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WISDOM WONDER &

&

SCIENCE

A RT

ABRAHAM KUYPER
F O R E W O R D B Y G A B E LY O N S A N D J O N T Y S O N I N T RO DU C T I O N B Y V I N C EN T E . B ACOT E

Abraham Kuyper was a profound theologian, an encyclopedic thinker, and a deeply spiritual man who believed that it is the believers task to know God in all his works. In a day when secular science is seeking to establish hegemony over all knowing, and when postmodern art is threatening to bring an end to art, Kuypers solid, Biblical insights can help to restore perspective and sanity to these two critical areas of human life.

Chuck Colson Founder, Prison Fellowship and the Colson Center for Christian Worldview

e appearance of this treatise in English translation is for me the beginning of a larger dream come true. Kuypers writings on common grace are much needed for such a time as this and Wisdom & Wonder is a marvelous foretaste of more that is to come!

Richard J. Mouw president and professor of Christian philosophy, Fuller eological Seminary

Abraham Kuypers Wisdom & Wonder is an eloquent theological antidote to the anti-intellectualist and anti-artistic impulses that infect so much of the contemporary church. Kuyper issues a clarion call for Christians to move beyond Bible study and theology, and beyond church art, to engage in these graced endeavors (science and art) in gratitude to God and out of delity to Christian conviction. ough Kuyper wrote these words more than one hundred years ago, they have lost none of their bite and relevance.

Nicholas Wolterstor Noah Porter Professor Emeritus of Philosophical eology, Yale University Senior Fellow, Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture, University of Virginia

How do we make sense of the contributions of, say a Steve Jobs, to human culture? How do Christians account for the rather immeasurable amount of good achieved by those presumably uncovenanted with God? Common grace is the answer: Gods mercies are over all his works. is rst-ever English translation of Abraham Kuypers work on common grace hits the sweet spot for Christians seeking answers to questions about the breadth of the gospel, their own roles in public life, and the bene cial contributions of others, especially in science and art. Highly needed and recommended.

David K. Naugle distinguished university professor, Dallas Baptist University author of Worldview: e History of a Concept

What do you possess that you did not rst receive? asks St. Paul (1 Cor. 4:7). In other words, everything is gracein one sense. But if that is so, what happens to the distinctive grace of the gospel? It is the great merit of the neo-Calvinist Abraham Kuyper that he addressed that knotty problem in ways that still command attention. is new translation of Wisdom & Wonder will help all Christians keep their confessional distinctiveness while remaining open to the world. Here is salt that has not lost its tang.

Edward T. Oakes, SJ professor of systematic theology, University of St. Mary of the Lake

e essays translated in this volume represent Kuypers mature and comprehensive thought on science and the arts in generala coherent position grounded in Calvinist theology and demonstrating a keen understanding of the cultural currents of his day. ey set a provocative example that Christian thinkers should try to match in our own day.

James Bratt, professor of history, Calvin College editor of Abraham Kuyper: A Centennial Reader

Gods redemption is as wide and high and deep as the expanse of his creation. is is the central message of Abraham Kuyper that has been heard anew by a generation of young evangelicals who have a new appreciation for the importance of Christian culturemaking. is book is a wonderful way to meet Kuyper face-to-face and hear from him rst hand. I look forward to pointing friends and students to this wonderful anthology. Its just what we need.

James K. A. Smith, professor of philosophy, Calvin College author of Letters to a Young Calvinist: An Invitation to the Reformed Tradition

A century before the institutions of Christian higher education took up the conversation over faith and learning in earnest, Abraham Kuyper had already masterfully described the terrain. We are indebted to Christians Library Press for publishing this new translation of Kuypers work. Wisdom & Wonder deserves a wide readership among all those who have tried to solve the riddle of what it really means to have a Christian world-and-life view.

Hunter Baker associate professor of political science, Union University author of e End of Secularism

is gem of a book makes Kuyper, who himself was a brilliant scholar and lled with wonder, accessible to contemporary readers. Kuyper a cionados will enjoy and pro t from it and those who are introduced to Kuyper through it will want more.

John Bolt professor of systematic theology, Calvin eological Seminary author of A Free Church, A Holy Nation: Abraham Kuypers American Public eology

Kuypers work provides us with an intellectually impressive as well as an ecumenically inspiring account of the theological foundations of science and art, calling Christians to take up their vocation to be engaged in the further unfolding of those cultural activities in the light of Christian principles.

Eduardo J. Echeverria professor of philosophy, Sacred Heart Major Seminary

Abraham Kuyper navigates with a sure hand on the tiller, taking us through the waters of culture, church and state, calling, and collaboration, with theological wisdom. Kuyper knows of no separation between warm piety and cultural commitment, nor of biblical texts and issues in the contemporary world. is fresh translation of Common Grace in Science and Art, tastefully titled, Wisdom & Wonder, is a most welcome addition to the growing body of Kuypers uvre available in English. No one wrestling with issues of church and society can a ord to ignore it.
Westminster

William Edgar professor of apologetics, eological Seminary in Philadelphia

With the appearance of Wisdom & Wonder English readers now have access to a far more extended and nuanced account of how Christians can wholeheartedly embrace the independence and integrity of science and art as manifestations of Gods sovereignty.

