Theology

Neo-Calvinism: A Theological Introduction

Neo-Calvinism: A Theological Introduction

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  • Author：Cory C Brock
  • ISBN：1683596463
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Summary

Discover the rich theology of Neo-Calvinism。

Abraham Kuyper and Herman Bavinck sparked a theological tradition in the Netherlands that came to be known as Neo-Calvinism。 While studies in Neo-Calvinism have focused primarily on its political and philosophical insights， its theology has received less attention。

In Neo-Calvinism: A Theological Introduction， Cory C。 Brock and N。 Gray Sutanto present the unique dogmatic contributions of the tradition。 Each chapter focuses on a distinct theological aspect， such as revelation， creation， salvation， and ecclesiology。 Neo-Calvinism produced rich theological work that yields promise for contemporary dogmatics。 This book invites readers into this rich theological trajectory。

"This book is the sign that [Neo-Calvinist] theology has now passed beyond the Dutch fairway。 It has reached the international waters。" --George Harinck

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Reviews

James ，

Excellent primer and introduction to major themes within Neo-Calvinist theology， as well as an apologetic for its useful in our modern world。

Josh ，

I have been excited about this release for months。 In fact， I preordered on Logos。com before stumbling across a review copy on NetGalley。 I canceled my preorder because I figured that I would just read the review copy and be good （I am poor-adjacent。。。 don't @ me！）。 But about a chapter in， I re-preordered because this is a volume I will read again and reference regularly。I had read Bartholomew's *Contours* a couple of years ago and enjoyed it and have read some Kuyper and some Bavinck， but Brock I have been excited about this release for months。 In fact， I preordered on Logos。com before stumbling across a review copy on NetGalley。 I canceled my preorder because I figured that I would just read the review copy and be good （I am poor-adjacent。。。 don't @ me！）。 But about a chapter in， I re-preordered because this is a volume I will read again and reference regularly。I had read Bartholomew's *Contours* a couple of years ago and enjoyed it and have read some Kuyper and some Bavinck， but Brock and Sutanto have written a great work that has re-sparked my desire to dive into the works of Kuyper and Bavinck。 Whereas Bartholomew seemed to focus on what developed out of the teaching of Kuyper， Brock and Sutanto's work really fills in the gaps for me as to what both Kupyer and Bavinck explicitly taught。 I appreciate the need and benefit of both approaches， but since Bartholomew's excellent work already exists， I am glad Brock and Sutanto went this route。 Plus， this volume functions well as a resource that will aid me greatly in approaching primary documents， so I appreciate that。 And while this book is fine in print （assumed） and ebook （for sure）， I think it shines brightest in Logos format with citations linked and searches and guides super accessible。Brock and Sutanto strike a good balance between being thoroughly sourced but not burdening the reader with ceaseless secondary references。 The vast majority of works referenced are primary writings from Kuyper and Bavinck and as such the book stays focused as a close reading of the two leading figures of early Neo-Calvinism。 e-ARC provided， Logos edition purchased。 Grab a copy of this and be blessed。 。。。more

