Reformed Conference this month at Davao City, Philippines

The United Covenant Reformed Church in the Philippines (UCRCP) is holding the Davao Conference on Reformed Theology (DCRT) on November 27-29, 2012, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM on November 27-28, and from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM on November 29. The theme of this conference is Reformed Confessions and Reformed Ministry. The conference is open to 100 pastors, elders, church leaders and teachers and to those who want to know the Bible, theology and church history from a Reformed perspective. The venue is at the Auditorium of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) along Bonifacio-Legazpi Sts., Davao City. A registration fee of P300 will be charged which includes lunch, snacks and materials.

The featured speaker of the conference is Dr. Changwon Shu of Seoul, South Korea. Dr. Shu graduated from Chongshin University and Theological Seminary in Seoul, London Theological Seminary, Free Church of Scotland College (Diploma in Theology), and New College of Edinburgh University (M.Th., Historical Theology). He earned his Ph.D. on Historical Theology at the Westminster School of Theology in South Korea.

He has been the director of the Korea Institute for Reformed Preaching (KIRP) since 1992. The institute focuses on Biblical Preaching and Reformed Theology in the ministry of the Word. They meet twice a year with special speakers from either the United Kingdom or the United States, such as Iain H. Murray, Maurice Roberts, John Angus Macleod, Philip Eveson, Andrew McGowan, Iain D. Campbell, and Andrew Davies from the UK; Joel Beeke, Joseph Pipa, John Carrick, Richard Guy, and others from the US. Dr. Shu also publishes Reformed books (translated ones and Korean authors) along with the Korean Banner of Truth magazine. He has taught Puritan Theology and the History of the Presbyterian Church at Chongshin Theological Seminary for 18 years as an associate professor and lecturer.

Raised a Buddhist, he became a Christian at the age of 16 after reading the Bible, his conversion resulting in a time of persecution. Through his prayers and witnessing, his parents also came to Christ within a few years of his conversion. He credits his mother's constant prayers for the successes God granted him while studying in the United Kingdom.

He is married to Myoung Jah. They have three children: Dongyoon (28), captain in the Korean Army, Jiheh (26), and June (23), a student of Bob Jones University. They live in the northern part of Seoul, South Korea. Pastor Shu has been the senior pastor of Samyang Presbyterian Church in Seoul since 1997. Before 1997, he served Shinjang Presbyterian Church (now, Joosarang Church) for three and half years as senior pastor.

If you are interested to join this conference and you need accommodation, you may contact me via email at vicbernalesfamily@gmail.com or via mobile phone at 0922-712901.

Wish List for the Reformed Institute of Ministry (RIM) Library

I am coming up with a list of important Biblical and theological books for our Reformed Institute of Ministry. Here are some of the titles that I come up with arranged according to topic or subject. Bible commentaries are not yet included here. I hope to come up with another list of books on commentaries later.

Introduction to Theology
1. Manual of Christian Doctrine – Louis Berkhof
2. The Christian Life – Sinclair Ferguson
3. What Is Reformed Theology – R.C. Sproul
4. Essential Truths of the Christian Faith – R.C. Sproul
5. Concise Theology – J. I. Packer
6. Our Reasonable Faith – Herman Bavinck
7. The Marrow of Theology – William Ames
8. A Body of Divinity – Thomas Watson
9. Introduction to Systematic Theology – Cornelius Van Til
10. Dictionary of Latin and Greek Theological Terms – Richard Muller
11. Reformed Dogmatics: Prolegomena (Vol.1) – Herman Bavinck
12. The Doctrine of the Knowledge of God – John Frame

Systematic Theology
1. Systematic Theology – Louis Berkhof
2. Reformed Dogmatics – Heinrich Heppe
3. Reformed Dogmatics - Herman Hoeksema
4. Systematic Theology – Charles Hodge
5. Outlines of Theology – A.A. Hodge
6. Selected Shorter Writings – B.B. Warfield
7. Collected Writings of John Murray
8. Institutes of the Christian Religion – John Calvin
9. Institutes of Elenctic Theology – Francis Turretin
10. Reformed Dogmatics – Herman Bavinck
11. Christians Reasonable Service – Wilhelmus a Brakel
12. The Christian Faith - Michael Horton
13. A New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith – Robert L. Reymond
14. A Puritan Theology – Joel Beeke & Mark Jones
15. Reformed Confessions Harmonized – Joel Beeke & Sinclair Ferguson