Gordon Graham director of the Abraham Kuyper Center, Princeton eological Seminary

Kuypers ideas on science and the arts are no ivory tower re ections. ey were forged in the struggle for the development of Christian thought and practice that creatively engages with every area of life. e contents of this book are of great contemporary relevance and this translation will be welcomed by the growing number of Kuyper admirers around the world.

Peter Heslam director, Transforming Business, University of Cambridge author of Creating a Christian Worldview: Abraham Kuypers Lectures on Calvinism

Abraham Kuyper thought big even when he considered little things. He challenges us to recognize the Creator as Lord, not simply of some spiritual part of his world, but of it all. Here, in this beautifully presented volume, we are invited to listen afresh to Kuypers wisdom and vision; his words are worth wrestling through today just as they were when he rst wrote them.

Kelly M. Kapic professor of theological studies, Covenant College

C. S. Lewis suggested that for every new book, we should read three old ones. Kuyper is one of those authors we should read. Although hes familiar to many who have explored worldview thinking, few have actually read him and until now even fewer have had the opportunity to read this particular work. Given the consistent battles of de nitions that take place in art and the sciences, we need trusted voices from the past to guide us. Im grateful that the Acton Institute and Kuyper College have made this available.

John Stonestreet Summit Ministries, Colson Center for Christian Worldview

Young Christians, take heart: we stand in a long tradition of those who seek a fully-orbed faith. Kuypers clear, friendly, theologically deep approach is a century-old answer to questions were still grappling withhow we ought to live in and work with the natural world and the culture we humans build. is volume is invaluable to anyone who wants to glean from and build upon Kuypers important, foundational work.

Alissa Wilkinson coeditor, Comment founding editor, Curator magazine

COMMON GRACE

IN

SCIENCE

ART

EDITED BY JORDAN J. BALLOR AND STEPHEN J. GRABILL TRANSLATED BY NELSON D. KLOOSTERMAN WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY VINCENT E. BACOTE AND A FOREWORD BY GABE LYONS AND JON TYSON

Copyright 2011 by Christians Library Press All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from the English Standard Version. Used by permission. is book may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, ministry, or promotional use.

For information please email customerservice@russell-media.com. Library of Congress Control Number: 2011938299 ISBN (paperback): 978-1-937498-90-0 ISBN (hardback): 978-1-937498-96-2

Christians Library Press An imprint of the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion & Liberty 161 Ottawa Ave. NW, Suite 301 Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503 Phone: 616.454.3080 Fax: 616.454.9454 www.clpress.com Manuscript preparation, design, and layout provided by http://www.russell-media.com Cover design by Brandon Hill Interior design by Sharon Page Editorial assistance provided by Dylan Pahman Printed in the United States of America

For Dr. Rimmer de Vries, In recognition of your lifetime pursuits and enduring legacy as a cultural leader, economist, visionary, and faithful follower of Christ, who re ects well the Kuyperian vision of Christs lordship over all spheres of society

CO NTENTS
Foreword
Gabe Lyons and Jon Tyson Nelson D. Kloosterman Vincent E. Bacote

15 19 23 31 32 48 62 76 90 105 106 122 138 154 168 185

Translators Preface Introduction

PART 1 SCIENCE Wisdom Knowledge Understanding Sin Education PART 2 ART Wonder Beauty Glory Creativity Worship

About the Common Grace Translation Project About Abraham Kuyper About the Contributors Topic Index Scripture Index

183 187 189 191

FO REWO RD
Followers of Jesus face numerous challenges in our current time, not the least of which is themselves. Life in western culture is being increasingly described as secular, amoral, and godless, even as many of Gods faithful scramble to make sense of a public square that seems to have gone terribly awry. It is not as if a certain aspect of our faith is being challenged, but the plausibility of faith itself has no credibility as we come to terms with life in a pluralistic society. Whatever faith we have left often feels like a hangover from another time, instead of a robust faith that informs the whole of our lives today. But is the problem with followers of Jesus themselves? We are reminded of Walt Kellys famous words, I have met the enemy, and he is us! Christians today face a serious framework challenge from within. We have lost a coherent, holistic understanding of how the Gospel, and thereby the practice of the Christian faith, relates to every single area of society. Our con dence has been shaken to the roots as we struggle to o er an alternative reality to a longing world. Enter Abraham Kuyper. Like many, we were rst introduced to Kuypers work indirectly through famed evangelical Chuck Colson when he exclaimed in his book, How Now Shall We Live?, that Christians are called to redeem entire cultures, not just individuals. at single declaration changes everything. It reveals a truth that many Christians have forgotten, that we as Christians have a role, indeed a responsibility, to be involved in renewing every
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FOREWORD

