An Evaluation of the "Two Kingdoms" Doctrine As an Alternative To
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CTJ 40 (2005): 248-266 The Two Kingdoms: A Reassessment of the Transformationist Calvin1 David VanDrunen At least since the appearance of H. Richard Niebuhr’s classic study, Christ and Culture,2 those advocating a transformationist approach to cultural issues have often claimed John Calvin as one of their own. Although the term trans- formation is somewhat ambiguous, capable of various permutations, the idea behind it suggests a conviction not only that Christians ought to adopt a posi- tive stance toward cultural engagement but also that they should aim to bring the effects of God’s redemptive work in Christ to bear upon the various spheres of culture.3 Although thinkers of other theological persuasions have flocked to embrace one or another version of the transformationist paradigm, Reformed theologians of late have claimed transformationism as the Reformed approach to culture and even as a chief characteristic of Reformed Christianity alto- gether. Many of these contemporary Reformed theologians find inspiring precedent in the labors of the great Dutch theologian, journalist, and states- man Abraham Kuyper, who sought to infuse the various spheres of life with the claims of Christ. Beyond Kuyper, many Reformed theologians look back to Calvin himself and, with Niebuhr, find a representative of the transformation- ist vision.4 Is such a characterization of Calvin helpful and accurate? In this article, I argue that Calvin’s approach to cultural and social matters diverges at crucial 1 An earlier version of this article was presented at the Symposium on Religion and Politics, sponsored by the Henry Institute at Calvin College, on April 30, 2004. -
The Nature of Atonement in the Theology of Jacobus Arminius
JETS 53/4 (December 2010) 773–85 THE NATURE OF ATONEMENT IN THE THEOLOGY OF JACOBUS ARMINIUS j. matthew pinson* Jacobus Arminius is one of the best known and least studied theologians in the history of Christianity. His writings have been neglected by Calvinists and Arminians alike. Calvinists have disliked him because of his opposition to scholastic predestinarian theology. Most Arminians have neglected him because what little they have read of him reminds them more of Calvinism than they like. Arminius scholar Carl Bangs is correct when he says that most modern treatments of Arminius assume a definition of Arminianism that does not come from Arminius. Bangs states that most interpreters of Arminianism begin with a preconception of what Arminius should be expected to say, then look in his published works, and do not find exactly what they are looking for. They show impatience and disappointment with his Calvinism, and shift the inquiry into some later period when Arminianism turns out to be what they are looking for—a non-Calvinistic, synergistic, and perhaps semi-Pelagian system.1 This is the approach many scholars have taken toward Arminius regard- ing his doctrine of atonement. For example, the Calvinist scholar Robert L. Reymond has said that the Arminian theory of atonement is the governmental theory, which “denies that Christ’s death was intended to pay the penalty for sin.” He claims that the governmental theory’s “germinal teachings are in Arminius.”2 Similarly, well-known Wesleyan-Arminian scholar James K. Grider states: “A spillover from Calvinism into Arminianism has occurred in recent decades. -
The Kingship of Christ As a Model for Leadership: a Study in the Pastoral Epistles
THE KINGSHIP OF CHRIST AS A MODEL FOR LEADERSHIP: A STUDY IN THE PASTORAL EPISTLES by MICHAEL PRODIGALIDAD B.Sc. (Hons), University of Sydney, 1996 Ph.D., University of Cambridge, 2000 M.B.A., University of Sydney, University of New South Wales, 2010 A THESIS Submitted to the faculty in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS (RELIGION) at Reformed Theological Seminary Charlotte, North Carolina February 2018 Accepted: _____________________________________________ Dr. Guy P. Waters, Thesis Advisor ii ABSTRACT The Kingship of Christ as a Model for Leadership: A Study in the Pastoral Epistles M. Prodigalidad Christ’s munus triplex or threefold office of prophet, priest and king serves as a helpful paradigm to understand Christ’s role in redemption, however it can also provide instruction as to how elders are to function as leaders. Whilst an elders’ prophetic role of teaching and priestly role of pastoral care may be broadly accepted in the church, there is often less attention given to the aspects of kingly rule by elders. This is especially evident in cultures dominated by individualism and those with an unhealthy scepticism for rule and authority. This thesis seeks to demonstrate that kingship is an essential function of elders in their rule, authority and management of the church. Using the Pastoral Epistles, I shall establish that kingly rule is a dominant theme in Paul’s exhortation to Timothy and Titus. We observe Christ exalted as King of kings, His royal authority exercised in the appointment of Paul, and kingly functions of rule and authority are expected of Titus, Timothy and future church leaders. -
Dr. Herman Bavinck 1854-1921 Theologian of the Word1
