The Religious Foundations of Theology: The Essence of Religion

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Colin Bleakney on December 23, 2010 at 2:59am

This does sound Exciting and something which I know would interest me.

Can I ask constructively:

What do you see is constructive, objectively, about learning these facts?

How should a student appropriate this material so as to apply it in Ministry?

What are the learning outcomes for the student?

How should such studies affect the student in the 21st Century?

How does such Theology help a student both now and in his/her future ministry?

 

I ask these questions constructively and objectively, because, I want to know from the outset whether or not I should give myself wholly to these studies.

Also. I am teaching a number of leaders at the moment, and this material may help them also.

I have great respect for what you are doing and indeed I pray that God would continually bless and keep you and make His face to shine upon  you and yours and continually do you good,

 

God Bless,

 

Colin

Permalink Reply by Ruel Z Chavez on December 23, 2010 at 6:44am

Hi Colin!

 

Thank you for your reply.

 

When I read your questions what comes to my mind is the syllabus I made in the course "Introduction to Reformed Theology." In this syllabus, the learning outcomes are more on the cognitive and the affective aspects and not so much on the psychomotor skills. But this does not mean that Reformed Theology has nothing to offer in terms of concrete participation for social reform. I also want to add a portion of the syllabus from the curriculum I made in one of my subjects in educational leadership. This one is an example of integrating biblical and theological insights from Reformed Theology with progressive educational theories and approaches, our context in the Philippines, and contemporary problems in the church. This is to illustrate my personal belief that digging into the Reformed Theology would help us somehow in understanding and addressing the challenges we face in our time.

 

I hope these two files would help somehow in answering your questions.

 

I wish you blessing too!

 

Ruel

Attachments:

• Course Syllabus Introduction to Reformed Theology (2).doc, 46 KB
• 02_AllAboutGod_TheologyGroup_rationale_intended_learning_outcomes.doc, 26 KB

Permalink Reply by Colin Bleakney on December 23, 2010 at 7:18am

Thank you for your reply, I look forward to reading your material,

 

Blessings,

 

Colin

Permalink Reply by RoyW on December 23, 2010 at 7:28am

Ruel,

I am very interested in your study. I have never really studied the reformed movement but have come to believe through Scripture many of their foundational beliefs. I am out of town right now and will not be able to follow too closely until I return home but I am really looking forward to your study and even more.

I have attended Arminian churches all my life. I also attended an Arminian Bible college and have pastored in exclusively Arminian churches. However, I came to believe that I was saved by grace and by grace alone. As I began to teach that I ran into serious difficulties over the years.

I am interested in your position on infant baptism which is one of the aspects of the Reformed Movement that I have never bought into. Also, I probably have a little different belief on eschatology but I am sure there are many differering beliefs within the Reformed movement.

Anyway, I will be very interested in hearing what you have to say. Thanks for your willingness to share. Probably the reason I searched for a website like AAG was needing to fellowship with others who also believe in the doctrines of grace. There are some on this website but I do not know of any that belong to the Reformed movement. You will be very helpful. Again, thank you for your willingness to share.

By the way, what are psychomotor skills?

Blessings,

Roy

Permalink Reply by Ruel Z Chavez on December 23, 2010 at 10:02am

Thank you Roy for your interest in Reformed Theology.

 

Psychomotor skills refer to the application of information we know. It is the use of our physical senses if we really know something. It starts with imitation, then practice then it turns into a habit and becomes a part of us through constant application.

 

Again, thank you for giving me the opportunity to be of service.

 

Blessings!

 

Ruel

Permalink Reply by David Velasquez on December 29, 2010 at 12:39am

Herman Bavinck
1854 - 1921

 

Born on December 13, 1854, in Hoogeveen, Drenthe, Holland, Herman Bavinck was the son of the Reverend Jan Bavinck, a leading figure in the secession from the State Church of the Netherlands in 1834. After theological study in Kampen, and at the University of Leiden, he graduated in 1880, and served as the minister of the congregation at Franeker, Friesland, for a year. According to his biographers, large crowds gathered to hear his outstanding exposition of the Scriptures.

