Post 218--Kuyper on Ascension and Pentecost

Abraham Kuyper, was / is a famous Dutch theologian, philosopher, journalist, organizer, politician and what not,  who straddled the 19th and 20th century and who is the inspiration of just about all of my writings, including this blog. He is mostly famous for his vigorous Christian approach to society and culture.  However, he also wrote reams of spiritual meditations, most of whom are not known due to the language in which they are originally written, namely my mother tongue, Dutch.  There probably are no more than 20 million speakers of the Dutch language.  Nevertheless, enough has been translated that he has become an influential thinker and social activist in North America for Christianity Today, a prominent evangelical magazine in the USA, to declare Kuyper one of the three most influential theologians in the country. 

Note well:  "Influential," which is not the same as "famous" or "recognized."  His influence has and continues to seep throughout North American theology and social thought through leaders of Christian thought without his name being bandied about. 

If you want to know something about Kuyper, I invite you to access my website:                     

                                                      www.SocialTheology.com

This rather extensive website is shot through with the spirit of Kuyper--as I am myself, personally!

Now, the above sentence may need some clarification. I am not idolizing Kuyper, let alone deifying him. However, through the lens of his perspective my understanding of and devotion to Christ has been sharpened and more focused than ever before. His teachings, especially as they have been further developed by an entire school of thought known by various names--especially Kuyperianism, Neo-Calvinism and Reformational-- have expanded my world and my horizons so that I, like many others in my condition, feel liberated from and equipped to understand the myths of the secularism and face them head on.

So, while almost all of my recent blog posts have featured the writings of others with my making a few comments as introduction, this one is entirely my own.  I translated and published a book of Kuyper's meditation on the subjects of Christ's ascension and the Spirit's descension. The full title is: THE ASCENT OF THE SON--THE DESCENT OF THE SPIRIT: 26 MEDITATIONS.

Below, you will find a brief introduction to that book, that was published in the Canadian Reformed bi-weekly Christian Courier.  I pass it on to you at this point to give you ample time to spiritually prepare yourself to celebrate both Ascension and Pentecost. I was tardy with Easter. This time I want to be on time to help you prepare.  Here goes:

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Kuyper the evangelical

In terms of his published work, Abraham Kuyper is probably best known for his tomes on academic, social, economic, political and theological topics.

Posted May 26, 2014 / by Jan Boer / May 26, 2014 in

In terms of his published work, Abraham Kuyper is probably best known for his tomes on academic, social, economic, political and theological topics. However, another genre of Kuyper’s writing is beginning to receive (renewed) attention in English, namely his volumes of meditations and writings on the Holy Spirit. I have decided to contribute to that revival by translating one of his meditational books, the title of which I translate as The Ascent of the Son – The Descent of the Spirit: 26 Meditations on Ascension and Pentecost.

Kuyper explains that he treats Christ’s Ascension and Pentecost in one book because these events are so closely related. Though the church today tends to downplay Pentecost and almost ignore the Ascension, Kuyper insists on their importance. You can’t do without them and you can’t afford to ignore them, for they are together woven into your entire spiritual life.

The birthday of the Catholic world church  
“On Pentecost, the Church of God steps onto the world stage as the universal Catholic world church,” the introduction begins. It’s a majestic declaration. Undoubtedly, at the time of the event itself, people would have been surprised at such an opening, since the community of believers was a mere handful. Could even the most ardent believer at the time envision a universal church? I like the spirit of that opening. The world church deserves that kind of declaration, for it represents the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. 

Why does Pentecost, not to speak of Ascension, command so much less attention today than Easter or Christmas? For his own day, Kuyper explains that this was “not because Pentecost has less value or respect . . . but because it appeals to a level of imagination and conception too high for the average person and is too spiritual. Pentecost is the noblest of the three feasts, but only for those who have tasted the noblest. Only those who themselves have received the ‘first fruits of the Spirit’ can truly celebrate this Feast of the Spirit!” 

We need to revive Pentecost, “the noblest of the three,” as well as Ascension. If you are born again, Kuyper would want you be the one to start this revival!

