Grace in Common
By Eglinton, Brock, Sutanto and De Jong
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Grace in CommonJun 19, 2023
Stewardship - Live from the 2024 Kuyper Conference
The conversation explores the concept of stewardship from a theological perspective, particularly within the neo-Calvinist tradition. It was recorded live at the 2024 Kuyper Conference at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, MI.
We are grateful for the support of the Abraham Kuyper Leadership Fund to make this live recording possible.
- John Calvin, Commentary on the book of Genesis
- Klaas Schilder, Christ and Culture Annotated by Jochem Douma (Lucerna, 2016).
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Abraham Kuyper as a Journalist with Johan Snel
In this episode, we sit down with Johan Snel to discuss his work on Abraham Kuyper's journalism.
Publications mentioned in this episode:
Snel. Abraham Kuyper, een leven in de journalistiek. Koninklijke Boom uitgevers, 2023.
Snel, Johan. De Zeven Levens van Abraham Kuyper: Portret van Een Ongrijpbare Staatsman. Amsterdam: Prometheus, 2020.
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The 16 Theses of Neo-Calvinism
In this episode, we end our discussion on chapters from Gray and Cory's book Neo-Calvinism, by discussing the 16 theses provided at the end of the book.
Publications mentioned in this episode:
Brock, Cory C., and N. Gray Sutanto. Neo-Calvinism: A Theological Introduction. Bellingham: Lexham Press, 2023.
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The Church and the World Part 3
In this episode, we return to the discussion on chapters from Gray and Cory's book Neo-Calvinism: A Theological Introduction. In particular, we return to the discussion about Neo-Calvinism’s ecclesiology and how the Church relates to the world.
Publications mentioned in this episode:
Brock, Cory C., and N. Gray Sutanto. Neo-Calvinism: A Theological Introduction. Bellingham: Lexham Press, 2023.
Kaemingk, Matthew, and Cory B. Willson. Work and Worship: Reconnecting Our Labor and Liturgy. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, 2020.
Bavinck, Johan Herman. De Zegen van den Arbeid. J.N. Voorhoeve, 1949
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2023 Re-cap for Neo-Calvinism
Is Neo-Calvinism's Ecclesiology Insufficient? - The Church Part 2
In this episode, we return to the discussion on chapters from Gray and Cory's book Neo-Calvinism: A Theological Introduction. In particular, we return to the discussion about Neo-Calvinism’s ecclesiology and Klass Schilder’s critique of the organism-institute distinction.
Publications mentioned in this episode:
Brock, Cory C., and N. Gray Sutanto. Neo-Calvinism: A Theological Introduction. Bellingham: Lexham Press, 2023.
Puchinger, G., and Nicolaas Scheps. Gesprek over de onbekende Kuyper. Kampen: Kok, 1971.
Schilder, Klaas, George Harinck, Marinus De Jong, and Richard Mouw. The Klaas Schilder Reader The Essential Theological Writings. Ashland: Faithlife Corporation, 2022.
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Neo-Calvinism and the Church Part 1
In this episode, we return to the discussion on chapters from Gray and Cory's book Neo-Calvinism: A Theological Introduction. In particular, we discuss the distinction between the church as institute and the church as organism.
Publications mentioned in this episode:
Brock, Cory C., and N. Gray Sutanto. Neo-Calvinism: A Theological Introduction. Bellingham: Lexham Press, 2023.
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A conversation with Nicholas Wolterstorff
Common Grace and the Gospel
On today's episode we return to discussion on chapters from Gray and Cory's book Neo-Calvinism: A Theological Introduction. We discuss the idea of Common Grace and how it is commonly misunderstood.
Publications mentioned in this episode: Cory C. Brock and N. Gray Sutanto, Neo-Calvinism: A Theological Introduction. Bellingham: Lexham Press, 2023. Reach us at graceincommonpodcast@gmail.com. If you want to make a donation, please visit https://donorbox.org/graceincommon
Porches and Forecourts: How to Reach the West Again (live in NYC)
In this second episode life from Redeemer East Harlem in New York city, we discuss the concept of porches and forecourts.
