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Pictured above: Ross Hastings, Cyrus Chee, Christine Chee, Oliver Chee, Judy Chee, Jimmy Chee, Janet Chee, Bruce Waltke, Ssonia Ong, Kevin Ong. Photo credit: Genevieve Walker

Regent College is delighted to announce the establishment of the Bruce K. Waltke Chair of Old Testament Studies. Named after a distinguished professor emeritus, the new chair has been made possible by a generous gift from Jimmy and Janet Chee. The first incumbent of the Waltke Chair will be our own Matthew Lynch.

On Friday, July 11, Regent hosted a celebratory event for the Chee family, their invited guests, and Dr. Bruce Waltke himself. In his welcoming remarks, President Paul Spilsbury reflected on Regent’s long history of excellence in Old Testament studies and the continuation of that legacy by current Old Testament professors Matthew Lynch and Brittany Melton. Paul concluded with gratitude: “Thanks to the generosity of the Chee family, this newly endowed chair will ensure Regent College’s ongoing commitment to excellent scholarship and teaching in the discipline of Old Testament Studies.”

Later in the evening, Jimmy Chee introduced Bruce Waltke as a beloved “teacher, mentor, and friend for Janet and me. It was Bonhoeffer who once said, ‘One act of obedience is better than one hundred sermons.’ What we have seen in Dr. Waltke is not one act but a lifetime of obedience.”

Jimmy went on to share a personal anecdote that spoke to the pastoral heart Bruce always brought to the classroom.

“The year was 1984. My wife and I had just moved to the Regent College neighbourhood. In July, Janet—who was pregnant at the time—enrolled in a course taught by Dr. Waltke on the Book of Psalms. In the middle of the lecture, Janet raised her hand and said, ‘Dr. Waltke, may I be excused? I think that I am having a baby.” At that moment, Bruce asked the whole class to stand up and bow their heads, and Bruce said a prayer for her. Later that day, my son Cyrus was born.”

Following this introduction, Bruce Waltke thanked Jimmy and Janet Chee for the honour of establishing a chair in his name. He also acknowledged his long-time friends Ralf and Helga Schmidke, who made a significant contribution to the endowment in response to the Chee family’s initial commitment.

Reflecting on the new chair named in his honour, Dr. Waltke said, “I hope my name will be shorthand for my values: a passionate love and high view of Scripture, a threefold hermeneutic, and interpreting the Old Testament in light of the New Testament.” (Dr. Waltke’s full remarks are available for download as a PDF.)

While Matthew Lynch was unfortunately unable to attend the event in person due to a cancelled flight, he thanked the Chee and Schmidke families for their generosity and Dr. Waltke for his scholarship and friendship. Regarding his appointment to the Waltke Chair, he said, “This is an incredibly affirming honour, and one that I hope to honour through teaching and scholarly excellence, through collegiality, and through the representation of Regent in the wider community.”

The evening concluded with a joyful celebration of Bruce’s upcoming birthday (August 30).