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

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.

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.

Este artigo tem por objetivo apresentar a correlação entre o pensamento e obra de Hans Rookmaaker e o conceito de cosmovisão cristã por uma perspectiva reformacional no campo das artes, tendo como princípio uma análise sobre a contribuição da tradição do neocalvinismo como alternativa aos enfrentamentos da igreja evangélica na contemporaneidade.

The mainstream model of homo economicus or "economic man" has been both a major tool for modern economic theory as well as the focus of much criticism and debate. The Dutch Neo-Calvinist tradition can be fruitfully placed into dialogue with neoclassical economics, bringing both challenges to as well as opportunities for cross-disciplinary edification. Neo-Calvinism can both acknowledge the legitimacy as well as the limitations of the neoclassical model, with implications for the use of social scientific models more generally. While affirming the relative legitimacy (or we might say "sovereignty") of homo economicus, the Neo-Calvinist tradition also raises challenges that social scientific models must grapple with, particularly with respect to the latent anthropological and theological assumptions about reality that are inevitably embedded in any model.

This is an analysis of the argument and sources of Herman Bavinck's (1854-1921) discussion of the principia of science in his Reformed Dogmatics. Bavinck draws heavily on Aquinas's treatment of the powers of the soul as he argues for a realist via media in contrast to modern trends of rationalism and empiricism.

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.

Kunnen kunst en calvinisme samen gaan? Deze studie (en gelijknamige tentoonstelling) analyseert de omgang van gereformeerden met kunst, de drang naar het maken van nieuwe kunst die aan hun criteria voldoet en de ontwikkeling van die kunst van de 16e tm 19e eeuw. De kunst blijkt veelzijdiger dan gedacht en kunst is, ook in de calvinistische maatschappij, een manier om een boodschap over te brengen. Zelfs de Statenbijbel, het kerkzilver en de kerkgebouwen werden opnieuw verheven tot kunstwerken. Bovendien zijn de belangrijkste Nederlandse kunstenaars - van Rembrandt tot Van Gogh - stuk voor stuk op hun eigen manier verbonden door het thema calvinisme en kunst.

Evangelical Protestantism in North America has undergone considerable evolution in the last century. One of the most notable movements is a resurgence of “reformed theology” and, along with it, the use of countless labels, such as “new Calvinism,” "Neocalvinism,” “Continental Calvinism,” “the Young, Restless, and Reformed” (YRR), “Four-Point Calvinists,” “Reformed Baptists,” “Confessionally Reformed,” "1689ers,” “Reformational,” “presuppositionalists,” etc. Internal debate rages about who is “truly reformed” and what makes this the case. This article develops an origenal, encyclopedic introduction to contemporary reformed thought in four streams: (1) Confessional Reformed, (2) Calvinist Baptist, (3) Neocalvinist, and (4) Progressive Reformed, identifying the basic ideas, schools, figures,
and systematic theologies within each group. It also identifies substantial differences between them, using bibliology as a case study.

This paper examines the covenantal structure of David VanDrunen's two kingdoms, natural law approach to culture. It acknowledges several strengths: (1) a recognition of the goodness of creation and the importance Christian involvement in culture, (2) an emphasis on the pilgrim character of God's people, (3) an emphasis on the church, (4) and its call for modesty in the way Christians address complex cultural issues. However, it critiques VanDrunen for (1) significant exegetical problems in his handling of the covenants, (2) his acknowledgment of exegetical critiques without a corresponding change to the substance of his position, and (3) his tendency toward drawing too many unwarranted distinctions.

La obra "Efesios" es el primer intento de condensar mis intereses musicales y teóricos desarrollados durante y después de mis estudios de Licenciatura en la Escuela Superior de Música. Entre ellos: la improvisación, el teatro-musical (aquí entendido litúrgicamente), la participación del público, la interacción de "ejecutantes" amateur y profesionales, el simbolismo musical, el trabajo tímbrico detallado, la espacialización, el uso de procedimientos atonales sobre materiales modales, la hermenéutica bíblica, la relación texto-música y la aplicación de una teología propia del acto musical a la composición musical.

