata Vita --- undated
Folder 3: Notes on philosophy of Petrus Damian --- undated
Folder 4: Notes on Fredrich Loofs' History of Dogma --- undated
Folder 5: Notes on Encyclopaedia, the Discovery of the Mind --- undated
Folder 6: Notes on Albert Einstein --- undated
Folder 7: Notes on the history of philosophy in education --- undated
Folder 8: Reflections on "Content of Dialectic of Enlightenment" --- undated
Folder 9: Notes on Paul Hazard The European Mind - the Critical Years --- undated
Folder 10: Reflections on eschatology --- undated
Folder 11: Notes on "Testimony of Faith" of general Synod of Reformed Churches in the Netherlands --- undated
Folder 12: Reflections on the law and the Word of God --- undated
Folder 13: Notes on Schleiermacher and Prussia - German Idealism course --- undated
Folder 14: Notes on Greek thought --- undated
Folder 15: Notes on lecture by Cyrus Gordon --- 1965
Folder 16: Notes on the Hellenistic Age --- undated
Folder 17: Notes on "The Haldanes" --- undated
Folder 18: Notes on Hegel --- undated
Folder 19: Notes on Johann Gottfried Herder - German Idealism course --- undated
Folder 20: Notes on lecture by H. Jellema "the Reality of History" --- undated
Folder 21: Notes on post-Kantian Idealism and Fichte --- undated
Folder 22: Notes on C. Veenhof's book on A. Kuyper --- 1939
Folder 23: Notes on "Incongruence" problem - scientific knowledge versus reality --- undated
Folder 24: Lecture notes on "The Kingdom and Life in the World" --- undated
Folder 25: Notes on Klapwyk lecture re: "Themes in Dooyeweerd" --- 1980
Folder 26: Notes on Kant's vocabulary --- 1937-1938

Box 28

Folder 1: Notes on book by Otto Jespersen Lauguage, its Nature, Development and Origin --- undated
Folder 2: Notes on law --- undated
Folder 3: Notes on Locke --- undated
Folder 4: Reflections on liberalism and conservatism --- undated
Folder 5: Notes on elements affecting development of ancient Christian literature
Folder 6: Reflections on love --- undated
Folder 7: Material re: man - body and soul --- undated
Folder 8: Research material on modal scale --- 1970-1985
Folder 9: Notes on Neo-Marxism --- undated
Folder 10: Notes on the importance of Christian principles in politics --- undated
Folder 11: Reflections on American political system --- undated
Folder 12: Miscellaneous notes on politics and religion --- 1966-1980
Folder 13: Reflections on book by Charles Bigg, The Christian Platonists of Alexandria --- undated
Folder 14: Notes on the writings of Plato --- undated
Folder 15: Material for Plato Club meeting --- 1968
Folder 16: Notes on "Semi-contradictory" (Theory of Priority) --- undated
Folder 17: Notes on Protestant Orthodoxy --- undated
Folder 18: Notes on book by Kroner Speculation in Pre-Christian Philosophy --- undated
Folder 19: Notes on American philosophy --- undated
Folder 20: Notes on modern philosophy by H. Evan Runner and C. Seerveld --- undated
Folder 21: Notes on ancient philosophy --- undated
Folder 22: Notes on synthesis - philosophy --- undated
Folder 23: Notes on modern philosophy and religion --- undated
Folder 24: Notes on Greek (Hellenistic) philosophy --- undated
Folder 25: Notes on philosophy --- 1962-1963
Folder 26: Notes on philosophy (author unknown) --- undated
Folder 27: Notes on tradition re: philosophy and study of scripture --- undated
Folder 28: Notes on worldview and its relation to philosophy --- undated

