Herman Bavinck: Pastor, Churchman, Statesman, and Theologian

by Ron Gleason

Highlighting the breadth of Herman Bavinck's experience in theology and politics, Ronald N. Gleason offers the English-speaking world a vivid picture of the Dutch theologian's life. Gleason, a leading authority on Bavinck's life and ideas, brings to light Bavinck's rich family heritage and contends that his family background played a crucial role in the development of the man who wrote the magisterial Reformed Dogmatics.

This is a thought-provoking portrait of an influential man whose "vigorous and winsome integrated Calvinism," as Roger Nicole describes it in the Introduction, continues to influence scholars and pastors today.

Genres: Biography, History, Theology, Christian, Christianity, Nonfiction, Church History

528 pages, Paperback

First published June 15, 2010

Reviews

[Dan Cole · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book, but found errata that still remains since I read this 5 yrs ago and indicates poor proofing before publishing. Two stars since there are too many errors. Examples:
1. Page 25. Missing footnote 103.
2. Page 71. Second from the last sentence reads, “…published an as article”. Should be “as an article”
3. Page 80-81, Footnotes 19-23. Page numbers referencing Frank Vanden Berg, Abraham Kuyper, may be incorrectly cited. I have the 1960 printing, first edition, January 1960, hardcover. The footnotes should cite page numbers accordingly:
19. page 33
20. page 35
21. page 37
22. Ibid
23. page 38
4. Page 127. Too many periods fourth line from the bottom where footnote 8 is placed in the text.
5. Page 191. Fourteenth line from the top, reads, “…and that everyone in Israel was Israel”. Missing the word, “not”. Should read, “…and that everyone in Israel was not Israel”. See Romans 9.6.
6. Page 195. Eighth line from the bottom reads, “The sarcasm and disdained dripped from…”. Should read, “The sarcasm and disdained dripped from…”.
7. Page 197. Fifteenth line from the top reads, “…which will be discussed more below in a footnote.63” There is no discussion in footnote 63.
8. Page 275. Missing footnote 49.
9. Page 286. Eleventh line from the top, the word “seeming ly” has the –ly separated from the word.
10. Page 340. Footnote 67 reads, “In my assessment, Smilde does not susucceeded in convincing…”. Should read, “succeed”.
11. Page 344. First paragraph, last sentence reads, “…Bavinck was surrounded by a caliber of individual that he did not encounter…”. The word “individual” should be plural.
12. Page 374. Second paragraph reads, “In 1901, while still in living in Kampen…”. The word “in” should be deleted.

Also, I recommend the following improvements:
1. Page 86 mentions “the tenets of the Second Great Awakening influenced Bavinck”. This assumes the reader is familiar with the Second Great Awakening since such tenants are not discussed. The following discussion on women and the emasculation of religion is not tied into the tenants of the Second Great Awakening. It would be very helpful to explain to the reader how Bavinck treated women biblically either in contrast or in agreement with the tenants of the Second Great Awakening. Mention is made of ordination of women but not as a tenant of the Awakening. This discussion needs enhancing to understand Bavinck’s position. Later on in the book there is discussion on women suffrage. Is this a tenant of the Awakening? Kuyper did concede to this, but his position biblically was head of household voting. What was Bavinck’s position? He too conceded to women suffrage, but what was his view of head of household voting?
2. When using acronyms, it would be helpful to introduce them with their full meaning. For example, at the first mention of Second Great Awakening (SGA), place in parenthesis the acronym; Reformed Dogmatics (RD), etc.
3. Since this biography is meant to introduce Bavinck to English readers, there are several places that are pertinent to the discussion but are quoted in Dutch or German at length without translation. This is defeating of purpose. For example, page 212 discusses a very significant Article 2 for the Union of Higher Education and quotes it at length – in Dutch! No translation is provided, and the reader is not privileged further insight into the issue.
Also, page 457 quotes a significant doctrine of God from Schleiermacher without translation. A translation in the footnote would be helpful to understand the discussion.
4. Page 140, Footnote 40 attempts to explain “disinterested” that appears to have a sarcastic tone. “Disinterested love” actually describes the affections that are without self-interest, i.e. unselfish love. This word with such connotation was common in the 19th century.
5. Page 370-371. This concluding part seems out of place. The last heading in this chapter is The Royal Academy of Sciences and the Dutch Parliament. Suddenly, the subject changes on page 370 back to the first phase of Amsterdam. The subject matter on page 370-371 was previously mentioned and should be put there.
6. Bavinck as Politician. I found this whole chapter too vague and general, leaving me without knowing what Bavinck’s political views actually were. The chapter pointed out that he was active, was persuaded to be the leader of the party, had conflicts with Kuyper, yet championed Kuyper’s re-election. But what was his political platform? What was the political platform of the Anti-revolutionary party? How did Bavinck’s worldview come into play politically? There is no detail assessment of his political views which would really help the reader know more about Bavinck.

