Focusing on the "Soul of the Church"

2018年杰出校友奖获得者. Chuck DeGroat(92届)在长岛道林学院(Dowling college)开始了他的大学生涯，学习航空学. But, after a year and a half, 他意识到他的视力和数学能力会阻碍他成为一名飞行员.

“My pastor at the time was a graduate of Dordt,” says DeGroat, “and he said, ‘I think if you go out and visit Dordt, you’ll fall in love with the place.’” DeGroat’s pastor was right, 迪格罗特在大二的春天转到了多特的哲学专业.

“Being a philosophy major and studying with Professor John VanderStelt was an incredibly formative season in my life; it changed the way I thought about the world. It stretched me theologically,” says DeGroat. “当我上世纪90年代进入神学院时，我发现这项工作非常容易. I was taught to think at Dordt College. I was challenged to write substantial academic papers, to make good arguments, to read writers who were hard to read. The education I received was spectacular.”

After graduating from Dordt, DeGroat earned both an M.Div. and an M.A. 在佛罗里达州奥维耶多的改革宗神学院接受咨询. 他在奥兰多的柳溪教堂服务了六年，并在教堂开办了一个咨询中心. 他还在改革宗神学院兼职教学，并最终成为属灵培育主任. In 2008 he moved to City Church in San Francisco, where he also started a counseling center, and co-founded Newbigin House of Studies, a seminary with a nine-month lay-training program. Now, DeGroat是荷兰西方神学院教牧关怀和基督教灵性教授, Michigan.

Reflecting on his career of teaching and writing, 德格罗特指出，他在多特读过的书和遇到的思想家，在他后来的职业生涯中重新出现在他制定的计划中. In fact, 德格罗特说，如果他没有师从纽比金博士，他甚至不会知道神学家莱斯利·纽比金——纽比金研究所的名字——的存在. Michael Goheen at Dordt.

“多特为我把人看作一个整体奠定了哲学基础，”德格罗特说. “I came to Dordt with a very dualistic theology, 但我带着对人类和世界的深刻全息和救赎的看法离开了. In sum, 我发现了一位上帝，他不仅仅对从邪恶的身体中抽出灵魂来参加一些神圣的崇拜仪式感兴趣, 而是上帝把他心爱的儿子送到一个他深爱的世界，让这个世界繁荣起来.”

DeGroat写了几本书，在书中他邀请人们蓬勃发展，享受“在基督里的价值”,，包括《欧洲杯竞猜网站》和《欧洲杯竞猜网站》. The book he is working on currently, When Narcissism Comes to Church, 源于他和有自恋倾向的牧师共事的经历.

“These are pastors with a bent toward grandiosity, a sense of entitlement—not humility,” explains DeGroat. “其中一个特点是对他人的同理心非常低. That seems counterintuitive in people who are pastors. 发生的是，他们有一个精神的角色，他们穿着, but they do it mostly for their own ego. 我们可以说这个部门吸引了自恋型人格障碍的人.”

毫无疑问，一个自恋的牧师会对教会文化产生深远的影响.

“The current #MeToo and #ChurchToo movement, 除了著名牧师陷入自恋和虐待模式的故事，还有, of course, the horrific scandal among Catholic clergy, 结合起来，为教会创造一个面对自恋的领导者和制度的肥沃时刻,” says DeGroat. “In many respects, 我们要求自恋的领导者认真审视自己的内心, something they are not prone to do. My hope is that the book is a wake-up call, 它用文字和故事讲述了人们通常凭直觉而无法真正说出的东西, 它为诚实和变革创造了前景, for individuals and systems.”

这种对“教会灵魂”的承诺吸引了广大听众的注意和心, 包括一位提名德格罗特获得杰出校友奖的多特校友.

“杰出校友奖是颁发给那些在某些方面表现突出的人, 谁给出了以改革的世界观生活的证据, 并且能够为多特学术团体做出有价值的贡献,” explains Alicia Bowar, associate director of alumni and parent relations. “查克被选为杰出校友奖，因为他通过教牧关怀装备他人的方式，因为他在努力寻找我们在基督里的完整性和中心时，对他人的生活产生了变革性的影响.”

德格罗特表示，获得杰出校友奖“完全出乎意料”.”

“这个奖项促使我对良好的教学和经验进行了一些反思, 但也因为我自己的不成熟以及在过去25年里需要显著的成长和成熟,” says DeGroat. “我希望我认识的那些从未听说过多特的人会对这个故事感兴趣, 这为我们的王国创造了一条持续友谊和伙伴关系的道路.”