Posted by Helen on: 03.05.2009 /
I had a great time with Tim yesterday.
The lunch meeting was interesting. I understand better what The Surprising NeoCalvinist Mandate for Diversity means now although I won’t claim to have got it 100%.
I thought NeoCalvinism referred to Calvinism in 2009, but, no, it’s a branch of theology based on the ideas of Abraham Kuyper. He was a Dutchman who lived from 1837 – 1920 and was Prime Minister of the Netherlands at the beginning of the 20th century as well as being an influential theologian.
This is what Wikipedia says about Kuyper’s theological views
Theologically Kuyper has also been very influential. He opposed the liberal tendencies within the Dutch Reformed Church. This eventually led to secession and the foundation of Reformed Churches in the Netherlands. He developed so-called Neo-Calvinism, which differs from conventional Calvinism over issues such as divine grace and the role of the state. Furthermore, Kuyper was the first to formulate the principle of common grace in the context of a Reformed world-view.
Most important has been Kuyper’s view on the role of God in everyday life. He believed that God continually influenced the life of believers, and daily events could show his workings. Kuyper famously said, “Oh, no single piece of our mental world is to be hermetically sealed off from the rest, and there is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry: ‘Mine!’”[3] God continually re-creates the universe through acts of grace. God’s acts are necessary to ensure the continued existence of creation. Without his direct activity creation would self-destruct.
Vince said it was Kuyper who taught him he could engage with culture rather than running from it. Vince had already come to deeply resonate with Kuyper’s teachings when he was quite thrown to discover across a series of quotes in which Kuyper assumed people of color were inferior to white people. Vince reconciled himself to this by realizing that Kuyper was a product of his times and had he considered the full ramifications of his own ideas/teachings they preclude absolute views such as one race being absolutely superior to another.
Common Grace says that rather than the whole world apart from Christians being sinful, sin in the world is sinful. It encourages Christians to go out and engage and be involved in all sorts of ways that aren’t explicitly ‘evangelism’, because God is in all field of endeavor producing good and restraining evil.
Kuyper also taught equality and multiformity. Equality says we can’t recognize any authority of man over man except what God has imposed. Slavery therefore is condemned and also covert slavery of women and the poor. He had a vision of equality in spite of his specific racist views. Multiformity – there’s a complexity in the world and no-one can apprehend all knowledge on their own and more than one form of ecclesiology etc is valid. Context makes a difference in how people articulate things and that’s ok. This leads into the mandate for diversity, because it means, in no one culture will you find the way to live fully how to be human that all cultures have to conform to. Therefore it’s best if we learn from one another instead of assuming we are the ones who have it ‘absolutely right’.
That’s more or less how the talk went. Vince seems like a great guy. He laughed a lot when I told him that Off The Map’s tagline is “helping Christians learn to be normal” and said he was definitely going to visit the website.
It was neat to see John Armstrong again at the talk and that John and Tim got to meet each other. I had time to chat with Tim before and after the lunch which was great. I hope we’ll be able to connect again either on his future visits to Chicago or if I make it to Seattle again sometime.
Comment by: Eliza
1Helen,
I’m glad you could go to this; thanks for reporting on it.
I read more about Kuyper at the link you provided; had never heard of him before. His beliefs (as applied to society) seem complex! It was neat to read this:
(That seems very modern!)
Then there’s this, which seems to hold some contradictions:
It’s interesting to read your description of Vince’s comments on “Common Grace”, though I have to admit being a bit confused by this: “….God is in all fields of endeavor producing good and restraining evil.” It sounds like an understandable model, except doesn’t one then have to explain how it is that God isn’t necessarily winning, on the “restraining evil” aspect of things? (Do you know, does he attribute this to original sin and/or free will, or does he have a different explanation?)
Comment by: Jeff Eyges
2there is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry: ‘Mine!’”
Right - like a two year-old. Can you say “projection”, boys and girls?
All right, so they’re evangelicals who don’t think everything the secular world has to offer is evil. So?
Judaism has such a category as well; it’s called Modern Orthodoxy - and they manage to do it without consigning everyone else to hell (yes, I know - I’m a one-note instrument).
Why should I be impressed by this?
Comment by: Helen
3Eliza, I don’t know why he doesnt completely restrain evil. Calvinists tend to have the attitude that they should be grateful for any evil restraining he does, rather than wondering why he doesn’t restrain more.
Jeff thanks for your comment. You don’t need to be impressed - feel free not to be.