realm of the world. Nothing is to be left untouched by the transformative power of the Gospel. is was the in uence of Kuyper. Kuyper reminds usin a time when many Christians unknowingly live dualistic, disintegrated livesthat the whole of life, not just the spiritual parts, belong to God. Dallas Willard, among others, properly diagnoses the problem when he describes the truncated gospel adopted by many. In this awed, reductionist view, rather than living out of the riches of the full biblical narrative of Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration, Christians grapple with only the themes of Fall (sin) and Redemption (the cross). is often leaves us confused, questioning whether it is possible to see beauty and goodness in a world pervasively marred by sin. It causes us to miss out on much of the work God is up to in the world. When we do this, we reduce the scale of the work of God to withdrawing, waiting, and evacuating. We are left struggling to be fully present in the world, believing that God will ultimately abandon it in favor of a spiritual realm. Kuyper, on the other hand, believes and teaches that the whole of creation until its full consummation belongs to God. He is not just the Lord of heaven, but also the Lord of heaven and earth. As the Psalmist puts it, the earth is the Lord s and the fullness thereof. Gods work of creation continues even today in the fullness and joy of all human life and culture. It is this coherent understanding and practical sensibility about faiths application in all of life that leaves Kuypers readers with the ultimate epiphany.

Why Science and Art?

In Wisdom & Wonder, Kuyper addresses two of the more difcult realms that intimidate Christians in modern-day conversations: science and art. Many Christians feel threatened by science, and believe it is not trustworthy and poses an a ront to faith. Issues surrounding
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Lyons & Tyson

bioethics, evolution, environmental stewardship, and the probability of more scienti c discovery through new technologies all cloud our objectivity about right and wrong, good and evil. Art is another aspect in which Christians have an uneasy, illde ned relationship. We live in a time when our imaginations are under assault, and creativity has become a casualty in many of our lives. We are not trained to recognize good art from poor and our patronage of good culture is being all but lost. Sadly, much of the art Christians do appreciate is classi ed as Christian art, yet does little to move us deeply. Kuyper comes alongside helping us retrieve the notion that great art should not only touch our hearts but also engage our minds. If it fails to do so it is not artful. Kuypers insistence that Jesus really is Lord of all bounces o the pages of this book. His conviction that science is not a threat to our faith, but an ally, and his exhortations to celebrate the glory of God through creative expression will joyfully cause many to add new words of praise to the Lord of both heaven and earth.
Founder, Q Ideas & author, Gabe Lyons e Next Christians

Jon Tyson Pastor, Trinity Grace Church & author, Rumors of God

17

INTRODUCTION
Vincent E. Bacote
Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920) was a remarkable Dutch gure whose life and work remains relevant today, particularly because of the ongoing ferment regarding the proper role of Christians in public life. Kuyper was the son of a minister and pursued higher education at the University of Leiden. Strongly in uenced by modern thought, he eventually entered pastoral ministry in the rural town of Beesd, where he underwent a conversion to orthodox Christianity through the in uence of some pietistic and confessionally Reformed members of his congregation. During this same period, Kuypers interest in a faith with public impact began to emerge. While he was deeply appreciative for all he learned from his parishioners, he was also aware that Christianity was not only reserved for the internal chambers of the heart but also determinative for the various social dimensions of life humans encounter as they participate in the realms of culture, politics, and economics. Eventually Kuyper became a leader in the Anti-Revolutionary (as in French Revolution) movement (it became a political party by 1879), and became the editor of daily (De Standaard) and weekly (De Heraut) newspapers. Kuyper directed his attention toward issues related to the internal politics of the national church of the Netherlands (Nederlandse Hervormde Kerk or NHK) and eventually became involved in national politics in 1874. He saw himself as an advocate
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for orthodox Christians who were marginalized from public inuence and sought to make a case for Christian in uence in the public square, as exempli ed by his support of expanding the vote to all households and the public support of Christian schools. He helped to found the Free University of Amsterdam in 1880, where he also taught theology. After a great ecclesiastical crisis, he led the 1886 separation from the NHK (the Doleantie, or grieving ones); in 1892 this group united with those churches who had already seceded from the NHK in 1834 (the Afscheiding, or separated ones). e 1890s saw Kuyper increasing in in uence; he gave the Stone LecSPHERE SOVEREIGNT Y IS tures at Princeton eological KUYPERS IDEA THAT FROM GODS Seminary in 1898 and, in part SOVEREIGNT Y THERE DERIVES due to a coalition with CathoMORE DISCRETE SOVEREIGN lic members of Parliament, SPHERES SUCH AS THE STATE, he became Prime Minister of BUSINESS, THE FA M ILY, the Netherlands from 1901 to AND THE CHU RCH. 1905. Wearing the hats of pastor, theologian, journalist, and politician at various times in his life, Kuyper embodied a commitment to public Christianity while maintaining a fervent personal piety (as revealed by his devotional writing). While Kuyper is known for his approach to a number of theological issues, perhaps the most prominent are sphere sovereignty, antithesis, and common grace. Sphere sovereignty is Kuypers idea that from Gods sovereignty there derives more discrete sovereign spheres such as the state, business, the family, and the church. He also used this idea to help make the case for distinctive Christian public institutions such as schools and hospitals. Sphere sovereignty describes a pluralism of both social structures
24

