Abraham Kuyper’s view of the natural sciences

This paper examines Kuyper’s view of the natural sciences. For Kuyper science is by design a unique creature of God, it flourishes within society, it grows and develops. It is part of creation, so even if there were to have been no fall, we would still have science. The fall, however, has impacted on science to an unimaginable extent. Science is independent of both church and state, thus science must be allowed to flourish unhampered by both. Science, for Kuyper, involves thinking God’s thoughts after him. There are two kinds of science and two kinds of people: normalists and abnormalists – what makes the difference is regeneration or palingenesis – this is Kuyper’s antithesis. Common grace is important for science without it the post-fall decline of science would be absolute. Strands of scholasticism are identified in Kuyper’s approach.

Iman Kristen dan Ranah Publik: Sketsa Pemikiran Abraham Kuyper

Abraham Kuyper was arguably a Christian who had brought the implications of the Christian faith to the public sphere in a remarkable way. For Kuyper, the Christian faith had equally emphasized the importance of transformation of the heart and transformation of the society. Using a historical theology approach, this article attempts to present a sketch of Kuyper’s thought on the public implications of the Christian faith, which includes his concept of sphere sovereignty, visible organic church, and common grace. By elaborating on those three Kuyperian concepts, this article seeks to provide an introduction to Kuyper studies and to increase the reception of Kuyper’s theology in Indonesia.AbstrakAbraham Kuyper merupakan seorang Kristen yang dapat dikatakan cukup sukses dalam membawa implikasi iman Kristen ke ranah publik. Di mata Kuyper, iman Kristen yang memiliki penekanan kepada bagaimana hati seseorang diubah atau dilahirbarukan, harus juga menekankan, bagaimana iman tersebut diaplikasikan ter-hadap perubahan masyarakat, di mana seseorang tersebut tinggal, ke arah yang lebih baik. Melalui pendekatan teologi historika, artikel ini berupaya memberikan sebuah sketsa atas konsep-konsep pemikiran Kuyper seputar implikasi iman Kristen terhadap ranah publik, meliputi: ranah kedaulatan (sphere sovereignty), Gereja organik yang kelihatan (visible organic church), dan anugerah umum (common grace). Melalui ela-borasi atas ketiga konsep pemikiran tersebut, artikel ini diharapkan dapat menjadi pengantar kepada studi Kuyper sekaligus meningkatkan minat dan penerimaan atas teologi Kuyper di Indonesia.

Kuyperania in 2019

This article looks at new works published in 2019 by or about the Dutch polymath Abraham Kuyper. KEY CONCEPTS: Abraham Kuyper, Christ’s kingship, Common grace, education, international relations ABSTRAK Hierdie artikel kyk na nuwe werk gepubliseer in 2019 deur of oor die Nederlandse polimaat Abraham Kuyper. KERNBEGRIPPE: Abraham Kuyper, Christus se koningskap, gemeenskaplike genade, opvoeding, internasionale betrekkinge

Divine Command, Natural Law, and Redemption in Calvin’s Thought

Calvin formulates an ethical framework in which the idea of natural law is interwoven with divine command ethics in a way that leads to a new awareness of the unique relationship between God’s authority and human autonomy with regards to morality. For Calvin, God’s creational order is the ultimate source of natural law and the natural moral order perceived by natural reason still provides true sources for human morality. He does not underestimate, however, the noetic effect of sin on natural reason. In fact, Calvin takes seriously the epistemological limitation of the created but fallen natural reason with regard to understanding the true intention of creational moral order in its full scope and meaning. So, he argues that the scriptural revelation does not just complement natural morality, but it redeems it. His view thus successfully rules out extreme views of both natural law and divine command ethics that render morality either utterly autonomous or rigidly heteronomous. For Calvin, God’s authority in morality and the natural moral order are reconciled because the heteronomy of revealed laws and the autonomy of natural law are reintegrated in redeemed reason. In this view, humans can acknowledge the God-commanded biblical moral law by their natural reason because the biblical moral law is a written manifestation of natural law. The regenerate can wholly acknowledge it through the renewal of their natural reason while the unregenerate can partly acknowledge it through common grace of God that preserves functionality of natural reason in fallen humanity to a certain degree.

PANEL ON PUBLIC THEOLOGY

1. How Is Your Position Fitted To Address The Problems Of Public Theology? 2. Does Natural Theology Have A Contribution To Make To Public Theology? 3. How Do You Conceive Of Law And Gospel In Relation To Social Issues? 4. What Is The Role Of Common Grace In The Present Secular Situation In The West? 5. What Would Be The Best Outcome Of The Present Secularization Other Than Christ’s Return? 6. From Your Point Of View, What Is The Major Problem With Other Positions? KEYWORDS:

Kuyper and vaccinations a case study in Kuyper’s approach to an ethical issue

The 2019 translation of the second volume of Abraham Kuyper’s Pro Rege contains chapters on his approach to vaccinations. This article examines his arguments in favour of vaccinations as a case study on Kuyper’s approach to an ethical issue. Kuyper utilizes both sphere sovereignty and common grace as the key philosophical tools as well as using scriptural, rhetorical and pragmatic arguments to make his case.

Common Grace, Like Sense, Certainly Not as Common as It Should Be

This paper was written to discuss whether or not to agree with the claim that ‘The question is not whether the church has a political right to speak politically, but whether it has a theological duty’ and to provide an appropriate rational. In answering this I use one of the supporting lectures for the unit which suggests that preaching, as understood by the Second Helvetic Confession (SHC), provides the method for engaging with the public square. I offer a particularly Pentecostal critique of this approach with a view to effectively and fruitfully engaging the public square