The Foremost Problems of Contemporary Dogmatics: On Faith, Knowledge, and the Christian Tradition
Herman Bavinck on the challenges theologians face
In The Foremost Problems of Contemporary Dogmatics, Herman Bavinck identifies the primary challenges confronting Protestant theologians in the early twentieth century. Since the main difficulties do not concern specific heads of doctrine but arise in theological method, Bavinck’s focus narrows to the act of faith. Bavinck demonstrates the necessity of viewing faith as knowledge rather than mere trust, recounting the development of doctrine from the biblical authors through the dawn of the twentieth century. This book provides a unique window into Bavinck’s thought, as he speaks candidly about the limitations and failures of Reformed theology and the relative merits of modern thinkers.
The Foremost Problems of Contemporary Dogmatics was a series of lectures delivered at the Free University shortly after Bavinck moved to Amsterdam in 1902. Edited and translated by Gert de Kok and Bruce R. Pass, these previously unpublished lectures are available for the first time in English.
Praise for The Foremost Problems of Contemporary Dogmatics
Engaging the works of Herman Bavinck is always time well spent, and this intriguing volume, skilfully rendered into English for the first time by de Kok and Pass, is no exception. As Bavinck explores the key question of how to construe faith in a modern era, readers are treated to his reflections on the theologies of the Reformation, the nineteenth century, and the turn to the twentieth century, as well as—and perhaps above all—on the thought of Kant, Schleiermacher, and Hegel. Filled with Bavinck's characteristic insight and vision, these erudite lectures make for fascinating reading.
—Paul T. Nimmo, King’s Chair of Systematic Theology, University of Aberdeen
Herman Bavinck was a theologian of the Holy Spirit par excellence. The hidden power of his teaching lay in the conviction that the Spirit enlightens the mind so that we understand the Scriptures and our own context. We are thankful for this fine translation of his dogmatic lectures in Amsterdam.
—Henk van den Belt, professor of systematic theology, VU Amsterdam and the Theological University of Apeldoorn
- Editor’s Preface
- Introduction
- Holy Scripture
- The Triumph of Christianity over Paganism
- Roman Supernaturalism
- The Reformation
- Kant, Schleiermacher, Hegel
- The Course of Development in Nineteenth-Century Theology
- The Most Recent Theology, Part 1
- The Most Recent Theology, Part 2
- Title: The Foremost Problems of Contemporary Dogmatics: On Faith, Knowledge, and the Christian Tradition
- Author: Herman Bavinck
- Editors and Translators: Gert de Kok and Bruce R. Pass
- Publisher: Lexham Press
- Publication Date: 2025
- Pages: 384
- Format: Logos Digital, Hardcover
- Trim Size: 6x9
- ISBN: 9781683598084
Herman Bavinck (1854–1921) was professor of systematic theology at Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, where he succeeded Abraham Kuyper.
About the Editors and Translators
Gert de Kok is pastor at the Dutch Reformed church of Nunspeet and Hulshorst, Netherlands.
Bruce R. Pass is honorary senior research fellow in the School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry at the University of Queensland, Australia. He is the author of The Heart of Dogmatics: Christology and Christocentrism in Herman Bavinck and editor and translator of On Theology: Herman Bavinck's Academic Orations.