Universalized spiritual memoir 
I have become convinced that these meditations reflect Kuyper’s own spiritual journey and makeup. As we’ll discuss, he underwent a lengthy conversion experience during which he struggled intensely. His earlier liberal theological convictions toppled one after another. One of his biographers, Frank Vanden Berg, wrote, “his inner spiritual struggle of those days was one of those intimate personal experiences that remain behind the veil. One does not publicize them.” I believe that these meditations represent much of his own personal spiritual struggles; that he did, in fact, write about them here. It was just not in acknowledged biographical format.  

Furthermore, these personal experiences were mixed with his theological instincts, with each one influencing the other. Many of the chapters contain heavy trinitarian theology stuff mixed with what he considers universal Christian spiritual experiences, but which, I have a hunch, were, in fact, personal rather than universal. 

Though I deeply appreciate reading these profound reflections on his spiritual experiences, I cannot always identify with them, even though he universalizes them. My experiences are different, probably a little more relaxed, from those of this intense man for whom everything seemed so absolute. I can point to experiences in my own life, but not to the antithetical type Kuyper experienced and thought common.

Kuyper’s spiritual struggles never ceased. They reflect the ups and downs of St. Paul, who would descend from the mountaintop of praise and worship down to the cry that, of all men, he was the most miserable. Kuyper’s forceful personality, his native quest for power and his proclivity towards pride would continually trip him up and lead to moments of despair.

The eyes of the soul
Faith and angst seemed never far from each other in what he considered a typical Christian’s struggle: “Would God forget his grace and never again bless with his mercy? Was the experience of salvation only something momentary in order to let him sink into even deeper suffering? Was it a mere glimpse of a light beam that would make the dark fears in his heart even more real? And so the soul goes under, defeated. Oh, no, not so fast, not immediately. At first, when this situation develops, he, that typical Christian, doesn’t know it and is not aware of missing anything. But once this forsaken state ends and the Lord revives his soul again, that’s when the regrets and the pain return. And only when the Comforter returns, does he realize with unspeakable pain that the Comforter had left him.”

But such struggles, real as they are, always end in victory: “Even among those born again, the eyeof the soul can at times close again either partly or fully so that it can no longer see the Spirit clearly, but in such cases the consoling face retains his presence; the Holy Spirit does not withdraw. Not for one moment should we entertain the thought that the struggle of King Jesus for the further development of his Kingdom is ever suspended for even a minute.” 

In these meditations every true Christian is portrayed as having experienced deep and profound struggles of fear and despair until she crosses the spiritual threshold and comes to rest in the arms of a compassionate Father, now glorifying in his love and peace.

Ponder, don’t analyze
I would guess that most born-again Christians go through some struggles before “delivery,” but Kuyper’s description of the process and experience is over the top. He was extremely intense and absolute. He had a strong love for power and needed to dominate. His egotism sometimes seemed almost boundless. It was only when he read a novel of two brothers in which all these characteristics of strength and power were pitted against those of love and self-sacrifice with the latter clearly ending up in victory, that the truth finally dawned on Kuyper: he had to give all that up.

But then, once the light of God has entered our souls and we’ve given up all that negative stuff, we begin to “see all of reality in a totally different perspective, both things on earth below and in heaven above.”

If you plan to read these 26 meditations, allow yourself time to let them sink in. You could read one every two weeks, spend a year absorbing them and, with this deep focus on the person and work of the Holy Spirit, deepen both your intellectual and spiritual life. After all his detailed analysis of Trinitarian affairs, Kuyper advices with respect to Pentecost, “Ponder, but do not analyze too much.” That man of power and overstatement put it so gingerly and tenderly: “When you fall on your knees, this gaze in faith carries you quick as lightning, within one heartbeat, from your prayer room to the Lord in Heaven. Then you are in the presence of your Jesus, in whom you recognize the Lamb that was slain, and you worship him with a love that melts your soul.”

That’s the spiritual tone with which he closes many meditations. Kuyper, the most unabashed Evangelical of all Kuyperians!

Post 185--Moving Forward with North Korea

                                               NORTH KOREA: TALKS THE ONLY OPTION

Elizabeth Kendal is the author of a prayer blog entitled "Religious Liberty Prayer Bulletin."  It is evangelical in tone and connected in some way to the World Evangelical Fellowship, if I'm not mistaken. Her posts are usually worth the read, what with a lot of hard factual info about the situations in various countries.  This post of mine reproduces her Bulletin no. 423 of September 13, 2017.  As far as I can see, it provides the best option about moving forward with North Korea.  Probably not original, but that does not matter.  