Reflecting on Keller's Center Church (live in NYC)
This week the team shares a live discussion from Redeemer East Harlem in New York City. We discuss the impact and future of Tim Keller's influential book Center Church.
Is Kierkegaard among the Neo-Calvinists? A Conversation with Amber Bowen
This week we discuss the philosopher Søren Kierkegaard with Dr. Amber Bowen. We discuss Kierkegaard's writings and philosophy, similarities between his ideas and Neo-Calvinism, and Kierkegaard's impact on later Neo-Calvinist writers.
Publications discussed in this episode:
C. Stephen Evans, Kierkegaard: An Introduction, Cambridge University Press, 2009. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kierkegaard-Introduction-C-Stephen-Evans/dp/0521700418/
Merold Westphal, Kierkegaards's Concept of Faith (Kierkegaard as a Christian Thinker), Eerdmans, 2014. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kierkegaards-Concept-Kierkegaard-Christian-Thinker/dp/0802868061
Søren Kierkegaard, For Self-Examination, 1851 in Kierkegaard`s Writings, XXI, Volume 21 – For Self–Examination / Judge For Yourself!: 32 (Kierkegaard's Writings, 32), Princeton University Press, 1992. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kierkegaards-Writings-XXI-Self-Examination-Yourself/dp/0691020663
Søren Kierkegaard, Eighteen Upbuilding Discourses: 37 (Kierkegaard's Writings, 37), Princeton University Press, 1992. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Eighteen-Upbuilding-Discourses-Kierkegaards-Writings/dp/0691020876
Neo-Calvinist Politics with David Koyzis
In this episode we discuss neo-Calvinist politics with David Koyzis who authored a chapter in the forthcoming T&T Clark Handbook of Neo-Calvinism.
Publications mentioned in this episode
Nathaniel Gray Sutanto and Cory Brock, T&T Clark Handbook of Neo-Calvinism, (London: Bloomsbury, 2024), https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/tt-clark-handbook-of-neocalvinism-9780567698094/
David T. Koyzis, Political Visions & Illusions – A Survey & Christian Critique of Contemporary Ideologies, (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2019), https://www.amazon.co.uk/Political-Visions-Illusions-Contemporary-Ideologies-dp-0830852425/dp/0830852425/
The Image of God and the Fall of Man
In this episode, Marinus, James, and Gray continue their discussion of Cory and Gray's book Neo-Calvinism: A Theological Introduction by discussing Neo-Calvinism's contribution to the doctrine of the image of God.
Creation and Re-Creation
Publications mentioned in this episode:
Herman Bavinck, Cory Brock, and Nathaniel Gray Sutanto. Philosophy of Revelation: A New Annotated Edition Adapted and Expanded from the 1908 Stone Lectures: Presented at Princeton Theological Seminary. A new annotated edition. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2018.
J.H. Bavinck, Between the Beginning and the End: A Radical Kingdom Vision. Grand Rapids, Wiliam B. Eerdmans, 2014.
Cory C. Brock and N. Gray Sutanto, Neo-Calvinism: A Theological Introduction. Bellingham: Lexham Press, 2023.
Abigail Favale, The Genesis of Gender: A Christian Theory. San Francisco, CA: Ignatius Press, 2022.
Klas Schilder, Heidelbergse Catechismus. Volume 2
Oswald Spengler, Die untergang des Abendlandes.
Oswald Spengler, The Decline of the West. London: Arktos, 2021
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Kintsugi and Neo-Calvinism: A Conversation with Makoto Fujimura
In this special episode recorded at the 2023 Kuyper Conference at Redeemer University, we sit down with Kuyper prize winner, Makoto Fujimura and discuss his life, art, and faith.