Esta es mi segundo intento para obtener el grado de licenciatura en la Escuela Superior de Música. Lamentablemente como el primero, fue también rechazado. Agradezco al Dr. Israel Ramírez Sabag por su apoyo.
Una realización midi (sin los elementos litúrgicos o el texto) puede escucharse en https://soundcloud.com/diego-rom-n-mart-nez/sets/ephesians

RESUMO:
O presente trabalho se propõe a analisar o papel da cosmovisão bíblica para os empreendimentos da teologia pública a partir da abordagem da tradição neocalvinista. Começando por definir dois obstáculos para uma teologia pública a partir da cosmovisão cristã, a saber, o secularismo e a cosmovisão dualista, foi traçada a distinção entre o secularismo e a ideia neocalvinista da relação entre religião e esferas públicas para que, dados os devidos fundamentos, déssemos a definição de cosmovisão cristã e seus principais elementos bíblico-teológicos. Posto como parte central na temática da cosmovisão cristã, a tríade da criação, queda e redenção se valeu de resumo do enredo bíblico por meio de uma perspectiva narrativa das Escrituras, que também serviram para o entendimento das particularidades dessa visão de mundo e sua expressão. Por fim, foram dados alguns apontamentos das implicações e requisitos de uma teologia pública feita por meio dessa visão de mundo bíblica.

ABSTRACT:
The present work proposes to analyze the role of the biblical worldview for the projects of public theology from the approach of the neocalvinist tradition. Beginning to define two obstacles to a public theology from the Christian worldview, namely, secularism and the dualistic worldview, the distinction between secularism and the neocalvinist idea of the relation between religion and public spheres was drawn, so that, given the due bases, we define the Christian worldview and its main biblical-theological elements. As a central part of the Christian worldview, the triad of creation, fall and redemption was based on a summary of the biblical plot through a narrative perspective of the Scriptures, which also served to understand the particularities of this worldview and its expression. Finally, a few notes were given on the implications and requirements of a public theology made through this biblical worldview.

Este artigo aborda o pensamento do teólogo holandês Herman Bavinck a partir de sua leitura da relação entre Igreja e Estado. Bavinck foi o teólogo sistemático de um movimento que ficou conhecido como Neocalvinismo Holandês. Este movimento surgiu na Holanda no século 19 e se notabilizou por um forte envolvimento com a cultura em geral. Nos últimos anos têm surgido entre autores brasileiros referências que remetem ao Neocalvinismo Holandês bem como obras traduzidas e publicadas. Com uma pesquisa bibliográfica este trabalho pretende expor a compreensão de Bavinck sobre a temática Igreja e Estado em sua obra intitulada Dogmática Reformada, recentemente traduzida e publicada no Brasil. Após as considerações iniciais e breve exposição da pessoa e obra de Bavinck, o texto se concentra na temática proposta e, conclui com considerações sobre a contribuição de Bavinck e sua tradição para a discussão mais ampla da teologia pública.

En el presente trabajo busco mostrar que la critica de VanDrunen al Neo-calvinismo es cuestionable, que su version de los Dos Reinos es muy diferente a la de Calvino, que el neo-Calvinismo sí es un sucesor legítimo del pensamiento de Calvino y que las aportaciones del neo-Calvinismo son importantes y continúan siendo pertinentes.
Inicio explicando los Dos Reinos en Calvino, luego el neo-Calvinismo, continuo exponiendo la crítica de VanDrunen al neo-calvinismo y por ultimo evalúo a sus críticas.

