Can We Hope For A Neocalvinist-Neopuritan Dialogue? -- By: Ray Pennings

Journal: Puritan Reformed Journal
Volume: PRJ 01:2 (Jul 2009)
Article: Can We Hope For A Neocalvinist-Neopuritan Dialogue?
Author: Ray Pennings


Can We Hope For A Neocalvinist-Neopuritan Dialogue?

Ray Pennings

Part of me feels foolish proposing a conversation between “neocalvinists” and “neopuritans.” Few people identify themselves using either of these theological labels and, in the context of broader North American evangelicalism, the two doctrinal emphases are brought together in a single Calvinist sub-grouping. To some in our time of doctrinal de-emphasis, even the Calvinist label is seen to be mainly relevant for seminarians who need to pass their exams, simultaneously wondering whether it was right to spend so much money on a course of study so irrelevant to their desire to minister to people in the church.

But the issues related to these doctrinal emphases are not just relevant for ministry; they apply to cultural life, and an understanding of each and the ways they may work together is important. While there may be intramural features of the neocalvinist-neopuritan debate that are of interest to those of particular theological persuasions, the crux of the matter deals with a broader question that faces all those who struggle to answer their calling as Christians in our common culture. Those who seek to root their obedience in an understanding of the Bible and the world that digs a bit deeper than a few ethical bromides or convenient proof-texts require a public theology relevant for our times.

At the heart of a proposed conversation between neocalvinists and neopuritans rests questions of intersection. How does personal faith coincide with corporate action? Can there be tensions between love for God and my love for my neighbor? How does one practically remain “in the world” without becoming “of the world”?

Neopuritanism And Neocalvinism: Establishing The Terms

I use the term “neopuritan” as a catch-all label to capture the recent

resurgence of a Calvinist theology and church life of the sort documented in Collin Hansen’s recent book, Young, Restless and Reformed (Crossway, 2008). Hansen characterizes this phenomenon as a rediscovery of the doctrines of the sovereignty of God in particular, as well as a rediscovery of Puritan literature in general. This brings with it “an enlarged view of God’s authority chang[ing] the way [adherents view] evangelism, worship, and relationships.”

The neopuritan movement has a different impulse from that of neocalvinism. Many neocalvinists would consider the neopuritan movement as a little too “churchy.” Neocalvinists emphasize life beyond the church; their Calvinism has a “changing the world” comprehensiveness. It focuses on all spheres of society and puts the restoration of the creation in clear v...

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