Books mentioned:
Makoto Fujimura, Art+Faith: A Theology of Making (Yale University Press, 2021). https://www.amazon.com/Art-Faith-Theology-Makoto-Fujimura/dp/0300254148/
Makoto Fujimura, Culture Care (IVPress, 2017). https://www.amazon.com/Culture-Care-Reconnecting-Beauty-Common/dp/0830845038/
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Neo-Calvinism and Scripture
In this episode, Marinus, James, and Cory continue their discussion of Cory and Gray's book Neo-Calvinism: A Theological Introduction by discussing Neo-Calvinism's contribution to the doctrine of Scripture. Publications mentioned in this episode:
- Cory C. Brock and N. Gray Sutanto, Neo-Calvinism: A Theological Introduction (Bellingham: Lexham Press, 2023).
- Herman Bavinck, Christian Science (Wheaton: Crossway, 2022).
- Gijsbert van den Brink, Reformed Theology and Evolutionary Theory (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2020)
- G. Harinck, C. Van der Kooi and J. Vree (eds.), Als Bavinck nu maar eens kleur bekende (Amsterdam: VU Uitgeverij, 1994).
- Lamin Sanneh, Translating the Message: The Missionary Impact on Culture (Orbis, 2015)
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Remembering Donald Macleod
On Tim Keller with Collin Hansen: His Spiritual and Intellectual Formation
Hansen, Collin. Timothy Keller: His Spiritual and Intellectual
Formation. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2023. www.amazon.com/Timothy-Keller-Spiritual-Intellectual-Formation/dp/0310128684/
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General Revelation and Reason
Metioned in this episode:
Cory C. Brock and N. Gray Sutanto, Neo-Calvinism: A Theological Introduction (Bellingham: Lexham Press, 2023). lexhampress.com/product/224276/neo-calvinism-a-theological-introduction
J. H. Bavinck, James Perman Eglinton, and Timothy Keller, Personality and
Worldview (Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 2023). www.crossway.org/books/personality-and-worldview-hcj/
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Neo-Calvinism vs. Paleo-Calvinism
In this episode we continue our discussion of Cory and Gray's book Neo-Calvinism: A Theological Introduction, by talking about Neo-Calvinism's relationship to the broader Reformed tradition. In what sense is Neo-Calvinism Calvinistic? In what sense is it new?
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Is Neo-Calvinism Theological?
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Christian Politics, Pluralism and Kate Forbes
In Scotland, Kate Forbes was one of the three candidates for Prime Minister, the highest office. (This podcast was recorded before the election ended.) She is also an orthodox Christian and is open about her views. This has created a controversy in Scotland and put the notion of worldview on the public table. Can you be a Christian and PM? How do personal views relate to a public office? How does christianity relate to a liberal democracy? Are we still truly plural? We approach these questions from a neo-Calvinist perspective and from our the different nations and political systems we represent.
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Listener Q&A Season 2
In this episode, we close season 2 and consider a number of questions from listeners including topics like Two Kingdoms theology, Christian nationalism, the Gospel, missions, and technology.
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Uncommon Unity with Richard Lints
Richard Lints is senior consulting theologian for Redeemer City to City and formerly a professor of theology at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. In this episode we talk about his recent book Uncommon Unity: Wisdom for the Church in an Age of Division which appeared with Lexham Press recently:
https://lexhampress.com/product/224275/uncommon-unity-wisdom-for-the-church-in-an-age-of-division
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Biblical Critical Theory with Chris Watkin, Part 2
Christopher Watkin, Biblical Critical Theory: How the Bible's Unfolding Story Makes Sense of Modern Life and Culture (Zondervan Academic, 2022). Johan H. Bavinck, Persoonlijkheid en wereldbeschouwing (1924) The English translation, Personality and Worldview is forthcoming with Crossway. To support our Podcast, click here: donorbox.org/support-grace-in-common-podcast
Biblical Critical Theory with Chris Watkin, Part 1
Christopher Watkin, Biblical Critical Theory: How the Bible's Unfolding Story Makes Sense of Modern Life and Culture (Zondervan Academic, 2022). To support our Podcast, click here: donorbox.org/support-grace-in-common-podcast
Theology and Science
Herman Bavinck, Christianity and Science, trans. N. Gray Sutanto, James Eglinton, Cory Brock (Crossway, forthcoming 2023).
