CALVINIST WORLDVIEW THINKERS IN THE
WILDERNESS YEARS
Lecture One: After Spring, Winter
Synopsis: Abraham Kuyper’s Stone Lectures in 1898 outlined an optimistic vision for a Christian Worldview based upon Calvinistic theology. In 1976, Francis Schaeffer wrote and lectured on many of the same topics, but from a more somber sense that the Western world was in decline.
Lecture Two: The Exodus into the Wilderness
Synopsis: The first half of the twentieth century witnessed many cultural and political crises, such as the two world wars and the Great Depression. Exceeding both the wars and the economic crisis was the spiritual and cultural breakdown. Events such as the Scopes Trial, the triumph of theological liberalism in the northern Presbyterian churches, and the popularization of anti-Christian philosophies threatened the Christian foundations of the United States.
Lecture Three: Those Amazing Dutchmen
Synopsis: The seeds for a reformation of Christian thought began in the Netherlands in the 1800s in the wake of the French Revolution. God raised up a profound historian named Groen Van Prinsterer. Building upon GVP’s legacy was Abraham Kuyper, who succeeded in bringing Christian principles to success in the church, state, schools, and press. From Kuyperian foundations, even more was done to apply Christian thought to all areas of life. Herman Dooyeweerd has especially noted for his encyclopedic contributions to Christian thought, particularly in philosophy.
Lecture Four: The University Without a Campus
Synopsis: Cornelius Van Til specialized in the field of apologetics. He focused on defending the Christian faith against competing philosophies. His rigorous presuppositional approach then provided a basis for applying Christian thinking in all areas of life and thought. Along with Van Til was a community of Reformed scholars who often built the foundations he laid out. Many of these men wrote scholarly Christian books that were published by the Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, which was operated by Charles Craig.
Lecture Five: L’Abri and Chalcedon
Synopsis: Both Francis Schaeffer and R. J. Rushdoony popularized Christian worldview thinking. Their ministries, personalities, writing styles, and visions were quite different, yet both were totally dedicated Christian thinkers, rooted in the theology of the Reformation. Both sought to apply Christian thinking to every area of life. All Christian worldview thinking today traces back directly to one or the other and often both of these men.
The preacher of Ecclesiastes tells us, "Of the making of many books, there is no end." To which we add, "Of the buying and reading of many books, there is no end."
5 comments:
I really hope you'll have recordings (audio or video) of some sort.
The last lecture topic brings to mind the fact that both men were "anti-ecclesiastical" in their own ways. And what we have seen (in the past decade?) is a theological & ecclesiastic worldview shift away (backlash?) from their positions by their "children". James Jordon is a classic example. But (in the opposite direction) the resurgence of old school confessional presbyterianism among others is another example.
One of the most provocative questions for me is the relationship between worship and worldview. Or, in other words, "what does your 'hymnal' have to do with the cultural mandate?"
I touch on how Kuyper addressed that question several years ago HERE. It's remains a theme for me.
It's not that worship is reduced to a means for the "greater" end of faithful culture. Rather, it's nearly the reverse. Our corporate public worship is a sort of beginning and end of our labor, that orients, directs, drives, and focuses all we do.
I would love to hear these lectures. Will they be available on the web? Thank You
Gregory,
Thanks for the comments. Since I am introducing Schaeffer and Rushdoony, I will not be able to delve into their end run around the church establishment. But it is a great topic. Seems like reformers have often had to circumvent the established church, denomination, institutional structures in order to get a hearing. Your point about how the hymnal effects our application of the cultural mandate is yet another great topic. Let's both write essays on that topic in the future and compare notes.
Jason, the lectures will be recorded. After I return, I will post information on how to obtain them.
Ben
RJR broke away from the institutionalism of liberal and conservative Protestantism (not merely Rome's) and considered the movement of his ideational stepchildren back toward such institutionalism as a pernicious reversion to the Hellenic compromise of the patristic church.
At least that's what he told me.
If anyone can track down Leonard Payton, he would be a great one to consult on the question of "what does your 'humnal' have to do with the cultural mandate?"
So much of what we sing today is first person singular ... and we wonder why it is hard to establish true Christian community within and beyond the church.
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