This post that I had about Reformed Bible College changing its name to Kuyper College is restirring controversy. It seems that when Kuyper College is googled, this post comes up third. So as people are searching for the KC site, they get my opinion on the background of the name-change.I still hold that the name-change is for the purpose of separating themselves from the Reformed tradition. I know that there are other reasons as well, but is an American not entitled to a freedom of speech as well as freedom of the press?
Not all are happy with my thoughts. Here is a comment that I received at midnight:
Hmmm Nate...So if my senses are right, I think you're feeling angry... I remember you from RBC, er, KC. Brother, I encourage you to get your head out of the sand and start loving people. REALLY loving them. ALL people... Arminians, pentecostals, female preachers, adults who get baptized, Kuyper College board members....
My response is that I love Christ, the Church, and the Reformed Faith. I also love sinners who are dying and in danger of hell. That is why I am in seminary as well as why I maintain this blog. I desire to see God's truth spread from East to West, from sea to sea. I desire to see men converted and fall in love with my Redeemer. This my friends lies behind my passions.
Love for Christ.
And I hope that this post comes up fourth!
6 comments:
I was just about to ask you why you don't like Kuyper, and then I switched over to the actual post about it, and read that you DON'T hate Kuyper. Maybe because I'm a newer Calvinist and found reformed theology on Monergism.Com, but the whole "Neocalvinism" thing seems suspect to me. Something about Christ "redeeming" culture and arts (whatever that means!) seems to take the focus off of our salvation and towards... well... I don't know. Not to mention how much the famous Kuyper quote seems to go against the Canons of Dordt. That's what attracted me to the PRC (although I didn't join), since they obviously don't go for the whole neocalvinst thing. And, as you said, it does just seem like a license to not live a Christian lifestyle. It's just one of those things I've never been easy with, I don't know what the ARPC's opinion is on the whole Kuyper/Neocalvinist thing.
Let's face it Nate, you're just a hater.
Gavin,
The handy thing about calling Kuyper and those who follow his teaching neo-calvinists is that you can dismiss him and then continue to call yourself a calvinist while retaining a fundamentalist view on life and culture.
julie
Julie
I do not think that is a fair assesment. Kuyper does not hold the patent on Reformed Worldview.
Kuyper is one of many of the Reformed thinkers who discuss worldview and culture.
The Puritans are in my estimation a better view on culture. They used it to its fullest, yet being careful not to incorporate things that may displease God. This is not fundy, but Reformed
Julie, as I understood it, the "neocalvinist" idea was founded by Kuyper. If I said something offensive, I apologize, but I thought I was just stating a fact about Kuyper. I am rather new to Reformed theology and just found out about this world of labels (PRC, PCA, ARPC, NPP, FV/AA, need I go on?) so if I have misunderstood neocalvinism or Kuyper, it is no surprise to me and I am open to correction. I do not hold a fundamentalist world-view by any definition, in fact I find the strict "antithesis" (probably misusing that word too) of the PRC with the ban on card playing, movies, drama, etc. to be offensive to the Word of God and Christian freedom. I do admire their willingness to adhere to such a strict moral code when it seems like places like Calvin College want to allow anything for the sake of "redeeming culture" and other hot buzzwords. Certainly there's a middle ground between banning anything touched by the secular and claiming that anything touched by a Christian is ok. Whatever happened to a sane understanding of the third use of the Law?
This post comes up number 32. I guess sequols are never as good as the original!
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