Bacote

and worldviews and is one prominent feature in Kuypers approach to public life. e emphasis on Christian distinctiveness is also rooted in Kuypers view of the antithesis between Christians and those not regenerated by the Holy Spirit. As Wisdom & Wonder reveals at certain points, Kuyper believed that regeneration yields a distinct epistemological di erence that ultimately leads Christians to interpret reality di erently (and with better precision) than nonChristians. When emphasizing the antithesis, Kuyper heavily stressed the importance of Christian identity; he did not wish for Christians to sacri ce their faith when they participated in the various areas of the public realm. In contrast to antithesis, common grace lays stress upon shared humanity and public responsibility. Wisdom & Wonder is a fresh, new and complete translation of two sections that Kuyper intended for his larger three-volume work on common grace. ese sections were mistakenly omitted from the rst edition of Kuypers larger work. From 1895 to 1901 Kuyper wrote a series of articles in De Heraut that was later compiled and the three volumes were published in 1902, 1903, and 1904. Common Grace in Science and Art, the sections translated here, rst appeared as a separate bound volume in 1905 and were also added to later printings of the three-volume set. What exactly is common grace? Kuyper articulated this doctrine as a development of earlier Reformed expressions of Gods preserving work in the created order. is development was quite robust and much more expansive than statements of the doctrine in theologians such as John Calvin. Some of Kuypers critics within Reformed circles saw this expansion as more inventive than developmental. Although Kuyper was not averse to grand statements and creative expression, common grace is far from a doctrinal innovation that veers o the tracks of faithful25

INTRODUCTION

ness. Put simply, common grace responds to the question many have about our world: How does the world go on after sins entrance and how is it possible that good things emerge from the hands of humans within and without a covenant relationship with God? Common grace is Gods restraint of the full e ects of sin after the Fall, preservation and maintenance of the created order, and distribution of talents to human beings. As a result of this merciful activity of God through the Holy Spirits work in creation, it remains possible for humans to obey Gods rst commandment for stewardly dominion over the creation (see Gen. 1:28). is is not a saving, regenerating, or electing grace, but a preserving grace extended to the world God has made, and is seen in the human inclination to serve ones neighbor through work, pursue shalom in broken social situations, and defend equity in all forms of human interaction. Wisdom & Wonder speci cally addresses the domains of science and art. For Kuyper, science was not limited to hard sciences like chemistry and biology but also extended to the humanities and social sciences. Kuyper wrote at a time when it was an open question whether philosophy, literature, and theology could be considered properly scienti c. Here he expresses his view that science is intended to discover the deepest truth of all things, a truth that requires investigations that take us beyond surface-level encounters with various phenomena to the understanding of how all reality is an expression of the divine mind. Similarly, when writing about art, Kuyper presents a view that begins with the link between religion and artistic expression and ultimately moves toward a statement on the proper independence of art from the domain of the church. Perhaps one of the most interesting features of Kuypers discussion of art is his view that art, at its best, aims to express the nal realization of Gods glorious kingdom through media such as architecture, painting, and
26

Bacote

music. is does not mean that every artist consciously strives to create works approximating the consummated kingdom but that the desire to express the fullness of beauty tends to orient artists toward such a lofty goal.

Kuypers focus on science and art resonates with contemporary discussions about Christian participation in both communities. At least since the time of Darwin, many Christians have perceived an often very real con ict with the world of science, and for those whose vocation brings them to research, teaching, or other science-related professions, there has been signi cant tension. Some have responded by abandoning the scienti c mainstream in favor of a Christian alternative, while others have kept their faith and the work e ectively separated, and still yet others have embraced an anti-intellectualism shrouded in a faith posture suspicious of any serious scienti c research. Kuyper would encourage us to choose none of these paths; we should participate fully in the scienti c domain, while aware of the fact that there will be a genuine antithesis between Christians and non-Christians at the level of ultimate explanation. For certain, Kuyper would encourage the embrace of all that falls under the domain of the sciences. e domain of art is also an area of great challenge. From lm to popular music to painting, Christian artists often occupy a domain that many perceive as draped with caution ags. ere is a signi cant chasm between the world of art and the church, and those who regard themselves as dual citizens nd themselves exasperated by the misunderstandings of their vocation within the church. As with science, there are many who tend to encourage limited participation in the arts or even withdrawal if the artist is not producing spiritually oriented works. Readers will see that Kuyper is aware of the pitfalls and promise of art while ultimately encouraging the pursuit of artistic expression in keeping with the
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INTRODUCTION

image-bearing quality all humans embody as creators of beauty, value, wealth, and knowledge.

