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John Bolt’s Dissertation on Bavinck’s Two Essays on the Imitatio Christi

A Theological Analysis of Herman Bavinck’s Two Essays on the Imitatio Christi by John BoltThe Bavinck Institute is pleased to announce its second publication this spring: John Bolt, A Theological Analysis of Herman Bavinck’s Two Essays on the Imitatio Christi: Between Pietism and Modernism (Lewiston, NY: Edwin Mellen, 2013).

Professor Bolt defended his original dissertation in 1982 at the University of St. Michael’s College, Toronto, under the title, ”The Imitation of Christ Theme in the Cultural-Ethical Ideal of Herman Bavinck.” For the published edition he has updated the scholarship and added a concluding chapter on application and relevance. Also, he has included the first available English translations of Bavinck’s two imitation articles of 1885/86 and 1918.

Bolt’s investigation of Bavinck’s essays on the imitation of Christ . . . immerses us in some of the most important aspects of the Christianity and culture debate. What is the relationship of God’s work of creation to his work of redemption? What is the relationship of nature and grace? What is the significance of common grace and natural law? What is the relationship of the Old Testament law, as summarized in the Decalogue, to New Testament ethics, especially as set forth in the Sermon on the Mount? Can the Sermon on the Mount really direct our social-cultural life and, if so, how? These will undoubtedly remain central questions to discussions about Christian cultural activity, and Bolt reflects on all of them as he expounds Bavinck’s essays. I predict that his conclusions will surprise many readers, challenge simplistic assumptions about Bavinck’s view of culture, and inspire many people to read Bavinck anew. (David VanDrunen, “Forward,” v–vi)

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Five Studies in the Thought of Herman Bavinck

The Bavinck Institute is pleased to announce the publication of the prize-winning essays from the 2008 “Pearl and Leaven” international Bavinck Conference held at Calvin Theological Seminary:

John Bolt, ed., Five Studies in the Thought of Herman Bavinck, A Creator of Modern Dutch Theology (Lewiston, NY: Edwin Mellen, 2011).

Contents

  1. Herman Bavinck’s Thomistic Epistemology: The Argument and Sources of his Principia of Science — by David S. Sytsma
  2. Unleavened Morality? Herman Bavinck on Natural Law — by Theodore G. Van Raalte
  3. Trinity and History: Bavrnck, Hegel, and Nineteenth Century Doctrines of God — by Adam Eitel
  4. Covenant Christology: Herman Bavinck and the Pactum Salutis — by Mark Jones
  5. The Status of Women in Contemporary Society: Principles and Practice in Herman Bavinck’s Socio-Political Thought — by Niels (GM.) van Driel

Price

$20.00 postpaid.

Note: this is for the paperback edition.

How to Order—Check

Mail a check payable to “The Bavinck Institute” to the following address:

Attn: Prof. John Bolt
Calvin Theological Seminary
3233 Burton SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49546

Be sure to include your name and return mailing address.

How to Order—Credit Card (and International Orders)

  1. Send a credit card payment for $20.00 USD via the Bavinck Institute Online Donation Form. Designate the payment for “The Bavinck Institute.”
  2. E-mail us your shipping address.
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Preview: The Bavinck Review, vol. 2, 2011

The Bavinck Review 2 (2011) is now available for Bavinck Society members. This year’s issue contains six student papers and two research précis delivered at the 2010 Edinburgh Bavinck Conference as well as a translation of Herman Bavinck’s intriguing lecture, “The Kingdom of God, The Highest Good.”

Preview TBR 2:

TBR issues are made freely available to non-Society-members six months after publication. See our inaugural issue: TBR 1 (2010).

(The preview PDFs require the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.)

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Scottish Bulletin of Evangelical Theology 29.1: Special Bavinck Edition

The Rutherford House and the Scottish Evangelical Theological Society have announced an upcoming special edition of the Scottish Bulletin of Evangelical Theology (29.1) that contains the plenary papers from the September 2010 Edinburgh Bavinck Conference.

SBET 29.1 Contents

Guest Editorial

Dogmatics Papers

  • “Bavinck’s use of Wisdom Literature in Systematic Theology” – Prof John Bolt (Calvin Seminary)
  • “Bavinck’s use of Augustine as an antidote to Ritschl” – Dr Mark Elliott (St Andrews)
  • “Herman Bavinck and His Reformed Sources on the Call to Grace: A Shift in Emphasis towards the Internal Work of the Spirit” – Dr Henk van den Belt (Utrecht)
  • “Bavinck, Barth and the Uniqueness of the Eucharist” – Dr Paul T Nimmo (New College)

Ethics Papers

  • “The religious character of modernism and the modern character of religion: A case study of Herman Bavinck’s engagement with modern culture” – Prof George Harinck (VU Amsterdam and TU Kampen)
  • “Herman Bavinck and the Imitation of Christ” – Dr Dirk van Keulen (PThU Kampen)
  • “Herman Bavinck and the basis of Christian certainty” – Prof Donald Macleod (Free Church College)

Special Orders

SBET 29.1 will be available in early June. The Rutherford House is offering this special Bavinck issue to non-SBET subscribers for the following prices (USD), postpaid:

Surface Mail (takes up to 6 weeks): $16
Airmail: $23

Orders may be placed by check or CC. Checks should be made out to “Rutherford House” and mailed to the following address:

Rutherford House
1 Hill Street
Edinburgh EH2 3JP
Scotland

For CC orders, please contact [email protected] to receive instructions.