Abraham Kuyper

Wisdom & Wonder: Common Grace in Science & Art is a new and complete translation of two sections that the Dutch Reformed theologian and politician Abraham Kuyper intended for his larger three-volume work on common grace. During his life Kuyper labored tirelessly, publishing two newspapers, leading a reform movement out of the state church, founding the Free University of Amsterdam, and serving as Prime Minister of the Netherlands. Popular in our time for his devotional work, Kuyper’s Wisdom & Wonder displays his talents as a public theologian, focusing on his comprehensive and Reformed vision of science and art, still relevant for Christians today.

http://www.clpress.com/publications/wisdom-wonder

A common theme in Christian school literature is the search for and/or description of the distinctiveness of the Christian school and the Christian school movement.  There is general recognition that the Christian school exists as an alternative to public schools and even non-religious private schools for a variety of historical, philosophical, and practical reasons.  Faith-based schools, that is, religious schools in general, and Christian schools in particular, have a unique place in the United States and Canada, in particular, but even more broadly in Europe.

RESUMO: Este ensaio expõe e discute o princípio normativo da soberania das esferas sociais, tomando, por base, a formulação original do princípio conforme articulada pelo estadista e teólogo Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920). Em seguida, trata do problema da tensa relação entre a esfera do governo civil e as demais, principalmente na teoria auxiliar que legitima em alguns casos a intervenção do governo civil em relação a outras esferas. O argumento é ilustrado ao longo do ensaio com exemplos sobre a relação entre as esferas do governo civil, da igreja e da educação, embora outras possíveis aplicações sejam tam-bém mencionadas. O ensaio termina com uma avaliação crítica da teoria auxiliar do inter-vencionismo do governo civil, indicando as dificuldades apresentadas no contexto da crise do espaço público atual e do pluralismo de princípios. PALAVRAS-CHAVE: soberania de esferas; Abraham Kuyper; pluralismo de princípios; pluralismo social; teologia pública.

Abraham Kuyper’s seminal three-volume work on the doctrine of common grace (De gemeene gratie) presents a constructive public theology of cultural engagement rooted in the humanity Christians share with the rest of the world. Its author was a remarkable Dutch politician, journalist, educator, statesman, and Reformed theologian who wrote many works, but Common Grace is the capstone of his theology for the general public and the best available platform today to draw Christians back to biblical first principles and to guide the development of a winsome and constructive social witness. This complete, first-ever English translation is a companion to Christians seeking answers to questions about the breadth of the gospel, our roles in public life, cultural leadership, and the beneficial contributions of other people, especially in science and art. These volumes are part of the Abraham Kuyper Collected Works in Public Theology series published by Lexham Press.

"In a book of intriguing title, which ensued from a doctoral disertation, Brant M. Himes connects life and thinking of two Christian theologians about discipleship. What does a Dutch Calvinist, founder of a university and a political party, pastor, journalist, and prime minister (Abraham Kuyper) have in common with a German Lutheran pastor, theologian, spy, and a co-c onspirator on Hitler’s life (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)? Apart from the obvious answer that both were Christians, they shared a rich theological and practical commitment to following Jesus Christ in discipleship that did not stop at their personal or even ecclesial lives but continued to influence the world. Indeed, both were 'worldly' Christians, not in terms of their engagement with immorality and sin as Christians most commonly use this term, but in terms of their commitment to the well-being of the world."

This article examines the reception of Alexander Comrie’s doctrine of justification by Abraham Kuyper. Kuyper’s oeuvre contains many positive references to and quotes from Comrie’s work and theology, and he even identified his own doctrine and that of the Gereformeerde Kerken with Comrie’s. He propagated Comrie’s version of the doctrine of justification to the Gerefomeerde Kerken not only in De Heraut and in his writings, but also as professor of theology at the Free University of Amsterdam. He even propagated it internationally in The Catholic Presbyterian.
Nevertheless, while Kuyper indeed uses certain aspects of Comrie’s theology of justification for his own doctrine, their views cannot simply be identified. Kuyper studied Comrie’s biography and theology for his own historical, ecclesiastical, and theological purposes. Kuyper’s church-political views ultimately resulted in the foundation of the Gereformeerde Kerken.
Kuyper published what he learned from Comrie’s life and theology, and also wrote about what Christians and the Church in his own days could learn from him: to defend the faith against rationalism and all kinds of heresies, always in close connection with the truth by with the Church stands or falls, namely our justification.
Comrie appears to be a sharp and clear thinker whose theology was so powerful that even in Kuyper’s days church-people could still rely firmly, unshakeably, and immovably on the truth as set out by Comrie, and shelter in this truth as a safe bulwark against rationalism. This is something for which Comrie deserves to be honoured.