It is not necessary to have total agreement with a person in order to admire them or nd their contributions to be of great value. Some of Kuypers speci c views on science and art may not be embraced by all readers; while incredibly prescient regarding some developments in society, Kuyper was not omniscient, and at times ventured opinions we might nd surprising. is may be most apparent in the comments regarding Africans and primitive peoples that appear in these discussions of science and art. Like many of his era, Kuyper regarded Africans as far behind other civilized people groups. While his theology emphasized the creation of all humans in the divine image and while his emphasis on cultural diversity (multiformity) encourages humility about the extent of our knowledge, these emphases did not lead him to proper regard for all humans. While this reveals that Kuyper had feet of clay, this is no warrant for disregarding the tremendous contribution of works such as his volumes on common grace. Instead, this helps all of us to sharpen our critical thinking abilities; we can critique Kuyper on race and gender while also recognizing that such statements are in fact peripheral to his argument.

Abraham Kuypers project on common grace is a welcome contribution to larger discussions about the role of Christians in society. In recent decades, some evangelicals in the United States have struggled to discern how to live with a robust faith and proper commitment to cultural, political, economic, and social engagement. For many, it seems as if the only options for Christian engagement are either some version of Christendom, which can appear to be an e ort to run society according to the express dictates of Scripture, or a form of alternative witness, which is a kind of antithesis that emphasizes the practices of the Christian
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Bacote

community as opposed to direct involvement in political or cultural domains. Common grace helps us to see that other choices remain. Gods sustaining work in creation encourages us to participate in the various areas of life, striving to discern the best ways to pursue education, art, politics, and business as we participate within these domains. Faithful Christian engagement means the pursuit of the fullness of human life in the totality of Gods created order. is neither requires ecclesiastical sanction nor life as an alternate polis. For sure, every context will require us to see how to pursue faithfulness in di erent ways, but we can be encouraged that God by common grace has made it possible for us to participate in the public realm in multiple ways that contribute to the ourishing of the created order. Wisdom & Wonder is merely a taste of what Kuyper wrote on this great doctrine. May it whet your appetite.

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PART ONE

SCI EN CE

31

WISDOM

one

The advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of him who has it.
Ecclesiastes 7:12b

IF WE ACKNOWLEDGE the contrast between the life of the state and society, then science de nitely belongs to the sphere of societal life. Nevertheless this does not mitigate the fact that, as far as common grace is concerned, it could not have been included in our discussions concerning society. For whatever sets in motion societal activity originates in the intimate communal living of families in the same village or hamlet, in the same region or country. By contrast, although science as well as art must nd the atmosphere for ourishing within that common life in society, nevertheless both derive their impulse from something that lies outside of society, from a unique motive. For this reason, science as well as art requires a separate treatment, and it is with the discussion of both of these that our exposition of common grace will conclude.* First, then, let us emphasize the independent character of science. Before everything else it must be understood that science is a matter that stands on its own and may not be encumbered with any external chains. For that reason, if in its early stages science should still lack the strength to stand on its own legs, it can progress for a time being tied to the apron strings of others.
*Wisdom & Wonder is a new and complete translation of two sections that were mistakenly omitted from the rst edition of Kuypers larger three-volume work on common grace, De gemeene gratie. These sections first appeared as De gemeene gratie in wetenschap en kunst (Amsterdam: Hveker & Wormser, 1905), and were added in later editions of the three-volume set.

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Similarly, the free citizen living in the free state, who later would be keenly focused on independence, is, as a young child, initially carried by his nursemaid and learns to walk by holding on to her apron strings. In this connection, people have shown how historically science could not have assumed its role initially without the help of the government and the church. Nevertheless, this observation supplies no proof at all against the independent character that belongs to science. In every form of life, two stages may be distinguished. First is the stage of emergence followed by gradual growth, which SCIENCE NEGLECTS ITS DIVINE continues until adulthood is CALLING IF IT PER M ITS ITSELF reached. Only then does the AGAIN TO BECOME A SERVANT OF second stage occur, when fullTHE STATE OR THE CHU RCH. grown life is self-su cient. is is why the gardener places a stick alongside a young plant and ties that plant to the stick. When, thanks to this support, the plant achieves full growth and is su ciently rooted to be able to stand on its own strength, then the stick is removed and the plant stands by itself. And that is how it went with science. In northern Europe, at any rate, science was planted and initially supported by the Christian church. Furthermore, science could have not survived without the support of the government. Nowadays, by contrast, science has become independent to the extent that it would far rather attempt to dominate church and state than continue being submissive to the domination of church and state. is independence belongs to science, and is not at all being usurped by science. Science has not demanded such independence in overcon dence, but possesses this independence by divine design, so much so that science neglects its divine calling if it permits itself again
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to become a servant of the state or the church. Science is not a branch growing from the trunk of government service, and even less a branch that grows from the root of the church. Science possesses its own root, and science rests on this root. From this trunk that proceeds from this unique root, science must grow its branches and bear its fruit. As the well-known synodical report expressed it with such complete accuracy, science is a unique creature of God, with its own principle of life, created to develop in conformity with that principle of life, that is, to develop in freedom.* From this we can already observe that science belongs to the creation. Just think: if our human life had developed in its paradise situation, apart from sin, then science would have existed there just as it exists now, even though its development would obviously have been entirely di erent. Even though its character underwent a remarkable alteration as a consequence of sin, it may never be said that like the state and the church, science arose because of sin and thus from an intervening grace.