Doctrine of God (Theology Proper)
1. Reformed Dogmatics: God and Creation (Volume 2) – Herman Bavinck
2. The Doctrine of God – John Frame
3. The Existence and Attributes of God – Stephen Charnock
4. The Providence of God – Paul Helm
5. Knowing God – J. I. Packer
6. Attributes of God – A.W. Pink

Doctrine of Man
1. Created in God’s Image – Anthony Hoekema
2. The Christian View of Man – J. Gresham Machen
3. Calvin’s Doctrine of Man – T. F. Torrance
4. Not the Way It Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin – Cornelius Plantinga

Doctrine of Christ
1. Reformed Dogmatics: Sin and Salvation in Christ (Vol. 3) – Herman Bavinck
2. The Person of Christ – Donald MacLeod
3. The Work of Christ – Robert Letham
4. The Person and Work of Christ – B.B. Warfield
5. The Cross of Christ – John Stott

Doctrine of the Holy Spirit and Salvation
1. Redemption Accomplished and Applied – John Murray
2. Saved by Grace – Anthony Hoekema
3. The Holy Spirit – Sinclair Ferguson
4. The Atonement – Leon Morris
5. The Gospel of Free Acceptance in Christ – Cornelis P. Venema
6. Accepted and Renewed in Christ – Cornelis P. Venema

Doctrine of the Church
1. Reformed Dogmatics: Holy Spirit, Church and New Creation (Vol 4) – Herman Bavinck
2. The Church – Edmund Clowney
3. The Glorious Body of Christ – R. B. Kuiper

Doctrine of the Last Things
1. The Promise of the Future – Cornelis Venema
2. The Bible and the Future – Anthony Hoekema
3. A Case for Amillennialism: Underatanding the End Times – Kim Riddlebarger
4. The Last Things – Herman Bavick
5. The Meaning of the Millennium: Four Views – Robert G. Clouse
6. The Bible on the Life After – William Hendriksen
7. The Man of Sin – Kim Riddlebarger

Biblical Theology
1. The Shadow of Christ in the Law of Moses – Vern Poythress
2. The Christ of the Covenants – O. Palmer Robertson
3. The Christ of the Prophets – O. Palmer Robertson
4. Biblical Theology – Geerhardus Vos
5. The Unfolding Mystery: Discovering Christ in the Old Testament – Edmund Clowney
6. A New Testament Biblical Theology – G.K. Beale
7. The Drama of Scripture: Our Place in the Bible Story – Michael Goheen and Craig Bartholomew
8. Promise and Deliverance (4 Vols.) – S.G DeGraaf
9. The Coming of the Kingdom – Herman Ridderbos
10. Paul: An Outline of His Theology – Herman Ridderbos
11. Jesus and Israel: One Covenant or Two – David E. Holwerda

Covenant Theology
1. Economy of the Covenants Between God and Man (2 vols.) – Herman Witsius
2. Redemptive History and Biblical Interpretation: The Shorter Writings of Geerhardus Vos – Richard Gaffin
3. The Christ of the Covenant – O. Palmer Robertson
4. Christ and the Covenant – J. Mark Beach

Historical Theology
1. The History of Christian Doctrines – Louis Berkhof
2. Historical Theology – William Cunningham
3. Historical Theology – Geoffrey W. Bromiley
4. Historical Theology – Alister E. McGrath
5. The Christian Tradition - Jaroslav Pelikan

Bible Interpretation
1. Let the Reader Understand – Dan McCartney and Charles Clayton
2. Principles of Biblical Interpretation – Louis Berkhof
3. Exegetical Fallacies – D.A. Carson
4. Gospel-Centered Hermeneutics – Graeme Goldsworthy
5. Goldsworthy Trilogy – Graeme Goldsworthy
6. According to Plan – Graeme Goldsworthy
7. Knowing Scripture – R.C. Sproul
8. How to Understand Your Bible – T. Norton Sterett and Richard L. Schultz
9. How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth – Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart
10. Handbook on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament – G. K. Beale

