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.

Friday 1 January 2021

Mike Wagenman The Power of the Church: The Sacramental Ecclesiology of Abraham Kuyper


Mike Wagenman's new book on Kuyper's ecclesiology has been published. Full details here.

I was honoured to be asked to write a blurb for the book - this is what I wrote:

“What hope is there for the church? What has the church to do with power and what has power to do with the church? These are the important questions Wagenman raises in this important and engaging work. By drawing on and developing the inchoate insights of the Dutch polymath, Abraham Kuyper, Wagenman address these key issues of church and power—issues that are perhaps more relevant today than they were when Kuyper was writing in the nineteenth century. Kuyper had a multi-aspectual view of power and Wagenman takes Kuyper’s seminal views and produces a much needed critique of power in the church today. With this book, Wagenman establishes his position as one of the leading Kuyper scholars. If you are interested in Kuyper, ecclesiology, or power—then get the book!”

 

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Dear Steve, Thanks for your very helpful review of this important book. I think Kuyper's idea of sphere sovereignty is very helpful but can we use a less opaque way of talking about this seminal idea? It sounds rather clunky and slightly off-putting. Can you suggest an alternative?