For more than two millennia believers have struggled with the antinomy of God’s absolute sovereignty over and man’s ultimate responsibility in justification and sanctification. Theologians have used some version of the terms “active justification” and “definitive sanctification” in an attempt to illuminate this mystery. However, in the past decade scholars have begun to criticize these concepts, saying that they are unsupported in Scripture, lead to theological confusion, and are of no practical benefit to believers.Through the work of theologians from the broader Dutch Reformed tradition, especially Herman Bavinck, Alexander Comrie, Herman Witsius, and Abraham Kuyper. Jae-Eun Park demonstrates that the terms “active justification” and “definitive sanctification” are derived from Scripture and serve to clarify, not obscure the doctrines of justification and sanctification. In addition, the book shows that neglect, misuse, or misunderstanding of the terms have resulted in contemporary criticisms that are unconvincing and unfounded.Writings of the aforementioned theologians define and expound four characteristics held in common between active justification and definitive sanctification, i.e., inseparability, objectivity and decisiveness, Christ-centeredness, and God’s absolute sovereignty – concepts of the mentioned theologians. All four characteristics of active justification and definitive sanctification emphasize the “God-driven” nature of salvation.Jae-Eun Park explains how – when properly defined and presented – the two terms are important theologically, bringing clarity to the issue of the perfect balance between God’s sovereignty and human responsibility in salvation. He also shows how active justification and definitive sanctification offers practical assurance of their perseverance unto glory to true believers, and provides pastors with an invaluable tool for exhorting parishioners who may have lapsed into either triumphalism or defeatism.

Er zijn veel redenen waarom geloven in God niet overtuigend is. Hoe kan God nou goed zijn terwijl er zoveel kwaad is? En wat te denken van de Bijbel; er zijn toch zoveel heilige boeken? En een intuïtie dat God bestaat, dat is biologisch goed te verklaren.

In dit boek bespreekt theoloog Marinus de Jong 21 van deze redenen. Maar niet om te laten zien dat ze niet waar zijn. Ook niet om te concluderen dat geloven in God onzinnig is. Hij gaat op zoek naar hoe deze redenen ons helpen om onze gedachten over de ongrijpbare God te scherpen. Dat hij een God is die steeds weer aan onze beelden ontsnapt en zich niet laat vangen in onze overtuigingen.

Inclusief verwerkingsvragen en verdere lees- en kijksuggesties.

Onderzoek naar de receptie van de rechtvaardigingsleer van Alexander Comrie (1706-1774) in de gereformeerde gezindte tijdens de twintigste eeuw.
Traces of Comries doctrine of justification: An investigation into the reception of the justification doctrine of Alexander Comrie (1706-1774) in the Reformed tradition in the Netherlands during the twentieth century.

My purpose in this paper is to consider the biblical mandate for Christian schooling, and more specifically the relationship between the home, the church, and the school in the light of biblical categories. I assume that the Christian family desires to obey the call to raise their children with a biblical world and life view according to the clear directives of scripture passages such as Deuteronomy, Proverbs, etc. In this article I am making a distinction between that call for Christian education and enrollment in a Christian school, which is only one way to obey the command. Important to this argument is the fact that in scripture three institutions have been ordained and the school as an organization is not one of them. DJR

Abstract: Abraham Kuyper’s theology of culture is gaining interest in the English speaking world, especially among those outside the Dutch Reformed tradition. Historic debates in the Dutch Reformed tradition over Kuyper’s hallmark doctrine of common grace often seem parochial or irrelevant to contemporary engagement with his thought. Revisiting one figure in those debates, this essay argues that Klaas Schilder, one of Kuyper’s most vocal critics, offers an important counterbalance to problematic features of Kuyper’s theology. While the divide between Kuyper and Schilder has historically been severe, consideration of their similarities regarding their eschatological vision of Christian cultural creation offers a way to harmonize their differences.

The theology of Dutch pastor and politician Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920) is presently experiencing something of a renaissance among English-speaking evangelicals. Such an embrace of his thought by those of disparate ecclesiological traditions, however, would come as quite a surprise to Kuyper himself. While outside of the Netherlands Kuyper is known for his notions of Christian cultural responsibility and transformation, for the Dutch his ecclesiology stands as his most important legacy. Indeed, one cannot easily extricate Kuyper’s work of church reform from his public theology, for the latter emerged from the former at key points in his career. If this is the case, that Kuyper the churchman cannot be separated from Kuyper the cultural transformationist, it leads one to wonder if Kuyper is as helpful to evangelicals outside the Reformed tradition as initially thought. This is especially so for credobaptists, whose ecclesiological differences with the Reformed tradition could not be starker, especially regarding infant baptism and a believers-only church.