Scott Bielinski ，

This is a tragically long review。 The short of it is that it’s a wonderful book and you should purchase it if you’re interested in Christian theology。 Lexham Press very kindly sent me a review copy， asking only for an honest review in return。 Though I typically don’t comment on a book’s aesthetic features， I must say: this is a gorgeous book， fitted with a deep green dust jacket， ornamented with a beautiful gold design。 Lexham did a marvelous job with the cover， the type-setting， and this book a This is a tragically long review。 The short of it is that it’s a wonderful book and you should purchase it if you’re interested in Christian theology。 Lexham Press very kindly sent me a review copy， asking only for an honest review in return。 Though I typically don’t comment on a book’s aesthetic features， I must say: this is a gorgeous book， fitted with a deep green dust jacket， ornamented with a beautiful gold design。 Lexham did a marvelous job with the cover， the type-setting， and this book as a whole。 Two of the main minds behind the Bavinck Revolution have put together a masterful work detailing how Neo-Calvinism is， first and foremost， a dogmatic and confessional movement。 Neo-Calvinism is often associated with mere “transformationalism” or simple cultural engagement because of Bavinck and Kuyper's later heirs。 Lamentably， these two associations are unmoored from Bavinck and Kuyper’s theological works。 Within these works， one finds a Neo-Calvinism that is “orthodox yet modern， self-consciously holistic， and organic， not mechanical” （8）。 This Calvinism is “a well-rounded worldview 。 。 。 [which] provides a more capacious vision that can satisfy the questions of the mind and the longings of the heart， and especially so amid the individualism and ideologies of the modern world” （41）。 Accordingly， this dogmatic system satisfies the whole person， offering them an entire world and life view lived under the generous benevolence of a sovereign God。 Thus， “Transformationalism” simply doesn’t cut it。 It is not true enough。 Brock and Sutanto have written this book to offer a holistic （pun intended） vision of Neo-Calvinism - and this book is a complete success in that regard。 If you’re interested in Bavinck， Kuyper， Neo-Calvinism， or theology more broadly， this is an excellent book， well worth your time。 The book concludes with a chapter on 16 Theses for Neo-Calvinism。 Though I’d like to list all of them， I will only list a few that I really liked。 The remainder of this review will be a few observations and a minor criticism。 “Neo-Calvinism is a critical reception of Reformed orthodoxy， contextualized to address the questions of modernity。” “Christianity can challenge， subvert and fulfill the cultures and philosophical systems of every age。”“The problem with the world is not ontological but ethical， that sin has corrupted much， in fact， everything。” “By the Spirit’s work in common grace， God restrains sin and gifts fallen humanity with moral， epistemic， and life-giving goods to enjoy， for the sake of redemption in Christ。” “God has truly revealed himself to every person both objectively and subjectively。 This implanted affection and knowledge of God is not a human determination as the product of reason （or natural theology）， but God’s general revelation by the presence of the Holy Spirit。” “The Bible is God’s revelation of himself， as the Spirit inspires a diversity of human authors to write all that God intends to communicate， which serves as the ultimate norm and agent of unity， though not the sole source， for the fields of knowledge。” “Jesus Christ’s Messianic dominion as King of the kingdom of God is the aim of God’s work in history and the purpose of creaturely redemption。” After two chapters on the relationship between Neo-Calvinism and Calvinism and the catholicity of the church， the rest of the book is structured according to the typical presentation of dogmatics in the Reformed tradition。 Brock and Sutanto discuss revelation and reason， Scripture， Creation， theological anthropology， common grace， and ecclesiology/eschatology。 I was especially interested in the chapters on prolegomena （revelation and reason）， theological anthropology， and common grace。 Brock and Sutanto do a nice job of showing how/where Bavinck and Kuyper attenuate the Reformed tradition， often with their “Romantic” tendencies。 For example， Bavinck understands revelation to be pre-cognitive， something that precedes the act of reasoning。 This is the kind of “knowledge” that humans have of God。 For Bavinck， taking his cues from German Romantic philosophy， this knowledge is “felt，” not articulated。 Bavinck upholds the subjective side of revelation （and Bavinck in no way does away with God’s objective revelation of Himself in nature and the conscience） through his notion that “feeling is not a separate faculty， but a specific activity within the knowing faculty in the human psyche” （78）。 Thus， feeling is a “function of the knowing faculty” （78）。 The upshot of this argument is that knowledge of God remains universal （per Romans 1）， even if not articulated: “One might come to know God， then， without thinking it” （80）。 It is important to emphasize that this is not a break with the Reformed tradition （Brock and Sutanto refer to it as “an appropriate recovery and updating of the older ‘Reformed doctrine of natural theology，’” 83） - but a creative rearticulating of it in modern philosophical vernacular。 Something that Schopenhauer would have understood and something in which he would have been interested。 This kind of anthropology demonstrates Bavinck’s “Romantic tinge” （97）， which has profound consequences for his theological anthropology。 That the conscience feels this kind of “revelatory pressure” （their word） demonstrates the significance of God’s presence for and to His creation。 This relationship is best summed up with the “organic motif，” which is chiefly about God’s own unity-in-diversity， which has ectypal implications for creation。 Because God is Trinity， creation mimics His unity and diversity， though there is a priority on creation’s unity， and “reality’s unity and diversity will share a common idea and goal: the glory of the Trinitarian God， with the Logos as Christ in its center” （188-89）。 Therefore， there is both a corporate and individual aspect to the image of God。 Each human is a “micro-divine being” （in RD 2:555， 562， quoted on 189）， and also humanity， conceived as a single organism， is the image of God， too。 For Bavinck， humans are a single organism by virtue of their “ethical unity。” So， humanity is not numerically one （as in， say， Jonathan Edwards）， but bound together by their ethical relations。 