Christian Ethics
1. The Ten Commandments – J. Douma (trans. Nelson Kloosterman)
2. The Doctrine of the Christian Life – John Frame
3. Principles of Conduct – John Murray
4. Evangelical Ethics – John Jefferson Davis

Apologetics and Cultural Engagement
1. Always Ready – Greg Bahnsen
2. Presuppositional Apologetics Stated and Defended – Greg Bahnsen
3. Reasons of the Heart – William Edgar
4. Apologetics for the Glory of God – John Frame
5. Christian Apologetics – Cornelius Van Til
6. The Defense of the Faith – Cornelius Van Til
7. Warranted Christian Belief – Alvin Plantinga
8. Christian and Culture Revisited – D.A. Carson
9. Lectures on Calvinism – Abraham Kuyper
10. The Gagging of God – D. A. Carson

Missions and Evangelism
1. Tell the Truth – Will Metzger
2. Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God – J.I. Packer
3. An Introduction to the Science of Mission – J. H. Bavinck
4. Introducing World Missions – A. Scott Moreau, Gary B. McGee, Gary R. Corwin
5. Let the Nations Be Glad – John Piper
6. Go and Make Disciples – Roger Greenway

Church History
1. The Church in History – B. K. Kuiper
2. Church History in Plain Language – Bruce L. Shelley
3. Sketches from Church History – S. M. Houghton
4. The History of the Christian Church – Phillip Schaff

Church, Church Government and Offices
1. Biblical Church Government: The Church Fulfilling Its Calling – Frank H. Walker
2. Biblical Church Government – Kevin Reed
3. Order in the Offices: Essays Defining Roles of Church Offices – Mark R. Brown, editor
4. Paradigms in Polity: Classic Readings in Reformed and Presbyterian Church Government – eds. David Hall & Joseph Hall
5. Church and Its Polity – Charles Hodge
6. The Glorious Body of Christ – R. B. Kuiper

Ministers, Elders and Deacons
1. The Christian Ministry – Charles Bridges
2. Lectures to My Students – Charles Spurgeon
3. With a Shepherd’s Heart – John Sittema
4. Called to Serve: Essays for Elders and Deacons
5. Biblical Eldership: An Urgent Call to Restore Biblical Church Leadership – Alexander Strauch
6. The Elders Handbook: A Practical Guide for Church Leaders – Lester De Koster and Gerald Berghoef
7. The Deacons Handbook: A Manual of Stewardship – Lester De Koster and Gerald Berghoef
8. The Shepherd Leader: Achieving Effective Shepherding in Your Church – Timothy Z. Witmer

Biblical Preaching
1. Christ-centered Preaching – Bryan Chapell
2. Preaching the Whole Bible as Christian Scripture – Graeme Goldsworthy
3. Preaching and Preachers – Martin Lloyd-Jones
4. Between Two Worlds – John R. W. Stott
5. The Supremacy of God in Preaching – John Piper
6. Feed My Sheep: A Passionate Plea for Preaching – Joel Beeke, John MacArthur, etc.
7. Preaching Christ from the Old Testament – Sidney Greidanus
8. Biblical Preaching – Haddon W. Robinson
9. The Preacher and Preaching – Samuel T. Logan
10. He Is Not Silent: Preaching in a Postmodern World – R. Albert Mohler

Church Education
1. Foundational Issues in Christian Education: An Introduction in Evangelical Perspective – Robert W. Pazmiño
2. Christian Religious Education: Sharing Our Story and Vision – Thomas H. Groome
3. Rediscovering Catechism: The Art of Equipping Covenant Children – Donald Van Dyken

Church Worship, Liturgy and Discipline
1. Biblical Worship – Kevin Reed
2. Corporate Worship in the Reformed Tradition – James Hastings Nichols
3. Worship Revised and Extended Edition: Reformed According to Scripture – Hughes Oliphant Old
4. Reformed Worship: Worship That is According to Scripture – Terry Johnson
5. With Reverence and Awe: Returning to the Basics of Reformed Worship – D. G. Hart and John R. Muether
6. Scripture and Worship: Biblical Interpretation and the Directory of Public Worship – Richard Muller and Rowland Ward
7. Christ-centered Worship: Letting the Gospel Shape our Practice – Bryan Chapell
8. What to Expect in Reformed Worship: A Visitor’s Guide – Daniel Hyde
9. Handbook of Church Discipline – Jay Adams
10. Calvin’s Doctrine of the Word and Sacrament – Ronald Wallace

