George Harinck's 2018 Bavinck Lecture: Neo-Calvinism in International Perspective

Herman Bavinck Lecture 2018 • Theologische Universiteit Kampen from TUKampen on Vimeo.

Harinck looks at the Neo-Calvinism in international perspective.

He begins with three important methodological observations:

1. In the past Christianity has largely been an 'export' from Europe. In the last century this has changed; Europe is no longer the centre. However, it has not been replaced by other centres; it has become poly-centric.

2. Neo-Calvinism has been previously studied under the history of ideas. However, ideas do not stand on their own, there is an economy of knowledge. Knowledge is not independent of context. Too long it has been thought of as a box of ideas, but now the stress is on interactivity.

3. Andrew Walls saw the spread of Christianity as a series of shifts marked by migration. Migration helps us to understand the transfer of neo-Calvinism to North America. There is a bilateral interaction - cross-pollination, where knowledge is less important than personal relationships. ideas are often the contexts.

Harinck poses the question why was neo-Calvinism more attractive to North America than say, Scotland or Switzerland?

He looks at three important heralds of neo-Calvinism in the US.
Nicholaus M. Steffens (1839-1912)
Henry E. Dosker (1855-1926) and
Gerhardus Vos (1860-1949)