2026 Kuyper Conference Call for Papers

Picture of Grand Rapids in Michigan
Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA

The 2026 Kuyper Conference will be held from March 26–28, 2026 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The conference theme is “Calvin and Kuyper at 150: Looking Back, Moving Forward.” According to the coordinator of the Kuyper Conference, Dr. Jordan Ballor, this theme reflects that the year 2026 coincides with the 150th anniversary of Calvin University and Calvin Theological Seminary. “On the American national scene, the year 2026 will mark the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America. It therefore seems well timed that the conference will explore the intellectual, cultural, and theological relationship between Abraham Kuyper, Neo-Calvinism, and North American institutions — including Calvin University, Calvin Seminary, and the Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRCNA) more widely,” Dr. Ballor notes.

Paper Proposals Invited

Organizers of the 2026 Kuyper Conference are inviting conference paper proposals. Papers and sessions related to the general conference theme are encouraged, but proposals for concurrent sessions are also welcome on topics that engage with aspects of the life and work of Abraham Kuyper, or other Neo-Calvinist thinkers, including, of course, Herman Bavinck, Neo-Calvinism more broadly, and public theology and public life. Papers from historical as well as interdisciplinary, ecumenical, critical, practical, missional, pastoral, and constructive perspectives are welcome. Proposals for short paper sessions (3-4 presenters), roundtables (3-5 participants), and from students are especially encouraged. The deadline is December 15, 2025. See more details here.

Kuyper Prize to Dr. George Harinck

The Kuyper Prize organizers have announced that Dr. George Harinck has been named the recipient of the 2026 Kuyper Prize for Excellence in Reformed Theology and Public Life. Read the notice on the Calvin website here. Dr. Harinck is a foremost Dutch historian and theologian, rector of the Theological University Utrecht, and also heads the Neo-Calvinism Research Institute.

Picture of Dr. George Harinck
Dr. George Harinck

The Kuyper Prize is presented annually to a scholar or community leader whose work embodies the Neo-Calvinist vision of religious engagement in all spheres of life, as articulated by the Dutch theologian, church leader, and statesman, Abraham Kuyper. The prize will be formally awarded to Dr. Harinck during a ceremony at the 2026 Kuyper Conference.

Conference Plenary Speakers

Dr. George Harinck will be the speaker at the main plenary session during which the Kuyper Prize will be formally awarded to him. Other plenary speakers at the conference will include Dr. Jessica Joustra (Redeemer University/Calvin Theological Seminary), Dr. Roel Kuiper (Theologische Universiteit Utrecht), and Dr. Derek Schuurman (Calvin University).

Register or Inquire

You can register for the 2026 Kuyper Conference here.

Inquiries about the conference may be sent to: Dr. Jordan J. Ballor, Kuyper Conference Coordinator, [email protected].

Book Launch: Bavinck’s Reformed Ethics, Vol. 3

Dr. Anthony Hoekema (1913–1988)

A book launch at Calvin Seminary will honor the Bavinck scholarship of Dr. Anthony Hoekema (1913–1988) and Dr. Eugene Heideman (1929–2022). The event marks the publication of the third and final volume of Herman Bavinck’s Reformed Ethics. Dr. John Bolt, emeritus professor of Systematic Theology and editor of Bavinck’s Reformed Dogmatics and Reformed Ethics, will be the speaker.

If you are interested in the theological legacy of Herman Bavinck and how aspects of it were appropriated in the rich theological work of Dr. Anthony Hoekema and Dr. Eugene Heideman, you will particularly appreciate the occasion.

Who: Everyone is invited! Lunch is provided (free); if you want to join us, please RSVP by email here.

When: Thursday, September 25, 2025.

Time: Noon.

Where: Calvin Theological Seminary (see map) in the student center.

RSVP: If you want to join us for lunch (free), please RSVP by email.

Photo of Dr. Eugene P. Heideman (1929–2022)
Dr. Eugene P. Heideman (1929–2022)

The Foremost Problems of Contemporary Dogmatics

The Foremost Problems of Contemporary Dogmatics is an English translation of a series of lectures delivered by Herman Bavinck at the Free University of Amsterdam after he had moved there in 1902. These previously unpublished lectures have now been made available in English for the first time thanks to the editing and translation by Gert de Kok and Bruce R. Pass. It can be ordered from the publisher, Lexham Press ($44.99), or from booksellers like Amazon ($44.99) and Christian Books ($36.99).

Bruce R. Pass is a noted Bavinck scholar who serves as Adjunct Lecturer in Systematic Theology at Trinity College Queensland (Australian College of Theology) and Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the University of Queensland. Pass is also the author of The Heart of Dogmatics: Christology and Christocentrism in Herman Bavinck and the editor and translator of On Theology: Herman Bavinck’s Academic Orations. Gert de Kok is a pastor at the Dutch Reformed church of Nunspeet and Hulshorst, Netherlands.

The publisher notes that in these essays, “Bavinck identifies the primary challenges confronting Protestant theologians in the early twentieth century. Since the main difficulties do not concern specific heads of doctrine but arise in theological method, Bavinck’s focus narrows to the act of faith. Bavinck demonstrates the necessity of viewing faith as knowledge rather than mere trust, recounting the development of doctrine from the biblical authors through the dawn of the twentieth century. This book provides a unique window into Bavinck’s thought, as he speaks candidly about the limitations and failures of Reformed theology and the relative merits of modern thinkers.”

Henk van den Belt, professor of systematic theology at the Free University Amsterdam and the Theological University of Apeldoorn, remarks: “Herman Bavinck was a theologian of the Holy Spirit par excellence. The hidden power of his teaching lay in the conviction that the Spirit enlightens the mind so that we understand the Scriptures and our own context. We are thankful for this fine translation of his dogmatic lectures in Amsterdam.”

CONTENTS

Introduction
Holy Scripture
The Triumph of Christianity over Paganism
Roman Supernaturalism
The Reformation
Kant, Schleiermacher, Hegel
The Course of Development in Nineteenth-Century Theology
The Most Recent Theology (Part 1)
The Most Recent Theology (Part 2)

Herman Bavinck: Centenary Essays

A new volume of essays commemorates the centenary of the death of Herman Bavinck (1854–1921). The volume is published by Brill in the Studies in Reformed Theology series, and is available from the publisher or at online booksellers.

The volume is edited by a leading Bavinck scholar, Bruce R. Pass. Bruce Pass is Adjunct Lecturer in Systematic Theology at Trinity College Queensland (Australian College of Theology) and Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the University of Queensland.

In addition to writing the introductory chapter and serving as editor of the volume, Pass contributed the essay “Bavinck and the Foremost Problem of Theology.” According to this essay, Bavinck identifies the act of faith as central in determining the future direction of theology. The chapter compares Bavinck’s understanding of the act of faith as a foundational doctrine with that of the influential Reformed theologian of a subsequent generation, Karl Barth, highlighting similarities and subtle differences.

The chapter “Bavinck’s Use of Scripture” is written by Koert van Bekkum. The essay goes beyond examining Bavinck’s doctrine of Scripture to explore his use of Scripture with respect to biblical proof texts, biblical-theological “stepping-stones,” and more extended exegetical remarks. Koert van Bekkum is Professor of Old Testament and Vice Dean for Research at the Evangelische Theologische Faculteit, Leuven, and also teaches at the Theological University Kampen / Utrecht.

The second chapter, “Bavinck’s Use of Reformed Sources,” is written by Henk van den Belt. The essay shows how Bavinck creatively and sometimes ambiguously and critically embraced various theological legacies of the Reformed tradition such as Reformed Orthodoxy. Henk van den Belt is Professor of Systematic Theology at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and also lectures at the Theological University of Apeldoorn. He is also the director of the Vrije Universiteit’s Herman Bavinck Center for Reformed and Evangelical Theology.

Andrew Errington contributed an essay on “Bavinck and Ethics.” Errington investigates how Bavinck applied—or attempted to apply—his heilsgeschichtliche mode of biblical interpretation to ethics as conceived in the subject’s traditional Reformed categories. Errington is Rector of Newton Erskineville Anglican Church, Sydney, Australia and Adjunct Lecturer in the School of Theology of Charles Sturt University.

“Bavinck and Philology” was written by William A. Ross, Associate Professor of Old Testament in Charlotte, North Carolina. Nineteenth-century scholarship saw giant strides in the fields of language studies and philology, and the question arises how Bavinck’s theological anthropology shaped his appropriation of some of these scholarly advances. Ross shows how Bavinck’s use of new philological insights was sophisticated and eclectic, informed by his theological and interdisciplinary insights.

Michael Bräutigam wrote the essay “Bavinck and Psychology.” Bräutigam examines the extensive work of Bavinck in the then emerging discipline of psychology. Bavinck aimed to navigate a theistic course through competing schools of thought, occasionally in the process even anticipating future developments in the field of psychology. Michael Bräutigam is Lecturer in Theology and Director of the Center for Theology and Psychology at Melbourne School of Theology.

The final chapter, “Bavinck and Pedagogy,” was written by George Harinck. Bavinck’s contribution to Christian education has been much overlooked in recent scholarship, Harinck observes—yet this was his contribution that shaped much of his immediate legacy. Harinck explores Bavinck’s keen insights as well as his occasional blind spots in the field of pedagogy. Harinck is Professor of the History of Neo-Calvinism at the Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam and serves as director of the Neo-Calvinism Research Institute at the Theological University Kampen / Utrecht.

Herman Bavinck’s Lectures in Dogmatics

Exciting news for those who can read Dutch: Herman Bavinck’s manuscript for his Amsterdam lectures in Dogmatics , “The Most Important Problems in Dogmatics Today” [“De voornaamste problemen der tegenwoordige dogmatiek”], has been published for the first time. The text was curated, introduced, and annotated by Dr. Dirk van Keulen of the Neo-Calvinism Research Institute at the Theological University Utrecht.

Herman Bavinck (1854–1921) left the Theological School in Kampen in 1902 to teach Dogmatics (Systematic Theology) at the Free University of Amsterdam. This manuscript formed the basis of these lectures in 1903 and 1904, and focus on the history of theology and philosophy. About a decade later (1915–1920), Bavinck again used this manuscript for his lectures in the history of Dogmatics. Thus the text serves as a bridge between the first and second editions of Bavinck’s Reformed Dogmatics.

The book was published by the Archief- en Documentatiecentrum, Kampen.

Here is an overview of the contents:

In addition to an introduction, this part of Bavinck’s lectures (“Historical Overview”) include the following chapters :

  1. Holy Scripture.
  2. The Triumph of Christianity over Paganism
  3. Supernaturalism in Rome
  4. The Reformation
  5. Kant, Schleiermacher, and Hegel
  6. The Development of Theology in the Nineteenth Century
  7. Most Recent Theology
  8. Most Recent Theology (continued).

Two further chapters in the appendix deal with “Marxism” and “The Fall.”

Launch of Books on Herman Bavinck by Bruce Pass

On Theology: Herman Bavinck's Academic Oration by Bruce  R. Pass: Brill Books

An event celebrating the launch of two books on Herman Bavinck by Dr. Bruce Pass will be held on 26 October at the Brisbane School of Theology, Brisbane, Australia, from 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm. (For those who wish to follow on Zoom, this is 5:30 am to 7:00 am EST, or 10:30 am to 12:00 in the U.K.) Presentations will be given by Dr. Mark Baddeley (Queensland Theological College) and Assoc Prof Ben Myers (Alphacrucis College), as well as by Bruce Pass.

Visit https://bst.qld.edu.au/event/book-launch/ to register for the event, or to join remotely via Zoom.

Bruce Pass

Bavinck Centenary Conference: December, 2021

The Brisbane School of Theology is convening a two-day conference to mark the centenary of the death of Herman Bavinck (1854-1921).

Please note the new date: 6–7 December, 2021.

Plenary sessions will examine the contours of Bavinck’s theology, roundtables will consider Bavinck’s relevance for contemporary Christianity, and short papers will address various aspects of Bavinck’s life, thought, and legacy.

Theme: Bavinck’s theology, life, thought, legacy, and relevance for contemporary Christianity.

Where: Brisbane School of Theology, Brisbane, Australia.

When: December 6–7, 2021.

Call for papers can be viewed here. Deadline for proposed papers is June 6, 2021.

Plenary lectures include:

  • James Eglinton (University of Edinburgh) — “Herman Bavinck as a Politician
  • Graham Cole (Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) — “Herman Bavinck as a Trinitarian Theologian
  • Henk van den Belt (Free University of Amsterdam) — “Herman Bavinck’s Appropriation of Reformed Sources
  • Oliver Crisp (University of St Andrews) — “Herman Bavinck’s Use of Philosophy
  • Koert van Bekkum (Kampen Theological University) — “Herman Bavinck’s Use of Scripture”

Click for more information or to register.

Bavinck Centenary Conference

Brisbane, Australia

The Brisbane School of Theology is convening a two-day conference to mark the centenary of the death of Herman Bavinck (1854-1921).

Plenary sessions will examine the contours of Bavinck’s theology, roundtables will consider Bavinck’s relevance for contemporary Christianity, and short papers will address various aspects of Bavinck’s life, thought, and legacy.

Theme: Bavinck’s theology, life, thought, legacy, and relevance for contemporary Christianity.

Where: Brisbane School of Theology, Brisbane, Australia.

When: July 5–6, 2021.

Call for papers can be viewed here. Deadline for proposed papers is 7 December, 2020.

Plenary lectures include:

  • James Eglinton (University of Edinburgh) — “Herman Bavinck as a Politician
  • Graham Cole (Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) — “Herman Bavinck as a Trinitarian Theologian
  • Henk van den Belt (Free University of Amsterdam) — “Herman Bavinck’s Appropriation of Reformed Sources
  • Oliver Crisp (University of St Andrews) — “Herman Bavinck’s Use of Philosophy
  • Koert van Bekkum (Kampen Theological University) — “Herman Bavinck’s Use of Scripture”

Click for more information or to register.