Christian and Reformed Spirituality
1. Puritan Reformed Spirituality – Joel R. Beeke
2. Calvin’s Doctrine of the Christian Life – Ronald S. Wallace
3. Christian Spirituality: Five Views of Sanctification – Donald L. Alexander

Herman Bavinck: His Life and Theology

(This article was originally written by my seminary professor, Dr. Cornelis P. Venema, for the Orthodox Presbyterian Church's denominational magazine, New Horizon. See the full issue of the magazine here: http://www.opc.org/nh.html?issue_id=151)

Earlier this year [2008], the fourth and final volume of Herman Bavinck's great Reformed Dogmatics was published in English.[1] At last, this model of Reformed theological scholarship is available in English to students of Reformed theology. This year also marks the one hundredth anniversary of Bavinck's Stone Lectures at Princeton Theological Seminary. The time is ripe, therefore, to get (re)acquainted with Bavinck.
,
BAVINCK'S EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION

Herman Bavinck was born in Hoogeveen, the Netherlands, on December 13, 1854. His father, Rev. Jan Bavinck, was a respected pastor in the Christian Reformed Church. This denomination was originally formed in 1834 as the result of a 'Secession' (Dutch: Afscheiding) from the Hervormde Kerk, the state Reformed church of the Netherlands, which had become increasingly liberal and estranged from the Reformed confessions.

Already in the early years of his formal education, Bavinck consistently excelled as a student. At the age of sixteen, he was enrolled at the 'gymnasium' in Zwolle, a boarding school that was in many respects comparable to a North American college, and completed the normal four-year programme in three years. While at Zwolle, Bavinck expressed his desire to attend the University of Leiden for his seminary training. The University of Leiden was perhaps the most liberal, and certainly the most academically prestigious, of the Dutch universities at the time. The faculty at Leiden was known for its repudiation of confessional Reformed theology and its advocacy of an 'ethical' and 'critical' reinterpretation of the Christian faith. Bavinck's parents and others prevailed upon him to commence his studies at the seminary of the Christian Reformed Church in Kampen. However, Bavinck's desire for a full university training at an institution widely renowned for its outstanding scholarship compelled him to transfer to Leiden, much to the chagrin of his parents and many others who feared that he would be unable to retain his convictions under the pressure of a Leiden education.

Bavinck completed his studies at Leiden in 1880 with the degree of doctor of theology, having written a dissertation on The Ethics of Zwingli. He distinguished himself at Leiden as an exceptional student, and was granted the doctor's degree 'with honours.' During his study at Leiden, Bavinck learned much from his teachers, but also faced many challenges to his personal confession and convictions. To one of his close university friends, he confided that 'I have learned much at Leiden, but also unlearned much.'2

PROFESSOR OF DOGMATICS

After completing his studies at Leiden, Bavinck entered the ministry in the Christian Reformed Church of Franeker. While in Franeker, Bavinck twice declined an appointment to teach theology at the Free University in Amsterdam. However, in 1882, when the General Synod of the Christian Reformed Church invited him to fill the vacant chair in dogmatics at its seminary in Kampen, Bavinck accepted and began his labour on January 10, 1883, with an inaugural address on 'The Science of Sacred Theology.' This address was well received throughout the churches, and it caught the attention of Abraham Kuyper, who reviewed it in De Heraut (January 21, 1883), observing that 'I have hardly ever read a treatise with such undivided attention, from start to finish, as this inaugural.' With this inaugural address, Bavinck embarked upon a twenty-year period of productive labour at Kampen. Much loved by his students for his modesty, unusual eloquence, and extraordinary breadth of knowledge, Bavinck produced during his Kampen years his Reformed Dogmatics in a first edition of four volumes (1883-1901).

In 1892, Bavinck made the first of two trips to America. He gave an address to the Alliance of Reformed Churches holding the Presbyterian System in Toronto, Canada. He took the occasion to visit his close friend, Geerhardus Vos, who was then teaching at Calvin Theological Seminary. He also visited Princeton Theological Seminary, where he met and befriended professor B. B. Warfield.