James Eglinton, 'Technoethics and the pursuit of human flourishing,' Edinburgh Friends (2019).
Joshua Ralston, 'Islam as Christian Trope: The Place and Fucntion of Islam in Reformed Dogmatic Theology' in Muslim World 107.4 (2017), 754-776
Dan Strange, Their Rock is Not Like Our Rock: A Theology of Religions (Zondervan 2017).
Marinus de Jong, 'The Heart of the Academy: Herman Bavinck in Debate with Modernity on the Academy, Theology and the Church' in Gordon Graham (ed.), The Kuyper Center Review Volume Five: Church and Academy (Eerdmans 2015), 62-75. To support our Podcast, click here: donorbox.org/support-grace-in-common-podcast
Political Theology, Christian Nationalism?, and Dooyeweerd with Jonathan Chaplin
Dr Jonathan Chaplin is Honorary Fellow of Wesley House, Cambridge Theological Federation, an expert on political theology, and a contributor to the work of the Centre for Faith in Public Life. See here for his excellent books including Faith in Democracy and Beyond Establishment: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jonathan-Chaplin/e/B003P9BZFC?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1667812526&sr=8-1
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Neo-Calvinism and Biblical Studies with Koert van Bekkum
Koert van Bekkum's publications mentioned in the episode
Koert van Bekkum, "De gereformeerde theologie van Klaas Schilder" in: Radix 23 (1997), 123-166.
Koert van Bekkum, "Naar de klaarblijkelijke bedoeling zintuiglijk waarneembaar. De kwestie Geelkerken in theologiehistorisch perspectief." in George Harinck (ed.), De kwestie Geelkerken: een terugblik na 75 jaar (Barneveld: Vuurbaak, 2001), 87-108.
Koert van Bekkum, From Conquest to Coexistence: Ideology and Antiquarian Intent in the Historiography of Israel’s Settlement in Canaan (Leiden: Brill, 2011)
Neo-Calvinist Biblical scholars mentioned in the episode
Maarten Noordtzij (1840-1915), professor of Old Testament, Kampen Theological University
Geerhardus Vos (1862-1949), professor of Biblical Theology, Princeton Theological University
Arie Noordtzij (1871-1944), professor of Old Testament, Utrecht University
Saekle Greijdanus (1871-1948), professor of New Testament, Kampen Theological University
Cornelis van Gelderen (1872-1945), professor of Old Testament, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Jan Ridderbos (1879-1960), professor of Old Testament, Kampen Theological University
G. Ch. Aalders (1880-1961), professor of Old Testament, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Willem Frederik Grosheide (1881-1972), professor of New Testament, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Herman Ridderbos (1909-2007), professor of New Testament, Kampen Theological University
Jakob van Bruggen (1936), professor of New Testament, Kampen Theological University
Sacred Places: The City and The Rural
Philosophy for Theology?
Tim Keller on Pastoral Ministry and neo-Calvinism
In our day, few pastors are as globally influential as Tim Keller, the founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, and author of the New York Times bestseller The Reason for God (2008). Less well-known is the important role played by neo-Calvinism in shaping Keller's thought and approach to pastoral ministry. Join us for a conversation with Tim, as we discuss his own journey towards neo-Calvinism, his views on the tradition's strengths and weaknesses, and its future in the United States and further afield.