page 1 Dr. Herman Bavinck 1854-1921 Theologian of the Word1 By Johan D. Tangelder hen I reflect on my spiritual pilgrimage, Reformed thinkers come to mind who became my mentors. The Dutch theologian Dr. Herman Bavinck heads the list. I was introduced to his theology through his magisterial work, the four-volume W Reformed Dogmatics (1906-1911), a gift from a generous host at whose place I stayed for a weekend during my studies at the Free University of Amsterdam. And over the years I have added to my Bavinck collection. He wrote not only on theology, but also on Christian politics and education, creation versus evolution, psychology and the family. His works are still relevant for the fierce spiritual battles raging in the 21st century. Writing at the turn of the last century, he stated: “...the twentieth century. .. [will] witness a gigantic conflict of spirits... between the old and the new worldview.” Bavinck foresaw the conflicts between the powers of darkness and the Kingdom of God we witness today. BAVINCK’S BACKGROUND Herman Bavinck’s father was a devout Secessionist minister, who lacked a complete formal theological education; however, he was well versed in Reformed theology. When Herman finished high school (gymnasium), he wanted to study at the university in Leiden. But his father urged him to study at least for one year at the Theological School in Kampen. Herman’s decision to study in Leiden, a centre of modernism, grieved many Secessionist leaders. Some believed that Jan Bavinck compromised both school and church by letting his son go to Leiden. -
Herman Bavinck Speaks English: a Bibliographic Essay
MJT 19 (2008) 117-126 HERMAN BAVINCK SPEAKS ENGLISH: A BIBLIOGRAPHIC ESSAY by John Bolt TO COMMEMORATE the complete translation of Herman Bavinck’s magiste- rial four-volume Reformed Dogmatics into English1 and the centenary of his 1908 Stone Lectures at Princeton Seminary, The Philosophy of Reve- lation,2 this bibliographic essay will review Bavinck’s own writings that are available in English along with significant scholarly treatments of his thought in the English language.3 Like his Neo-Calvinist contemporary Abraham Kuyper, Bavinck was accorded attention and respect in the American theological world while in the prime of his own theological career. This is remarkable considering that, unlike German, for example, the Dutch theological tradition, espe- cially of a minor and conservative branch of the Reformed faith, did not command such attention readily. Much of the credit for this must be given to Geerhardus Vos who introduced both men to Benjamin Warfield and was influential in bringing them to Princeton to deliver the prestig- ious Stone Lectures, Kuyper in 1898 and Bavinck in 1908.4 What is not as well known about Bavinck is that 1908 was not his first visit to North America. In 1892, the year that the Afscheiding (Seces- 1 Edited by John Bolt, translated by John Vriend, published by Baker Academic, Grand Rapids, 2003–08. The eschatology section of volume four was published separately in 1996 as The Last Things: Hope for this World and the Next; the creation section of volume 2 was pub- lished separately in 1999 as In the Beginning: Foundations of Creation Theology. -
The-Two-Kingdoms-Preview.Pdf
DAVENANT GUIDES seek to offer short and accessible introductions to key issues of current debate in theology and ethics, drawing on a magisterial Protestant perspective and defending its contemporary relevance today. THE TWO KINGDOMS A Guide for the Perplexed BY W. BRADFORD LITTLEJOHN Copyright © 2017 The Davenant Trust All rights reserved. ISBN: 0692878173 ISBN-13: 978-0692878173 Cover design by Rachel Rosales, Orange Peal Design CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION: WHICH TWO 1 KINGDOMS? 2 THE TWO KINGDOMS FROM LUTHER 12 TO CALVIN 3 THE TWO KINGDOMS FROM CALVIN 31 TO HOOKER 4 CONTRIBUTIONS OF TWO- 48 KINGDOMS THOUGHT 5 TWO KINGDOMS IN THE CHURCH 55 6 TWO KINGDOMS IN THE STATE 72 7 TWO KINGDOMS IN THE MARKET 88 8 CONCLUSION 100 BIBLIOGRAPHY 105 I: INTRODUCTION: WHICH TWO KINGDOMS? FOR the past few years, the narrow world of conservative North American Reformed theology has been torn by one of its regular bouts of internecine strife. This latest round, however, holds more than the usual interest, representing as it does but one form of an identity crisis afflicting every Christian communion in the late modern world. How should we understand the relationship between the public and private dimensions of faith in the aftermath of the breakdown of Christendom and the paradigms for public faith that it offered? These, however imperfect, at least provided some framework for the intersection of Christian faith and citizenship. And of course, although the modern form of this identity crisis is new, the questions behind it are timeless: how do we reconcile loyalty to God, our highest authority, but a hidden one, with loyalty to the very visible earthly authorities that He has set above and around us? How, moreover, does our calling as followers of Christ relate to our calling as sons of Adam and daughters of Eve, our spiritual and heavenly good relate to the goods of the earth we have been to protect and serve. -
The Word of God in the Life of the Church