Box 29

Folder 1: Notes on Reformation topics --- undated
Folder 2: Notes on book by H.B. Workman Christian Thought to Reformation --- undated
Folder 3: Notes on Apologia Reformata --- undated
Folder 4: Random notes --- undated
Folder 5: Notes on the Reformation --- undated
Folder 6: Notes on revolution and rebellion --- undated
Folder 7: Notes on Reformed action --- undated
Folder 8: Notes on Hans Rookmaaker --- undated
Folder 9: Notes on "A Line of Historical Connection" for Adam Smith --- undated
Folder 10: Notes on Henry Stob lectures --- undated
Folder 11: Notes on subjectivism and objectivity --- undated
Folder 12: Notes on science and pre-science --- undated
Folder 13: Reflections on lecture by Egbert Schuurman at Calvin --- 1979
Folder 14: Notes on sphere sovereignty --- undated
Folder 15: Notes on Subjectivisme Voor Socrates --- undated
Folder 16: Notes on "Tradition and Experience" --- 1983
Folder 17: Notes "A Thing is More than the Sum of its Aspect-Parts" --- undated
Folder 18: Notes on Synopsis Purioris Theologiae --- undated
Folder 19: Notes on 16th and 17th century thought --- undated
Folder 20: Notes on history of modern theology --- undated
Folder 21: Notes on materials for translation --- 1961
Folder 22: Notes on scientific and prescientific thought --- undated
Folder 23: Notes on the Union Question --- undated
Folder 24: Notes on various subjects --- undated
Folder 25: Notes on H. Van Kleist --- undated
Folder 26: Notes on various topics and authors --- undated
Folder 27: Notes on John Witte seminar --- 1981-1982
Folder 28: Material re: "Women in Office" --- 1984-1985
Folder 29: Notes on Christian Wolff --- undated
Folder 30: Notes on zoology --- undated

Box 30

Folder 1: Reflections on political morality by Rockne McCarthy with comments by H. Evan Runner --- 1984
Folder 2: Chapter VII of Berkhouwer's Man: The Image of God with comments by H. Evan Runner --- undated
Folder 3: Reflections on man as "heart" in Dutch philosophy (pages 12-30) --- undated
Folder 4: Reflections on development of Calvinistic philosophy --- undated
Folder 5: Reflections on German Idealism --- 1976-1977
Folder 6: Reflections on man as "heart" in Dutch philosophy (pages 67-115) --- undated
Folder 7: Reflections on man as "heart" in Dutch philosophy (pages 116-150) --- undated
Folder 8: Reflections on man as "heart" in Dutch philosophy (pages 151-179) --- undated
Folder 9: Reflections on impact of Greek philosophy and Biblical accommodation to it --- undated
Folder 10: Reflections on the term "Philosophy in Greek Thought" --- undated
Folder 11: Reflections on politics in America --- undated
Folder 12: Reflections on German Pietism --- undated
Folder 13: Reflections on J.H. VandenBerg's book Russian and American Psychology --- 1953
Folder 14: "Critical Reflections on Wolterstorff's Reason Within the Bounds of Religion" by Hendrick Hart --- 1980
Folder 15: Reflections on the problem of systematic philosophy --- undated
Folder 16: Reflections on sphere sovereignty --- undated
Folder 17: Reflections on the Sabbath --- undated
Folder 18: Reflections on women in office issue --- undated
Folder 19: Paper by W. Kuyk "Philosophy of Mathematics" with notations by H. Evan Runner --- undated
Folder 20: Comments on G.S. Petrov's Het Evangelie Ende Moderne Mensche --- undated
Folder 21: Views on education --- undated
Folder 22: Reaction to article "Through a Glass Darkly" in wrf comment --- 1984
Folder 23: Comments on workshops by James Skillen --- undated
Folder 24: Comments on articles in The Banner --- 1970-1984
Folder 25: Notations in periodical articles --- 1970-1984
Folder 26: Notes on book A Brief Sketch of Greek Church History --- undated
Folder 27: Reflections on Calvin College and the CRC --- undated
Folder 28: Reflections on Jacques Paul Migne --- undated