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Neo-Calvinism Part 1: What is in a Name?
by Derek Melleby*

Disclaimer: This introduction to Neo-Calvinism is not to be taken as exhaustive. I do not pretend to know all of the complex details of the tradition. I am simply attempting to provide an outline of the basics, as I have been taught.

Depending on where you live and move and have your being, the mention of "Calvinism" or John Calvin is either met with great applause and cheer or with hesitation and fear. I happen to live in the latter. In Lancaster, PA, I have found, especially among evangelicals, that Calvinism is synonymous with predestination. And many people have a difficult time accepting a God, or worshipping a God, that "chooses" some people and doesn't choose others. While one could spend all day arguing the finer points of Calvinism (well, actually, one could spend a lifetime, and many do), I would like to put forth a different way of thinking about Calvinism in regards to Neo-Calvinism.

Neo-Calvinism comes from the Dutch Reformed tradition (Dutch Calvinism). Calvinism here distinguishes itself from Catholicism. In order to get to the meat of Neo-Calvinism, here's my proposal (all my Neo-Cal friends, get ready to click the "comment" link!): let's substitute Calvinism with Protestantism. In this regard, Neo-Calvinism (Neo-Protestantism) would stay true to many of the tenants of the reformation, including Martin Luther’s response to the corruption of the Catholic Church in the 16th Century, and the Solas. (Notice I did not mention TULIP, or five-point Calvinism. If the Neo-Calvinists would still have me, I'd like to separate myself from some of the common understandings of Calvinism. If you don't understand this parenthetical statement, consider yourself blessed, don't worry about it, and keep reading!)

Now, moving on to the "neo" part of Neo-Calvinism. Once again, here's my proposal: let's substitute "Neo" with "Nuanced." There we have it. When talking about Neo-Calvinism, I think of it as Nuanced-Protestantism.

Future posts will attempt to unpack what is meant by Nuanced-Protestantism; or better, what elements of the Christian faith this tradition (Neo-Calvinism) tends to emphasize. For now, at the risk of adding more confusing terminology, allow me to offer a summarizing statement: Neo-Calvinism is not just reformed, it is reformational. Whereas reformed theology tends to emphasize the reformation and purity of the Church, reformational theology, while based on solid doctrine, uses this doctrinal basis to be about the reformation of all areas of life.

The Dutchman Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920) is one of the "fathers" of the Neo-Calvinist tradition. Kuyper believed that the Bible, Christian theology, and Christian spirituality should be the framework from which all Christians engage the world and culture in order to bring every area of life under the Reign and Lordship of Jesus Christ (this is what Jesus meant when he preached "the Kingdom of God "). To embody this belief, Kuyper was a pastor, professor, and philosopher. He founded a newspaper, a university, and a political party. At one time, he was simultaneously the editor and chief of a national newspaper, the president of a university, and the Prime Minister of the Netherlands.

My friend Byron Borger provides this summary of what is meant by reformational, especially as it pertains to the academy:

A word coined to describe a new brand of Calvinists who take the ideas of the Protestant Reformation beyond theology and abstract debates about the nature of the atonement and church life and rather seek to bring about Christian cultural change and social transformation. Serious, lasting change, however, can only come about after serious and radical re-formation of the philosophical assumptions currently deforming each sphere of culture. Reformational folk realize that to be "light in the darkness," we need to re-think the inner structures of each academic discipline which shape each area of life.

To summarize: (1) I propose that Neo-Calvinism could better be understood as "Nuanced-Protestantism," and (2) I propose that Neo-Calvinism attempts to be reformational, not just reformed.

 

*Derek Melleby is the Director of the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding's College Transition Initiative, in partnership with the CCO (Coalition for Christian Outreach). This initiative helps college bound high school juniors and seniors, and their parents, successfully make the transition from high school to college. Derek graduated from Bloomsburg University in 2000 with a B.A. in Political Science. While at Bloomsburg, Derek was the president of Athletes in Action, a sports ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. After graduating, Derek was on staff at the Evangelical Free Church of Hershey through the CCO (the Coalition for Christian Outreach). In 2004, he completed a M.A. in Higher Education at Geneva College. He is the coauthor of The Outrageous Idea of Academic Faithfulness: A Guide for Students (Brazos Press). His wife, Heidi, is a public high school teacher and they live in Mount Joy, PA.

               

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