[John Hayward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ron Gleason begins his biography of "Herman Bavinck: pastor, churchman, statesman, and theologian" by explaining how when he saw Bavinck's four-volume Reformed Dogmatics in Dutch, "it was immediately apparent to me that I simply had to learn this language in order to gain ready access to this magnificent accomplishment." I was therefore disappointed that so much of the book is given over to the church politics with which his subject wrestled and that, even in the appendices, the reader is given only the author's synopsis of Bavinck's ideas rather than exposure to the source material; I'd have liked to have learned about Bavinck's views from the “large number of handwritten pages dealing with Bavinck's lectures on ethics” that the author says he has in his files (and about writes he ironically opines, “It seems, then, that he might have expanded the RD by another volume or two by placing his ethics in the ordo salutis.”), as well as from his magnum opus. At points I found the author's choice of phrase (e.g. "climb into the pen") or writing style a little odd, as though English had not been his first language. Twice, for instance, I assumed but could not be certain that the author was being sarcastic: when he wrote in a footnote of the "bitterly cold" winter of 1890, "No doubt, due to global warming" (p.139 fn 37) and of "a lack of potable water" in 1830, "It must have been caused by global warming" (p.435). The biographer also inaccurately claims on p.394 that after "Bavinck was elected to the First Chamber of the Dutch Parliament", he "rather immediately was elected as the president of that august body", whereas he is not listed among historic lists of the Senate's presidents or vice-presidents and it was, rather, Kuyper who became "president of the Council of Ministers" (i.e. Prime Minister). One can but wonder on how many other points Gleason has misunderstood his sources or confused the personalities about whom he wrote. pp.7-8: "Jan Sundag, who influenced Jan Bavinck tremendously, ... as a young man he had begun to grieve over the spiritual degeneration in the organized church in Germany and prayed fervently for the Lord to rectify the myriad of errors and doctrinal deviations that were present there. At the urging of a Dutch Reformed pastor named Hendrick de Cock, Sundag attempted to speak to church leaders about his concerns. The church leaders were unmotivated by the young man's pleadings. After his failure to convince them, Sundag decided to study theology before he returned a second time to attempt to persuade them. / ... When his studies with de Cock were completed, Sundag returned to Germany and once again made an effort to speak with local church leaders. His intentions were good, and he was enthusiastic in his expectations, but his hopes for a fair hearing were dashed. The church leaders were not only unreceptive but also unashamedly hostile. ... Some church leaders publicly described Sundag as a religious fanatic, an insurrectionist, and a disturber of the peace. After being driven away from the church, Sundag courageously went forward in voicing his concerns." p.175: "Kuyper reminded Bavinck that it isn't wise to measure our station and status in life by small, narrow (enghartig) considerations. In short, Kuyper recommended, people like Bavinck should not major in minors. Rather, they should pose the following question to themselves: How and in what place can we best be of service according to the great matter of our Confession in connection with and in light of the great struggle in the world?" p.256: "His love for Christ's church was substantially larger than his self-interest, and so he chose to remain relatively silent." p.266: "The future was bright, but somewhere along the line the requisite watchfulness over sound doctrine was relaxed, and eventually the two churches terminated their relationship." p.318: “Being a principled man he refused to concede he was wrong when he was convinced that he wasn’t. Being a godly man taught him that God was, indeed, in control of all things in life. … He believed that in the impasse among Kuyper, Rutger, and himself the Lord had spiritual lessons for all of them to learn and that all things would work for good.” p.350: "Almost as if Bavinck were speaking to our generation directly, he drew the students' attention to the truth that life based on the foundation of relativism could ultimately never have meaning." p.353: "it is patently clear that in the history of the church there have been—and continue to be—innumerable cases where for ‘the peace of Jerusalem’ tough decisions were not made or where friendships interfered with doing the right thing. Invariably the church has suffered from such actions, and they are not to be either admired or applauded, but rather their day rued. Peace is, indeed, a rich treasure, but peace is not peace at any and all costs" p.395: "He opposed all social welfare programs that excluded the church from helping as it should. If there were needs among the elderly, he argued, then services from smaller circles such as the immediate family, the local congregation, employers, or even the local city, town, or village should be considered. ... To the extent that those in need looked beyond their immediate resources was the extent to which the moral obligations of the individual and the immediate family were undermined, he argued." p.414: "Bavinck's conclusions about biblical psychology are derived from solid exegesis and clearly discernible biblical principles. This is a far cry from our modern ecclesiastical setting that is often characterized and typified as moralistic, therapeutic, and largely deistic." p.426: "His own pastor, Dr. B. Wielenga, visited Bavinck frequently during those months. ... Wielenga wrote that at the end of each visit, he would ask Bavinck what they could pray about together. Bavinck's answer was always the same: 'Thanks! Thanks for everything!'" p.436: "[Klaas Pieters] Kuipenga understood the doctrine of salvation by sovereign grace far better than [Hendrik] de Cock had been taught it while at Groningen. During a conversation about salvation with Pastor de Cock, this simple man Kuipenga remarked, 'If I had to bring even one 'sigh' to my salvation, then I would be lost forever.'" p.436: "de Cock turned his attention to evangelical hymns that he typified as 'siren-like love songs' (Sirenische minneliederen)." p.462: "'In principle the congregation is comprised of theologians who are taught by God himself.' [Herman Bavinck, De Wetenschap der H. Godgeleerdheid (Kampen: Zalsman, 1883), p.28] This type of congregation will always desire to know more of him whom they have come to know by faith. In essence, there is no difference between church and theology, only a degree of clarity." p.468: "true theology is rooted in life and is meant to be lived. That is its goal. [De Wetenschap der H. Godgeleerdheid, p.41]" p.469: "theology that is not practical does not deserve to call itself theology. ... / The credenda are simultaneously the agenda." [De Wetenschap der H. Godgeleerdheid, pp.42-3]"

