Excerpts of interest from Covenant College's Fall 2005 chapel schedule:
August
25 Dr. Niel Nielson, President, Covenant College (First normal chapel of the year. No special designation for chapel or speaker.)
26 Convocation - Dr. Reg McLelland, Professor of Philosophy, Covenant College (The first special type of chapel--a "convocation," perhaps because more academic in focus?)
29 Assembly with Congressman Zach Wamp, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. (Second special type of chapel--"assembly." Address is by a political leader, and thus, I suspect, the reason it's called an "assembly"--differentiating it from a normal chapel session.)
30 Student Development Assembly (Again, an "assembly" marking less-spiritual content, I suspect.)
31 Rev. Randy Nabors, Covenant College Trustee, New City Fellowship, Chattanooga, TN (Typical chapel. No special designation.)
Now, having dealt with types of chapels and nomenclature, the following sessions were interesting:
September
12 Camille Hallstrom, Associate Professor of Communication, Covenant College (Woman drama professor, no special designation for chapel session. Apparently a regular chapel with a regular speaker.)
October10 Dr. Richard Mouw, President, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA
11 Dr. Richard Mouw, President, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA (Two regular sessions by Richard Mouw.)
24 Angel Richard, Outreach and Women's Ministries, Seven Rivers Presbyterian Church, Lecanto, FL - presented by the Kaleo Center (The second woman to address a regular chapel session.)
26 Testimonies from Student and Staff Participants in the Hurricane Relief Trip to Moss Point, MS, over Fall Break (Third distinct type of chapel session--speakers are giving "testimonies rather than typical chapel fare)
31 Reformation Day Lectures - Dr. Gerald Bray, Beeson Divinity School, Birmingham, AL (A fourth type of chapel address: "Lecture")
November
14 Dr. Kathleen Nielson, Professor and Author, Covenant College (Third woman to speak at a regular chapel session.)
16 All Praise Sing led by James Ward (A "Praise Sing," the fifth distinct type of chapel session....)
Note the care with which Covenant labels chapel sessions, clearly distinguishing at least five types of chapel sessions--testimonies, lectures, assemblies, sings, and convocations--from regular sessions. Yet none of the appellations denoting content different from normal chapel fare is applied to the three addresses by women.
Look folks, when Kathleen Nielson is herself speaking at a regular Covenant College chapel session--not an "assembly," not a "convocation," not giving a "testimony," leading a "sing," or giving a "lecture," but speaking on the same footing as her ordained husband in precisely the same setting--I suspect we have a pretty clear indication of the direction the Nielsons intend to steer the PCA's college in matters of manhood and womanhood.