THE WORD OF GOD IN THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH THE WORD OF GOD IN THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH A REPORT OF INTERNATIONAL CONVERSATIONS BETWEEN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND THE BAPTIST WORLD ALLIANCE 2006-2010 Copyright © 2013 by the Baptist World Alliance, Falls Church, Virginia, USA, and Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, 00193 Roma, Via della Conciliazione, 5. All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-936945-04-7 No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means electronic, photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior permission of the copyright holders. Published in the United States of America by the Baptist World Alliance, 405 North Washington Street, Falls Church, Virginia, 22046 TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface I. Introduction: Aims, History and Context of the Conversations /3 II. The Koinonia of the Triune God and the Church /8 III. The Authority of Christ in Scripture and Tradition /22 IV. Baptism and Lord’s Supper or Eucharist: The Visible Word of God in the Koinonia of the Church /36 V. Mary as Model of Discipleship in the Communion of the Church /56 VI. The Ministry of Oversight (Episkope) and Unity in the Life of the Church /66 VII. Concluding Reflections /82 Appendix 1 Welcome Addresses /86 Appendix 2 List of Participants in the Joint International Commission /89 Appendix 3 List of Papers given at the sessions of the Joint International Commission /91 Notes /94 PREFACE It is with gratitude to God and with deep appreciation of the friendship that has grown between Catholic and Baptist participants in these conversations, that we come to the end of five years’ work. -
The Two Kingdoms and the Social Order: Political and Legal David Vandrunen Theory in Light of Robert B
Journal of Markets & Morality Volume 14, Number 2 (Fall 2011): 445–462 Copyright © 2011 The Two Kingdoms and the Social Order: Political and Legal David VanDrunen Theory in Light of Robert B. Strimple Professor God’s Covenant of Systematic Theology and * Christian Ethics with Noah Westminster Seminary California Many Reformed writers before and into the twentieth century viewed broader cultural activity, particularly political and legal life, through a doctrine of the two kingdoms. This doctrine asserts that God’s rule of the world is twofold, a preser- vative and temporary reign over civil life and a redemptive reign over his church that will be consummated in the heavenly Jerusalem. According to this paradigm, Christians should indeed be actively and righteously involved in the many arenas of human culture, but, in their political and legal activity, they serve as agents of God’s general and providential rule of this present world—not as agents of his redemptive work in advancing the eschatological kingdom of Christ. Specifically, I focus on the postdiluvian covenant with Noah in Genesis 8:20–9:17. I argue that the Noahic covenant provides substantive theological foundation for believers seeking to build a political or legal theory consistent with Christian truth, offering crucial rudiments from which Christian legal and political theorists can build using their own prudence and expertise. Reformed social thought over the past century has been largely dominated by the “neo-Calvinist” movement, which conceives of Christian cultural activity as a participation in the redemption of all creation through Jesus Christ. One of the many attractive things about neo-Calvinism is its interest in the broad spectrum of human culture and its promise of identifying distinctively Christian ways of thinking about and pursuing its various tasks.1 The neo-Calvinist movement, however, arguably represents a deviation from older patterns of Reformed social thought in certain respects. -
“The Doctrine of the 'Two Kingdoms' and 'Natural Law': Evaluating A
MAJT 25 (2014): 7-33 CHRIST’S KINGSHIP IN ALL OF LIFE: BUTCHERS, BAKERS, AND CANDLESTICK-MAKERS IN THE SERVICE OF CHRIST by Cornelis P. Venema 1. Introduction SOME YEARS AGO I received a questionnaire from the Christian acade- my I attended while a teenager in northern California. Like many schools, my alma mater was interested in maintaining contact with its alumni and ascertaining what they were doing in life, especially whether their alumni were putting their Christian education to good use. As I read through the questionnaire, my eyes fixed on one of the first questions: “Are you presently engaged in full-time or part-time Christian service?” (emphasis mine). Upon reading this question, I couldn’t resist the temptation to write in the margin, “I am engaged, or attempting to be engaged, in ‘full-time Christian service,’ but I re- ject the assumption of this question. All believers are, or ought to be, engaged in some form of full-time Christian service.” No doubt the question was well-intentioned, but it assumed a common notion that, unless you are a minister or a missionary, or engaged in some form of direct or indirect service within the institu- tional church of Jesus Christ, your work or calling is not part of your Christian service as a member of Christ. In the case of the Christian academy I attended, which was a ministry of the local General Asso- ciation of Regular Baptist congregation in Walnut Creek, California, this assumption was not surprising. At this school, the only Bible worth reading was the Scofield Reference Bible, preferably in its first edition, and the view of God’s administration of his purposes throughout history was thoroughly dispensational. -
Our Role in God's Rule: Lutheran and Mennonite Views on Moral Agency Waldemar Janzen
