I recently came across and article written in the Princeton Review in 1921. It was written by Dr. Jan Van Lonkhuyzen. The title of the article was Abraham Kuyper-A Modern Calvinist. I read this article with interest for two main reasons.
The first reason is that Dr. Van Lonkhuyzen is my great-grandfather on my mother's side. I always enjoy reading what he has written a couple generations before me. Dr. Van Lonkhuyzen was a minister in the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (GKN) and also served in the CRC in a congregation in Grand Rapids and Chicago. This is how my mom's family ended up in Chicago. Most of what Dr. Van Lonkhuyzen has written is still in the Dutch language and non-accessible to English-only readers.
The second reason I read this article with interest is because there has been much discussion recently on Calvinism as a worldview in light of Natural Law Two Kingdoms (nl2k), especially at nl2k expresses itself in some of its more radical forms. I am also reading Dr. David Van Drunen's book Living in God's Two Kingdoms . Van Drunen states as his purpose in writing the book is to offer an alternative to Kuyperianism. Once I finish the book, I hope to write a response to it. Nevertheless, those are the two reasons I was excited to come across this article by Van Lonkhuyzen I had never read before. The article was written shortly after Kuyper was called home to glory in November of 1920. The conclusion of the article summarizes what Calvinism is and meant for Kuyper. Van Lonkhuyzen writes:
BOQ
Was Kuyper a follower of Calvin? Did he teach unmodified Calvinism? He was not a follower of Calvin if by this we mean formal imitation. He seldom quotes Calvin or any other of the Reformed theologians. He did so when it was necessary. He knew that he had grasped the fundamentals of the Reformers. But usually he drew of his own initiative from the fountain of the Word of God. He had the spirit of Calvinism; he revived Calvinism; he enriched Calvinism; he clothed Calvinism in the garment of our time; he applied Calvinism to the needs of our age. Yes, he taught a purified Calvinism.
What is Calvinism? Is it Christianity? It is, but not all Christians are Calvinists. Is it Christianity applied to every sphere of life? It is, but the early Christians also applied their Christianity to every spere of life, still we do not call them Calvinists. Is it a life- and world-view? It is, but it is more than a view, it is not of the mind only but also of the heart; not a doctrine merely, but a life as well.
What is Calvinism? It is Christianity stated systematically; it is Christianity systematized, and systematized to the highest degree--the whole heart consecrated to God, the whole creation brought under God's sovereignty, the world within us as well as the world round about us subsumed under one all-inclusive aim, God's glory. Or, to use that magnificent passage of St. Paul in Romans 11:36, "For of Him and through Him and unto Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever." A Calvinism full of life, full of faith, full of love! Such is the Calvinism I have seen in this man.
EOQ
This was a refreshing drink from the fountain which is worldview Calvinism.
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