Without sin there would be no state, and apart from sin there would have been no Christian church, but there would have been science. To that extent, science is on the same level as marriage and family, both of which similarly have undergone signi cant alterations as a result of sin. But both of these, had sin never occurred, would have retained their independent existence even now, because they existed already in paradise. So just as marriage
* e synodical report that Kuyper mentions was written by his close friend and colleague Dr. Herman Bavinck, another major leader of the neo-Calvinist revival in the Netherlands. In the report Bavinck develops the idea of science (wetenschap) as a creation of God Almighty. For the full text of the report, see Rapport van prof. dr. H. Bavinck over het rapport van deputaten voor de opleiding, voor zooveel handelend over het verband der kerken tot de Vrije Universiteit, in Acta der generale synode van de Geformeerde Kerken in Nederland, gehouden te Middelburg, van 11 aug. tot sept. 1896 (Leiden: D. Donner, 1897), 125.

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and family can hardly be said to owe their existence to the state or to the church, similarly science may not be construed as being dependent on either one of these. Science, too, arises from creation, and as such has received from the Creator a calling independent of the state and the church. ________ is independent position of science rests in the creation of humanity according to Gods image. In the Lord our God exists an independent divine thinking, which did not arise within him from out of created things, but preceded the creation of all things. He does not think because he created, but he created after having thought. is is what we confess in the doctrine of the divine decree. Although the manifestation of the will of God also lies within the decree, yet it was rmly xed that this will of God was directed toward what he in his wisdom had conceptualized. A decree not preceded by any re ection cannot exist. is divine thinking that preceded his decree was not the appearing of random concepts that emerged from a mystical, unconscious undercurrent of his being, as some propose, but an altogether independent thinking, in the full divine clarity of consciousness. God was inspired by no one outside himself. is is something that Holy Scripture expresses by saying that no one has instructed him, and no one has stood alongside him as counselor. e mind of the Lord is original with him. is is why Paul asks, For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? (Rom. 11:34). Elsewhere he asks, For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him? (1 Cor. 2:16). is thought had been formulated earlier by Isaiah with these words: Who has measured the Spirit of the Lord, or what man shows him his counsel? (Isa. 40:13). Accordingly it must certainly be confessed that the thinking was entirely
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independent and original in God, from which independent and original divine thinking proceeded the decree, and from this decree the world proceeded, just as even now all the history of the world likewise proceeds. With majestic strokes Solomon sketches this same truth for us in the book of Proverbs, when he traces for us how wisdom was with God before any created thing proceeded from his hand. In the exalted language of Proverbs 8:22-31 this is revealed to us in these stanzas: e Lord possessed me [namely, wisdom] at the beginning of his work, the rst of his acts of old. Ages ago I was set up, at the rst, before the beginning of the earth. When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water. Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, I was brought forth, before he had made the earth with its elds, or the rst of the dust of the world. When he established the heavens, I was there; when he drew a circle on the face of the deep, when he made rm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep, when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth, then I was beside him, like a master workman, and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always, rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the children of man.
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In recalling this passage, John the evangelist teaches us that this wisdom in God was the Word, and that all things were created through that Word: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men (John 1:1-4). e Greek phrase used for the Word is ho logos, and logos means reason. Because for us reason can be dormant until it comes to full clarity in the spoken word, this phrase is not translated, In the beginning was reason, but, In the beginning was the Word. is expresses that Gods reason is to be pictured not as existing in a dormant state, only to come to clarity, but altogether di erently, as being one with his being in full clarity from eternity to eternity. Indeed, those churches that have continuously and jealously defended the doctrine of the decree have thereby zealously sought to guard the honor of God and the pure understanding of his divine essence. By contrast, the complaint may be registered that other churches, without denying the decree but nonetheless in fact permitting it to slip out of view and ignoring it, have granted entrance to an impure concept of the being of God. From this perspective it is rather mistaken, as people often construe the matter, to suggest that the con ict between the Reformed and Methodists and other parties has been waged merely about externalities.* Rather, that con ict touches the deepest point of religion itself, our confession regarding the being and the attributes of God.
*Kuypers criticism here is not directly of individuals or churches within the Methodist-Wesleyan traditions, but of what he describes as an unhealthy fruit of the revival movement at the beginning of the nineteenth century, which set up a false tension between the subjectivity and individuality of spiritual life and the organic unity of a Christian worldview that addresses social, economic, political, and cultural questions.