Consensus Volume 22 Article 1 Issue 2 Essays Ecumenical and Historical 11-1-1996 Our Role in God's Rule: Lutheran and Mennonite Views on Moral Agency Waldemar Janzen Harry Huebner Follow this and additional works at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus Recommended Citation Janzen, Waldemar and Huebner, Harry (1996) "Our Role in God's Rule: Lutheran and Mennonite Views on Moral Agency," Consensus: Vol. 22 : Iss. 2 , Article 1. Available at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol22/iss2/1 This Articles is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Consensus by an authorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Our Role In God’s Rule: Lutheran And Mennonite Views On Moral Agency Waldemar Janzen and Harry Huebner Canadian Mennonite Bible College, Winnipeg, Manitoba Introduction This article is a comparative study of Lutheran and Men- nonite ethics, viewed from a Mennonite perspective. Instead of engaging in a general survey we have focused attention on the respective understandings of moral agency, believing this to be the area of greatest ethical divergence between the two confes- sions. In other words, we want to address primarily the ques- tion of the Christian’s place and role in doing the will of God, as understood by Lutherans and Mennonites, respectively. A recent Lutheran-Mennonite dialogue in Germany con- firms this choice of focus. ^ It identifies the areas of baptism and ethics as those of greatest divergence between the two confes- sions. Within the realm of ethics, the dialogue isolates the eth- ical relevance of the humanity of Jesus {die ethische Relevanz des Menschseins Jesu) as the central area of tension. -
A Comparative Analysis of the Question of Natural Law in Modern Reformed Conversation
A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE QUESTION OF NATURAL LAW IN MODERN REFORMED CONVERSATION By Landon Rowland An Integrative Thesis submitted to the faculty of Reformed Theological Seminary in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (Religion) April 2010 Approved: Thesis Advisor: ________________________________ James Anderson, Ph.D. RTS/Virtual President: ___________________________ Andrew J. Peterson, Ph.D. ii ABSTRACT A Comparative Analysis of the Question of Natural Law in Modern Reformed Conversation Landon Rowland The topic of natural law has been the focus of renewed interest in the contemporary Reformed community. Some writers have argued for a recovery of the natural law doctrine found in the Reformed heritage, while others have maintained that natural law is of limited usefulness due to the noetic effects of sin. This topic is presently being vigorously debated within the Reformed community. The thesis of this work is that both natural law and Scriptural arguments are permissible and valuable for ethical and civil government discussions in the public square. Following the introduction in chapter 1, biblical and historical surveys are given in chapters 2 and 3. The views of David VanDrunen and John Frame are examined, as representative proponent and critic of natural law, respectively, in chapters 4 and 5. The topic is then analyzed under two major headings: epistemological considerations in chapter 6, and natural law and Scripture in chapter 7. Following the analysis, chapter 8 discusses the difficulties in making natural law arguments. Chapter 9 presents the conclusion and offers suggestions for the relevance of this topic to the life of the church. -
Claiming Jesus As Savior in a Religiously Plural World Gabriel Fackre Andover Newton Theological School, [email protected]
Journal for Christian Theological Research Volume 8 Article 3 2003 Claiming Jesus as Savior in a Religiously Plural World Gabriel Fackre Andover Newton Theological School, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.luthersem.edu/jctr Part of the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Fackre, Gabriel (2003) "Claiming Jesus as Savior in a Religiously Plural World," Journal for Christian Theological Research: Vol. 8 , Article 3. Available at: http://digitalcommons.luthersem.edu/jctr/vol8/iss2003/3 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by Digital Commons @ Luther Seminary. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal for Christian Theological Research by an authorized editor of Digital Commons @ Luther Seminary. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Journal for Christian Theological Research 8 (2003) 1–17 Claiming Jesus as Savior in a Religiously Plural World Gabriel Fackre Andover Newton Theological School The timing of the CTRF call for papers on “Jesus, Savior of the World” in the months following 9/11 invites some speculation. Is that defi nite article in the title, Jesus Savior of the world—not just “a world,” or “my world”—a response to an interfaith issue posed by the events of that day? A question raised about the rush to generic prayer by many Christians who fear the religious antagonisms that the attack on the Twin Towers might generate? No offense given to fellow mourners, Muslim, Jewish or otherwise as would be the case if we interceded “in Jesus’ name”? No talk of “the scandal of particularity,” following the advice of New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman who asks, “Can Islam, Christianity and Judaism know that God speaks Arabic on Fridays, Hebrew on Saturdays and Latin on Sundays?”¹ If poll results are to be believed, the 2002 U.S.