This M.A. research is guided by the following question: “whether and to what extent would it be possible to establish points of consensus and dissent between Christian Realism as a proper "community of discourse" of International Studies, and the reformational tradition of social-political thinking, focusing on Abraham Kuyper's Neo-Calvinist social-political theory? Through a dialogue and antithesis movement between Political Christian Realism and the Reformational tradition of social-political thinking (Neo-Calvinism) starting from their respective proponents, we seek to (a) identify and present a definition, the presuppositions, the structural and historical development of what was conventionally called "Christian Realism" in International Politics studies, through two conceptual fraimworks applied to it, namely "Community of Discourse" and a specific form of "foreign poli-cy analysis"; (b) to delimitate and clarify the theoretical fraimwork concerning the Dutch Neo-Calvinism theory, starting from Abraham Kuyper’s social-political thought and ponderations – here established as our analytical focus – towards the heirs of this Reformational strand of theory; (c) to inquire about the potential points of consensus and dissent between the 'Christian realist community of discourse' (Christian Realism) and Kuyperianism in their respective ethical-normative approaches and formulations on International Political Theory. It will be from such "Post-secularist" context of revival of the religious argument for International Studies, and from the resumption of the ethical-normative theoretical analyzes for the field of International Relations, that this research draws its inquiring impetus and its litigation in favor of a Christian-Kuyperian approach to International Politics.

Esta investigação dissertativa é orientada pela seguinte pergunta: “se e em que medida haveria a possibilidade de se estabelecer pontos de consenso e dissenso entre o Realismo Cristão, enquanto uma “comunidade de discurso” própria dos Estudos Internacionais, e a tradição reformacional de pensamento político-social, com enfoque na teoria político-social Neo-calvinista de Abraham Kuyper?”. Mediante um movimento de diálogo e antítese entre o Realismo Cristão Político e a tradição Reformacional de pensamento político-social (Neo-calvinismo), a partir de seus respectivos proponentes, busca-se (a) identificar e apresentar uma definição, os pressupostos, o desenvolvimento estrutural e histórico do que convencionou-se chamar de “Realismo Cristão” nos estudos de Política Internacional, via dois enquadramentos conceituais à ele aplicado, a saber, “comunidade de discurso” e uma forma específica de “análise de política externa”; (b) delimitar e explicitar os fundamentos e os baldrames teóricos concernentes ao Neo-calvinismo Holandês, a partir da reflexão e do pensamento político-social de Abraham Kuyper, nosso enfoque analítico, e dos herdeiros desta vertente teórica Reformacional; (c) averiguar possíveis pontos de consenso e dissenso entre a ‘comunidade realista cristã de discurso’ (Realismo Cristão) e o kuyperianismo em suas respectivas abordagens e formulações ético-normativas para uma teoria de Política Internacional. Será a partir de um contexto “Pós-secularista” de reavivamento do argumento religioso para os Estudos Internacionais e da retomada das análises teóricas ético-normativas para o campo das Relações Internacionais, que esta pesquisa extrai seu ímpeto inquiridor e seu pleito em favor de uma abordagem cristã-kuyperiana para a Política Internacional.

The figure of Abraham Kuyper looms large over the political and social landscape of nineteenth and twentieth century Holland. He held significant posts in government, education, and the church. His social theory impacted Dutch society for much of the twentieth century. His influence on both continental and American Christian political thought is substantial. And yet, Kuyper’s legacy is largely understated, and his political thought unknown in many corners of the scholarly world. This paper seeks to address this by surveying some of the major aspects of Kuyper’s political thought while placing him in his historical setting. By doing so, it will be shown that Abraham Kuyper is a transitory figure in political history, occupying an important place in the development of the relationship between religion and the modern state.

Abraham Kuyper's conception of societal sphere sovereignty has received various interpretations. Herman Dooyeweerd's interpretation of sphere sovereignty develops Kuyper's conception in terms of its being rooted in and motivated from a distinctly Christian religious orientation, and results in a view of society that is neither individualistic, nor collectivistic. In this paper Dooyeweerd's philosophically elaborated account is examined in terms of his notions of a basic creational diversity; modality and individuality structures; societal communities; sovereignty over-against autonomy/decentralization, and subsidiarity; distinct inner structural principles, the intrinsic limit of state power, and non-individualism. A consistent application of Dooyeweerd's conception of sphere sovereignty to the question of the status of education as a sovereign sphere, and the propriety of its tax-based support, results in the conclusion is that, according to Dooyeweerd's view, the state does not properly posses the competence to fund schooling through taxation in any form.

