Books by "Robert P. Vande Kappelle"
3 books found
Love Never Fails is Dr. Robert P. Vande Kappelle’s biographical tribute to Jacob and Bertha Vande Kappelle, career missionaries to Latin America. The book introduces the reader to two contrasting nations, placid Costa Rica and turbulent Colombia. During Jake and Bert’s seven terms as missionaries, democracy and Marxism contended for the soul of Latin America. Against this backdrop, Catholic and Protestant traditions clashed, and then cooperated, in their struggle against poverty and disbelief. The book narrates the spiritual conflict while highlighting the opportunities created when individuals of faith contend against forces of superstition and despair. Love Never Fails will cause all readers to evaluate the meaning of faith and look for renewal of heart and mind.
Iron Sharpens Iron is grounded in the conviction that humans have the capacity to transcend conventional spirituality to a genuine and wholesome faith that is dynamic rather than static, future-oriented rather than past-oriented, and owned rather than passively acquired. Classroom tested, this discussion guide is an ideal way for thoughtful Christians--in individual and group settings--to interact with timely topics. Like its companion text, Beyond Belief: Science, Faith, and the Value of Unknowing (2012), this guide is written for those who affirm the value of lifelong spiritual growth. Topics covered include the authority of scripture, the uniqueness of Christ, faith and reason, religion and science, biological evolution and morality, cosmological evolution and the nature of God, and the doctrines of salvation, resurrection, and the afterlife. This guide encourages a high degree of interaction. The discussion questions are engaging and appeal to various levels of intellectual and spiritual awareness. Sessions follow a fourfold pattern: (a) "Getting Started" provides an overview of each session; (b) "Gaining Momentum" provides questions for discussion or further reflection; (c) "Going Deeper" encourages participants to acquire further perspective; and (d) "The Essentials" summarizes key points from each chapter of Beyond Belief.
In 1989 Dr. Robert Vande Kappelle cycled solo cross-country. The 3,400-mile trip was the seed project for the Washington County (Pennsylvania) chapter of Habitat for Humanity. For forty-two days he went "Homeless for Habitat," placing himself and his personal needs in the hands of strangers he met along the way. At the beginning he cycled across some of the most mountainous--and spectacular--terrain in America. After he crossed the Rockies, a nagging headwind arose, which only intensified with time. That, coupled with a deteriorating bicycle--along one of the most desolate stretches of the journey--produced spiritual testing of epic proportions. He was tempted to compromise the integrity of the trek, then to quit the trek, and finally to curse his circumstances. He sensed he was climbing an invisible mountain, whose top could not be reached. After venting his anger and frustration, he discerned that tailwinds and flat terrain rarely evoke wisdom. Insight flows freely, however, from the watershed atop life's invisible mountains. The Invisible Mountain narrates the account of that trek. The story examines the trek as adventure, spiritual odyssey, and as metaphor for the journey of life. In the words of Millard Fuller, co-founder of Habitat for Humanity International and The Fuller Center for Housing: "Ride with [Bob Vande Kappelle] as you read. You will enjoy the trip and you will gain all sorts of insights . . . and perhaps most importantly, you will learn about yourself and grow spiritually as you experience vicariously the wonderful adventure of this 'journey of faith.'"