[Gavin Brand · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gleason does a wonderful job expounding on Bavinck's life while also giving a good sense of his social and theological world. He spends a good amount of time delving into the inter-denominational debates that Bavinck was a part of, but offers some lessons learned from these at times.

Some highlights for me:
Bavinck's indebtedness to Bonaventure for the "cohesive manner in which RD is put together."

Bavinck's admitted intellectual doubts but continued keeping of the faith in spite of them.

The sobering reminder by Gleason that those who engage with culture should always remember that culture will also engage them back.

The quote from Bavinck "Life is strange, but death is stranger."

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is what I would call a theological or an ecclesiastical biography. Bavinck is best remembered for his theological books so perhaps this is fitting, but I was disappointed. I was looking forward to getting to know the man behind the books but instead I was told about the theology and the church controversies behind the man. For instance, only about a page and a half was devoted to his wife and daughter whereas his average seminary colleague or opponent got more space than that. That was not what I was wanting. I learned a lot about Dutch theologians, church controversies and Bavinck's thinking, a little bit about the man himself as respects his involvement in these controversies and church functions, but very little about anything not church or theology related (his parents were given a good deal more space and I did appreciate that, not sure why his wife and daughter received so much less attention). The writing style is in keeping with the theological emphasis and is, besides the occasional attempts at humor which come out of nowhere, a bit ponderous and dry and rather repetitive.

