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Reformed Ethics #4
Reformed Social Ethics: Perspectives on Society, Culture, State, Church, and the Kingdom of God
In the process of translating Herman Bavinck's Reformed Ethics, John Bolt and his editorial colleagues discovered that the social ethics portion was unfinished. The first section will now be published as Reformed Ethics, vol. 3. The other five sections were outlined by Bavinck, but not completed. Following Bavinck's outline, John Bolt has reconstructed those last five sections on the basis of his extensive knowledge of Bavinck's work, culling Bavinck's other writings, in both Dutch and English, to summarize his teachings.
This companion to Reformed Ethics offers readers Bavinck's main convictions and perspectives on critical topics of social society, art, scholarship, education, the state, the church, humanity, and the kingdom of God.
Reformed Social Ethics completes the Reformed Ethics project and provides readers with a fuller picture of Bavinck's ethics. It will also be packaged with Bavinck's Reformed Ethics in a specially priced four-volume set.
This companion to Reformed Ethics offers readers Bavinck's main convictions and perspectives on critical topics of social society, art, scholarship, education, the state, the church, humanity, and the kingdom of God.
Reformed Social Ethics completes the Reformed Ethics project and provides readers with a fuller picture of Bavinck's ethics. It will also be packaged with Bavinck's Reformed Ethics in a specially priced four-volume set.
- GenresChristian
240 pages, Hardcover
Published March 18, 2025
8 people are currently reading
53 people want to read
About the author
Herman Bavinck
112 books195 followersHerman Bavinck (1854-1921) succeeded Abraham Kuyper as professor of systematic theology at the Free University of Amsterdam in 1902.
His nephew was Johan Herman Bavinck.
His nephew was Johan Herman Bavinck.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 21, 2025
The Herman Bavinck body of work keeps growing! As every new title drops, our stores become fuller. To my mind, he’s one of the real master intellectuals out there. If he’s written on a subject, it was be a crime not to consult it if that’s the subject you’re working through.
You have surely heard of his Reformed Dogmatics. There are scholars who are devoting their career, like editor John Bolt here, to uncovering and freshly translating his work. I’ve only recently heard of a new set called Reformed Ethics and it looks like many are considering this work on Social Ethics as part of that set. Still, it’s unique enough to have this separate title.
We must commend the editors for taking mere notes, filling them out with careful honesty to make sure they’re authentic Bavinck, and even pulling in his other writings to fill the gaps. Your ideas must be valuable to get a group of editors to invest that kind of time to bring them to light.
The first section talks society. It approaches issues that dominate on some level political debate today. Its gift is its utterly dispassionate portrayal of politics as if what God said is all that matters. His argument that Jesus is not a social reformer, that is, He doesn’t work directly through larger social structures, is profound.
Next, he addresses art and scholarship. The section on art is less interesting to me, but others will appreciate it. Scholarship would do well to fall in line with him today.
When he next turns to the state, we find something desperately lacking today. He speaks calmly about issues that should be informed biblically rather than with our flavor of politics. The caldron of public debate today is so toxic that this book seems as if it comes from a distant time. The views explained, however, have more of a timeless quality. He is so judicious in his comments, yet so true to principle.
The next section on “the church” is stated to be different that his ecclesiology one in his Reformed Dogmatics. Here it’s more missions and its social impact. Perhaps we could say he’s arguing for the gospel over a mere social gospel.
When he approaches humanity and the kingdom of God, he defines the Kingdom as the highest good. Your views of prophecy might lead you away from him, but there are nuggets here for any viewpoint.
This completes what will likely be the last set of books by Bavinck to come out. His name is sufficient to suggest you will want it.
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
You have surely heard of his Reformed Dogmatics. There are scholars who are devoting their career, like editor John Bolt here, to uncovering and freshly translating his work. I’ve only recently heard of a new set called Reformed Ethics and it looks like many are considering this work on Social Ethics as part of that set. Still, it’s unique enough to have this separate title.
We must commend the editors for taking mere notes, filling them out with careful honesty to make sure they’re authentic Bavinck, and even pulling in his other writings to fill the gaps. Your ideas must be valuable to get a group of editors to invest that kind of time to bring them to light.
The first section talks society. It approaches issues that dominate on some level political debate today. Its gift is its utterly dispassionate portrayal of politics as if what God said is all that matters. His argument that Jesus is not a social reformer, that is, He doesn’t work directly through larger social structures, is profound.
Next, he addresses art and scholarship. The section on art is less interesting to me, but others will appreciate it. Scholarship would do well to fall in line with him today.
When he next turns to the state, we find something desperately lacking today. He speaks calmly about issues that should be informed biblically rather than with our flavor of politics. The caldron of public debate today is so toxic that this book seems as if it comes from a distant time. The views explained, however, have more of a timeless quality. He is so judicious in his comments, yet so true to principle.
