Suggestion from the Pastor
Abraham Kuyper: God’s Renaissance Man
by: by James McGoldrick
Pastor’s Description
One of the great Reformed thinkers of the modern age was the Dutch theologian Abraham Kuyper. Kuyper’s own experiences epitomized his belief that all of life belongs to God. Although raised in a pastor’s home, he was schooled in theological liberalism that he later said robbed him of his childhood faith and left him “unconverted, proud, and open to doubting.” However, after taking a position as a rural pastor, Kuyper was convinced of the truths of Scripture and converted to Christ through the gentle witness of the people within his congregation.
For the remainder of his life, Abraham Kuyper worked tirelessly to promote the cause of Christ within the Reformed church and society at large. Not only did he serve as a pastor but also as editor of a newspaper and several periodicals, founded and taught theology at the Free University of Amsterdam, helped to found a new denomination after the Dutch Reformed Church was overcome with liberalism, authored numerous books, entered politics where he served in parliament and as the Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1901-1905.
Although I would have liked to have read more about Kuyper’s wife and children (He and his wife, Johanna Schaay Kuyper, had eight children and were married for 36 years) McGoldrick did a fine job, discussing the work and the theological, social and political views of this extraordinary Christian man.
Review/Purchase
Throughout the ages many of God’s saints have struggled with spiritual depression. Giants of the faith, such as Charles Spurgoen, D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones and Amy Carmichael have had moments when they struggled through the darkness, waiting for the light.
Much has been written about Dietrich Bonhoeffer. His works have also been widely circulated for decades. However, this recent biography by Eric Metaxas provides an in-depth view of a Christian leader whose life was changed by current events, thrusting him into a role that he had never envisioned.
Since Grace & Peace has been studying the life of C.S. Lewis during Sunday school, I wanted to recommend a book by that author that would challenge, entertain and teach. The Screwtape Letters is one of Lewis’ better known works. Filled with humor, it is a fictional dialogue between a younger devil and his older mentor, dealing with the former’s struggles to tempt his human subject away from following the Lord.
For those of us living in a culture where the word “Puritan” conjures up all sorts of negative ideas, Worldly Saints is a refreshing look at those men and women who had a profound impact, not only on English and American Protestant Christianity, but on both of these cultures as well. In this volume, Leland Ryken brings to light the positive aspects of the Puritan movement as it impacted the modern work ethic, family life, worship, education and social action. Nevertheless, the author does not simply paint a glowing account of earlier Christians, while ignoring the negative aspects of this important group, but balances their strengths and achievements with their inadequacies and failures.
If you are a parent who has struggled with teaching your children from the Westminster Shorter Catechism or if you have given up on such a “daunting” task or if you are not sure of the importance of it at all, Starr Meade has written a very good resource that teaches one question of the catechism per week. Divined into six days of the week, each question is approached from a different perspective every day. Sunday is left open so that the family can review the questions they had been learning previously.
Once again Christians are under attack by those that believe it is impossible for the normal believer to understand the meaning of Scripture for him/herself. We are being told that any attempt to interpret the Bible ourselves ultimately leads to subjectivism, where one person’s opinion has no more validity than that of another.
In this conscience biography, T.H.L. Parker paints a portrait of possibly the most important Protestant Reformer next to Martin Luther. Placing Calvin in his historical setting, Parker examines the life, theology and ministry of the man who became the theologian of the Reformation. This lively biography details Calvin’s family, childhood, entrance into the Reformed movement, ministry and personal life.
If you have difficulties in reconciling Calvinism with subjects such as human responsibility, the problem of evil or the death of infants; or if you have met others that reject the Reformed Faith because of these types of questions, this small book may be of great help to you. In 126 pages, Ruling Elder, Craig Brown offers insights from Scripture that clarify these issues and more.
Often people read the Bible as a group of disconnected stories, having no major focus other than to provide a moral compass for daily living. In The Drama of Scripture, the authors turn from this approach and direct the reader’s attention to the great drama of redemptive history that unfolds from Genesis to Revelation.