Sutanto writes， “In other words， Bavinck imbues an ontological significance to ethical relations。 Human beings are those for whom ethical relations are ontologically constitutive” （193）。 This kind of anthropology can be taken in several ways， though I specifically appreciate the deeply ethical and corporate component in Bavinck’s theology。 To be ethical is never to act in one’s own mere self-interest - to be a self is to exist in a corporate reality that makes certain demands of us。 At the heart of Bavinck’s conception of sin is that of egocentricity， something of which the Spirit heals us。 To be in fellowship is morally significant - “When Christians reconcile and bind ourselves in ethical ties with one another， we are not only obeying God’s commands - we are becoming more whole” （197）。 And it is God’s love that renews， reconnects， and binds together humanity， uniting it under the Lordship of Jesus Christ。 Given our modern cultural context， this vision of human life is profound and ripe for modern rearticulation。Lastly， the chapter on Common Grace is fantastic and probably demonstrates the most significant way in which one could say Bavinck and Kuyper break with （？） their Reformed tradition。 Brock and Sutanto define common grace this way: “God’s common grace is the fact of his loving patience in preserving both humanity and the creaturely cosmos despite human rebellion and its pollution corruption for the sake of redemption” （249）。 This is a meaty chapter wherein they work through this very distinctive doctrine， correcting many misunderstandings along the way。 For example， they draw out how it is first a dogmatic judgment about God before it is ever a call for cultural engagement: “[C]ommon grace is not first an ethical doctrine of public responsibility （though it offers the possibility of responsibility as a pastoral implication） but the confession of the love of the Triune God to the cosmos in toto” （221）。 This is significant because， above all， common grace is a “stage-setting love， for a particular， eschatological redemption。” Making it about anything else without acknowledging what it says chiefly about God and His redemptive purposes in the world inevitably skews any subsequent articulations thereof。 An interesting part of this chapter is the section on different classifications of common grace。 For instance， Kuyer refers to them as “internal” or “external” graces。 Examples of the former would be civic righteousness， family loyalty， and human virtue。 Examples of the latter would be when human mastery over nature increases （I do not like the sound of that one， to be honest）， the arts are celebrated （I do like the sound of that one， to be honest）， or the sciences move forward in their understanding of life （227-28）。 Both， though， are gifts of God’s Spirit。 They draw out how this is sourced in Calvin and how he taught these gifts to be given by God for humanity to enjoy。 These oft-overlooked insights from Calvin make moderns like Marilynne Robinson so entranced with Calvin’s thought， whose God is far more generous and benevolent than typically acknowledged。 Finally， this chapter ends with a sharp rejoinder to the Reformed tradition。 Insofar as that tradition imbibes the Roman Catholic Nature/Supernatural divide， Bavinck and Kuyper want to correct any notions of “natural knowledge” that teach that humans come up with theology “without any revelation。” For Bavinck and Kuyper， who hold to such a pronounced view of revelation （discussed above as a pre-cognitive ground for thought/knowledge）， this is a simple impossibility。 They want to preserve the fact that access to “natural law” is “grounded in common grace rather than creation” （240）。 No human interacts with creation without antecedent revelation。 In fact， we interact with creation by virtue of God’s supernatural work （revelation） in human consciousness。 There is no such thing as a mere reason or mere nature that operates apart from God’s work/working in the world。 This is interesting and I need to think more about it。I have very few criticisms of the book。 My biggest criticism， still minor， is their decision to not write a chapter on Bavinck/Kuyper’s doctrine of God。 Brock and Sutanto say that “[Bavinck and Kuyper] did not regard it as a doctrine to be rearticulated anew but rather were largely content with a retrieval of classical statements of the same” （7）。 Though true， I am not quite sure this is the whole truth。 As Gayle Doornbos has pointed out， Bavinck creatively and importantly takes notions of “absoluteness” and “personality” from his philosophical context to articulate his understanding of God， even predicating personality of the divine essence （see Doornbos’ essay “Bavinck’s Doctrine of God: Absolute， Divine Personality” in JBTS 6。2 （2021）: 331-348）。 Brock and Sutanto footnote Doornbos and Clausing’s dissertations to point out the “creative aspects of the doctrine of God from the neo-Calvinist tradition” （7n9）。 It seems to me that there is more there to be explored - indeed， Sutanto’s own brilliant dissertation （God and Knowledge: Herman Bavinck’s Theological Epistemology - Sutanto points out that Bavinck predicates personality of the divine essence on pg。 30 of his dissertation） indicates there is more to be explored on this particular point。 For me， this book represents a very friendly rejoinder to the popular “classical theology” movement。 Though appreciative and welcoming to classical theology， the robust Neo-Calvinism presented here contributes to a better theological methodology for the retrieval movement。 At its worst， this movement can often be simple repristination - not retrieval。 A slightly exaggerated anxiety toward modern philosophy hamstrings our ability to engage in theological formulation （and unwittingly participates in a kind of fundamentalism that divides us from our modern milieu）。 Moreover， it functions as a practical denial of common grace。 Neocalvinism （a la Bavinck， especially） “argued that the present age remains a remarkable opportunity to recommunicate the Christian faith in fresh ways” （8）。 Bavinck’s own eclectic methodology， which relied upon modern and classical insights， demonstrates this in significant ways。 For him and Kuyper， orthodoxy and modernity “exist in a reciprocal relationship” （291）。 To ignore modernity ignores “the gifts of providence and common grace” （291）。 To ignore orthodoxy is to be faithless ingrates， ignoring Christ and His Spirit’s work in leading the Church into scriptural and confessional truth。 Neither of these is a good option。 Instead， the right path is to follow their sensibilities and recontextualize them in our own modern context - like good Neo-Calvinists。 。。。more

