The Challenges of Cultural Discipleship: Essays in the Line of Abraham Kuyper

by Richard J. Mouw

Richard J. Mouw is well known for his incisive views on the intersection of culture and Christianity and for his efforts to make the thought of major Dutch theologian Abraham Kuyper accessible to average Christians. In this volume Mouw provides the scholarly "backstory" to his popular books as he interprets, applies, expands on -- and at times even corrects -- Kuyper's remarkable vision for faith and public life.

In thirteen essays Mouw explores and develops the Kuyperian perspective on key topics in Christian cultural discipleship, including public theology, sphere sovereignty, education, creation, and more. He deftly articulates an ecumenically enriched neo-Calvinist -- or "neo-Kuyperian" -- perspective that appropriates and contextualizes the ideas and insights of this important theologian and statesman for new challenges in Christian thought and service.

Genres: Theology, Cultural, Politics

246 pages, Paperback

First published November 21, 2011

About the author

Richard John Mouw is a theologian and philosopher. He held the position of President at Fuller Theological Seminary for 20 years (1993-2013), and continues to hold the post of Professor of Faith and Public Life.

Reviews

[Drew Norwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

A few of these essays were excellent. The rest were so-so. The main benefit to reading this collection was understanding just how loosely-bound Kuyperianism is, and to see some of the intramural debates going on within Kuyperian circles.

[Mar · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Collection of 13 essays--some more dated than others--on the thinking of Abraham Kuyper and how it impacts North American society. This book may appeal to those from the Reformed persuasion of thought who may be more familiar with terms such as "sphere sovereignty". The essays were interesting, but as they had been written or spoken in various areas before assembled into this collection there is some repetition of ideas and analogies for those who read them all together.
I was interested to hear Mouw's take on how his thinking about the church and academia has changed and must continue changing in the future. "We're dealing with shrinking spheres"...and so perhaps the church does have to take on the role of family. There is also "mobility between pillars" and "religious grazing", so individuals today have no issues with doing yoga, reading New Age material, and being a participant in a Bible study. "Worldview fragmentation" is another issue he addresses and I was intrigued by his comment that the Christian Reformed Community no longer works very hard at giving intellectual articulation to the rationale that informs its cultural negotiations".

Some essays, such as the one on baptism was less interesting to me personally, but the collection is solid.

[David Westerveld · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a collection of essays the topics covered were quite eclectic. I enjoyed the broad range of topics covered and found the writing clear and easy to follow. Having grow up in in the Dutch Reformed circles, I had the mental categories to process this and found it quite enjoyable to dive a little deeper into some of the history and debates. It was also fun to see him mention Cornelius Pronk, who was my pastor growing up, and to see those connections to some people and places that I personally know.

Personally a book I enjoyed, and some good thoughts on how to interact with culture as a reformed Christian. He was very balanced and fair in talking about different approaches people have taken.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of Mouw's essays on civic / public theology, from a Kuyperian perspective, drawn from his journal articles and other academic writing through the years. A good read to explore a couple different perspectives on how the Church ought to interact with public life, with plenty of background explanations of Kuyper and sphere sovereignty if those are new concepts. A couple other essays touch on the disputes over the basis for infant baptism, the difficulty that Calvinists have in defining who belong to the "true Church," and a neat overview of the way Dutch Reformed thinkers have affected philosophy in North America.

Because this book is a collection of articles, reading them one after another gives you the impression you're reading the same ideas over and over sometimes - especially when he offers examples to illustrate a point. (If I read that stupid story about the woman who has to fire her son from his job at a college where she works [as an illustration of sphere sovereignty], I am going to stab myself.)

That said, Mouw is a clear writer, and he's good at pointing out the problems that Calvinists must wrestle in the arena of public theology. He's also open-minded toward the critiques coming from non-Calvinist viewpoints and is willing to suggest ways for Reformed theology to change for the better.

A specialized book in some ways, but accessible to a general reader with a theological background.