But do remember: it is evangelical in spirit, not Reformational as this my blog is. In this case, the difference is that while the Reformational emphasis would be on justice for the entire situation, Kendal, though not omitting justice issues, emphasizes the effects of the situation on the church, as if the church were the most important agency and the rest secondary.  The Reformational will absolutely be sympathetic to the church, but consider the wider issue of justice and liberty for all as primary.  With that difference in mind,  as Canada's CBC reporters tend to say, "Have a listen."


As noted in RLPB 403 (19 April), 'North Korea will not willingly disarm, but
will retain its weapons program for the purpose of deterrence.' After all,
the regime saw what happened in 2003 to Iraq's Saddam Hussein (who did not
have a nuclear deterrent), and in 2011 to Libya's Muammar Gaddafi (who had
relinquished all his nuclear weapons). In both cases, the West facilitated
regime change, ensuring these former allies fell into the hands of their
enemies: Saddam was executed by Shi'ite forces, whilst Gaddafi was brutalised
to death by al-Qaeda-linked jihadists. Both countries were essentially
destroyed. Russian President Vladimir Putin said as much last week. While he
condemned North Korea's nuclear provocations, President Putin rejected the
idea that UN sanctions were a solution. 'Sanctions of any kind,' he said,
'are useless and ineffective in this case ... [The North Koreans] will eat
grass, but they will not abandon this [nuclear] program unless they feel
safe.'

Sanctions will not work, but neither can there be a military solution for as
the US Defense Department and everyone in the region knows, the cost to South
Korea - in lives and infrastructure - would be absolutely catastrophic.
Though war is not an option, on Sunday 10 September US Senator John McCain
called for Washington to ratchet up the pressure by stepping up its presence
in the region to 'make sure that Kim Jong-un knows that if he acts in an
aggressive fashion, the price will be extinction.' Such language would surely
cause considerable distress to millions of Christians around the world who
don't want to see North Korea's long-suffering remnant Church obliterated in
US 'fire and fury'.  

If sanctions are not the solution and war is out of the question, what are we
left with? It leaves us with the possibility of returning to six-party talks
(North Korea, South Korea, Japan, China, Russia and the USA). Ultimately,
what the Kim regime wants is a bi-lateral treaty with the USA: one that
recognises North Korea as a nuclear power, taking regime change off the
table. North Korea also wants to be recognised as a sovereign independent
state, taking reunification off the table (at least for the foreseeable
future). Some analysts insist the crisis (most of which is theatre and
posturing) is approaching its 'end game' and that resolution and dialogue,
not war, will be the outcome. That said, the situation remains incredibly
volatile - an angry or accidental slip could jeopardise everything.

Should a resolution be reached, South Korea, China and Russia (North Korea's
neighbours) are ready to invest in such a way as to facilitate North Korea's
economic development. This is critical, for North Korea cannot truly open up
until it has radically improved the living standards of its people. Hence the
endless balancing act: when risk is perceived to be high, repression and
belligerence are extreme; however, when risk is perceived to be low,
engagement and reform inch tentatively forward. There really is no
alternative to returning to the days of inching forward. South Korea's new
President Moon Jae-in, who has a grandmother alive in the North, is eager to
re-establish dialogue and co-operation, as are Russia, China and Japan.
However, the Kim regime will not negotiate until the US concedes that North
Korea is indeed a nuclear power (hence the endless missile tests). Even if
talks resume, treaties are signed and normalisation occurs, it will be many
years before North Korea can truly open up to the outside world without
risking collapse. What is more important though is that conditions inside
North Korea improve, including the issue of religious freedom for the
long-suffering North Korean Church in the labour camps and 'underground'.


PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY FOR GOD TO:

* preserve, protect, bless and strengthen the long-suffering North Korean
Church - both the Church in the labour camps and the Church deep
'underground'.