Upon closer inspection of Kuyper’s ecclesiology as it developed across his career, however, his thought appears surprisingly friendly to those of Baptist convictions. This essay contends that Kuyper’s developing ecclesiology, formulated in response to various ecclesiastical and political debates, bears a certain arc, the trajectory of which serves to situate him in territory which Baptists could find quite amiable to their own ecclesiology. Three phases from Kuyper’s career are examined, with an eye towards his work of reform to see churches freed from state control and composed of believers only. This trajectory maps well onto Baptist hallmarks of soul competency and regenerate church membership, leading to the conclusion that a Kuyperian inheritance for Baptist public theology need not set aside questions of the nature of the church and its relation to society. Baptists may find in Abraham Kuyper an unexpectedly friendly resource.

The efforts in the Christian school to effectively integrate faith and learning lead one to consider foundational theories of knowledge. Defining knowledge raises questions about the knower and the known, the relationship between experience and knowledge, and the certainty of knowledge. The purpose of this paper is to examine the literature as it relates to theistic (specifically Christian) and non-theistic epistemologies and their impact on the integration of faith and learning. Kant, Pearson, Russell, and Dewey presented theories that attempted to ensure objective knowledge. Polanyi, Gill, and Palmer supported the view that knowing is always personal. Polanyi’s theory of tacit knowing was especially important. The modern debate has roots in ancient theological formulas regarding the relationship between faith and reason. Kuyper, Bavinck, and Van Til presented a revelational epistemology founded in the Dutch Reformed tradition. Finally, the author examined a model of integration based on these ideas and discussed the implications.

This paper proposes a biblical and theological rationale for art education in Christian schools. I first examine art and art education as components of the original, Edenic cultural mandate, and then under the renewed cultural commission signified in the resurrection. I argue that in the post-fall context, the cultural mandate for art and art education must incorporate consciousness of what some have called a cultural 'antithesis'. That is, the practice and teaching of art are properly undertakings of the body of Christ and must be always mindful of sin.

Lexham Press is pleased to announce the publication of a major series of new translations of Abraham Kuyper’s key works in public theology. Never before available in English, these works will introduce a new audience to the thoughts of one of Christianity’s most thoughtful public theologians. Comprised of 8 key works spread over 12 volumes, this series will be made available in both a high-quality hardback edition and an enhanced electronic Logos edition. Works of the preeminent statesman, educator and Reformed theologian Abraham Kuyper on topics ranging from politics and economics to the Lordship of Christ, ethics, and Islam will be made available in English for the first time. These volumes will provide rich resources for the church as Christians seek to live faithfully in the world today.

Dutch theologian, journalist, and statesman Abraham Kuyper is commonly cited as an authoritative figure with regard to Christianity and politics. His example as a theologically sophisticated and politically active Christian is widely lauded and celebrated. However, his thought and impact have been rarely considered from the perspective of political theory, and his contribution to the field has largely been overlooked. There are notable exceptions to this, and some of these will be cited in this paper. None the less, due to this lack of theoretical clarity in political studies on Kuyper himself, this paper aims to provide a clearer vision of the theoretical basis of Kuyper's political thought. It will be shown that his political thought can be located in the broad streams of pluralism and Calvinism. We will first survey pluralist political thought, and then survey Calvinist political thought, focusing on John Calvin and Johannes Althusius. These surveys will lead to Dutch Calvinism and Abraham Kuyper's doctrine of sphere sovereignty. This core Kuyperian doctrine will be expounded, and will be shown to be an expression of Calvinist pluralism, thereby locating Abraham Kuyper's political theory within that stream.

While C. S. Lewis and his theology are loved by Christians as diverse as Anglicans and Eastern Orthodox, Pentacostals and Catholics, he remains unread, and at times even reviled, by many Calvinists. This is partly due to Lewis's uncharacteristic hostility to the major figures in Calvinism, and partly due to the quick-to-judge spirit that has often characterized zealous Calvinists. In neither case, however, is Lewis's actual theology and Christian world view deeply antithetical to Calvinism. Emotion more than reason has caused this sad divide. Thus, this paper endeavors to show how Lewis is actually very close to Calvinism, and why both need to pay more attention to this.