Sources:
Timothy Keller, 'Neo-Calvinism and Pastoral Ministry,' in Cory Brock and Gray Sutanto, eds., The T&T Clark Handbook to Neo-Calvinism (forthcoming)
Hans Rookmaaker, Modern Art and the Death of Culture (Crossway, 1994)
Herman Bavinck, The Wonderful Works of God (Westminster Seminary Press, 2020)
Herman Bavinck, Christian Worldview (Crossway, 2019)
Louis Berkhof, Systematic Theology (Eerdmans, 1932)
Willie James Jennings, The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race (Yale University Press, 2010)
Eric Kaufmann, Shall the Religious Inherit the Earth? Demography and Politics in the Twenty-First Century (Profile Books, 2010)
Organic Theology?
Why does neo-Calvinist theology talk in 'organic' terms? Join us for a discussion of unity-in-diversity from a distinctly Christian perspective.
How to be Secular
An episode on Neo-Calvinism and Secularization. What is secularization? How does Neo-Calvinism relate to the secular? Is Neo-Calvinism responsible for secularization in the Netherlands--including a novel designation for Neo-Calvinist political theology as "Disestablished establishmentarianism" by Cory Brock.
Our favorite summer books:
- J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings (1954-1955)
- James Martin SJ, Learning to Pray: A Guide for Everyone (2021)
- Abraham Kuyper, Pro Rege. Living under Christ's Kingship, Volume 1 (2016)
- Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
- Nathaniel Gray Sutanto and Cory Brock (eds.), T&T Clark Handbook to Neo-Calvinism (forthcoming)
Other references in the episode
- Charles Taylor, A Secular Age (2007)
- London Lyceum Podcast "A Protestant Political Theology Roundtable" (June 20, 2022)
Listener Q & A
In the final episode of season 1, we respond to questions submitted by Grace in Common listeners:
1) What's the difference between neo-Kuyperian and neo-Calvinist?
2) What does 'grace restores nature' mean?
3) How does the relationship between believing and belonging work in neo-Calvinism?
4) Is there a 21st century Herman Bavinck?
5) What about Herman Dooyeweerd?
We close the series with a free book giveaway: share our episode on Twitter, along with a suggestion for a topic for season 2, to have a chance at winning the Klaas Schilder reader, and Bavinck's Christian Worldview.
Sources cited:
Abraham Kuyper, Pro Rege (2016)
J.H. Bavinck, Personality and Worldview (2023)
Tom Holland, Dominion (2019)
The Vision of God: a Conversation with Michael Allen
Join us for a conversation with Michael Allen, Professor of Systematic Theology at RTS Orlando, on the beatific vision - the Christian teaching that the goal of human existence is to 'see God'. In recent years, the neo-Calvinist tradition has faced critical questioning on the richness of its handling of this important doctrine. In this week's episode, we discuss those critiques, particularly in relation to Bavinck's Reformed Dogmatics.
Works cited:
Michael Allen, Grounded in Heaven: Recentering Christian Hope and Life on God (2018)
Michael Allen, 'On Bavinck, the Beatific Vision, and Theological Practice,' Reformed Faith and Practice (2022).
Hans Boersma, Seeing God: The Beatific Vision in Christian Tradition (2018)
Herman Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics, 4 vols. (2003-8)
Cory Brock, 'Revisiting Bavinck and the Beatific Vision,' Journal of Biblical and Theological Studies (2021)
James Eglinton, Bavinck: A Critical Biography (2020)
Critical Retrieval: Kuyperians, Race, and Generosity with Vincent Bacote
Suggested Reading:
Vincent Bacote, The Spirit in Public Theology (Baker Academic, 2005); 'Erasing Race', in Black Scholars in White Space, Anthony Bradley (ed.), (Pickwick, 2015); Reckoning with Race (Brill, 2021), 'Kuyper on Race' in Calvinism for a Secular Age, Rob and Jessica Joustra (eds.), (IVP, 2022).