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________

If, therefore, Gods thinking is primary, and if all of creation is to be understood simply as the out ow of that thinking of God, such that all things have come into existence and continue to exist through the Logos, that is, through divine reason, or more particularly, through the Word, THERE CAN BE NOTHIN G IN THE then it must be the case that UNIVERSE THAT FAILS TO EXPRESS, the divine thinking must be TO INCARNATE, THE REVEL ATION embedded in all created things. OF THE THOUGHT OF GOD. us there can be nothing in the universe that fails to express, to incarnate, the revelation of the thought of God. It was not the case that there existed an immeasurable mass of matter that Gods thinking attempted to process, but rather divine thinking is embedded in all of creation. A thought of God constitutes the core of the essence of things, and it was primarily this thought of God that prescribes for created things their manner of existence, their form, their principle of life, their destiny, and their progress. e whole creation is nothing but the visible curtain behind which radiates the exalted working of this divine thinking. Even as the child at play observes your pocket watch, and supposes it to be no more than a golden case and a dial with moving hands, so too the unre ective person observes in nature and in the entire creation nothing other than the external appearance of things. By contrast, you know better. You know that behind the watchs dial the hidden work of springs and gears occurs, and that the movement of the hands across the dial is caused by that hidden working. So too everyone instructed by the Word of God knows, in terms of Gods creation, that behind that nature, behind that creation, a hidden, secret working of Gods power and wisdom is occurring, and that only thereby do things operate as they do.
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ey know as well that this working is not an unconscious operation of a languidly propelled power, but the working of a power that is being led by thinking. Now that thinking of God, which brings about the movement of all things in their course, is not working without plan or purpose or principle, but is rather a work directed to a purpose, moving toward that goal according to a xed rule. is plan at its origin embedded within the creation everything indispensALL THINGS HAVE PROCEEDED able for reaching that goal. FROM THE THINKIN G OF GOD, Consequently, all things FROM THE CONSCIOUSNESS have proceeded from the thinkOF GOD, FROM THE ing of God, from the consciousWORD OF GOD. ness of God, from the Word of God. ereby all things are sustained; to these all things owe their course of life and all things are guaranteed to meet their goal. So we can and must acknowledge and confess unconditionally that all of creation in its origin, existence, and progress constitutes one rich, integrated revelation of what God in eternity thought and established in his decree. Now the only question is whether we human beings are gifted with a capacity to re ect that thinking of God. It is absolutely clear that not every creature possesses that capacity. Even though the lily is clothed with a glory greater than that of Solomon in all his splendor, it knows nothing of its own beauty, and comprehends not the smallest bit of the thought of God that is expressed in its existence. No matter how magni cently the sh may live in the water, the sh knows nothing of the composition of the water, of the capacity that the water has to keep a body a oat, or of the nourishing properties contained in the water. It is even evident that the animals endowed with developed instincts, such as the ant, the bee, the spider, and the
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like, neither understand anything of what they do, nor do they comprehend anything of what God is revealing in them.

To be sure, we must always use great caution in expressing ourselves regarding the animals, since we cannot penetrate their inner existence. But we may and must say this much, that with animals we observe nothing of ongoing development, and that nothing is revealed to us about a higher aptitude or a higher consciousness that was supposedly bestowed on the animals. We know a bit more about angels (taking into account the devils as fallen angels). But regarding angels it is written that they desire to see into things they do not understand. No matter how much knowledge angels may have, in certain respects they continue to stand below us. By contrast, concerning a human being this great truth is revealed, namely, that every human being is created according to the image of God. On this basis the Reformed churches confess that the original man in his nature, that is, by virtue of his creation, not through supernatural grace but according to the creation order, had received holiness, righteousness, and wisdom. Here, then, attention is drawn to a capacity bestowed upon human beings enabling them to pry loose from its shell, as it were, the thought of God that lies embedded and embodied in the creation, and to grasp it in such a way that from the creation they could re ect the thought which God had embodied in that creation when he created it. is capacity of human nature was not added as something extra, but belongs to the foundation of human nature itself.

