Letter from the Editors (June 2017)

Contemporary Church History Quarterly

Volume 23, Number 1/2 (June 2017)

Letter from the Editors (June 2017)

By Kyle Jantzen, Ambrose University

Dear Friends,

While the editors of Contemporary Church History Quarterly are pleased to release our newest issue, we are also deeply saddened to announce the passing of our founding editor, John S. Conway, Professor Emeritus of History at the University of British Columbia. As most readers will know, CCHQ began as John’s monthly e-mail newsletter, which ran from 1995, when he entered mandatory retirement, until 2009. Like clockwork, John would send his newsletter of book reviews and other notes relating (for the most part) to the history of the German churches in the Third Reich to over 500 recipients from universities and religious communities around the globe. When he was about to turn 80 years old, he engaged various members of the current editorial team in a discussion about the future of his newsletter–a discussion which resulted in the founding of this journal. John was gracious in allowing us to transform his monthly e-mail newsletter into an online quarterly, and remained our most active contributor up until the last six months of his life.

I had the privilege of visiting John and his wife Ann one last time in mid-June. As we talked about work, family, and faith, John was at his most energetic when chiding me and my fellow editors for the times when we failed to release the new issue of CCHQ at the beginning of the month. As ever, John combined generous support and high scholarly expectations, something many of us benefitted from and greatly admired. Indeed, until now, John has been the driving force behind CCHQ. The editors will have more to say about John Conway’s scholarly legacy in future issues. For now, we will mourn his loss, give thanks for his life and work, and pray for his family.

On behalf of my fellow editors,

Kyle Jantzen, Ambrose University