Aolr vol1(2)

A REFORMATIONAL NEWSLETTER! WINTER 2012 VOLUME 1 (2)

Perhaps it’s just a sign of
A Post-Christmas go to Rome to talk with the
age, but every year I find Emperor, or to Jerusalem to
the Christmas story more
Reflection discuss theology with the
emotionally power-packed Chief Priest; they didn’t ap-
than the year before. pear to the loyal Jewish un-
Sure, its celebration has derground seeking to over-
been grossly commercialized, throw oppressive Roman
cheapened by over-decoration, rule, or to historians to make
by slickly packaged for movies sure all was recorded prop-
and TV, and even declared ille- erly. Instead they went a
gal in government buildings. couple of Joe Average blue-
It’s been badly eclipsed by the collar workers who’d pulled
charming 19th century fairy the night shift on a Judean
story a New England father hillside – men who are not
wrote for his children. But – so even named in the story!
far, at least – it hasn’t been By having the angels declare
completely stifled. Just when it the Great Gift from heaven
seems about to be replaced by in this way God shows us
its own trappings, the real just what he thinks of human
story shines through again: a power, fame, wealth, pomp,
section of The Messiah on the and wisdom. He says, in ef-
radio, the words of a carol in a fect, that since his gift is to
shopping mall, a picture on a all people it just won’t matter
greeting card, or Linus’ moving which ones he picks to be the
recital of Luke 2 in Charley Brown’s Christmas. representative recipients of his birth announce-
What hit me this year harder than ever before ment.
was how the central characters of that story are Every year I feel more like a shepherd.
such absolutely ordinary folk going about their
everyday lives, and how its message is so clearly Roy Clouser
for us ordinary folk going about our everyday
lives. We now think of Mary and Joseph as
saints, but to their friends and relatives they
were no different from thousands of other pious
Jews awaiting the coming of the Messiah. The Contents
baby Jesus looked and behaved like any other A post Christmas reflection 1
newborn. The business about the birth being in a Mike Goheen Interview 2
stable, and their having to use a manger for a
crib, shows how far they were from being celeb- Book reviews 3
rities. Recent and forthcoming publications 7
To be sure, the birth itself was a miracle. But at WYSOCS News 9
the time only Mary and Joseph knew that. The
All of life redeemed updates 10
only other thing that was out of the ordinary was
the appearance of angels to announce the birth. Contributors 10
And look where they went to do it! They didn’t

! PAGE1


INTERVIEW WITH Bavinck, Kuyper, Berkouwer, and What lessons does New-
MIKE GOHEEN so on. I read sections from bigin have for the reforma-
Dooyeweerd’s Critique for a class tional movement?
on Christianity and science and There are many convergences
other more reformational books between Newbigin and the ref-
during my time in seminary. I ormational tradition. But New-
found myself quickly gravitating bigin offers some emphases that
toward the Dutch Calvinist tra- can enrich our tradition: a Chris-
dition in terms of worldview, phi- tocentric foundation, a strong
losophy, and theology. emphasis on mission including
the importance of suffering,
Who/what were your earliest evangelism, and spirituality, and
influences? the importance of the local con-
I’ll take earliest here to mean gregation. I have written on this
earliest in my development in the here.
Mike, could you tell us a reformational tradition. Probably
little bit about yourself ? three writers were deeply forma- You have just written a book
I have been married to Marnie tive in my early years: Al Wolters’ on the missional church –
for 32 years, and we have four Creation Regained, Herman Rid- could you tell us how that
grown children, ranging in age derbos’ Coming of the Kingdom came to be?
from 24-30, all of whom (as of and other short pieces, and I wrote my doctoral disserta-
August 2011) are married. We Herman Bavinck’s Our Reason- tion on Newbigin’s missionary
have three grandchildren (as of able Faith. I should probably add ecclesiology. Baker contracted
July 2011). We live in the Henry Van Til’s Calvinist Concept with me to write a book over-
greater Vancouver area of Brit- of Culture that I read at West- viewing missional ecclesiology in
ish Columbia, Canada. I hold minster. terms of biblical, historical, sys-
the chair of reformational tematic, and practical theology. I
worldview studies at Trinity Why did you do your PhD on was challenged by some pastors
Western University, and am a Newbigin? to limit myself to the biblical
teaching fellow in mission I found both his ecclesiology and aspect since there was such a
studies at Regent College. I understanding of gospel and cul- paucity of good exegesis on mis-
am also minister of preaching ture quite helpful. In terms of sional church. I also wanted to
at New West Christian Re- ecclesiology, I was a church open up mission to embrace the
formed Church, Burnaby, B.C. planter and pastor for the first full scope of our cultural mission
I enjoy most kinds of sporting seven years of my career after in public life—a theme dear to
events and working out each seminary. I found the two tradi- reformational folk.
day. tions—confessionalist and
church growth—unhelpful for
How did you 'discover' ref- ecclesiology. One was theologi-
ormational philosophy? cally rigorous but out of date
When I went to Westminster while the other was pragmatic
Theological Seminary in Phila- and little rooted in Scripture. I
delphia, PA, USA, there were found in Newbigin a way that
two Reformed traditions in evi- was faithful to the gospel, theo-
dence in the curriculum. I logically rigorous, and culturally
couldn’t sort out the two at the relevant. I also heard many ech-
time but now realise they were a oes of the reformational tradi-
more Presbyterian tradition built tion that I had adopted by that
on Scottish Common Sense phi- time. In terms of gospel and cul-
losophy in writers like Warfield ture, I found his theory of con-
and Hodge, and a more Dutch textualisation to be quite pro-
Calvinist tradition in writers like found in relating gospel, church,
and culture.