Richard Mouw, Abraham Kuyper: A Short and Personal Introduction (Eerdmans, 2011)
J. Kameron Karter, Race: A Theological Account (Oxford, 2009)
The Neo-Calvinist Bonhoeffer: Klaas Schilder
An episode on the occasion of the publication of the Klaas Schilder Reader. A Neo-Calvinist Bonhoeffer, a "loyal opposition in the Neo-Calvinist tradition", "a theology for the trenches of life". Who was this second generation neo-Calvinist? How did he differ from Kuyper and Bavinck? Join us in a conversation about possible weaknesses in the Neo-Calvinist tradition on sphere sovereignty, common grace, the church as institution etc.
- George Harinck, Marinus de Jong and Richard Mouw (eds.), The Klaas Schilder Reader: The Essential Theological Writings (Lexham Academic, 2022) https://lexhampress.com/product/213957/the-klaas-schilder-reader-the-essential-theological-writings
- Marinus de Jong, “The Church is the Means, the World is the End: The Development of Klaas Schilder’s thought on the Church and the World (PhD Thesis, Kampen Theological University, 2019) https://www.tukampen.nl/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/proefschrift-Marinus-de-Jong-final-3.pdf
Our essential Neo-calvinist reading list:
Primary Sources
- Herman Bavinck, “The Catholicity of Christendom and Church” in: Calvin Theological Journal 27 (1992) https://sources.neocalvinism.org/.full_pdfs/bavinck_1992_catholicity.pdf
- Herman Bavinck, “Modernity and Orthodoxy” in The Bavinck Review 7 (2016) https://sources.neocalvinism.org/.full_pdfs/bavinck_2016_modernism.pdf also in Bruce Pass (ed.), On Theology: Herman Bavinck's Academic Orations (Brill)
- Bavinck, “The Kingdom of God, The Highest Good” In: The Bavinck Review 2 (2011) https://sources.neocalvinism.org/.full_pdfs/bavinck_2011_kingdom.pdf
- Abraham Kuyper, Lectures on Calvinism (1898) https://sources.neocalvinism.org/.full_pdfs/kuyper/LecturesOnCalvinism.pdf
- Abraham Kuyper, ”Conservatism and orthodoxy: False and True Preservation” in James Bratt (ed.), Abraham Kuyper: A Centennial Reader (Eerdmans, 1998)
- Abraham Kuyper, ”Uniformity and the Curse of Modern Life” in James Bratt (ed.), Abraham Kuyper: A Centennial Reader (Eerdmans, 1998)
Secondary Sources
- Jessica Joustra and Robert Joustra (eds.), Calvinism for a Secular Age (IVP, 2022) https://www.ivpress.com/calvinism-for-a-secular-age
- James Eglinton, Herman Bavinck: A Critical Biography (Baker Academic, 2020) http://bakerpublishinggroup.com/books/bavinck/397260
- James Bratt, Abraham Kuyper: Modern Calvinist, Christian Democrat (Eerdmans, 2013) https://www.eerdmans.com/Products/6906/abraham-kuyper.aspx
- Cory Brock and Nathanial Sutanto, Neo-Calvinism: A Theological Introduction (Lexham, forthcoming) https://lexhampress.com/product/224276/neo-calvinism-a-theological-introduction
Dresschatology: a Conversation with Robert Covolo
What, if anything, does theology have to say about how we clothe our bodies? Join us for a conversation with neo-Calvinist cultural theologian Dr Robert Covolo, author of Fashion Theology, for a wide-ranging discussion on culture, fashion, and theology.
