On Sunday, September 24, Alvin Plantinga ’54, the 2017 Templeton Prize laureate was  held at the Field Museum in Chicago. Plantinga, an American scholar whose rigorous writings over a half century have made theism—the belief in a divine reality or god—a serious option within academic philosophy, was a professor of philosophy at Calvin College from 1963 to 1982.

, valued at $1.4 million, is one of the world’s largest annual awards given to an individual and honors a living person who has made  to affirming life’s spiritual dimension, whether through insight, discovery or practical works.

Plantinga joins an esteemed group of 46 prize recipients, including Mother Teresa, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama.

A number of Calvin College faculty and staff attended the formal ceremony in Chicago and the college’s alumni choir performed a few songs during the ceremony.

The Summer 2017 SPARK magazine featured a Q&A with Alvin Plantinga.