 

In 1882, he was appointed a Professor of theology at Kampen, and taught there from 1883 until his appointment, in 1902, to the chair of systematic Theology in the Free University of Amsterdam, where he succeeded the great Abraham Kuyper, then recently appointed Prime Minister of the Netherlands. In this capacity -- an appointment he had twice before declined -- Bavinck served until his death in 1921. http://articles.ochristian.com/article15326.shtml

 

He was a contemporary of Abraham Kuyper and B.B. Warfield, both of whom he knew well. He graduated magna cum laude with a double major in Systematic Theology & OT. His doctoral dissertation was on the concept of the State in Zwingli's theology. Bavinck taught at the Theological Seminary in Kampen, Holland before accepting the position of professor at the Free University of Amsterdam. He is best known for his magnum opus, "The Reformed Dogmatics" (Gereformeerde Dogmatiek, in 4 volumes). Until recently, a translated version of his popular Dogmatics (Our Reasonable Faith) was available in paperback. Bavinck is one of the most balanced and solidly Reformed theologians Holland has ever produced. http://www.vbru.net/src/theologiens/herman_bavinck.htm

  

Religion, the fear of God, must therefore be the element which inspires and animates all theological investigation. That must be the pulsebeat of the science. A theologian is a person who makes bold to speak about God because he speaks out of God and through God.
To profess theology is to do holy work. It is a priestly ministration in the house of the Lord. It is itself a service of worship, a consecration of mind and heart to the honour of His name.

 

From Bavinck's Inaugural Address as Professor of Systematic Theology in the Free University of Amsterdam.

  

Ruel,

 

It’s great to have you here and I appreciate and thank God for your objective with this discussion. I am looking forward to exchanging thoughts, growing and learning in Godliness through an essential study of those who have been used by God to help us understand more clearly our faith.

 

Since you state that your desire is to share Reformed Theology specifically as you understand Herman Bavinck, I thought a little back ground on our brother was in ordered. His bibliography is impressive. His works are worth studying. Since you decided to focus on his contributions to the church I have been reading portions of his work which I am enjoying and looking forward to finishing. It was his desire to assimilate the greatest minds of Christendom, and reapply their insights for the sake of the contemporary church. He was the R.C. Sproul of our times in that sense I would say. I also enjoyed reading the word document you attached to the discussion: The Essence of Religion.

 

Great discussion beloved and thank you for sharing. 

Permalink Reply by Ruel Z Chavez on May 17, 2011 at 10:56pm

David, I forgot to thank you for this.

Permalink Reply by Ruel Z Chavez on May 17, 2011 at 10:07pm

"I can only assume that you are talking about Christianity and not the world religions. There can be an interesting argument that there are things in which all religions share. For myself, I think that there is truth in all religions..."

 

-- In my study of world religions during my doctoral course, I happened to dig into Hinduism and I am impressed with what I found. I also heard my colleagues reporting on Islam, New Age, etc. That is a very enlightening experience. At the end of the class, each of us has his own conclusion how to relate Christianity to world religions. Even our professor dare not assume to understand the relationship. All of my colleagues except one are coming from the field of Christian Education and that is why they find theological discussion too difficult for them to grasp. Even our professor dared not to make a conclusive statement. Only me and my other classmate who is coming from the field of philosophy were very vocal that time. The consensus of the class was inclined towards affirming the commonality of all religions including Christianity. And we reminded ourselves not to be judgmental of other religions.

 

I affirmed that for too long Christianity has been arrogant in the way it relates to other religions. But still, I also affirm that Christianity can be qualified as both an inclusive and exclusive religion. By inclusive I mean as you said, there are things that all religions of the world share in common such as belief in higher being, practices of spirituality like prayer and fasting, etc...However, Christianity for me is still exclusive in its claim that the only way to salvation is through the CROSS of Jesus. The CROSS might appear weak and foolishness to others but to Christians, it is the wisdom and the power of God.