* intervene in the Korean crisis creatively, according to his wisdom, to
fulfil his good purposes, that ultimately North Korea's faithful remnant
Church might be liberated to worship freely, to be salt and light and yeast
in society, and to bring healing to the North.  

Post 184--Trump's Clergy Friends

The Religion News Service (RSN) has done us all a huge service by publishing an extensive report on meetings between President Trump and an assortment of what Americans tend to call “white Evangelicals.”  Here’s the bibliographics of the document: 

Adelle M. Banks, Emily McFarlan Miller , Yonat Shimron and Jerome Socolovsky, “All the president’s clergymen: A close look at Trump’s ‘unprecedented’ ties with evangelicals.” Religion News Service, September 5, 2017.

http://religionnews.com/2017/09/05/all-the-presidents-clergymen-a-close-look-at-trumps-unprecedented-ties-with-evangelicals/?utm_source=RNS+Updates&utm_campaign=8dea16e014-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_09_09&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c5356cb657-8dea16e014-127937033

I am merely sharing the URL of these events—yes, “events,” plural—so you can read all about them. Basically, I am doing the same thing these RSN writers have done—passing on info and leave the choice as to what to do with it or how to interpret it all with you. 

I will say, however, that I do not feel these guys and gals represent me, a Reformational writer. If you want to get a feel of a writer like me, read back posts of this blog or go to my website < www.SocialTheology.com >.

I am always concerned that this blog not appear too American or deals with too many American issues. The point is, that American affairs affect Canada more that most of us like. Probably the biggest influence of these American events on us is the way we Canadians interpret them, especially the Canadian media. They are so ignorant of religion in general, it stinks. They are even more ignorant of what they regard as the Evangelical religion of the American south—and even more prejudiced against it. They pass on their wretched interpretation to us so that we react to that interpretation rather than to that community itself.  There’s a whole firewall between that community and us. Its first name is “Canadian media;” its last, “Liberal.” 

So, on the face of it, a short post. If you open up the URL above, it is pretty long.

What do you think of these meetings and the concerns broached in them? 

Post 138--CPJ: Poverty in Canada

Post…  -- Poverty in Canada                                        4.9 million people in Canada live in poverty. CPJ—that means “Citizens for Public Justice.” I t’s an organization to which I have belonged for years.  It was started originally by Neo-Calvinists or Reformational thinkers right here in Canada. If you want to know what all that means, I direct you to the various pages of my website < www.SocialTheology.com > where you will find it all over the map. Sometimes explicitly spelled out; at other times embedded in the text of the many articles on the website. The original founder, the late Jerry Vanderzande, received the Order of Canada reward for his brave attempts on behalf of the poor of our country. Jerry is gone, but CPJ is his legacy that continues to work in his style and spirit.  So, please read this and consider joining them. The rest of this post comes from the CPJ staff. See what you think of it. CPJ’s Dignity for All campaign is calling for a national anti-poverty plan to address the root causes of poverty in Canada. This campaign is supported by 649 groups and 11,091 individuals. In October, CPJ and Dignity for All organized Chew On This! in 64 communities across Canada. We sent thousands of postcards to Minster Jean-Yves Duclos to ask him to hear the voices of those living in poverty as he develops this plan. Climate Justice CPJ is encouraged by the range of emissions-reduction measures contained in the government's new national climate change plan. Sadly, the target upon which this climate plan is built is out of step with the intent of the Paris Agreement. While this plan was developed, CPJ has made your voice heard. Three times this year, CPJ met with Environment and Climate Change Minister Catherine McKenna. In February, we delivered over 3,000 climate petitions calling for an ambitious Canadian GHG emission reduction target. Throughout the summer, 272 Canadian Christians made active use of CPJ’s online climate consultation tool to share their stories and submit climate action recommendations directly to the government. 2017: A Year of Action But as we enter a new year, we need to go beyond consultations. It’s time to act! We want to make 2017 the year that Canada finally has a strong national plan to end poverty. CPJ is preparing for our new Give it up for the Earth! spring climate action to call on our leaders to make bold commitments on climate change. And in 2017, we will be publishing new research on refugee resettlement. It’s time to address the challenges of poverty elimination, climate change, and refugee policy! Thank you for joining us in the important work of public justice! —Joe Gunn