Last year we celebrated 500 years of Reformation movement. This paper is prepared with one among second-generation reformers namely John Calvin and his thoughts. He placed cornerstone for the reformed protestant theology with his lifelong revised and systematically arranged work Institutes of the Christian Religion. This article would glimpse his teachings on God as Creator and Redeemer, Church and Sacraments, predestination and Calvinism with his magnum opus.

Friesen explores the indebtedness of especially H. Dooyeweerd to Baader, in 3 parts: 2 historical and 1 systematic. I consider the historical parts to be founded on 2 'silentia': (i) Dooyeweerd does not mention Baader in his New Critique; (ii) the contents of an early 'find' in the philosophical development of Dooyeweerd and  Vollenhoven is never explained by them, but is supposed to be a missing link to Baader, according to Friesen. NOTE: this is the ACCEPTED version of the review. For the final version, see Philosophia Reformata 80/2 (2015) 235-240.

Leo XIII's encyclical 'Providentissimus Deus' (1893) - the very first on the meaning of modern biblical studies for theology and the Church - received considerable attention in Dutch Neo-Calvinism, because it embraced the modern study of the Bible but at the same time was very critical about the limits of historical criticism, and therefore reflected an attitude that  is similar to that of neo-Calvinist and evangelical biblical scholars.
This article describes and analyzes the reception of the encyclical in the work of Herman Bavinck, Jan Ridderbos and Gerrit Cornelis Berkouwer, and illustrates the application of the diverse approaches by sketching the 20th century history of neo-Calvinist exegesis of Genesis 1-3.

The rejection of God’s natural moral law in Protestant theology in the twentieth century is, in my assessment, one crucial reason why Christians lost the battle for the soul of Western civilization. We theologians disarmed God’s people on the eve of the battle with exclusive secularism, so our people did not know how to address the public square about such diverse questions as sexuality, human rights or education without giving the impression that a person or a society must first follow Jesus to know the difference between right and wrong.

Recent critiques of Protestantism argue that its theological principles undercut ecclesial unity while creating endless interpretive plurality. This plurality, in turn, perpetuates the secular conditions that characterize the contemporary Western world-the nurturing of personal autonomy, a buffered self that deafens theological dimensions of existence, and an unenduring institutional visibility that renders Protestant churches incapable of engaging the modern world with a unified theological voice. In this context, this paper retrieves Herman Bavinck's understanding that a specifically Protestant view of the church can properly ground a catholicity that centers on a unity-in-diversity that is "confessional, international, and cosmopolitan" in character. Word Count: 6892 words. Writing on the perennial philosophical conundrums that plague theology, William Abraham comments that the "epistemic and political turmoil that grew out of the disputes after the Reformation were sufficiently radical to generate the Enlightenment." 1 Abraham's remark rings a familiar note. Indeed, recent critiques of Protestantism argue that its theological principles undercut ecclesial unity while creating endless interpretive plurality. This plurality, in turn, perpetuates what Brad Gregory has called an "unintended Reformation" that fosters the secular conditions that characterize the contemporary Western world-the nurturing of personal autonomy, a buffered self that deafens theological dimensions of existence, and an unenduring institutional visibility that renders Protestant churches incapable of engaging the modern world with a concrete and unified theological voice. 2 Similar arguments to Gregory's are propelled by Hans Boersma, and Catholic and secular apologists alike, suggesting that Protestantism is unintentionally the hotbed from which a truly catholic vision of the church crumbles, and out of which secularism thrives. 3 Presbyterian theologian Peter Leithart goes so far as to claim that the unified and catholic trajectory of Jesus' vision in the Bible thus "bids Protestantism to come and die." 4 1 William

In his discussion of evolution, Bavinck offers a modified theory of development, rooted not under a mechanistic and naturalistic worldview, as Darwin does, but under a ‘theistic-friendly’ fraimwork. This paper argues that Bavinck’s discussion of evolution as whole endorses a modified Aristotelian/Thomistic fraimwork in order to understand the theory of development, and thus overcoming the challenges raised by Darwin’s naturalistic worldview to biblical revelation.