 

My decision to study Bavinck is prompted by a realization that in the postmodern world, we are now living in an age where every thinker is given the right to be heard no matter how "heretical" it might appear in the eyes of others. We are living in a world of theological pluralism. I acknowledge my unpreparedness to live in such a world and I want to make my own contribution in that world. To do that, I must first know where I stand and that is why I am digging into my own tradition.

 

Due to my exposure to world religions, I realize the vastness and the complexity of the subject. So after at least having a general understanding of world religions, I find it my obligation to know my own religion, which is Christianity. And even within Christianity, the field of study is still too vast. We have the Roman Catholic, the Greek Orthodox, and the Protestants. My theological persuasion is under the boundary of the Protestants so I must dig into the world of Protestantism. But Protestantism has so many branches and I happened to be schooled in the Reformed theology. 

 

At first I thought, Reformed theology is just one school of thought. I was surprised realizing that even within our camps, there are various expressions of Reformed Theology. Reformed theology cannot be confined in just one single country and in a single creed. Swiss reformation is different from Scottish reformation, and so is English reformation different from Dutch reformation and so on...Zwingli differs from Calvin, Calvin differs from Bullinger, and Bullinger differs from Heppe, etc...

 

So in such a "confused" theological world even just within the small camp of Reformed theology, who am I to dare say that I am equipped to meet the challenge of the post-modern world? I do not even know which Reformed theology I am holding now. All I can say is that I am just starting to find my roots and by finding it, I hope I can share what I believe.

 

As far as my present understanding is concerned, I am seeing seven streams of theology in the post-modern world:

 

1. The most popular of course is Karl Barth. Some would label his thought as Barthianism, new Orthodoxy, or new Modernism. I think the ideas of Barth made a major contribution in today's ecumenical movement

 

2. New evangelicalism. I think it is not unfair to say that the thoughts of Carl F. H. Henry represents the new evangelicalism and this is the most popular version of evangelical Christianity today.

 

 

3. The Kantian idea of historical consciousness, existentialism, and process theology. The British-American branch is different from the German branch as represented by Heidegger. Heidegger I believe pioneered the postmodern ideas.

 

4. Hoeksema's idea of Common Grace. He is coming from Reformed theology

 

5. Berkouwer's attempt to combine Romanism and Barthian theology. He is also a Reformed theologian

 

6. Three versions of cosmonomy: Vollenhoven, Stoker, and Dooyeeweerd. A very controversial subject within the Reformed camp.

 

7. And finally, we have the Classical Reformed Theology as represented by Benjamin Warfield in America and Abraham Kuyper in the Netherlands. Abraham Kuyper was influenced by Herman Bavinck himself. Bavinck knew the background of the post-modern world. He knew both the classic protestant and the liberal thought. Since most of his writings are in Dutch and not readily available to English readers except just recently, the thoughts of Herman Bavinck are still new to many theological students here in our country. I decided to make this journey of studying Bavinck with the intention of understanding the post-modern world. Of course, none would replace understanding the post modern ideas except for a first hand knowledge of Heidegger, Kuhn, Derrida, Foucault, Lyotard, Rorty, and others. At present, I still feel unequipped for such a task.

 

 

Permalink Reply by RoyW on May 18, 2011 at 4:27am

It appears to me that the study of Scripture through Reformation lenses does make Christianity a very exclusive religion. God has a remnant, the chosen ones though they be few (Mt. 22:14). Do we accept the Words of Scripture even though they do appear to be very exclusive? God loves the world but yet He came to find His lost sheep. His sheep already know His voice and they follow Him.

I am really enjoying your presentations and learning from it.