Wä hrend so unterschiedliche Christen wie Anglikaner, Orthodoxe, Anhän-ger der Pfingstbewegung und Katholiken C. S. Lewis und seine Theologie schä tzen, wird er von vielen Kalvinisten nicht gelesen, ja manchmal sogar geschmä ht. Zum Teil ist das zurü ckzufü hren auf Lewis' untypische Feind-seligkeit gegenü ber herausragenden Vertretern des Kalvinismus, zum Teil auch auf die Neigung zu vorschnellen Verurteilungen, die einige eifrige Kal-vinisten an den Tag gelegt haben. Auf keinen Fall aber stehen Lewis' tat-sä chliche Theologie und sein christliches Weltbild in einem tiefen Gegensatz zum Kalvinismus. Der Antagonismus grü ndet eher auf Gefü hlen als auf rationalen Urteilen. Dieser Aufsatz versucht daher zu zeigen, dass Lewis eigentlich dem Kalvinismus sehr nahe steht, und weshalb beide Seiten stä r-ker auf diese Gemeinsamkeiten achten sollten.

The aim of this paper is to investigate how Abraham Kuyper and some late neo-Calvinists have addressed the doctrine of creation in light of the challenges posed by evolutionary scientific theory. I argue that most neo-Calvinists today, particularly scholars from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU), continue Kuyper's legacy by holding the core principles of a creationist worldview. Yet, they have taken a new direction by explaining the natural history of the earth in evolutionary terms. In my analysis, Kuyper's heirs at the VU today offer judicious parameters to guide Christians in conversation with evolutionary science, precisely because of their high appreciation of good science and awareness of the non-negotiable elements that make up the orthodox Christian narrative.

O presente artigo responde algumas perguntas sobre a relação entre educação e a cosmovisão reformada. No eixo histórico: quais foram alguns impulsos da Reforma Protestante no desenvolvimento da educação moderna? Três serão destacados: o impulso a democratização da educação, as ciências e a pedagogia. No eixo temático: quando o termo “cosmovisão” começou a ser usado nos meios reformados? Quais foram algumas implicações no campo da educação? Aqui destaca-se a relação entre cosmovisão e a autonomia da razão na universidade e ciência e na missão institucional, currículo e projeto político-pedagógico escolar. O artigo conclui levantando perguntas para a realidade brasileira a luz do conceito de esferas de soberiana de Abraão Kuyper.

This thesis observes John Calvin’s understanding of the mediatorial office of Jesus Christ, and the mediation theologies of Isaac Ambrose, Thomas Goodwin, John Owen, Francis Turretin, Jonathan Edwards, and Abraham Kuyper. It is an attempt to present a case that the mediatorship of Jesus Christ is not a temporary office, but rather it is an office that possesses at least five functions, some of which will perpetuate into the new creation. Many contemporary theologians have critiqued the mediator-Christology of Calvin, and other figures in the Reformed tradition, by suggesting that these figures only saw Christ’s office as Mediator to hold a soteriological purpose, but I argue that this traditional interpretation of Calvin and many in the Reformed tradition is an incorrect assumption. Rather, Calvin and many others in the Reformed tradition envisioned a cosmic function, a revelatory function, a soteriological function, an intercessory function, and a hypostatic-ontological function of mediation. This thesis will challenge the traditional understanding of Christological mediation that is usually truncated and limited to expiation, and seeks to explore the entirety of the mediatorial office of Jesus Christ.

Recent evangelical scholarship increasingly calls for ethnic theological perspectives
in the American context; for just as the center of World Christianity has shifted from the
West to the Majority World, the ethnic and cultural center of American evangelicalism is
soon to shift – if it has not already. However, among the contextual theologies developed in the U.S., neither an explicitly Chinese American, nor a Chinese American evangelical
theology have been pursued. This is surprising, given that Chinese Americans are the largest demographic of Asian Americans and that the majority of Chinese American Christians identify as evangelical. Thus, this thesis pursues a contextualized Chinese American evangelical theology.
This thesis first begins by explaining the socio-historical factors behind the
prevalence of conservative American evangelicalism amongst Chinese American Christians. Secondly, it identifies the most significant ill-effects of American evangelicalism amongst Chinese American Christians, and diagnoses these ill-effects as theologically rooted in anthropological uniformity, individualism vs. collectivism confusion, and a dualistic doctrine of creation. Thirdly, this thesis considers the “pent-evangelical” theology of Amos Yong as a possible path forward. However, this thesis concludes that while Yong has much to offer Chinese American evangelicals, the neo-Calvinist tradition can not only complement Yong at many points, but also bodes greater promise with less obstacles for a robust theology of ethnicity, a harmonic vision of individuals and collectives, and a holistic doctrine of creation that is still able to maintain distinctions. Hence, this thesis takes a step in the direction of a contextualized Chinese American evangelical theology that both critiques and benefits not only Chinese American evangelicals, but the broader swath of American Christians who have uncritically embraced some of the problematic assumptions found within popular and
conservative American evangelical theology.