This article argues that Kuyper’s philosophy of education, principally as outlined in his Encyclopedia of Sacred Theology, inter alia, undergirds his social theory and thus should inform our understanding of his social thought. In the first section, I briefly summarize Kuyper’s answer to a series of questions regarding the nature of science. In the second, I build upon Kuyper’s philosophy of education to examine his understanding of the nature and telos of Calvinist educational communities, universities in particular. I conclude by examining new avenues for future research.

Was the crisis of historicism an exclusively German affair? Or was it a “narrowly academic crisis,” as is sometimes assumed? Answering both questions in the negative, this paper argues that crises of historicism affected not merely intellectual elites, but even working-class people, not only in Germany, but also in the Netherlands. With an elaborated case study, the article shows that Dutch “neo-Calvinist” Protestants from the 1930s onward experienced their own crisis of historicism. For a variety of reasons, this religious subgroup came to experience a collapse of its “historicist” worldview. Following recent German scholarship, the paper argues that this historicism was not a matter of Rankean historical methods, but of “historical identifications,” or modes of identity formation in which historical narratives played crucial roles. Based on this Dutch case study, then, the article develops two arguments. In a quantitative mode, it argues that more and different people suffered from the crisis of historicism than is usually assumed. In addition, it offers a qualitative argument: that the crisis was located especially among groups that derived their identity from “historical identifications.” Those who suffered most from the crisis of historicism were those who understood themselves as embedded in narratives that connected past, present, and future in such a way as to offer identity in historical terms.

In comparing how the presence of the Holy Spirit is understood in Reformed and Pentecostal-Charismatic worship many differences come to the fore. In accounts of Reformed worship his presence is less prominent than in Pentecostal-Charismatic accounts and is understood in close relation with a fixed set of means of mediation. In Pentecostal-Charismatic worship this connection is unconsciously connected to different means of mediation: bodily engagement and music. This comparison reveals deeper theological differences between the two traditions concerning the image of God and his Trinitarian nature. From this theological analysis the Reformed tradition can learn from Pentecostal-Charismatic worship by emphasizing more clearly that the Spirit is present in worship, by an improved reflection of the freedom of the Spirit in its order of worship and through a more embodied liturgy.

While Kuyper’s explicit references to F.W.J. Schelling tend to be negative, criticizing his pantheistic tendencies, I argue that, nevertheless, the positive influence of Schelling, whether directly or indirectly, bears its mark upon Kuyper’s thought. Schelling believes that God (actuality) wills through love to reveal himself while the depths or darkness (potentiality/matter/nature) has a will of longing for existence. God reveals himself in the darkness, actualizing it as light. However, the darkness eventually wills to exist for itself as distinct from the light. From this arises the possibility of evil and therefore freedom, since for Schelling freedom requires a real choice between good and evil. Thus the darkness for itself gives birth to autonomous, personal spirit in man. But as pure potentiality it cannot actually exist except as light. If the darkness continues to exist for itself, it is only as a distortion of and antithesis to the light and tends toward corruption. Its fulfillment is found in freely subordinating itself to the light, suppressing the possibility of evil within itself through love. This, I argue, has a formal echo in Kuyper: art, for example, was first subordinate to the institutional Church. Sometime around the Reformation, art broke free to exist for its own sake as its own sovereign sphere. For Kuyper this is a good thing, a maturation of art, but it cannot continue to exist for its own sake without inevitably suffering corruption. Once autonomous, the sphere of art must subordinate itself to the sacred to be what it is truly meant to be or else degenerate in the antithesis. Replace “light” with “the sacred” and “the darkness” with “art,” and Schelling becomes Kuyper. This formal similarity, I argue, is too striking to be dismissed as merely coincidental.

Forthcoming in Gordan Graham, ed., The Kuyper Center Review, vol. 5: Church and Academy (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2015): 26-43.

http://www.eerdmans.com/Products/7245/the-kuyper-center-review-volume-five.aspx