During the struggle that took place in the 1880s to unite the churches of the Secession (1834) with the churches of the Doleantie (1886),3 a dispute arose over the question of church control of the teaching of theology and the preparation of students for the ministry. Most of those who stood in the line of the Secession of 1834 wished to maintain the principle of church control, whereas those who stood in the line of the Doleantie under Kuyper favoured the principle of 'free study,' or the location of the discipline of theology in a university setting. Bavinck, who participated significantly in the process that led to the union of these churches in 1892, was something of an anomaly in his own tradition, for he was sympathetic to the idea that theology should be pursued in a university context so as to encourage the most rigorous academic and 'scientific' approach. This helps to explain Bavinck's decision, upon the fourth occasion of an appointment in dogmatics to the Free University, to accept the appointment in 1902.

In 1908, Bavinck visited America for a second time, principally to deliver the Stone Lectures at Princeton Theological Seminary. On this visit, Bavinck was also privileged to visit President Theodore Roosevelt. There is evidence of some shift in Bavinck's scholarly interests during this later period of his teaching. As he confided to a close friend, 'As I grow older my mind turns more and more away from dogmatic to philosophical studies and from these to their application to the practical needs of life about me.'4 In many of his later writings, Bavinck attempted to offer a broad philosophical and pedagogical basis for the pursuit of excellence in Christian schools at every level, including the university.

In the providence of God, Bavinck's life ended unexpectedly, at a time when he was still engaged in a variety of academic, political, cultural, and church activities. After offering an eloquent address on the floor of the synodical meeting of the Reformed churches in Leeuwarden, Bavinck suffered a heart attack, from which he first rallied but never fully recovered. After a prolonged period of illness, Bavinck 'fell asleep' in the Lord on July 29, 1921. Among the poignant memories recorded of visits with Bavinck at the time was his reply to the question of whether he was afraid to die: 'My dogmatics avail me nothing, nor my knowledge, but I have my faith, and in this I have all.'5

CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF BAVINCK'S THEOLOGY

Although it is difficult to capture the person of a figure like Bavinck, the profile that emerges from his writings and biographies is that of an exceptionally gifted, yet modest and unassuming, scholar. When he engaged the views of others, even those with whom he strongly disagreed, Bavinck was uncommonly courteous and respectful. Wherever possible, he would acknowledge the partial truth expressed by other theologians, even though he could not finally concur with their viewpoint. Consequently, although he was ultimately uncompromising in his convictions as a Reformed theologian, Bavinck was often respected by contemporaries who were not sympathetic to his confessional position.

There are several outstanding qualities that characterize Bavinck's work as a theologian. One of these qualities reflects what we have noted about his person, namely, his sympathetic treatment of the views of others. Throughout his writings, Bavinck exhibits a meticulous care in representing alternative positions. Before he critically engages a position with which he disagrees, he is at great pains to represent it in the best possible light. He also resists the temptation to arrive prematurely at a conclusion. In his Dogmatics, for example, Bavinck evidences an extraordinary familiarity with the discussion of theological topics throughout the history of the church. When he addresses a theological topic, he takes account of the spectrum of opinion throughout history and among the most diverse confessional communions (whether Protestant, Roman Catholic, or Eastern Orthodox). Only after a thorough canvassing of the biblical, historical, and confessional discussion of any particular topic does he arrive at a conclusion of his own. However, these qualities of meticulous and catholic scholarship, painstaking research, and consideration of the possible answers to a question, are among the reasons why Bavinck's Dogmatics continues to be a model for contemporary Reformed theologians.

THREE BROAD THEMES

Three broad themes recur throughout Bavinck's writings as a Reformed theologian. The first of these, the subject of his Stone Lectures, is the philosophy of revelation. In the face of the withering philosophical and critical attacks upon the historic doctrine of divine revelation, Bavinck worked consistently throughout his life from the settled conviction of the reality of the triune God who reveals himself through all of his works in creation and redemption, and who has provided for an inscripturation of that revelation in the Old and New Testaments. Reformed theology must build, even as the church is built, upon the sure foundation of God's own testimony to himself and the manifestation of his grace in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The second of these themes is Bavinck's emphasis upon the 'catholicity' of the church and the Christian faith. All truth, in whatever sphere or academic discipline, derives from a knowledge of God's works in creation and redemption. Reformed theology may never, therefore, fall prey to a parochial or narrow spirit that eschews the pursuit of scholarship or abandons the academy to unbelief.