Works cited:
Robert Covolo, Fashion Theology (Baylor University Press, 2020)
Abraham Kuyper, 'Uniformity: The Curse of Modern Life,' Abraham Kuyper: A Centennial Reader (Eerdmans, 1998)
David Friedrich Strauss, The Old Faith and The New: A Confession (1872)
Friedrich Nietzsche, 'David Strauss, the Confessor and the Writer,' Untimely Meditations (1873)
Thomas Carlyle, Sartor Resartus: The Life and Opinions of Herr Teufelsdröckh in Three Books (1831)
Carl Trueman, The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self: Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, and the Road to Sexual Revolution (Crossway, 2020)
Charles Taylor, The Ethics of Authenticity (Harvard University Press, 2018)
Christ, Culture, Keller, and the Third Way
In this episode, we discuss the current online controversy on the 'third way' - an approach to Christianity and culture currently most closely associated with Tim Keller, but most historically rooted in the neo-Calvinist tradition. Join us for American, Asian, and European perspectives on this American debate.
Sources:
James Wood, 'How I Evolved on Tim Keller,' First Things.
Aaron Renn, 'The Three Worlds of Evangelicalism,' First Things.
Chris Watkin, 'The Third Way is Dead. Long Live the Third Way!,' The Gospel Coalition.
Rod Dreher, 'Tim Keller & Myxomatosis Christians,' The American Conservative.
Gray Sutanto, 'The Limits of Christian Pluralism, and the Relevance of Neo-Calvinism for Indonesia,' Australian Broadcasting Corporation: Religion and Ethics.
Gray Sutanto, 'The Ahok Affair: How Should Christians Respond?,' Australian Broadcasting Corporation: Religion and Ethics.
Timothy Keller, Center Church (2012).
Theology of Place
...
The University
In this episode of Grace in Common we discuss the University, its Christian origins and the way in which the University still is a deeply Christian concept.
- Seb Falk, The Light Ages: The Surprising Story of Medieval Science (2020)
- Herman Bavinck, Christelijke wetenschap (Kok, 1904); English Translation Christian Scholarship (Crossway, forthcoming)
- Abraham Kuyper, Lectures on Calvinism (1898)
- Timothy Keene, "Kuyper and Dooyeweerd: Sphere Sovereignty and Modal Aspects" in: Transformation: An International Journal of Holistic Mission Studies 33-1 (2016)
- Marinus de Jong ”The Heart of the Academy: Herman Bavinck in Debate with Modernity on the Academy, Theology and the Church” in The Kuyper Center Review. Vol 5 (Eerdmans, 2015)
- Nathaniel Gray Sutanto, God and Knowledge: Herman Bavinck’s Theological Epistemology ( T&T Clark, 2020)
Neo-Calvinism East and West: a Conversation with Alex Tseng
In this episode, we have a full-orbed conversation with Shao Kai Tseng (DPhil, Oxford). He is research professor in the Department of Philosophy at Zhejiang University, China. He is the author of Karl Barth's Infralapsarian Theology (2016) and Hegel (2018), and a contributor to the Oxford Handbook of Nineteenth-Century Christian Thought (2017) and Blackwell Companion to Karl Barth.
How to be a modern Christian
Neo-Calvinism is well-known for its combination of orthodoxy and modernity. It is neither a nostalgic return to the Calvinism of 16th century Geneva, nor a principled rejection of older Christian tradition. Instead, it is something different. In this episode we discuss the neo aspect of neo-Calvinism: its relationship to the modern world. Join us for a conversation on why we are all implicated in the complex negotiation that is modernity, and on how to embody the Christian faith in that setting.
Sources mentioned:
- Cory Brock, Orthodox yet Modern: Herman Bavinck's Use of Friedrich Schleiermacher (Lexham, 2020)
- Immanuel Kant, 'What does it mean to orient oneself in thinking?,' in Religion: within the boundaries of mere reason
- Robert Covolo, Fashion Theology (Baylor University Press, 2020)
- Shmuel Eisenstadt (ed), Multiple Modernities (Transaction Publishers, 2002)
- Cameron Clausing, 'Dogmatics: A Progressive Science?,' Journal of Biblical and Theological Studies 6.2 (2021), 349-66
Apologetics
In this episode, Cory Brock, Gray Sutanto, and James Eglinton discuss the distinctive account of apologetics found in the neo-Calvinist tradition. Join us as we cover the applications of apologetics to psychology and culture, and its relationship to evangelism.
