An accidental blog

"If God is sovereign, then his lordship must extend over all of life, and it cannot be restricted to the walls of the church or within the Christian orbit." Abraham Kuyper Common Grace 1.1.

Thursday 21 June 2018

Hendrik Gerhardus Stoker's Conscience newly translated

Hendrik Gerhardus Stoker's PhD has been translated into English by Philip Blosser and is now available:

Full details here: http://undpress.nd.edu/books/P03420#description

Conscience: Phenomena and Theories was first published in German in 1925 as a dissertation by Hendrik G. Stoker under the title Das Gewissen: Erscheinungsformen und Theorien. It was received with acclaim by philosophers at the time, including Stoker’s dissertation mentor Max Scheler, Martin Heidegger, and Herbert Spielberg, as quite possibly the single most comprehensive philosophical treatment of conscience and as a major contribution in the phenomenological tradition.
Stoker’s study offers a detailed historical survey of the concept of conscience from ancient times through the Middle Ages up to more modern thinkers, including Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Freud, and Cardinal Newman. Stoker analyzes not only the concept of conscience in academic theory but also various types of theories of conscience. His work offers insightful discussions of problems and theories related to the genesis, reliability, and validity of conscience. In particular, Stoker analyzes the moral, spiritual, and psychological phenomena connected with bad conscience, which in turn illuminate the concept of conscience.
The book is deeply informed by the traditions of western Christianity. Available for the first time in an accessible English translation, with an introduction by its translator and editor, Philip E. Blosser, it promises to be of interest to philosophers, especially in Christian philosophy and phenomenology, and also to all those interested in moral and religious psychology, ethics, religion, and theology.

Tuesday 19 June 2018

Guillaume Groen van Prinsterer (1801-1876)

There has been a resurgence of interest in Guillaume Groen van Prinsterer (1801-1876) of late.

A new book has recently been published - a translation of by Harman Boersema:
Smitskamp, H. 2018. Building a Nation on Rock or Sand: Groen Van Prinsterer for Today. Ontario: Guardian Books

Also is the recent biography
Gerrit J. Schutte 2016 Groen van Prinsterer: His Life and Work. Translated by Harry Van Dyke. Neerlandia, Alberta: Inheritance Puiblications.



There is a short YouTube trailier:




Also there is this:

Schlebusch, Jan Adriaan 2018. Strategic Narratives Groen van Prinsterer as Nineteenth-Century Statesman-Historian PhD thesis. University of Groningen.

Available online: https://www.rug.nl/research/portal/files/61642137/Complete_thesis.pdf



Sunday 3 June 2018

Recent #kuyperania

Bräutigam, Michael 2018. Protestant European politics yesterday and today: The example of Adolf Schlatter, Adolf Stoecker and Abraham KuyperEuropean Journal of Theology 27(1):43-54.

Abstract: Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920) and Adolf Schlatter (1852-1936) were both in touch with Adolf Stoecker, 1835-1909} at the end of the nineteenth century. Their interaction with the German Lutheran politician and party-founder is fascinating in many respects. In this essay. I compare Reformed and Lutheran approaches to politics using the example of the interaction between Kuyper, Schlatter and Stoecker. This historical case study offers much food for thought as we today seek to deal with the growing support for right-wing parties in Europe, and as we intend to offer a theologically balanced approach to Christian engagement in the realm of politics.


Hiemstra, John 2018. What did Kuyper really say? Christian Courier  28 May
John Hiemstra explains this article: 'Should churches speak out on key political issues? Or should they simply focus on churchly tasks? My denomination, the Christian Reformed Church, is discussing this hot topic, partly due to the election of President Trump, in its annual Synod. The two "overtures" to Synod, opposing public engagement by our church, both use the 19th century theologian, Abraham Kuyper's principle of sphere sovereignty to argue against churches engaging public issues. I argue, in this CC article, that they have seriously misunderstood Kuyper's thinking on sphere sovereignty.'
Schaap, James C. 2018.  Square inches and Project Blitz. Stuff in the Basement blog
Looks at the Christian Right's Blitz project and the misappropriation of Kuyper's square inch quote.
Dagley, Logan,  Greeson, Dennis and  Ng, Matthew 2018. Review of five of the recent translations in the Kuyper Translation Project. Themelios 43(1):147-150.


Wagenman, Mike 2018. Review of: Contours of the Kuyperian Tradition: A Systematic Introduction by Craig Bartholomew  Themelios 43(1):160-
Wagenman concludes: Those new to Kuyper or the Kuyperian tradition may find themselves struggling to fully appreciate the explosive power of Kuyper’s thought for life and ministry today. As Bartholomew notes repeatedly, specific retrieval and application of Kuyper’s thought for today is still needed. Therefore, those looking for practical or application-oriented treatments of Kuyper’s thought will need to consult the notes or postscript for other resources within the Kuyperian tradition. This is not a fault of Bartholomew’s work but a sign of the rich resources that remain to be unearthed from this prolific public theologian. But Bartholomew’s grasp and presentation of Kuyper’s daunting genius is inspiring and full of the joy of working in the fields of the Lord.