! PAGE2


MIKE GOHHEN enjoy conversation with my
INTERVIEW (CONTD) children and their spouses, play BOOKREVIEWS
with my grandchildren, hike.
What was your aim in
writing the book? What was the first piece of
The Western church has lost music you bought?
its missional consciousness. In the 1970s I bought an al-
What we need are two things: bum by Creedence Clearwater
a missional self-understanding. Revival. They remain one of my
That is, our identity is defined favourite groups. I know that
by our role in the biblical story both the music and technology
to witness to the coming king- date me!
dom in our whole lives. We ex-
ist for the sake of the world to What music are you listen-
be an attractive preview of ing to now?
what is coming and to invite Well, I have a very musical
others into the coming king- family. My four kids were a
dom. Secondly we need a sense string quartet and two of them
of a missional encounter with are now professional musicians. Abraham Kuyper: A Short and Personal
culture. The myth of a Chris- My wife has started a very suc- Introduction.
tian culture and the myth of a cessful choir and orchestra for Richard Mouw
neutral, secular culture (in both young people. But I am aes- Eerdmans: Grand Rapids, 2011.
its modern secular and its thetically and musically chal- Paperback. Pages xi + 136.
postmodern pluralist forms) lenged. However, I have had to ISBN 978-9-8028-6603-5.
don’t allow us to see the deep work on this to fit into my own
religious and idolatrous roots family! But my tastes are still This is a superb introduction to
of Western culture. If we are to quite limited I’m afraid. I listen Abraham Kuyper. As the subtitle
be a distinctive people shaped suggests it is short (less than 140
mainly to two kinds of mu-
by the biblical story rather pages), but it is also a very accessible
sic—classical and oldies. and compelling reading.
than the idolatry of the West-
ern story we need to develop What are you reading now? Mouw seeks to introduce some ba-
this consciousness. The book At the moment I am reading sics of Kuyper's thought. Kuyper
was meant to provide some for the writing I am doing. So I was a great polymath, and he wrote
biblical foundations for this. am reading in the area of medi- on such diverse subjects as art, poli-
aeval philosophy and in various tics, science, the Holy Spirit and
What other projects are in areas of mission and world biblical devotional material. To
the pipeline? Will be see the Christianity. cover all that ground would require
third part of the Drama/ several monographs. Hence, the
Crossroads trilogy soon? If you were on a desert is- personal nature of the book; Mouw
Craig Bartholomew and I are focuses on some of the aspects of
land and were allowed two
working on a philosophy book Kuyper that 'lured' him into Kuype-
luxuries what would you riansism.
that will include history and sys- take?
tematic philosophy. It is with I suppose the immediate re- The book is in two parts. Section
Baker and we are working toward sponse would be books, a one looks at an overview of Kuyper
a first draft later this month. I am computer, and a TV to watch on theology and culture. Section two
also working on an introduction sports but that would be pre- looks at his legacy for the twenty-
to mission studies book with IVP dictable—and it’s three! So I’ll first century.
and hopefully the first draft of try to be a little more crea-
that book will be ready by the tive—which is hard for me— This is an excellent first place to
end of the summer. and say chocolate and Tim look to understand Kuyper's work.
What do you do for fun? Hortons coffee (although I But don't just take my word for it-
Exercise, watch numerous kinds see a fuller review and endorsement
don’t know how you store
of sports, travel with my wife, of the book by Byron Borger.
them on an island).

! PAGE3

BOOKREVIEWS have been sympathetic to the neo-Kantian
The Crisis in Humanist Political Theory: as democratic perspectives of Max Weber and
seen &om a Calvinist cosmology and epistemol- Ernst Troeltsch. This was a few years before
ogy Hitler became Chancellor of the Reichstag in
Herman Dooyeweerd (Translated M. Ver- 1933. Of interest to historians of political the-
brugge, edited by D.F.M. Strauss, co- ory will be Dooyeweerd's analysis of the apo-
edited Harry van Dyke) logia for dictatorship from Carl Schmitt (1888-
Paideia Press, 2010 1985). Schmitt's theory, forged in the heat of
ISBN-13 9780888152121 the inner spiritual crisis of humanism, pre-
pared the way for the Fuhrerstaat.
This volume is the translation of an early ! The second half of the book pro-
work of Herman Dooyeweerd (1894-1977), vides Dooyeweerd's (neo-Calvinist) view of
originally written and published in Dutch the way the State must function if it is to
in 1931. It is the summation of extensive study made carry out its calling "under heaven", and "do" public jus-
while he was a policy researcher for the Abraham Kuyper tice. Dooyeweerd, the professor of jurisprudence, was
Foundation, think-tank of the major Calvinist political keen to appropriate positive aspects of Abraham
party in The Netherlands. It contains an initial system- Kuyper's vision of "sphere sovereignty". But that also
atic formulation of the Christian philosophy that is asso- meant avoiding some of the dogmatic concepts implicit
ciated with his name. in Kuyper's uncritical view of science and scholarship.
! The term Calvinist in the book's title, will for For Dooyeweerd, political theory in the Calvinistic line
some suggest a political justification of the doctrine of (from Johannes Althusius (1563-1638), required its own
predestination and the Biblical teaching of the "chosen Christian philosophical critique of the scientific task,
people". Such a suspicion is not entirely unwarranted, and those a radical critique of any theological endorse-
given for example the historic connections between ment of science's autonomy that go all the way back to
Dutch reformed theology and the apartheid ideology in Aristotle and Plato. !
South Africa. But readers of Dooyeweerd's work will ! For Dooyeweerd, Christian political theory is
discover that his "reformational" perspective is cut from born outside any attempt to bring Christian and pagan
another cloth. This is no work of Protestant triumphal- thought into a synthesis. Such an attempted marriage
ism. It self-critically maintains a critical distance from has diverted Christian scientific endeavour since the
the worldly pride that has repeatedly dogged many po- days of the early church. That is not to say that
litical contributions of those claiming a Calvinistic in- Dooyeweerd's argument defaults to a triumphalist view
heritance since the 16th and 17th centuries. of Calvinism's contribution to world-history. Not at all.
! Indeed, in his line by line analysis of the then cur- Calvinism as much as other strands of Christianity have
rent body of political thought - an incredible library of all been implicated in this attempted "monster mar-
weighty scholarly tomes from the German historical tra- riage". Calvinism's distinctiveness is to be found in its
dition, in the tradition of humanistic idealism of Kant idea of law centred on God's will for His creation.
and Hegel (and many more) - Dooyeweerd presents him- Dooyeweerd's "philosophy of the idea of cosmic law"
self as a reformer of the intellectual tradition. He sifts thus is a signpost to Christians "doing political theory"
and evaluates the theories and analyses of those who had that they need to exercise self-critical discernment about
formed, and those who were shaping, the contours of the concepts they develop and avoid presuming on their
political science. "purity".
! Political theory is assumed to be an important, ! The significance of Dooyeweerd's contribution to
though not totally indispensable, scholarly contribution political theory is in his comprehensive definition of the
to the work of those called to political office in the ad- State's task in the promotion and maintenance of public
ministration of public justice. Led by the concept of justice. His analysis rejects any view that suggests the
public justice, this is the discussion of a reformer of po- State should impose or justify any nationalist, ethno-
litical theory. He does not proceed to the articulation of supremacist or religious community's ideology. This
his own contribution before "doing yeoman's duty" as "neo-Calvinistic" political theory also decisively rejects
one who has mastered the strengths and weaknesses, any presumption of its "manifest destiny" to succeed
twists and turns, and most importantly the underlying where all other world-views have failed. The implication
"ground principles" (what he would later come to refer is that it is not only neo-pagan America which fails but
to as "religious ground-motives"), of the prominent po- also any neo-pagan Calvinism! Calvinism's decisive con-
litical theories of the day. tribution to political theory is thus interpreted from the
! It is also important to note that this is a work that standpoint of a Christian world-view which promotes
was written to be appreciated by a predominantly Ger- scientific engagement motivated by the Christian-
man post-World War I readership. The Netherlands had Biblical ground-motive of creation, fall and redemption
remained neutral in the Great War and this analysis was in the communion of the Holy Spirit.
penned during the years of the Weimar Republic, said to Bruce C. Wearne

! PAGE4


Purpose in the Living World fession of a "hermeneutical horizon" does
Jacob Klapwijk not lead to a damning of his opponents
Cambridge University Press but almost the opposite: "I acknowledge
ISBN:9780521729437 without hesitation that the naturalistic
322pages continuity faith, which I don't share, also
has heuristic value" (51-52). For Klapwijk it
The discussion around creation and nevertheless leads to dogmatism when the
evolution is often polarized and faith of "naturalistic evolutionism" gets
intemperate. Characterised simplis- disguised as science and claims for itself a
tically as a conflict between science scientific monopoly that wipes all compet-
and religion opponent positions are ing faith horizons from the table.
dismissed as creationism or evolu-
tionism. Despite this many of the Klapwijk's main thesis is what he calls a
former reject a literal 6 day creation "general theory of emergent evolution"
and the latter insist they do not (GTEE) which "draws our attention to
stray from the conclusions of sci- significant differences in level that occur
ence. Is there a way out of such an not only in nature but also in human be-
impasse? Well lets be realistic, too much is invested ings and human society. It can be seen as an ontologi-
in both sides to expect a sudden shift to a more cal vision of the differences in level that have,
moderate and creative dialogue. Still no one should through evolution, delineated themselves in the
feel bound by the current terms of the debate and world of our experience. In this sense "levelism" is a
thankfully Klapwijk gives us a fine example of what it theory not only of emergent evolution but also of
can look like. Klapwijk does not take up a mythical ontological stratification. It implies that the world
posture of neutrality on the topic. He is up front has gradually disclosed itself in an all embracing hier-
about developing his ideas within the context of a archy of lower and higher levels that reach from the
"final hermeneutical horizon of our knowledge and physical and biotic domains up to the complex
understanding of reality" (197). Klapwijk takes his spheres of human society" (153-154). This is Klap-
stance from the Genesis account as "a believing wit- wijk's own original articulation of philosophical
ness regarding God as the source of all being and the themes pioneered by the Dutch philosophers Her-
origin of all that lives" (9). He distinguishes this crea- man Dooyeweerd and Dirk Vollenhoeven.
tion belief from creationism which goes further in
taking the Genesis account as "also a scientifically One possible misunderstanding of what Klapwijk's
reliable representation of the manner in which He thesis is supposed to achieve is the criticism that it
brought the world and diverse forms of life into be- fails to offer a mechanism to explain emergence. But
ing at the beginning of time" (9). this is the scandalous heart of his proposal which
argues that no overall explanation can be offered
Given his philosophical inclination for hermeneutics (162) because explanation always works within idi-
and siding with creation belief it seems surprising onomic domains or ontological levels (135fn). So
that very early on he states that evolutionary theory GTEE is "an open scheme of thought" that works at
is based on "facts as hard as nails". Given later com- the approximating level of ideas rather than the pre-
ments - on evolutionary science "not as rectilinear cise objective level of conceptual determination (161-
and objective a scientific approach as it would seem 162). Klapwijk rejects the continuity faith of natural-
at first" (76), and "isolated facts do not exist" (163) - it ism which believes that on the basis of a single sci-
is probably best to read this opening gambit as more ence all the mysteries of life can be solved. Evolu-
a rhetorical positioning than a philosophical asser- tionary naturalism is a one-dimensional scheme of
tion. This is not meant in a critical sense. Klapwijk is thought which involves itself in all sorts of contradic-
making clear that in this book he is not interested in tions when it confronts the multidimensional world
a philosophical critique or rejection of the results of we experience. Each special science has its limits and
science, but a philosophical reflection on those re- is unable to provide explanations capable of crossing
sults (so perhaps we could say "critique" in the kan- ontological levels or idionomic domains.
tian sense of discerning the limits of scientific re- Rudi Hayward
sults). Another surprise is that his own upfront con-

NOTHING MATTERS BUT THE KINGDOM.
BUT BECAUSE OF THE KINGDOM EVERYTHING MATTERS.
GORDON SPYKMAN

! PAGE5


Creation, Revelation and human attempts to deliver, from some alleged God's-eye point-
Philosophy of-view, the answer to all questions."
Johan Mekkes
Translated by Chris van Haften In Mekkes own words scientific theory is just one sector of
Dordt College Press our life and so "can only arise from within this life, and its
systematisation is a matter of recurrent activity by living peo-
Johan Mekkes was a student of ple." Philosophy is one activity that people can pursue and in
Herman Dooyeweerd and wrote doing so they respond to the needs and possibilities of human
four books which elaborate in his life within their historical context. Philosophy has its life as
own distinctive way the reforma- part of the historical context that is the development of west-
tional philosophy that ern culture and so an investigation of the limits of philosophy
Dooyeweerd pioneered. This is must confront the place given to reason in this tradition.
the first book Mekkes published Given that philosophy must be rational, what are the limits of
and the first to be translated into this standard of rationality? Once again Mekkes insists that
English. In his brief introduction "rationality is no more than an abstraction from one of man's
Bert Balk, who attended Mekkes's lectures between 1964-1970, many living acts and actions, acquired by way of theory" and so
writes that "He did not teach us a philosophical system, but philosophy cannot find its unity in what is called "reason". We
delivered philosophy in actu. In particular, he imposed upon are forced back into the very root of our existence and here we
his students an awareness of all attempts to transgress, by rea- must make a choice to either listen or not listen to creational
son or otherwise, the boundaries set by time and the human revelation. Mekkes' claim is that since "the avenue of creation
condition. Put otherwise, his was a critical attitude towards all is the avenue of the kingdom" so "Life is only revealed through
the cross".
Rudi Hayward

Simply Jesus: Who He W What He
as, (Grand Rapids, MI, Baker Academic, 2009), Smith, James K.A.
Did, Why It Matters “Worldview, Sphere Sovereignty and Desiring the Kingdom: A
N.T. Wright Guide for (Perplexed) Reformed Folk” (Pro Rege, 39 (4), June
2011, pages 15-24)
SPCK, 2011
Simply Jesus is the first of Wright’s popular books that really
shows the power of this wholistic, big picture approach. Jesus, he
I am just finishing reading Tom contends, came to bring God’s wise, healing rule to bear on the
Wright’s latest book: Simply Jesus: Earth. He did not come to teach people ‘how to get to heaven’, or
Who He W What He Did, Why It
as, to mount some kind of quasi-military revolution, or to do things
Matters (London, SPCK, 2011) It that ‘proved his divinity’:
carries a glowing (back cover)
The gospels are not about ‘how Jesus turned out to be God’.
commendation from Rowan Wil-
They are about how God becameking on earth as in heaven.
liams (‘Tom Wright is, as always,
… It has been all too possible to use the doctrine of the incar-
brilliant at distilling immense
nation or even the doctrine of the inspiration of scripture as a
scholarship into a vivid, clear and
way of protecting oneself and one’s worldview and political
accessible form. This book is yet another of his great gifts to the
agenda against having to face the far greater challenge of God
worldwide Church.’).
taking charge, of God becoming king on earth as in heaven.
What distinguishes his approach and makes the book quite dif- But that is what the stories in the Bible are all about. That’s
ferent from any other on Jesus that I have ever read, is Wright’s what the story of Jesus was, and is, all about. That is the real
worldview approach (which, of course, is no guarantee that there challenge, and sceptics aren’t the only ones who find clever
aren’t other books like it – if you know of any, do tell me!) Wright ways to avoid it. (page 147)
has applied this approach in his major academic series Christian
One of the greatest challenges facing the church today is the
Origins and the Question of God and the first book in that series
evangelisation of young people. On average half of the children
The New Testament and the People of God (SPCK, 1992) is
of Christian parents do not grow up to share their parents’ faith,
dedicated to Dr Brian Walsh from whom he gained the inspira-
whereas nearly 100% of the children of non-religious parents
tion for this approach. Walsh and Sylvia Keesmaat have applied it
grow up to share their parents’ lack of religious commitment.
in their Colossians Remixed: Subverting the Empire (Downers
Today many Christian young people find themselves in schools or
Grov e, IL, IVP, 2004), but Wright has established himself as the
colleges with few or no other identifiable Christians. My, and
major theologian and Biblical scholar using it.
Mark Roques’, experience is that stories incorporating that who-
Wright’s worldview approach is as developed by Reformational listic, big picture approach engage young people effectively,
scholars (Brian Walsh, Al Wolters, Michael Goheen et al.) rather whereas many traditional approaches no longer work. But after
than Evangelicals. For commentary on the distinction see, e.g. years of worldview-based mission I am still learning a lot from
Bonzo, J. Matthew & Stevens, Michael eds After World View: Wright’s new book. I’ll have to seriously revise my teaching notes
Christian Higher Education in Postmodern Worlds (Sioux Cen- on both ‘Biblical Introduction’ and ‘Worldviews’!
ter, Iowa, Dordt College Press, 2009), Smith, James K.A. Desir-
Arthur Jones
ing the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview, and Cultural Formation

! PAGE6

Less Than Two Do)ars a Day ity to the stranger are norms of righteous-
A Christian View of Poverty and the Free Market ness. The parable of the rich man and Laza-
Kent A. Van Til rus condemns the rich man not for a par-
Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing Co., ticu- lar act of theft or fraud but for his gen-
2007. eral neglect of the poor Lazarus (Luke 16:9–
pp. 180. $16.00 pb. 31). The parable of the rich fool (Luke 12:13–
ISBN 978-0-8028-1767-9. 21) shows just how futile constant accumula-
tion can be. In Luke 12:33, Jesus tells all his
This book's title is taken from the fact that disciples (not only the rich young man), “Sell
about 40% of the world's population have less your possessions and give to charity.” In a
than 2$ per day on which to live. Van Til shows similar vein, James insists that caring for
how the free market is unable to help those in orphans and widows constitutes true relig-
desperate poverty. The free market distributes goods on ion (James 1:27). In passages such as these, we see
the basis of desert - what you can pay for - rather than that doing justice requires more than passively doing
needs. The first chapter examines the key terms and defi- no harm to our neighbor. It requires, rather, that we
nitions and then in chapter two Van Til examines the ori- go out of our way to love the neighbor by seeking out
gin and role of the free market. He also highlights some of their good, especially the physical good of the poor
the often undisclosed assumptions of the free market. The neighbor. p. 79.
next chapter reveals why the poor don't gain from the free Moving from the Bible to the contemporary context is the
market's distribution. He argues that the free market is topic of the next chapter. Here Van Til builds bridges by
not designed to provide basic sustenance and examines six connecting the scriptures to theological traditions, to
reasons why it is unable. economic definitions of basic needs and contemporary
In chapter four he carefully, albeit briefly, examines what political language. From this he maintains that sustenance
the Bible says about poverty. He ably shows that the bibli- is a basic right that implies a duty for contemporary soci-
cal mandate requires that we provide basic sustenance for ety.
all. Particularly helpful is his discussion of the phrase 'the In chapter 6 he draws upon Abraham Kuyper's sphere
poor you will always have with you'. This is not a pretext sovereignty and Michael Waltzer's spheres of justice to
to dismiss our care of the poor to take such an attitude is provide a way forward for workable approach to distribu-
to face the same condemnation that Judas and the disci- tive justice. In the final chapter acknowledging the works
ples incurred. As, he goes on: of Bob Goudzwaard and John Tiemstra he shows what can
Elsewhere in the New Testament, Jesus regards com- be accomplished with a theory of distributive justice.
passion for the needy as the standard of genuine This book is a thoughtful and thought-provoking ap-
righteousness. In the end-times tale of the sheep and proach to a Christian view of the free market and to pov-
the goats (Matt. 25:31–46), Jesus insists that feeding erty. For as little as $100 a year we can make a difference
the hungry, clothing the naked, and showing hospital- to those on $2 a day.

The Cultural Way of Being
(Spiritual Direction in a Postmodern Land- It is in this collaboration that artists can make art, art
scape) that becomes culturally formative, rather than mere
Geoff Hall personal expression. But it is not just with investors that
Bristol: Upptackka Press, 2011 this creative collaboration can take place, it can be also
pbk, 82pp with gallery owners, publishers and educationalists.
Primarily, though the collaboration must be with God:
Available in kindle, pdf, print and iBook 'The life of the artist is an intimate walk with God' (p.
here. 33). Through this walk with God artists can be 'sensi-
How does the institutional church treat artists? By and tised to what is going on "around Christ"' (p. 34).
large it doesn't! Art becomes a means of propoganda for All in all this book is a vigorous and articulate call for art-
evangelistic or advertising purposes, or it becomes a means ists to take their place in God's kingdom and for kingdom
of self-expression. Hall writes, in part, to try and alleviate people to support them, so that art can be 'a communal
this disdain for the artists' cultural calling. expression for the public domain'. The church can then be
Hall pleads for a collaboration between artists and angels: transformed from a 'culturally reclusive institution'.
It is interesting that Jesus' last days in the Wilderness It needs to be read by all who long for the artist to take
involved being looked after by angels before His re- their place in God's good creation.
turn to the public sphere. So if you are an angel inves-
tor, this may well be your service to the artist.

! PAGE7


Work Matters Illustrations come from films such as Narnia, WALL-E
Connecting Sunday Worship to and Mr Holland's Opus. He also draws upon a wide
Monday Work range of sources Paul Marshall, Os Guinness, Tim Keller,
Tom Nelson Tom Wright, Miroslav Volf, Luther and Gideon Strauss
Wheaton, Crossway Books, are all mentioned. He utilises the neo-Calvinist/ Kuype-
2011 rian framework of creation, fall and redemption to good
ISBN 978-1-4335-2667-1 effect.
221 pages, pbk.
At the end of each chapter is a short prayer and then sev-
There is a tendency for Christi- eral questions for reflection and discussion which makes
anity in some circles to be a this book ideal for church small groups.
leisure activity. We are encour-
aged to pray, evangelise, wor- The final chapter 'The church at work' is particularly
ship, study our Bibles in our spare good. Here he draws upon Lesslie Newbigin's notion that
time. Sadly, the 40 hours per week, for forty or so years 'the congregation has to be the place where its members
don't seem to matter - or at least if you looked at the are trained, supported, and nourished in the exercise of
content of most Sunday sermons from the pulpit. It has their parts of the priestly ministry in the world'. he offers
long been my contention that pastors should every seven some excellent ideas and suggestions how this can be
years or so take a sabbatical and work in an office, educa- developed. The role of church leaders is to 'prepare the
tional establishment, retail outlet or such like. This will saints for work of service' (Eph 4:12) Too often this gets
help them connect with the everyday pressure those in narrowed down to church-related activities, here Nelson
full-time work experience. Hopefully, it will help them in shows with examples that it doesn't have to be that way.
their discipleship programmes and in what they preach. Ideas include 'embracing a new vocational paradigm' as
he puts it:
Christianity is a whole life activity, despite the implicit A primary work of the church is the church at work. Our
denial of this from many pulpits. This book, however, work not only forms us spiritually; in and through our
provides a refreshing look at whole life Christianity. It's work, Christ's gospel mission is advanced in the world.
key message is that work does matter. (p. 190)

Nelson uses many everyday experiences - including dis- Many churches employ youth workers and ministers -
cussions in coffee shops and vignettes from those who maybe one day we'll also see work and vocation ministers
have considered how Christianity impacts their work life. too. That will certainly need a paradigm shift. Nel-
son's eminently readable and accessible book may well

RECENT & FORTHCOMING PUBLICATIONS

! PAGE8


he Matrix Reformed seriously film, science fiction, technology and philoso-
Science Fiction, Technology and phy. But not only that it provides an excellent intro-
Christian Philosophy duction to a Christian philosophy. But it doesn't do it
Bert Cusveller, Maarten Verk- in a superficial, icing on the cake or WWJD approach.
erk and Marc de Vries
Dordt College Press, 2011 The Matrix raises many of the perennial philosophical
ISBN: 978-0-932914-90-3 problems such as the nature of reality, freedom or de-
terminism, machines and moral judgments. These are
This book is a translation of the dealt with in this book in a clear and concise manner.
Dutch De Matrix Code. The They examine how the issues are raised in the film,
Wachowski's 1999 film The Ma- they then look at how the issues have been dealt with
trix has been responsible for a in philosophy looking at philosophers such as Plato,
whole cottage industry of books. These include books Descartes, Dennett, Putnam, Heidegger. They expose
that deal with the philosophical issues such as Christo- how unsatisfactory such approaches have been and
pher Grau (ed.) Philosophers Explore the Matrix OUP, then develop a Christian approach to the issues. They
2005), William Irwin (ed.) The Matrix and Philosophy do it in a way that is accessible and illuminating.
(Open Court, 2002) andMore Matrix and Philosophy
(Open Court 2005), Matt Lawrence Like a Splinter in The book then works on a number of different levels:
Your Mind (Blackwell, 2004) Glenn Yeffeth (ed.) Taking it is a great discussion of film in general, The Matrix in
the Red Pi) (Benbella, 2003) and books which use the particular and other science fiction films (mentioned
film to explore Christian themes such as Steve Couch alongside The Matrix are Star Wars, Star Trek, Total Re-
(ed) Matrix Revolutions (Damaris, 2003), Gregory Boyd ca), Minority Report, Simone, Final Cut and many
and Al Larson Escaping the Matrixand Chris Seay and more); it acts a primer on philosophy and on Christian
Chris Garrett The Gospel Reloaded (Pinon Press, 2003). philosophy.

And now we have this volume. Is there room for an- This book will undoubtably be of value to anyone
other one? For one as good as this book - undoubtedly! studying media or philosophy and to anyone who has
This one is head and shoulders above the rest. It takes seen the film!

NEWS
Then in Contemporary Islamic
Bioethics in Theory and at the
Bedside, Dr Rusthoven reported on
James Rusthoven on Healthy Bioethics a conference in the U.S. convened by
October 22 2011 Islamic ethicists and medical practi-
tioners to consider the ethics of
Dr James Rusthoven, medical oncologist, explored different
healthcare, life and death for Muslims
paradigms for the ethics
in western societies. Islamic bioethics
of life, death and health.
emphasizes the best protection of life
not only from cradle to grave but also before birth and after
In Anchoring Medical Ethics: A Christian Framework,
death. There are disagreements, however, as to what role vari-
Dr Rusthoven began with a critique of the dominant ethical
ous bioethical principles should play in developing a biomedi-
paradigm in biomedical ethics: the four-principles approach
cal ethical framework. We were introduced to some major
(autonomy + justice + beneficence + non-maleficence). Without
differences between Shiite and Sunni traditions, as well as
disputing the potential importance of these guides to ethical
within these traditions, regarding moral deliberation and
thinking, he argued that simply appealing to them is an inade-
sources of authority for patients seeking expert religious ad-
quate foundation for ethical practice. The belated addition of
vice on particular health care decisions.
‘non-maleficence’ alongside the three longer-established prin-
ciples epitomises the failure of this approach to understand
This was followed by a response from Sharif Al-Ghazal, a plas-
true beneficence as taught in Scripture. We then heard about
tic surgeon working in Bradford. Mr Al-Ghazal’s insights into
the approach developed in Dr Rusthoven’s PhD thesis, which
Muslim thought, combined with his medical experience, paved
appeals to a covenantal ethic that better respects important
the way to stimulating discussion with contributions from
interactions among diverse interested parties (physician, pa-
other medical practitioners in the audience.
tient, family, medical businesses, etc.). The priority of patient
care and the integrity of medical practices would be respected
Richard Gunton
by grounding decision-making in discourse among the parties
concerned, so that principles such as justice and beneficence are
kept in proper perspective viz-à-viz a patient’s rights and indi-
viduality.

! PAGE1


Contributors
UPDATES
ROY CLOUSER
H. G. Stoker page has been
updated with an updated biography Professor Emeritus, Trenton University. He is the
and author of The Myth of Religious Neutrality and
Philosophy of the Creation Idea a a Knowing with the Heart
translation of 1970. Oorsprong en
Rigting. Volume II, Section 6.
Tafelberg: Cape Town (pp. 202- 331)
MIKE GOHEEN
Roy Clouser Professor of of worldview and religious studies at
2011. "A reply to J. Glenn Friessen" Trinity Western. He is the author of A Light to
Philosophia Reformata 76.’ the Nations
Harry van Dyke
2011. Slaying Goliath: The gene-
sis of Reformational philosophy RICHARD GUNTON
Development oﬃcer for WYSOCS, Leeds, UK
- paper presented at WYSOCS,
Leeds August 2011.

Added to the Danie Straus pages:
Scholasticism and Reformed Scho-
lasticism at Odds with Genuine
Reformational-Christian Thinking RUDI HAYWARD
Translated by Dr. David Hanson. Teaches Philosophy at a UK school, he blogs at
[It originally appeared in Ned. Intermezzo
Geref. Teol. Tydskrif (Dutch Re-
formed Theological Journal), March
1969 (pp.97-114)
.]"God in himself " and "God as
revealed to us": the impact of the
substance concept Acta Theologica ARTHUR JONES
Vol 30 (1) 2010:123-144. Church Army’ Tutor with responsibility for Co-
The central religious community of ordinating Training. He is editor of Science in Faith
mankind in the Philosophy of the
Cosmonomic Idea, Philosophia Re-
formata, 2de kw. (pp.58-67).

Three papers by Mike Goheen BRUCE WEARNE
added:
Continuing Steps Toward a Mis- Scholar-at-large, based in Australia.
sional Hermeneutic, Fideles, Vol-
ume 3 (2008), 49-99.
A Missionary Encounter with
Western Culture, ACT 3 Review,
15, 1, (2006), 155-171.
Imaging God in Our Bodily Lives,
BC Christian News, (October 2007)
27, 10, 28-29.

Forthcoming events
New pages added: February 16-18 2012
Tony Tol
Forum on Music and Scholarship Calvin College. Grand Rapids, USA,
M. C. Smit www.fmcs.us/conferences
Paul Otto
David Koyzis
April 19-21 2012
Neo-Calvinism and democracy conference
Abraham Kuyper Center for Public Theology

! PAGE2

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