View source for Neo-Calvinism

{{Short description|Theological movement started in the late-19th century}}
{{about|the Dutch Calvinist movement|the late-20th-century movement in the United States|New Calvinism}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
[[File:AbrahamKuyper(AMJ).jpg | thumb | right | alt=A metal embossing of Abraham Kuyper  | Abraham Kuyper]]
'''Neo-Calvinism''' is a [[Calvinism|Calvinist]] theological movement that was initiated in the late-19th century in the [[Netherlands]]. It was originally developed by [[theology|theologians]] like [[Abraham Kuyper]], a former Dutch prime minister, and [[Herman Bavinck]] who insisted on holding fast to historic Calvinistic thinking, but with a willingness to actively engage in every new context offered by a modern and pluralistic society.{{sfn|Sutanto|Brock|1992|p=2}} In this regard, Kuyper famously stated:

{{Quote | No single piece of our mental world is to be hermetically sealed off from the rest, and there is not a square inch in the whole domain of human existence over which Christ, who is sovereign over ''all'', does not cry: 'Mine!'{{sfn|Kuyper|1998|p=488}}}}

While Neo-Calvinism originated in the Netherlands, it later found prominence in the United States, initially through Dutch immigrant theologians like [[Geerhardus Vos]] and [[Cornelius Van Til]] in the 20th century. It has since gained wider appeal in the United States and other countries,{{sfn|Bratt|2002}}{{sfn|Mouw|1989}} such as the United Kingdom and China.{{sfn|Eglinton|2020}}{{sfn|Xu|2023}}

== Theological themes ==
{{Calvinism}}
Neo-Calvinism has often focused on certain distinctive ways of theological thinking. However, as a theological movement, there is also debate as to how best to understand these topics.

=== Cultural mandate ===
The "cultural mandate" is the key Neo-Calvinist view on creation and culture. It was first proposed by [[Klaas Schilder]] and is often considered synonymous with Neo-Calvinism.{{sfn|Gootjes|1995|p=35}} Based on Genesis 1:26–28, God's command to rule and to subdue the earth is understood as a divine mandate to humanity to cultivate and to nurture all creation.{{sfn|Spykman|1992|p=109}}

Abraham Kuyper understood creation as not just about "the beginning," but also its further potential. Therefore, humans are given a cultural mandate to be involved in appreciating creation and order within it, and aiding it to bring about God's glory. This means there is no division between that which is sacred or secular in this world. Humanity is mandated to be involved in the flourishing of all of creation.{{sfn|Bishop|2024|pp=28–29}}

[[Albert M. Wolters]], who prefers describing this the "creation mandate," sees the mandate as having societal and cultural implications. It is centrally about human involvement in the development of civilization.{{sfn|Wolters|2005|pp=41–42}}

Some neo-Calvinists hold that the cultural mandate is as important as, and inseparable from the [[Great Commission]].{{Sfn|Colson|Pearcey|1999|p=295}}

=== Sphere sovereignty ===
{{main|Sphere sovereignty}}
Another key theme is the notion of [[sphere sovereignty]] (''Soevereiniteit in eigen kring''). Abraham Kuyper coined this idea arguing that each sphere (or sector) of life has its own distinct responsibilities and authority as designed by God, and no one area of life is sovereign over another. Examples of this include communities dedicated to worship, civil justice, agriculture, family, etc. Moreover, Kuyper envisioned the state as the "sphere of spheres," which ensures spheres are bounded by laws.{{sfn|Kuyper|1998|p=472}} 

=== Common grace ===
{{refimprove|section|date=September 2024}}
God providentially sustains the created order, restraining of possible evils and giving non-salvific good gifts to all humanity despite their [[Fall of man|fall into sin]], God's curse, and his eventual condemnation of the unredeemed.{{sfn|Mouw|2002}}

=== ''The antithesis''===
{{refimprove|section|date=September 2024}}
There is a struggle in history and within every person{{spaced ndash}}between submission to and rebellion against God; between the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness; between the age to come (already inaugurated in Christ) and this present evil age (of sin).{{sfn|Spykman|1992|p=65}}