The next section on “the church” is stated to be different that his ecclesiology one in his Reformed Dogmatics. Here it’s more missions and its social impact. Perhaps we could say he’s arguing for the gospel over a mere social gospel.
When he approaches humanity and the kingdom of God, he defines the Kingdom as the highest good. Your views of prophecy might lead you away from him, but there are nuggets here for any viewpoint.
This completes what will likely be the last set of books by Bavinck to come out. His name is sufficient to suggest you will want it.
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
April 6, 2025
Nice mix of John Bolt’s commentary on Bavinck… and his already translated and published writings. Lots of content in this book is just pulled from Bavinck’s Essays on Religion Science and Society, and the last chapter is literally just The Kingdom of God the Highest Good essay. A good of this book probably could have been tacked on to volume 3 of ethics as an appendix, but I’m glad it exists in this form anyways :)
The section on Bavinck’s impressive influence on the 1891 Christian Social Congress was fascinating, and absolutely deserved its spot in this book.
There is a short section of Bavinck on The Right to Life of the Unborn. Excellent. So short though. Maybe we’ll find more writings of his on this someday.
Plenty of nods to unity in diversity, organicism, anti revolutionary Kuyperian adjacent themes, leven and dough motif.
23n38 - “…there is no metaphysical inevitability to the reality of poverty and misery. Sin, and especially the consequences of sin, can be ameliorated and overcome, never perfectly or completely but still in definite and measurable ways. The [congress’] formulation carefully avoids locating the sin and error; leaving it general (and universal) it implicitly repudiates efforts to pin blame on a specific group of class or to exonerate others. Sin is here and will remain here until the consummation—we are all sinners, we all need mercy, and we must show mercy.”
113 - “Even a skeptic is still a propagandist for the dogma of doubt.”
137 - “For Protestants, therefore, “there is no guarantee that the civil authority won’t miscalculate in its choices and decisions. Just as history also teaches us that civil authority frequently persecuted the true church and protected the false church.” “
The section on Bavinck’s impressive influence on the 1891 Christian Social Congress was fascinating, and absolutely deserved its spot in this book.
There is a short section of Bavinck on The Right to Life of the Unborn. Excellent. So short though. Maybe we’ll find more writings of his on this someday.
Plenty of nods to unity in diversity, organicism, anti revolutionary Kuyperian adjacent themes, leven and dough motif.
23n38 - “…there is no metaphysical inevitability to the reality of poverty and misery. Sin, and especially the consequences of sin, can be ameliorated and overcome, never perfectly or completely but still in definite and measurable ways. The [congress’] formulation carefully avoids locating the sin and error; leaving it general (and universal) it implicitly repudiates efforts to pin blame on a specific group of class or to exonerate others. Sin is here and will remain here until the consummation—we are all sinners, we all need mercy, and we must show mercy.”
113 - “Even a skeptic is still a propagandist for the dogma of doubt.”
137 - “For Protestants, therefore, “there is no guarantee that the civil authority won’t miscalculate in its choices and decisions. Just as history also teaches us that civil authority frequently persecuted the true church and protected the false church.” “
November 28, 2025
This book was wonderful. Bavinck walks through difficult ethical and societal topics with such biblical depth and cultural insight. My favorite part was the essay at the very end of the book titled “The Kingdom of God, the Highest Good”. This is one of my favorite shorter essays I’ve ever read. It was challenging, scholarly, deep, and truly beautiful. I recommend everyone spend some time to read those 25 pages on the Kingdom of God.
In the end of times,
“God Himself will delight in the work accomplished by His hands, and when we behold it, the song will flow from our lips: every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God. God Himself is its builder and designer (Heb 3:4; 11:30)”
- Bavinck, “The Kingdom of God, the Highest Good” pg 201
In the end of times,
“God Himself will delight in the work accomplished by His hands, and when we behold it, the song will flow from our lips: every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God. God Himself is its builder and designer (Heb 3:4; 11:30)”
- Bavinck, “The Kingdom of God, the Highest Good” pg 201
May 23, 2025
My first reading of Bavinck in book form, so nothing to compare it too, but it moved me into a deeper understanding and love for God’s plan and Sovereignty. I have his Reformed Dogmatics collection that I’ll be moving into soon. It’s slower, but richer reading, and moves in bigger ways. I especially enjoyed the chapter on the Kingdom of God.
September 9, 2025
This volume looks different than the other three volumes of Bavinck's "Reformed Ethics." That's because Bavinck didn't "finish" this volume. Bolt has complied the works and writings of Bavinck to constitute this helpful volume on Society, Art and Scholarship, The State, The Church, and Humanity and the Kingdom of God.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews