The Calvinist International
INTRODUCTION A short while ago I listened to David VanDrunen’s first lecture, on Christianity and culture, at the recent conference at Covenant OPC, in which he winsomely presents the main outlines of his own particular understanding of the two kingdoms, the “common” kingdom and the “redemptive” kingdom. There is much in it to which I […]
It can be readily admitted that, among the recent school of “two kingdoms” thought, Matthew Tuininga represents some valuable emphases. Over against cheap criticisms of the doctrine, he has consistently affirmed the role of Scripture in public theology and he has put considerably more emphasis (see comments) on the relationship between creation and redemption than […]
Giving a mixed review of Bavinck on natural law and the two kingdoms, David VanDrunen recently wrote, Though a complete account is more complex, a good general argument can be made, I believe, that his defense of the natural law and the two kingdoms categories belongs to the orthodox Bavinck and his advocacy of themes […]
Dr. Paul Helm has written some quite useful things on John Calvin and philosophical theology, but he also has his contrarian side, which yields some very unfortunate results. This latest post is a case in point, wherein Dr. Helm offers up a confused yet troubling articulation and application of the doctrine of the two kingdoms […]
This post is a continuation of a prior post at The Sword and Ploughshare, but also of an ongoing conversation that has taken place in many venues, ultimately tracing its beginning to this site. Having previously offered a lengthy prolegomenon on manners and method to address issues raised by Mr. Tuininga’s most recent engagement with […]
A long-awaited volume of essays contesting the recent Reformed two-kingdoms doctrine is at last on its way to the press: Kingdoms Apart, edited by Ryan McIlhenny (forthcoming from P&R Publishing, Oct. 25, 2012). McIlhenny, an erstwhile ally of David VanDrunen in some respects, turned critic when the full scope of his project was made clear […]
This past spring, I wrote a piece for this site engaging Matthew Tuininga’s essay, “The Two Kingdoms and the Reformed Tradition,” which had been published in several online venues. Mr. Tuininga is a former student of David VanDrunen, and it was my contention that despite certain helpful qualifications, Tuininga’s version of the Reformed two-kingdoms doctrine […]
The investigation and application of classical evangelical political doctrine is one of our main commitments, and it is therefore important to us to ensure that Calvin is correctly read in his proper context of common Reformation principles. Anyone familiar with the American Reformed world knows that a peculiar school of political theology, associated with California’s […]
At last Darryl Hart admits that we’re the consistent Protestants, but with the proviso that in this case consistency is not a virtue. It is nevertheless quite a concession from the redoubtable Dr Hart, first, because it is an admission regarding our position which he’s never before granted, and second, because it’s very odd to find […]
In a 2009 edition of the Mid-America Journal of Theology, Ryan McIlhenny points to an interesting dilemma for the particular variant of two kingdoms theology expounded by David VanDrunen (MAJT 20 ((2009)): 75−94). He asks if the Seminary would have to be considered “secular” and therefore a member of the temporal kingdom (87). This is a […]