I gotta have my orange juice.

Following are some notes and quotes from Abraham Kuyper’s Lectures on Calvinism.

• A key element of Christian revolutions (Dutch, American) was a gradual undermining of kings, not by lowering esteem, but by raising it; not by opposing God but by worshipping Him (through p. 28)
• 3 fundamental measures of unique world views (p. 31)
  • relationship to God – immediate fellowship through Christ + HS
  • relationship to man – divine image, intrinsic worth, equality of men
  • relationship to world – curse restrained by grace; “discover treasures and develop potencies hidden by God in nature and in human life.”
• common grace – do we define things, relative to power of sin or power of God?  Which is more potent: pollution of sin or redemptive movement?
• Kuyper strikes me as being exceptionally enamored with progress (pp. 32, 34, 35, 40)
• God’s authority over, and necessary glorification in, all spheres of life (p. 53)
  • “Coram Deo”, no such thing as private religion, … one-ness of all human life
  • C.f. Mark Horne, “public relationship with Jesus Christ”
• Importance of Church in God’s redemptive plan; covenant = church
• God’s supreme sovereignty flowing down in sovereignty given to state/society/church (p. 79)
• Assumes one-world gov’t is best in absence of sin (p. 80) … some logic given to this
  • “God has instituted the magistrates, by reason of sin.” (p. 81)  Nations exist for God (p. 81)
• Calvin regarded republic as best, but not categorically so; others will work.  Commends gratitude for privilege of electing magistrates (pp. 83-84)
• Contrasts God’s sovereignty w/ false ideas of popular sovereignty or state sovereignty (as rejection of God) (pp. 85ff)
• Calvinism “makes it easy for us to obey authority, because, in all authority, it causes us to honor the demand of divine sovereignty.” (p. 90)
• “Principal characteristic” of gov’t is “the right of life + death” (p. 93)
  • Sword for -> justice, war, order
• Much discussion of self-organization of spheres, natural leadership of “masters” in spheres
• Political sphere should not rightfully interfere in natural God-given operation of these other spheres (family, art, science, education, business) (p. 96)
• The state interferes to (p. 97)
  • Mediate clashes between spheres
  • Defend the weak against abuse of power in other spheres
  • Coerce all to bear personal + financial burdens of maintaining unity of the state
• Government may not take on absolute authority, nor may other spheres overstep their bounds into arena of government
• Pp. 99ff — admission of the propriety of a plurality of churches
  • Against the state church (even as expressed by Calvin)
  • Proper Calvinism promotes plurality, and understands the government’s role as protecting it.
• Pp. 103ff — magistrates’ duty
  • to God – acknowledge and confess authority, rule by God’s ordinances, restrain blasphemy
    • magistrate understands God’s law personally, not under authority (strictly speaking) of church
    • blasphemy addressed not for religious reasons but as undermining God’s establishment of law and state
    • “The sphere of the state is not profane.  But both church and state must, each in their own sphere, obey God and serve His honor.” (p. 104)
  • to church – may not exercise judgment as to true and false churches
  • to individual
    • some individual sovereignty exists, but conscience is not entirely liberated from state, church, word, family (p. 107)
    • magistrate respects liberty of conscience, ensures church does so (particularly regarding those outside church)
• Science
  • p. 118, “A dualistic conception of regeneration was the cause of the rupture between the life of nature and the life of grace.”
  • p. 125, “Not only the church, but also the world belongs to God.”
  • p. 132, is the world normal, or abnormal seeking regeneration?  fundamental distinction striking at the heart of the scientific conception