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\u201cWhen contemplating how the Wisdom of God had entered the womb of a woman, and been born a baby, and cried for milk, the paradox of it all was too much for even him,\u201d<\/span>[1]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n \n Abraham Kuyper was born in 1837 in the Dutch town of Maasluis and served as a minister in the Dutch National Church. He stepped into political life in 1874 when he decided to run for office but the law required him to leave the pastorate. The highest political post for Kuyper was his role as Prime Minister. Kuyper was a \u00a0person of faith deeply committed to God and a deep desire to impact the public as a politician and educator. From the start of his career, Kuyper advocated for educational access for all social classes, as well as for the inclusion of an orthodox Christian worldview in education. The tension was whether schools should reflect more than one type of Protestant perspective. \u00a0Recognizing the realities of pluralism, he pursued funding for education for different branches of secular, Roman Catholic and Reformed theology. \u00a0By 1879, Kuyper\u2019s main argument was that liberty comes through the ultimate supremacy of Christ\u2013because Christ is sovereign over all, no state, no social order, no sector of life has the authority to interfere with the domains of life. It was Kuyper who used the term \u201csphere sovereignty\u201d to distinguish family, church, government or industry yet part of the created order of the world. He claimed that for Christians, \u201cthe goal is not to turn every sphere into a church but to discern what God intends within each domain. . . The distinction Kuyper makes between spheres is a kind of pluralism with sovereignty in each domain derived from God; each is to have its own integrity.\u201d[2]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n Reflecting Back<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Reflecting back on this semester\u2019s readings, I searched for connections or themes. A light went on for me while reading about Abraham Kuyper\u2019s Sphere Sovereignty. \u00a0In his proposal for Christian presence and influence in all domains of life, I found a dialogue among Tom Holland\u2019s\u00a0Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World<\/span>[3]<\/a><\/sup><\/em>\u00a0and N.T. Wright\u2019s and Michael Bird\u2019s book\u00a0Jesus and The Powers: Christian Political Witness in an Age of Totalitarian Terror and Dysfunctional Democracies.<\/span><\/em>[<\/em>4]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Tom Holland<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Each of these authors explore Christianity and its impact, yet approach their themes from opposite perspectives. \u00a0In\u00a0Dominion<\/em>,\u00a0<\/span>I find in its pages the profound and lasting impact of Christianity on Western civilization. \u00a0Holland, a secular historian, explores how Christian values, ideas and narratives shaped not only religious beliefs but aspects of moral, social and political life throughout history. \u00a0With provocative historical storytelling, his thesis is that Christianity has \u201cconquered\u201d the world by revolutionizing the understanding of power, particularly through the \u201cpower of the weak.\u201d \u00a0Holland\u2019s analysis over a millenia is primarily historical and sociocultural; he emphasizes how Christianity\u2019s moral revolution is responsible for western attitudes for human rights, the elevation of women, the abolition of slavery and managing savagery.[5]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0Although Holland is not advocating for belief or even trying to evangelize his readers, in a neutral tone he points to how Christianity has reshaped the world\u2013and what happened when certain cultures abandoned Christianity.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 As an aside:<\/strong> I\u2019d never considered how The Beatles ultimate message originated and came to an end in Jesus\u2019 life\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0message. Reading such stories reminded me of when I was a professor at a Bible college and students questioned why reading classical literature was important when only the Bible held truth\u2013their perspective challenged me to read even more broadly across my discipline.<\/span><\/p>\n N.T. Wright and Michael Bird<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n In\u00a0Jesus and the Powers<\/span><\/em>, Wright and Bird focus more on the New Testament\u2019s understanding of \u201cthe powers\u201d–spiritual, political, and cosmic forces that shaped both the ancient Jewish world and early Christian thought. \u00a0The authors argue that Jesus\u2019 life, death and resurrection is not just for personal salvation but confronts the powers that dominate the world, including evil spiritual powers and corrupt politics. With a deep dive into the theological and scriptural understanding of Christ\u2019s purposes related to the powers, Wright and Bird portray Jesus as a Divine Force who challenges and conquers these same powers: \u201cThe purpose of Israel and the Torah was to set forward the larger purposes of God. Mysteriously and ironically, Christ\u2019s crucifixion on the cross was what accomplished our Creator\u2019s greater purpose as now the powers are reconciled.\u201d[6]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n Might True Spiritual Pluralism Be Our Way Forward?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Wright and Bird articulate how Jesus\u2019 victory is celebrated because human beings could now be free to be the \u201croyal priesthood\u201d through whom \u201cGod\u2019s wise, healing justice would be brought into the world.\u201d[7]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0 With the \u2018powers\u2019 now reconciled, the authors assert God\u2019s intentions that humans should share in running the world, rising to the challenge of establishing and maintaining God\u2019s intention for a well-functioning human society.[8]<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n Where the dialogue among the authors creates a new idea for me is toward the end of Holland\u2019s book when he closes the gap of true spiritual pluralism: \u201cThat every human being possessed an equal dignity was not remotely self-evident a truth. A Roman would have laughed at it. To campaign against discrimination on the grounds of gender or sexuality, however, was to depend on large numbers of people sharing in a common assumption: That everyone possessed an inherent worth. \u00a0The origins of this principle\u2013as Nietzsche had so contemptuously pointed out\u2013lay not in the French Revolution, nor in the Declaration of Independence, nor in the Enlightenment, but in the Bible.\u201d[9]<\/a><\/sup>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As my last written post to my cohort, I want to bless you in the words of Abraham Kuyper whose \u201csphere sovereignty\u201d term understood how Jesus\u2019 Name stands above all thrones, dominions, power and positions. \u00a0Each of you is a person deeply committed in their faith with a desire to impact the world for the Kingdom. I have seen you acknowledge how every human being has dignity. I have witnessed you wanting Jesus\u2019 power to infuse your own. \u00a0Wherever you lead today and in the future, may Jesus guide you with His discernment on what God intends for the domain in which you serve. You are men and women of integrity who have shown me more of Christ.<\/span><\/p>\n \n [1]<\/a>\u00a0Holland, Tom.\u00a0<\/span>Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind<\/span>. London: Little, Brown, 2019. P. 106.<\/span><\/p>\n \n<\/div>\n [2]<\/a>\u00a0The Trinity Forum. \u201cSphere Sovereignty.\u201d Accessed November 25, 2024.<\/span>\u00a0<\/a><\/span>P. 8.<\/span><\/p>\n \n<\/div>\n [3]<\/a>\u00a0Holland, Tom.\u00a0<\/span>Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind<\/span>. London: Little, Brown, 2019.<\/span><\/p>\n \n<\/div>\n [4]<\/a>\u00a0Wright, N. T.\u00a0<\/span>Jesus and the Powers: Christian Political Witness in an Age of Totalitarian Terror and Dysfunctional Democracies<\/span>. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Reflective, 2024.<\/span><\/p>\n \n<\/div>\n [5]<\/a>\u00a0Holland, Tom.\u00a0<\/span>Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind<\/span>. London: Little, Brown, 2019. P. 106.<\/span><\/p>\n P. 489.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
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