RamistThomist
Puritanboard Clerk
There are several threads dealing with "transformationalism," neo-calvinism, etc. I thought to offer some summary suggestions (and I have ebooks and stuff on this if any wants it. email me at jacob DOT aitken AT gmail DOT com)
I don't like the word "transformationalism," since it isn't entirely accurate with Kuyper's own take on culture. Strictly speaking, Kuyper didn't believe in a Christian culture, so it is not clear what he would be transforming. Further, it has been ruined today by the liberals at Calvin College and the virtue-signalers at the Gospel Coalition. And then there are the male ballerinas at Redeemer.
A big concept that separates all the people (Kuyper, Bavinck, Dooyeweerd, Vollenhoven) is the “boundary concept”. What is that you say? It is the boundary between the Creator and Creation. Dooyeweerd went with Law as the concept. Van Til and Stoker went with Creation itself. Vollenhoven went with time if I’m not mistaken. I think Bavinck went with Revelation.
Stoker and Van Til are the most similar. Van Til really appreciated Stoker’s work.
A lot of people always bring up Young's critique. It's okay. He tends to reduce all of Neo_Calvinism to Kuyper, and then focuses on Kuyper's problematic ideas.
Suggested reading:
Geertsema. Always Obedient: Essays on the teaching of Klaas Schilder. Magnficient work. Shows the differences between Schilder and Kuyper and why neo-calvinism cannot be reduced to any one figure.
Bavinck. Any volume. Spend the rest of your life reading these.
Wood, Thomas Halsey. Going Dutch. Shows how Kuyper's scenario forced him to a Reformed Baptist view on the covenant and election.
Dooyeweerd. Roots of Western Culture. Great job showing the different ground-motives that determine culture.
Van Til. Common Grace and the Gospel. Interacts with Kuyper and Schilder.
Wolters, Al. Creation Regained. Best intro to Reformational Philosophy.
I don't like the word "transformationalism," since it isn't entirely accurate with Kuyper's own take on culture. Strictly speaking, Kuyper didn't believe in a Christian culture, so it is not clear what he would be transforming. Further, it has been ruined today by the liberals at Calvin College and the virtue-signalers at the Gospel Coalition. And then there are the male ballerinas at Redeemer.
A big concept that separates all the people (Kuyper, Bavinck, Dooyeweerd, Vollenhoven) is the “boundary concept”. What is that you say? It is the boundary between the Creator and Creation. Dooyeweerd went with Law as the concept. Van Til and Stoker went with Creation itself. Vollenhoven went with time if I’m not mistaken. I think Bavinck went with Revelation.
Stoker and Van Til are the most similar. Van Til really appreciated Stoker’s work.
A lot of people always bring up Young's critique. It's okay. He tends to reduce all of Neo_Calvinism to Kuyper, and then focuses on Kuyper's problematic ideas.
Suggested reading:
Geertsema. Always Obedient: Essays on the teaching of Klaas Schilder. Magnficient work. Shows the differences between Schilder and Kuyper and why neo-calvinism cannot be reduced to any one figure.
Bavinck. Any volume. Spend the rest of your life reading these.
Wood, Thomas Halsey. Going Dutch. Shows how Kuyper's scenario forced him to a Reformed Baptist view on the covenant and election.
Dooyeweerd. Roots of Western Culture. Great job showing the different ground-motives that determine culture.
Van Til. Common Grace and the Gospel. Interacts with Kuyper and Schilder.
Wolters, Al. Creation Regained. Best intro to Reformational Philosophy.