In this study I argue that Abraham Kuyper’s doctrine of common grace is ultimately inconsistent with his understanding of particular grace within the parameters of supralapsarianism which he sets for himself. This inconsistency leads to stark tension in Kuyper’s thought which gives rise to prolific debates in the early to mid-twentieth century over the doctrine of common grace among the Dutch Reformed churches on both sides of the Atlantic. Ultimately these debates concern whether God’s disposition of favor towards his creation in general, as articulated by Kuyper’s doctrine of common grace, can be reconciled with Reformed orthodoxy.

This study surveys Kuyper’s theology of common grace and the ensuing debates over the doctrine represented in the writings of Herman Bavinck, Herman Hoeksema, Klaas Schilder, and Cornelius Van Til. This study will then argue that, as shown by the debates over common grace, Kuyper’s supralapsarianism hamstrings what he intends to accomplish in his doctrine of common grace, namely a program for Christian cultural engagement. Further, infralapsarian attempts to modify Kuyper’s framework pose no better progress towards consistency regarding common grace and God’s decrees. My proposal is for common grace to be reconstructed within a Molinist framework in order to accomplish what Kuyper intends for his popularly-cited doctrine.

El fin principal de la teología reformada no está centrado en la gloria de los hombres, sino en la gloria Dios. A partir de esto, el calvinista busca glorificar a Dios en la medida que se goza en Él. Dicho esto, la teología cristiana reformada puede ser comprendida correctamente cuando se aprecia como una teología experiencial, es decir, una teología para la vida que está enraizada y regulada por la Palabra de Dios: la Biblia.

Al decir una teología para la vida, nos referimos principalmente a que Dios debe ser glorificado en: 1) todas las áreas de la sociedad o del orden creacional y, 2) en la vida del hombre. De hecho, una verdadera reforma de la sociedad es un fruto de un corazón redimido por el Evangelio de Cristo. La reforma de la iglesia y sociedad, como consecuencia de una reforma del púlpito, fueron los frutos que cosecharon las iglesias evangélicas y calvinistas en los distintos lugares donde las semillas de una predicación y adoración bíblica fueron sembradas.

Abstrak Politisasi agama yang merupakan suatu bentuk dari politik era pascakebenaran, merupakan suatu fenomena mengkhawatirkan yang akhir-akhir ini mewarna dunia politik di Indonesia. Oleh sebab itu dibutuhkan suatu jalan tengah yang menegaskan kembali relasi agama dan negara yang mana gereja dan umat Kristen dapat berperanan aktif di dalamnya. Artikel ini bermaksud untuk memberikan kontribusi berkaitan dengan jalan tengah yang dipilih Indonesia, yakni Pancasila. Artikel ini akan membahas mengenai teologi politik Abraham Kuyper yang penulis percaya berpadanan dengan Pancasila. Penulis akan mendemonstrasikan bahwa teologi politik Kuyper, selain berpadanan dengan Pancasila, dapat memberikan masukan yang penting bagi gereja dalam menghadapi politisasi agama.

The politicization of religion, which is a form of politics in the post-truth era, is an alarming phenomenon that has colored the political world in Indonesia recently. As such, it is necessary for a middle ground that reaffirms the relation between religion and the state in which the church and Christians can play an active role. This article intends to contribute in relation to the middle way chosen by Indonesia, namely Pancasila. This article will discuss the political theology of Abraham Kuyper, which is deemed to be compatible with Pancasila. The author will demonstrate that Kuyper's political theology, besides its compatibility with Pancasila, can also make a significant contribution for the church in dealing with the politicization of religion.

For Bavinck is it not enough that “grace restores nature,” but rather that “grace repairs and perfects nature,” and this concept of the latent perfectibility of nature is what holds Bavinck’s whole nature/grace relationship together. As Brian Mattson highlights, for Bavinck included in the notion of imago Dei is not simply what humanity is at their creation, but also what they must become.  Such a destiny of humanity detailed in the covenant of works serves as a limiting principle for how one is to understand the nature of redemption: grace in restoring and perfecting nature does not return creation to the pristine conditions of its beginning, but rather leads it into the beatitudinal perfection for which it was designed. Therefore, nature and grace are united in a singular telos of God.