Book Review: Wisdom and Wonder

Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920) left a rich and expansive legacy to this world, including the founding of a political party, a university, and his service as prime minister to the Netherlands from 1901 to 1905. Perhaps his greatest legacy, however, is his continued impact on the Christian faith through his dedication to and expansion of the doctrine of common grace.

Wisdom and Wonder: Common Grace in Science and Art is the first English translation of two sections of Kuyper’s three-volume first edition work on common grace, De gemeene gratie. These sections on science and art were mistakenly left out of the original and were first published in 1905. Work is currently being done to translate the whole of Kuyper’s writings on common grace into English.

Common grace refers to the view that the entire world is involved in bringing the kingdom of God. Common grace asserts that God is active in everyday life through the restraining of the curse brought on by the fall of humankind. All that is good and beautiful in this world is a glimpse of the kingdom—including works and ideas outside of the church arena. In other words everything matters.

James D. Bratt, editor of Abraham Kuyper: A Centennial Reader, quotes Kuyper as saying:

Oh, no single piece of our mental world is to be hermetically sealed off from the rest, and there is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry: “Mine!” God continually re-creates the universe through acts of grace. God's acts are necessary to ensure the continued existence of creation. Without his direct activity creation would self-destruct.

Wisdom and Wonder focuses discussion on how, as Christians, we are to interact in the worlds of science and art. Though these words were penned over one hundred years ago, much of what Kuyper has to say on these issues is startlingly relevant to the culture-making of today.

While ascertaining certain cautions, Kuyper strongly believes that Christians should not shy away from the worlds of science and art, stating that—as creatures who bear God’s image—both of these domains are a natural part of who we are.

I tend to be more of a behaviorist when it comes to observing and interacting with the world. Too much abstraction can drive me to distraction, I’m afraid. But Kuyper’s philosophical discussion on common grace and science is so compelling and easy to follow that I was completely drawn in. He organizes the discussion under separate chapters on Wisdom, Knowledge, Understanding, Sin, and Education. Each chapter holds many pearls so I will only be glossing the surface with the points I mention here.

Kuyper starts with the idea that God’s thinking is primary—that is, divine thinking preceded the creation of all things. All of creation is to be understood as the outflow of that thinking of God. Since human beings are created in God’s image, this capacity is a part of us. The moment human beings employ this capacity for reflecting the thoughts of God from the creation, Kuyper says, science arises.

Kuyper does distinguish between true and false knowledge in the domain of science. Science must never be placed outside of a relationship with God, he says. However, although he clearly acknowledges that some aspects of science have led to a philosophy of life and a worldview directly contrary to the truth of God’s Word, common grace continues to work to restrain this effect and we must continue working for redemption.

Kuyper also explores the importance of revelation or the spiritual nature of the individual in research outcomes. The search for truth can never be independent of the human being’s subjectivity, he argues. I found this entire discussion fascinating. Kuyper never descends into specific arguments for or against certain scientific avenues, trusting his reader with this responsibility.

His discussion of art takes much the same approach. Organized under chapters addressing Wonder, Beauty, Glory, Creativity, and Worship--each essay is a treasure in itself. Much of this discussion focuses on the tendency of the church to idolize artwork, and given that Kuyper is often referred to as a Neo-Calvinist and was active in reformation, this is not surprising. He offers a rich discussion on the history of art and the church and the dangers of emphasizing the material over the spiritual. But he does not leave us in a place of caution. True to his emphasis on common grace, Kuyper extols that human art has the calling to ennoble nature and along with it, human existence on earth. The author points out the power art has to point us to God.

...The motive of art comes to us not from what exists, but from the notion that there is something higher, something nobler, something richer, and that what exists corresponds only partially to all this.

According to Kuyper, beauty cannot be separated from God and science is created by God. These words, penned over one hundred years ago, serve to strengthen our view here at The High Calling that God cares about our daily lives. Everything matters. Jesus is Lord of it all.

Image by Michelle De Rusha. Used with permission. Post by Laura Boggess.