In this way, then, we obtain three truths that t together. First, the full and rich clarity of Gods thoughts existed in God from eternity. Second, in the creation God has revealed, embedded, and embodied a rich fullness of his thoughts. And third, God created in human beings, as his image-bearers, the capacity
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to understand, to grasp, to re ect, and to arrange within a totality these thoughts expressed in the creation. e essence of human science rests on these three realities. Such a magni cent capacity was not given to human beings for them to keep it unused. ey must apply this capacity bestowed upon them for the purpose for which it was given. e moment human beings employ this capacity for re ecting the thoughts of God from the creation, science arises. And to the extent that human beings do this more precisely and more diligently, human science will possess greater stability and richer content. ________ Nevertheless, one should not understand this to mean that this task of science in itself, in its full range, was being assigned to every human being. at cannot be. e range of this task is far too great for that, and the capacity of the individual person is too limited. e principal confession of the creation of human beings according to Gods image reaches much farther than the acknowledgment that we personally and individually, each for oneself, belong to Gods race. Rather, it comes into its own only when we extend it to our entire race down through the ages, and in the combination of the talents bestowed upon all the various persons. It is not so that merely one individual brain, or one individual genius, or one individual talent has been equipped to understand the fullness of the Word in creation, but all of them together have the goal of making this apprehension possible among people. Had it been intended otherwise, then every person, man or woman, would have to be in full possession of all genius and all talent. But this is not the case. Genius and talent appear only as distributed among a few individuals. We readily accept the claim that, in this respect, on account of sin, much has changed from what would have been apart from sin. Even so, no one would argue
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that according to the original creation ordinance no di erence, no distinction would have existed between people. Even the starry heavens do not disclose to us an in nite number of stars identical to WE M AY DR AW NO OTHER each other, but stars in in nite CONCLUSION THAN THAT THE constellations which all di er RICH VARIET Y A MON G PEOPLE, IN from each other. Precisely in TER MS OF APTITU DE AND TALENT, this multiform di erentiation CA M E FORTH FROM THE CREATION the splendor of the rmament ITSELF AND BELON GS TO THE radiates. Similarly, one should ESSENCE OF HUM AN NATURE. not suppose that in the world of humanity God intended nothing else than monotone uniformity, and that multiformity and variety arose for the rst time through sin. If that were so, then sin would have enriched rather than impoverished life. Moreover, the mere fact that God created a man and a woman proves indisputably that identical uniformity was not part of the plan of creation. So we may draw no other conclusion than that the rich variety among people, in terms of aptitude and talent, came forth from the creation itself and belongs to the essence of human nature. If this is so, then it follows automatically that in relation to the image of God, no single human being bears this feature of God in its fullness, but that all talent and all genius together comprise the capacity for incorporating within itself this fullness of the thought of God. Science is thus constructed not on the basis of what one person observes, discovers, imagines, and organizes into one system in his or her thinking. Rather, science arises from the fruit of the thinking, imagining, and re ecting of successive generations in the course of centuries, and by means of the cooperation of everyone. Each person does indeed possess individual knowledge, that
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is, the fragmented knowledge that a person acquires. But Gods creation is so unspeakably immense, and the richness of thoughts that lie embedded in his creation is so immeasurably deep, that the fragmented knowledge of any one person virtually disappears. at little fragment is also science in the most general sense of the word. But it is not the science that operates as a unique creature of God with its own life principle in order to ful ll a unique task. ANYONE FA M ILIAR WITH Science in this exalted sense origiTHE ARENA OF SCIENCE nates only through the cooperation of ANTICIPATES WITH JOY many people. It advances only graduTHE PROGRESS IN THE ally in the generations that come on the SPHERE OF SCIENCE scene, and thus only gradually acquires THAT IS TO BE EXPECTED that stability and that rich content that IN THIS T WENTIETH guarantee it an independent existence, and begins to appear only in this more CENTU RY. general form as an in uence in life. At the same time, from this it follows directly that science can acquire signi cance only with the passing of centuries, and will be able to develop in its richest fullness only at the end of time. Science is a mighty temple whose foundations had to be dug rst, and then its foundation had to be set. Only then could its walls be erected on that foundation, and its battlements could be built once the walls were nished. is temple can display the full splendor of its architecture, its colors, and its shapes only when the entire building is completed. is explains why centuries have passed when, among a number of nations, there was hardly any science to speak of in the higher sense. In our country as well one would have searched in vain for science in that sense among the Batavians.* is also explains why only the history of recent centuries,
* e Batavians were an ancient Germanic tribe native to the Netherlands.

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especially of the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries, narrates for us the story of such a mighty ourishing of science. Finally, this also helps explain what we all sense, namely, how even today science stands at the beginning of its great accomplishments; and why anyone familiar with the arena of science anticipates with joy the progress in the sphere of science that is to be expected in this twentieth century. ________ Science is not the personally acquired possession of each person, but gradually increased in signi cance and stability only as the fruit of the work of many people, among many nations, in the course of centuries. From this fact proceeds the independent character of science. For science does not come into existence by rst having one of the best architects produce a fully developed blueprint for the building of this temple, and then having subsequent generations labor quietly by common consent according to that original blueprint, in order eventually to build the temple. Rather, the entire temple is constructed without a human blueprint and without human agreement. It seems to arise by itself. Each one quarries his own little stone and brings it forward to have it cemented into the building. en comes another person who removes that stone, refashions it, and lays it di erently. Working separately from one another, without any mutual agreement and without the least bit of direction from other people, with everybody milling about, everyone going his own way, each person constructs science as he thinks right. rough that endless confusion, it nevertheless appears that, in the course of centuries, out of this apparently confused labor, a temple emerges, displaying the stability of architecture, manifesting style, and already generating speculation about how the entire building will ever be completed.
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At that point, then, it must be acknowledged and confessed that all this labor was led and directed unseen by an Architect and Artisan whom no one saw. At this point it will not do to suggest that this most beautiful result emerged by accident, without plan, all by itself. Rather, we must confess that God himself developed his own divine plan for this construction, created the geniuses and talents for implementing that plan, and directed the labor of everyone and made them fruitful so that what he wanted and still wants would indeed become reality. Seen this way, however, science is then also an invention of God, which he called into being, causing it to travel its paths of development in the manner he himself had ordained for it. is means nothing else except to say and to confess with gratitude that God himself called science into being as his creature, and accordingly that science occupies its own independent place in our human life.

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