The fifth post in a series drawing from and interacting with Richard Mouw's Abraham Kuyper: A Short and Personal Introduction (Eerdmans, 2011). Today there is a fundamental error occurring in the way we think about the Church. We confuse and collapse two concepts into one, leading us down a dangerous path. These concepts are the Church of Christ and the Kingdom of Christ. “Kuyper makes much of the fact that the Kingdom of Christ is much bigger than the institutional church.” (Mouw, 57) When we hold that the … [Read more...] about Kuyper on The Role of the Church
creation
Introducing Kuyper’s “Sphere Sovereignty”
The fourth post in a series introducing the thought of Abraham Kuyper. The series draws from and interacts with Richard Mouw's Abraham Kuyper: A Short and Personal Introduction (Eerdmans, 2011). Kuyper's love of multiplicity and unity ran deep. He thought it was the bedrock of creation, as shown previously. We discussed what not to do with diversity and unity and now it falls on us to examine what the proper use of the two realities is. Kuyper's answer lays in a key concept that is not fully developed, that … [Read more...] about Introducing Kuyper’s “Sphere Sovereignty”
Kuyper’s View of Creation
The third post in a series drawing from and interacting with Richard Mouw's Abraham Kuyper: A Short and Personal Introduction (Eerdmans, 2011). If Christ's concern, and therefore our concern is the redemption of the whole of Creation, how do we go about this? “How are we as Christians to work at redeemed cultural activity?” (Mouw, 15) The simple answer is that we dwell in the love of Christ and share His will. Before we get into the nuances of this answer, we need to look at the nature of Creation. … [Read more...] about Kuyper’s View of Creation
Kuyper’s Vision of Sin and Redemption
Second post in a series drawing from and interacting with Richard Mouw's Abraham Kuyper: A Short and Personal Introduction (Eerdmans, 2011). If you missed it, you may desire to start at the beginning of the series with The Lure of Kuyper. Following the biblical narrative, Kuyper holds: when Eve and Adam succumbed to the Serpent's challenge, then, they turned their wills away from God and placed their ultimate trust in something less than God. (Mouw, 10) This turning of the will, not necessarily the act, is … [Read more...] about Kuyper’s Vision of Sin and Redemption
Navigating Beginnings: Glory-Seeking Ministry in the Academic Life (Scholar’s Compass)
For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord's glory, as the waters cover the sea. -- Habakkuk 2:14 (HCSB) Reflection I didn't want a career in the university world. That's not how you were expecting this devotional to start, is it? My original intention when I began studying physics as a university freshman was to become a high school physics teacher. Then, I became involved in campus ministry (with my weeknights full of meetings and my backpack full of gospel tracts) and fell in awe over Bible … [Read more...] about Navigating Beginnings: Glory-Seeking Ministry in the Academic Life (Scholar’s Compass)