It was against this backdrop that, in December, Calvin’s provost received photos that appeared to show Kuilema officiating at a same-sex wedding. The board, in 2018, had denied Kuilema tenure, citing concerns about his “tone and strategy” on matters related to same-sex marriage. His public advocacy on LGBTQ+ issues as an assistant professor of social work at Calvin, a private college affiliated with the Christian Reformed Church, had been a source of increasing tension with administrators and trustees. Joseph Kuilema was already on thin ice at Calvin University.
