Lexham Press is the publisher of an outstanding series called “Studies in Historical & Systematic Theology.” A new volume in this series that has recently been published is titled Orthodox Yet Modern: Herman Bavinck’s Use of Friedrich Schleiermacher. This volume is authored by Cory Brock.
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Orthodox Yet Modern: Herman Bavinck’s Use of Friedrich Schleiermacher
I greatly enjoyed this book by Brock. I found his writing to be very helpful and informative. At first glance, this book seemed to provide a rather difficult to understand topic. I believe that Brock took a rather complicated topic and made it very understandable, and for that, I am very grateful.
I have read a lot of Herman Bavinck, but I have not considered “the perennial question” of whether Bavinck was orthodox, modern, or both. Brock contends that Bavinck was “orthdox yet modern”. He says this: “Bavinck is orthdox yet modern insofar as he subsumed the philosophical-theological questions and concepts of theological modernity under the conditions of his orthodox, confessional tradition.” The five chapters and almost 300 pages of this book set out to explain that above quote. I found Brock to provide a most excellent discussion on this topic!
Bavinck is orthdox yet modern insofar as he subsumed the philosophical-theological questions and concepts of theological modernity under the conditions of his orthodox, confessional tradition.
Cory Brock
One of the reasons that I love this series is because it deals with two of my favorite topics: historical and systematic theology. In regards to historical theology, I appreciated Brock’s inclusion of men like Calvin, Kant, Kuyper, Augustine, and of course Schleiermacher. It was really helpful and insightful to read of the connection of the above men to Bavinck, or how he viewed and dealt with those men and their writings.
I very highly recommend this series to those interested in historical and systematic theology, and I especially want to recommend this individual volume. It will help you to have an even greater appreciation for Bavinck and his theology. Tolle lege, take up and read!
Disclaimer: My thanks to Lexham Press for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. The opinions expressed are my own.
Matt became a joyful follower of Jesus at the age of 21. He is very grateful to be a husband to Lindsey, and a father to four boys. He is an ordained minister (teaching elder) in the PCA. He previously served as a pastor of biblical counseling and is currently a corporate chaplain in southern Delaware. Matt received his Master of Divinity degree in Biblical Counseling from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and holds an advanced certification in biblical counseling from the Association of Biblical Counselors. In his free time, he loves playing with his boys, traveling with his wife, and reading (and buying!) books.
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