Lee Irons ，

This book was helpful in the main and the authors accomplished what they intended。 I learned a lot about Kuyper and Bavinck， in terms of their own theology as it relates to the distinctives of neo-Calvinism， e。g。， general and special revelation， creation， common grace， sphere sovereignty， the church as institute vs。 organism， etc。 The authors had plenty of block quotes and exposition of Kuyper and Bavinck on these topics。 So it was helpful at the informative level， as an exposition of Kuyper and This book was helpful in the main and the authors accomplished what they intended。 I learned a lot about Kuyper and Bavinck， in terms of their own theology as it relates to the distinctives of neo-Calvinism， e。g。， general and special revelation， creation， common grace， sphere sovereignty， the church as institute vs。 organism， etc。 The authors had plenty of block quotes and exposition of Kuyper and Bavinck on these topics。 So it was helpful at the informative level， as an exposition of Kuyper and Bavinck’s theological views on these topics。I appreciated the fact that Brock and Sutanto wanted to distance themselves from the “transformational” brand of neo-Calvinism。 They have 16 theses at the end and number 14 is good: “Re-creation’s end is brought about by divine agency alone and brings creation to its original goal: that God would make his dwelling place with humankind， in a consummated and sanctified cosmos。” Christian engagement in culture is not to Christianize culture or transform it or bring in the kingdom， but to be a witness to the kingdom。 The true recreation of all things will only occur cataclysmically at the parousia of Christ。Still， there were so many areas where things were fuzzy and I could see how the transformationalist wing of neo-Calvinism （e。g。， Albert Wolters） can use Kuyper and Bavinck to get grist for their mill。 There is not a clear distinction between the cultural mandate before the fall and how it is refracted after the fall。 The eschatology of the covenant of works is affirmed， but at times it almost seems like an organic maturation process rather than a definitive passing of a probation。 Common grace and special grace are interwoven too closely。 The distinction between church as organism and as institute is fuzzy。 General and special revelation are interlaced too closely。 It all lacks clear Klinean distinctions。It was interesting to see Tim Keller’s endorsement of the book - his is the first one displayed both on the back cover and the first inside pages。 I almost got the sense as I was reading the book that it was a reading of Kuyper and Bavinck intended to provide a theological justification for Keller’s ministry posture， which I think they would basically define as a public theology engaged with modern culture。 。。。more

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