Books mentioned:
- James Bratt, John Bolt, Paul Visser (eds.), The J.H. Bavinck Reader (2013), especially 'Religious Consciousness and Christian Faith'
- Cornelius van Til, Defense of the Faith (1955)
- James Eglinton, 'Voetius: Can we classify sin?', 'Herman Bavinck: Can we predict sin?', 'J.H. Bavinck: Can we Psychologise Sin?'
- Daniel Strange, Their Rock is not like our Rock: A Theology of Religions (2015)
- Tom Holland, Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind (2019)
Against the World: The Antithesis
Whoever says Neo-Calvinism, says common grace. In this episode we discuss another key feature of the Neo-Calvinist tradition: the antithesis. What is the meaning of this idea? How does it root in the Bible? What is its place in the whole theology? How does it relate to common grace? What does it mean in practice?
On Preaching
In this episode, we discuss preaching and neo-Calvinism. Many evangelicals turn to neo-Calvinism in search of resources for cultural life beyond the church, but overlook its significance in how we think about preaching. By its emphasis on the redemptive-historical reading of Scripture, neo-Calvinism connects us to an ancient way of reading and preaching from the Bible. Added to this, its deeply Augustinian anthropology helps us understand the people who hear our preaching. Together, these emphases offer resources for preachers as those who exegete the Bible and the human soul. Join us as we discuss how those ideas have shaped how we preach in our distinct cultural contexts: Amsterdam, Edinburgh, and Jackson.
Resources mentioned:
- James Eglinton (ed., tr.), Herman Bavinck on Preaching and Preachers (Hendrickson, 2017).
- Tim Keller, Preaching: Communicating Faith in an Age of Scepticism (Hodder & Stoughton, 2015).
- Tim Keller, 'Preaching to the Heart,' TGC 15.
- J.H. Bavinck, 'De prediking als theologisch probleem,' Vox theologica (1957-58), 42-48. [Dutch]
- K. Schilder, Kerktaal en leven (Holland, 1923) [Dutch] https://www.dbnl.org/tekst/schi008kerk01_01/
- A Noordtzij, The Old Testament Revelation and the Ancient Oriental Life (Bibliotheca Sacra 1913)
- Koert van Bekkum, From Conquest to Coexistence Ideology and Antiquarian Intent in the Historiography of Israel's Settlement in Canaan (Brill, 2011)
- Larry Hurtado, Destroyer of the Gods: Early Christian Distinctiveness in the Roman World (Baylor University Press, 2015).
- Rodney Stark, The Rise of Christianity: A Sociologist Reconsiders History (Princeton University Press, 2020)
Worldview and why you probably don't have one.
Music Theology: a Conversation with Leah Boyd
In this episode, we talk with Leah Boyd (Twitter: @LeahBSassy) about music, liturgy, and theology. Because of its rich theology of culture, neo-Calvinism is often assumed to be a resource for Christianity outside of the church. Less well known is the liturgical tradition produced by Bavinck and Kuyper, which is distinctly neo-Calvinistic in its attempts to progress ancient liturgical practices into the modern age. How does the tradition help us think through what churches sing, and how they sing it?
For an introduction to Leah: Kaitlyn Schiess, 'For Popular Seminarian, Sassiness is a Spiritual Gift,' Christianity Today, June 11, 2021.
The books we discuss are:
- Abraham Kuyper, Our Worship (Eerdmans, 2009).
- James K.A. Smith, Cultural Liturgies Boxed Set (Baker Academic, 2017).
- Bill Edgar, Taking Note of Music (Third Way Books, 1986).
- Nicholas Wolterstorff, Acting Liturgically (Oxford University Press, 2018).
- Nicholas Wolterstorff, The God We Worship (Eerdmans, 2015).