Abraham Kuyper

Dr. Jonni Yeomans

Abraham Kuyper

Abraham Kuyper was a nineteenth-century Dutch leader with writings on public life, theological treatises, principles of sacred theology, and lectures on Calvinism.

Kuyper's theology of culture addressed many audiences and in many formats. Kuyper authored technical works on difficult theological topics; he gave speeches to farmers' associations and labour unions; he preached sermons and wrote meditations on biblical texts; and as a highly visible politician, he articulated positions on countless matters of public policy. He founded a newspaper, a university, a political party, and a denomination. During his career, which lasted from his ordination 1860s until he died in 1920, he regularly wrote articles for his newspaper; he taught theology at the Free University; he led his party both as a member of the Dutch parliament and for a few years, as Prime Minister. All the while, he played an active role in the life (and controversies) of the Dutch Reformed churches, often addressing the issues by writing major theological books and essays (Mouw, 2011, pp. ix,x)

Kuyper started his career as a Dutch Reformed pastor who was deeply influenced by the liberal theology that has been taught at the University of Leiden (Mouw, 2011, p 3). Having embraced evangelical Calvinism, Kuyper ever after that placed a strong emphasis on personal piety. In addition to his celebration of the experience of a Savior's love, he also placed a strong emphasis on the supreme Lordship of Jesus Christ over all spheres of social, political, and economic life. Kuyper's followers are fond of quoting the manifesto he issued at Free University's inaugural convocation: "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!'" (Mouw, 2011, p 4). Richard Mouw writes, "For Kuyper, every Christian is called to be an agent of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, wherever they are called by God to serve. This was an elaborate spelling out of how we are to understand this call to "Kingdom Service (Mouw, 2011, p 5).

Like the postmodern thinkers, Kuyper rejected the notion that the enlightened human consciousness can give us access to reliable answers to the big issues of life. It is God's will that governs all things; our own will need to be turned away from our sinful projects and brought into harmony with the divine will. Kuyper endorsed what H. Richard Niebuhr said about the "Transforming Culture" theme in his classic Christ and Culture book. Culture, says Niebuhr, has been become distorted and perverted because of human sin. But the corruption that we see, he also insists, "is all corrupted order rather than order of corruption... It is perverted good, not evil; or it is evil as perversion and not as badness of being" (Mouw, 2011, p 11).

Concerning the poor, he strongly condemned socialism. Mouw shared, "The basic error of socialism as Kuyper sees it, though, is that it puts the poor against the rich. He points to Jesus' admonition to the poor person not to constantly be asking "what shall we eat, and what shall we drink, and wherewithal shall we be clothed? For all these things, the Gentiles seek." Instead, we are all to seek first God's Kingdom (Matthew 6:31033). This appeal, says Kuyper, is the divine requirement that "simultaneously for both sides, rich and poor, cuts to the root of sin in our human's hearts. When we talk about solutions to the problem of poverty, Kuyper explicitly rejects state-administered welfare programs. We "should not seek salvation in monetary help from the State. That "weakens our national strength," he says. The help the State must give is better legislation. The legislation should aim at strengthening the patterns of work in various spheres, including giving an effective voice to organized labour. And the motivation to assist the poor must come from within those other spheres, with a special obligation for "deeds of love" from the Christian community. Kuyper intends to keep the State in its proper place; he also insists that the government has both a right and a duty to reach from that place into the other spheres, regulating inter-, intra-, and trans-spherical patterns. He points clearly to the need to deal with all questions within a framework that acknowledges a proper role for government in seeing that the spheres co-exist in a relatively stable and healthy manner (Mouw, 2011, p 35-38).

The great error of unbelief is the pretense that we are on our own, that we are not accountable to our Maker for anything that we do. The Christian community must live out its calling in the conscious recognition that secularism is false.

For Kuyper, this meant that Christians must form collective entities within each of the spheres in order to make our confession of God's sovereignty concrete: art guilds, political parties, farmers' federations, labourers' associations.

The major academic institution founded by Kuyper provided a helpful example of how his viewpoint worked out in practical life. Free University - because he wanted it to be free from both ecclesiastical and political control. The university's Christian identity was to be guaranteed by "Reformed principles" for academic life that was to be implemented and monitored by a Christian association that was independent of both church and State (Mouw, 2011, p 42). His vision, what he wanted to see was "an academic community, in which all areas of intellectual pursuit could be consciously pursued by hearts and minds devoted to honouring God in all things. Our scholarly lives will be different if we take seriously the idea that we live in a universe created by God and that as human beings, we are fashioned in the image and likeness of the divine (Mouw, 2011, p 62).

Another fascinating area was "Mediation Structures." Kuyper's shared, "If we are to avoid the twin evils of individualism on the one hand and statism-in which governments exercise totalitarian control-on the other, he argued, we must pay attention to the character-forming role of families, neighbourhood organizations, youth clubs, service groups, churches and synagogues, and the like. The decline in these types of social bonds means that individuals do not develop the qualities of public character that are the preconditions for healthy participation in civil society. When that pattern prevails, the dangers posed by Berger's individualism-or-statism alternatives are acute (Mouw, 2011, p 42-43).

Kuyper argued in his Stone Lecture on politics that even if the fall had not occurred, there would have developed a need for government. Political authority in an unfallen world would not have taken the form of coercive nation-states; rather, there would have emerged: one organic world-empire. with God as its King; exactly what is prophesied for the future which awaits us, when all sin shall have disappeared." Here the government is not fundamentally a remedial response to human perversity, but a natural provision for regulation-ordering-the complexity of created cultural life (Mouw, 2011, p 51).

Kuyper was also an advocate for "the theology of the laity" laypeople- those who are not ordained for clergy activities - have their own ministries. And this is not limited to helping pastors in their church work. That should happen, of course; laypeople have their own important role in the activities of the local congregation. But what we do outside of the church must also be seen as ministry (Mouw, 2011, p 95).

As I look at Mr. Abraham Kuyper's journey with the Lord through his life impacting society on the educational, religious, and political mountains of influence and touching on the greater understanding of God's Kingdom Mandate in his era; it inspired me that our Sovereign God is so incredibly glorious and full of splendour that seeds panted in the 1860s from the Calvinism lens (Classic Theism) to today's biblical view (Open Theism), that our God is continually moving His creation forward accomplishing His original Kingdom Mandate in this earth realm from generation to generation.

Author Dr. Jonni Yeomans

Reference:

R. Mouw (2011). Abraham Kuyper, A short and personal introduction. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan / Cambridge, U.K.