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Debra Rienstra

I am a writer and literature professor, teaching literature and creative writing at Calvin University, where I have been on the faculty since 1996. Born and bred in the Reformed tradition, I’ve been unable to resist writing four books about theological topics: beware the writer doing theology without a license. My most recent book is Refugia Faith: Seeking Hidden Shelters, Ordinary Wonders, and the Healing of the Earth (Fortress, 2022). Besides the books, I’ve written well over two hundred essays for the RJ blog as well as numerous articles, poems, and reviews in popular and scholarly contexts. I have a B.A. from the University of Michigan (Go Blue!) and a M.A. and Ph.D. from Rutgers. I am married to Rev. Dr. Ron Rienstra, and together we have three grown children. Besides reading and writing, I love classical music, science fiction, fussing in the yard, hiking, and teaching myself useful skills like plant identification and—maybe someday—drywall repair.

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Singing the Eden Call

The album’s “ecologically themed worship songs” have a three-fold purpose: to “celebrate the wonder of creation, acknowledge our failures, and…
January 16, 2021
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Refugia Emergent

I keep saying that I’m “exploring” this idea, but at this point it’s more like I’m serving the idea. Refugia…
December 5, 2020
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Brave Spaces

Panamanian golden frog I’ve recently learned that wildlife conservationists will sometimes remove desperately endangered creatures from their habitats in order…
November 28, 2020
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Not Consumed

What does it mean, I wonder, to encounter a burning bush, flaming but not consumed, and hear nothing? Beauty manifests…
October 31, 2020