Permalink Reply by RoyW on May 18, 2011 at 6:44am

I believe the name "Reformed" comes from the word "Reformation" which indicates the time period of the movement. I'm sure Ruel will know the reason it is called "Reformed Theology."

Permalink Reply by Ruel Z Chavez on May 18, 2011 at 10:06am

Thank you guys for your interest in reading this post. You're right Matteo. Even the term "Reformed," there are so many attempts to define it. Since there are numerous sub traditions within the Reformed tradition itself, it is not surprising that the definition of the term also abounds.

 

Coming from theological institution, we find this definition sufficient for the members of the church:

http://www.allaboutgod.net/profiles/blogs/critical-summary-of-what-is

 

However, in a community of theologians, one must adopt first an acceptable method in defining Reformed theology. I designate my method as looking at Reformed theology from an initial Van Tilian perspective. This is how I look at it. I do not claim that these Reformed theologians are conscious in defining what reformed theology is. 

 

Let me share what I gleaned:

 

1. There is a liberal way of looking at Reformed theology. Liberal here is employed in the sense of having a loose, free and open way of seeing Reformed faith or theology not as people usually understand the term.

• Under this liberal perspective, Karl Barth is perceived as a Reformed theologian though the main stream would deny it. As i know Barth himself claimed to be Reformed and Berkouwer affirmed it. I have several acquaintances who followed Barth and claimed to be reformed. They also have their own definition of reformed faith. They may utilize similar words but the content is different. 
• Berkouwer also will fall under this category. If my assessment is correct for Berkouwer and his followers to be reformed would mean a synthesis between Dutch reformed theology and the theology of Barth. 
• Dooyeweerd's reformed theology focused primarily on cosmonomy.
• Theologians are also divided about Paul Tillich. There are theologians who claim that Paul Tillich is reformed.
•  Anglicans like J. I. Packer and J. Stott, Calvinist Methodist like D.M. Lloyd Jones, and others will also fall under this category 

2. Main Stream Reformed Theology

•     Calvin is claimed to be the father of reformed theology though Luther and Zwingli were ahead of him. His Institutes of Christian Religion presents a Trinitarian framework of theology: Father Son, and Holy Spirit. For him, there are two major branches of the knowledge of God: Creator and Redeemer. Attempting to define reformed theology from that framework, would mean unity between nature and grace. 
• For Abraham Kuyper, reformed theology is a life-system
• For Francis Schaeffer, reformed theology is an integration of all kinds of specializations
• For Kistemaker, reformed theology is a “dynamic movement” that embraces the totality of human life. “Sovereignty of God” and “sphere sovereignty” are the primary ideas.
• For John Bolt, to be refromed means to be “trinitarian in theology and catholic in vision.” “Trinitarian in theology” refers to the sovereignty of the Triune God over the entire cosmos. “Catholic in vision” pertains to a universal perspective concerning the kingdom of God, which is scope is the restoration of the total fallen creation.
• There are those who define reformed theology as simply a theology that adheres to the Westminster Standards
• This is my favorite, "semper reformanda" the Latin for the church must always be reforming
• Theonomist and reconstructionist like Bahnsen, North, and Rushdoony will fall under this category

 Notes:

• Main stream reformed theology can be approached from three angels: confessional, philosophical, and doctrinal. This explains the variety in definition
• The primary critique against Van Tilian approach in defining reformed theology is that Van Til himself is not an exegete but an apologist, philosopher and theologian.
• The main influence in the mind of Van Til is his apologetical method designated as "presuppositional apologetics" and his philosophy described as "Christian Theism."

 

 

 

 

Permalink Reply by Ruel Z Chavez on May 25, 2011 at 10:02pm

"Abraham Kuyper was influenced by Herman Bavinck himself." - I do not know where did I get this idea. I assume from reading Van Til. This is not accurate. I cannot provide the basis. For the two are contemporaries and Kuyper (1937-1920) in fact is senior than Bavinck (1854-1921).