This post is part of a series walking through the third volume of Abraham Kuyper’s Common Grace At the beginning of this chapter, Kuyper gives us an overview of what he has said so far about church/state relationships in six summary theses: One institutional church is only possible along the model of the Roman Catholic Church, and requires state suppression of schismatics. This unity (of one institutional church) isn’t how history or nations work. Even early in church history this... Read more

This post is part of a series walking through the third volume of Abraham Kuyper’s Common Grace Carrying on the question from the previous chapter about the state determining the ‘true’ church, there are always some states willing to do so–Russia and the Orthodox Church, for example. [Kuyper of course is writing pre-Communist Revolution] Our government [of the Netherlands] doesn’t have this power–and would have to have it granted by the voters if it were to try to gain it. This... Read more

This post is part of a series walking through the third volume of Abraham Kuyper’s Common Grace The Confession and Article 36 comes from a pre-Protestant era of schism, and as a result the political part of it has become stuck in its time, in part because the distinction between visible and invisible church has been made, but not between churches. Now diversity and tolerance are assumed, and condemnations are issued against governments that do not respect these principles. The... Read more

Kuyper on the glory of denominations Read more

Kuyper on church/state in the light of denominations Read more