==References==
===Footnotes===
{{reflist|22em}}

===Bibliography===
{{refbegin|35em|indent=yes}}
* {{cite book
|last=Bishop
|first=Steve
|year=2024
|chapter=Creation
|pages=20–34
|editor-last=Sutanto
|editor-first=Nathaniel Gray
|editor-last2=Brock
|editor-first2=Cory
|title=T&T Clark Handbook of Neo-Calvinism
|doi=10.5040/9780567698100.0006
|location=London
|publisher=T&T Clark
}}
* {{cite book
|last=Bratt
|first=James D.
|author-link=James Bratt
|year=2002
|orig-year=1984
|title=Dutch Calvinism in Modern America: A History of a Conservative Subculture
|url=https://archive.org/details/dutchcalvinismin0000brat_f3j7
|url-access=limited
|location=Eugene, Oregon
|publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers
|isbn=9781592441228
}}
* {{cite book
|last1=Colson
|first1=Chuck
|author1-link=Charles Colson
|last2=Pearcey
|first2=Nancy
|author2-link=Nancy Pearcey
|year=1999
|title=How Now Shall We Live?
|location=Wheaton, Illinois
|publisher=Tyndale House
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Cmlf9UnQa0EC
}}
* {{cite book
|last1=Eglinton
|first1=James
|title=Bavinck: A Critical Biography
|date=2020
|publisher=Baker Academic
|isbn=978-1-4934-2059-9
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LenfDwAAQBAJ
}}
* {{cite book
|last=Gootjes
|first=N. H.
|chapter=Schilder on Christ and Culture
|pages=35-64
|editor-last=Geertsema
|editor-first=J.
|title=Always Obedient: Essays on the Teaching of Dr. Klaas Schilder
|location=Phillipsburg, NJ
|publisher=P&R Publishing
|year=1995
}}
* {{cite book
|contributor-last=Kuyper
|contributor-first=Abraham
|contributor-link=Abraham Kuyper
|contribution=Sphere Sovereignty
|last=Kuyper
|first=Abraham
|year=1998
|editor-last=Bratt
|editor-first=James D.
|title=Abraham Kuyper: A Centennial Reader
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jnGrrQj-A98C
|location=Grand Rapids, Michigan
|publisher=William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
|pages=461–490
|isbn=978-0-8028-4321-0
}}
* {{cite journal
|last=Mouw
|first=Richard J.
|author-link=Richard Mouw
|year=1989
|title=Dutch Calvinist Philosophical Influences in North America
|journal=Calvin Theological Journal
|volume=24
|issue=1
|pages=93–120
|issn=0008-1795
}}
* {{cite book
|last=Mouw
|first=Richard
|author-link=Richard Mouw
|year=2002
|title=He Shines in All That's Fair
|location=Grand Rapids, Michigan
|publisher=William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
}}
* {{cite book
|last=Spykman
|first=Gordon J.
|year=1992
|title=Reformational Theology: A New Paradigm for Doing Dogmatics
|location=Grand Rapids, Michigan
|publisher=William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
}}
* {{cite book
|last=Sutanto
|first=Nathaniel Gray
|last2=Brock
|first2=Cory
|year=2024
|chapter=Editorial Introduction
|pages=1–5
|editor-last=Sutanto
|editor-first=Nathaniel Gray
|editor-last2=Brock
|editor-first2=Cory
|title=T&T Clark Handbook of Neo-Calvinism
|doi=10.5040/9780567698100.0003
|location=London
|publisher=T&T Clark
}}
* {{cite book
|last=Wolters
|first=Albert M.
|author-link=Albert M. Wolters
|year=2005
|title=Creation Regained: Biblical Basics for a Reformational Worldview
|edition=2nd
|location=Grand Rapids, Michigan
|publisher=William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
|isbn=978-0-8028-2969-6
|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=tNSR1_f02PYC
}}
* {{cite book
|last=Xu
|first=Ximian
|year=2023
|chapter=Give Us Dutch Neo-Calvinism: Retrieving and Reconsidering Dutch Neo-Calvinism in the Chinese Context
|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i36rEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT88
|editor-last=Starr
|editor-first=Chloë F.
|title= Modern Chinese Theologies
|volume=2
|location=Minneapolis
|publisher=Fortress
|pages=69–88
}}
{{refend}}

== Further reading ==
{{Portal |Reformed Christianity}}
* {{cite book |last=Bavinck |first=Herman |title=Reformed Dogmatics, 4 Volumes |publisher=Baker Academic |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-8010-3576-0}}
* {{cite book |last1=Bavinck |first1=J. H. |author1-link=Johan Herman Bavinck |title=The J. H. Bavinck Reader |date=2013 |publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing |isbn=978-0-8028-6592-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iq0MrpfUNOkC |language=en}}
* {{cite book |last=Kuyper |first=Abraham |editor-first=James D.|editor-last=Bratt|title=Abraham Kuyper: A Centennial Reader |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jnGrrQj-A98C |year=1998 |publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans |location=Grand Rapids |isbn=978-0-8028-4321-0 |ref=none}}
* {{cite book |last=Kuyper |first=Abraham |title=Calvinism: Six Lectures Delivered in the Theological Seminary in Princeton |publisher=Fleming H. Revell |year=1899 |url=https://archive.org/details/calvinismsixlect00kuyp }}

{{Christian democracy}}

[[Category:Calvinist theology]]