A third and final theme that pervades Bavinck's theological writings is one that he shared fully with his contemporary, Abraham Kuyper, namely, that 'grace perfects nature' — or, better, that redemption involves the renewal and consummation of all creation. The purposes of the triune God in redemption culminate not only in the re-creation of a new humanity through the work of Jesus Christ, but also in the realization of God's purposes for the whole of creation itself. Like Kuyper, Bavinck could not be satisfied with scholarship that does not seek to bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. Nor could he be content with the idea that any dimension of truth is separable from the truth that is in Christ, to whom all things in heaven and on earth are subject.

These themes, and the general outline of his Dogmatics, were to exercise a profound influence on such well-known North American theologians as Cornelius Van Til and Louis Berkhof.

It has been suggested, not implausibly, that Bavinck's theology reflects a kind of 'duality' that corresponds to his personal biography. Bavinck was both the faithful son of the Secession of 1834 and the scholar who deliberately chose to study at the most liberal university in the Netherlands. On the one hand, Bavinck endeavoured to adhere faithfully to the authority of the Scriptures and the subordinate standards, or confessions, of the Reformed churches. On the other hand, he read widely and engaged sympathetically the best of modern theological scholarship and culture. One could characterize Bavinck as, in these respects, a 'man between two worlds.'6 This duality in Bavinck's life should not be overstated, however, since it expresses in the arena of theological scholarship an inescapable feature of the life of every Christian who is 'in but not of the world.'

It can only be hoped that, with the publication of Bavinck's Dogmatics in English, more readers will have access to the contributions of this remarkable theologian. Although readers will not always agree with Bavinck's conclusions, they will find him to be an outstanding model of Reformed theological scholarship — deeply rooted in the riches of scriptural revelation, sympathetically informed by the great confessions of the Reformed churches, instructed by the history of the church's reflection upon the Word of God, and carefully engaged with the broad range of contemporary challenges to the Christian faith. If readers learn anything from Bavinck, they should learn much about how the work of theology is to be conducted. In a beautiful passage from his Dogmatics, Bavinck offers a glimpse of his understanding of his calling as a Christian theologian:

Dogmatics shows us how God, who is all-sufficient in himself, nevertheless glorifies himself in his creation, which, even when it is torn apart by sin, is gathered up again in Christ (Eph. 1:10). It describes for us God, always God, from beginning to end — God in his being, God in his creation, God against sin, God in Christ, God breaking down all resistance through the Holy Spirit and guiding the whole of creation back to the objective he decreed for it: the glory of his name. Dogmatics, therefore, is not a dull and arid science. It is a theodicy, a doxology to all God's virtues and perfections, a hymn of adoration and thanksgiving, a 'glory to God in the highest' (Luke2:14).7
________________________________________

Endnotes

[1] Translated from the Dutch by John Vriend, edited by John Bolt (Baker Academic, 2003-2008).

[2] Valentin Hepp, Dr. Herman Bavinck, p. 87.

[3] The churches of the 'Doleantie' ('Grieving') were a second secession of churches from the Reformed Church in the Netherlands. These churches, under the leadership of Abraham Kuyper, would soon join with the churches of the Secession of 1834 to form the Reformed Churches of the Netherlands (Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland, or GKN).

[4] Henry Elias Dosker, 'Herman Bavinck,' Princeton Theological Review 20 (1922), 457-58.

[5] Dosker, 'Herman Bavinck,' p. 459.

[6] John Bolt, 'Editor's Introduction,' in Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics, 1:12.

[7] Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics, 1:112.


Cornelis Venema is President and Professor of Doctrinal Studies at Mid-America Reformed Seminary in Dyer, Indiana, and the author of The Promise of the Future, Getting the Gospel Right and The Gospel of Free Acceptance in Christ, published by the Banner of Truth Trust.