If you're interested in Dutch church history, you'll learn a lot from this book. It's very well researched and the author knows Dutch well so he was able to use sources that have not been translated into English.

One thing I did appreciate about the book is that its description of church conflicts in the past gives me a better perspective on church conflicts today, not so much on the issues involved as the way the issues are dealt with. How much pain and division is unnecessarily caused by a lack of patience, a lack of gentleness and understanding, a lack of godly compromise and a lack of honest communication. Bavinck seems to have been better than most in dealing with conflict righteously and there is much we can learn from him in this. Not that he did things perfectly, but in general he seems to have had an open heart towards people and wisdom in knowing what were the hills to die on.

For those of you who are from my hometown of Louisville, KY you'll be interested to know that Bavnick visited Louisville in 1908.

[Norman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was surprisingly effective at shedding light on the life and work of Herman Bavinck. I say this because I found myself to be frequently frustrated by the manner in which it was written ... and yet I was still reading it and gaining real insight into the subject.

Three complaints with the work stand out: 1) it is never clear what "stage" of Bavinck's life is being treated at any particular point because the author jumps around through time without explanation - this makes it difficult to track a sense of progress through the book; 2) the author frequently 'foreshadows' events that will be significant in subsequent chapters but then fails to really pick those issues up again - I was left confused on the status and ultimate resolution of a number of conflicts described partially in the book; 3) the 'schools question' of the "Afscheiding" churches is frequently referred to and yet it doesn't receive a proper introduction - I was aware it was an issue but never completely clear what the political stakes were in the question of seminary training.

Despite these deficiencies, the biographical picture of Herman Bavinck is sketched with bright colours and sufficient depth to grant the reader a useful insight into the life of a churchman, statesman, and theologian.

[Philip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Joys and sorrows; blessings and challenges in every church/denomination. Church work can be some of the hardest. Gleason gives us a detailed look into the life and work of the great Dutch Reformed theologian of the early 20th century, Herman Bavinck. For those studying his works, this is a must-read as it increases understanding of his life and times. For anyone not studying or interested in Bavinck's work, I don't recommend this book. It can be a bit dry at times--a significant amount of time is devoted to denominational disagreements and nuances. One thing I wish was that the appendices (which contain summaries of some of Bavinck's key lectures/sermons) also contained translations of the actual lectures/sermons they refer to, instead of just a summary. Overall, a good read, and you should definitely read this if you are studying Bavinck or Abraham Kuyper, or are interested in the history of the Dutch Reformed church (specifically the Separatist/Seceder movement from the Nederlands Hervormde Kerk, and the Doleantie).

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was delighted with this book. I was not put off by Gleason's style as some reviewers were. My previous encounters with Bavinck have been through "Our Reasonable Faith" "The Doctrine of God" and the one volume "Reformed Dogmatics." I'm glad Ron Gleason added some "flesh and blood" the give us a good understanding of the man. I was also struck by parallels between church struggles today in the PCA and the need for our own "Afscheiding."

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gleason writes a fine biography of a gifted theologian. I found Gleason's writing style particularly enjoyable: detailed and thorough in his coverage, yet personal and with a touch of humor. One caveat: Bavinck spent a LOT of his life involved in Dutch ecclesiastical politics, which is not the stuff of a rollicking adventure story...a reader without a personal interest in Bavinck's life might bog down in those sections. Other than that, this was a great read.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was great to get the facts of Bavinck's life, as well as a bit of introduction to his thought, since I knew very little about him going in. Well foot-noted and researched. A minor irritant was the rather large number (for a scholarly work, particularly) of typo's, printing mistakes, etc.

I'm excited to read some of Bavinck's works for myself.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gleason has given us a wonderfully thorough biography of one of the key theologians of the late eighteenth and early twentieth centuries. This is a very good read.

[Joel Zartman]

Too tediously hagiographical for me. Given up on.