As we move into the late summer, my work has picked up a bit relative to last month. Although the heat has been especially oppressive and lengthy this year, my basement office remains on the cool side, making for a good work environment. Piles of books and papers surround me as I write. Maps, prints, and other artefacts, including a 500-year-old music manuscript, greet me from the nearby walls. A World War II era globe sits on a filing cabinet. Most of this space desperately needs tidying up, but this hasn't hindered productivity.
In my June newsletter I noted that I had recently interviewed Ron Dart, retired professor at the University of the Fraser Valley. The interview is now posted at Christian Courier's website and went out to subscribers in the print issue as well: Ron Dart and the High Tory Tradition. While I cannot call myself a Tory, I think it's helpful to remind readers that conservatism in one context may look quite different from that bearing the same label in another.
Another article in Christian Courier represents my latest attempt to discover the origins of my surname, one with which my father was not born: The last Koyzis.
Many of us are unhappy with developments south of the border. There is so much to say about these that it is often difficult to know where to begin. Sad to say, people have a tendency to invoke their political tribal identities without manifesting sufficient care for the health of the larger system and the very procedures that make coexistence possible in a fallen world. Given that this is the case, I thought it appropriate to write the following: The rule of law versus overriding goals. Many people assume that a legitimate goal justifies any means employed to attain it, which is a typical assumption of those in the grip of an ideology. The late Bob Goudzwaard, who was a major influence on my own work, enables us to see why this is wrong.
Those who have read philosopher Herman Dooyeweerd will be familiar with his modal analysis of the things in God's world. Musicians will be familiar with another kind of modal analysis, namely, that revolving around the church modes. I recently applied this second form of modal analysis to the two best-known metrical psalters used in the Reformed churches: The church modes in Scotland and Geneva. Western music changed dramatically between the 16th and 20th centuries, and this is reflected in the church's liturgy.
I have now posted 100 guitar performances of the Genevan tunes at my YouTube channel: The Genevan Psalter. I am still seeking a publisher for my complete collection of contemporary English versifications of the Psalter.
On 14 August, I was privileged to speak with Cardus' current NextGen cohort, repeating something I have done annually for a few years now. I appreciate the time they put into reading and thinking about two of my books and the excellent questions they raised based on these readings.
Finally, I link to my tribute to Calvin Seerveld, who recently passed on to glory at the advanced age of 95: Calvin Seerveld (1930-2025). Longtime senior member in aesthetic philosophy at Toronto's Institute for Christian Studies, he was a memorable teacher whom I was privileged to hear during my student years there. Although he was not my principal mentor, he managed to inspire a project to which I have devoted a major portion of my adult life.
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Yours in God's service,
David Koyzis, Global Scholar
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