1

!"#$%&'"(#)*'$#+*%(
- ./01 2"3 4'5$ 6"#(7
l have someLlmes called myself a LransformaLlonallsL and have been called LhaL by
oLhers.
1
1he Lerm comes from P. 8. nlebuhr's !"#$%& ()* !+,&+#-,
.
as one of flve models nlebuhr
llsLs LhaL descrlbe ways ln whlch ChrlsLlans Lhrough hlsLory have relaLed ChrlsL Lo culLure. (1)
!"#$%& /0($)%& !+,&+#- ls Lhe anLlLheLlcal model, ln whlch culLure" ls ldenLlfled by Lhe n1
world" of whlch SaLan ls prlnce. (2) 1"- !"#$%& 23 !+,&+#- ls Lhe opposlLe, ln whlch ChrlsL ls
found wherever Lhere ls a flowerlng of Lhe arLs, learnlng, soclal [usLlce and every good Lhlng. (3)
!"#$%& /425- !+,&+#- ls Lhe medleval scholasLlc approach ln whlch culLure ls a good, seml-
auLonomous, nonholy realm supplemenLed by Lhe holy realm of Lhe church and Lhe savlng
grace of Cod. (4) !"#$%& ()* !+,&+#- $) 6(#(*27 was nlebuhr's descrlpLlon of Lhe LuLheran
poslLlon, ln whlch Lhe Lwo relaLe as gospel and law, sacred and secular, complemenLary yeL
sharply dlsLlngulshed. ln Lhe currenL dlscusslon, Lhls ls someLlmes called Lhe Lwo klngdom"
poslLlon.
(3) !"#$%& &"- 1#()%32#8-# 23 !+,&+#- (nlebuhr also descrlbes Lhls poslLlon ofLen as
converslonlsL") ls nlebuhr's characLerlzaLlon of Lhe 8eformed LradlLlon. Pe Lraces lLs orlgln Lo
Lhe !ohannlne LradlLlon ln Lhe new 1esLamenL
3
and from Lhence Lo AugusLlne.
4
Pe menLlons
Calvln also, and says of hlm,
More Lhan LuLher he looks for Lhe presenL permeaLlon of all llfe by Lhe gospel. Pls more
dynamlc concepL of Lhe vocaLlons of men as acLlvlLles ln whlch Lhey may express Lhelr
falLh and love and may glorlfy Cod ln Lhelr calllng, hls closer assoclaLlon of church and
sLaLe, and hls lnslsLence LhaL Lhe sLaLe ls Cod's mlnlsLer noL only ln a negaLlve fashlon as
resLralner of evll buL poslLlvely ln Lhe promoLlon of welfare, hls more humanlsLlc vlews
of Lhe splendor of human naLure sLlll evldenL ln Lhe rulns of Lhe fall, hls concern for Lhe
resurrecLlon of Lhe flesh, above all hls emphasls on Lhe acLuallLy of Cod's soverelgnLy-
all Lhese lead Lo Lhe LhoughL LhaL whaL Lhe gospel promlses and makes posslble, as
dlvlne (noL human) posslblllLy, ls Lhe LransformaLlon of manklnd ln all lLs naLure and

1
See my 92:&#$)- 23 &"- !"#$%&$() ;$3- (hllllpsburg: &8 ubllshers, 2008), 863-73, and 1"- <%:2)*$*2 1"-2,20=
(Lakeland, lL: WhlLefleld ubllshers, 2011).
2
n. ?.: Parper and 8roLhers, 1931.
3
Pe allgns aul chlefly wlLh ChrlsL and culLure ln paradox."
4
ln currenL dlscusslon lL ls someLlmes suggesLed LhaL AugusLlne ls a Lwo klngdom" Lhlnker because he
dlsLlngulshed beLween Lhe clLy of Cod and Lhe clLy of man. 8uL AugusLlne never LaughL, llke Lhe Lwo-klngdom
group, LhaL Cod ordered Lhe foundlng of a secular culLure LhaL would admlnlsLer lLself by naLural revelaLlon alone
and noL by hls auLhorlLaLlve word. lL ls lnLeresLlng, and l Lhlnk lnslghLful, LhaL nlebuhr places AugusLlne among Lhe
converslonlsLs.
2

culLure lnLo a klngdom of Cod ln whlch Lhe laws of Lhe klngdom have been wrlLLen upon
Lhe lnward parLs.
3

8uL nlebuhr also flnds Lhe LransformaLlonal lmpulse ln !ohn Wesley's perfecLlonlsm and
!onaLhan Ldwards' emphasls on regeneraLlon. 1hen he flnds Lhe converslonlsL ldea" ln many
nlneLeenLh-cenLury Lhlnkers lncludlng 1olsLoy, 8lLschl, klerkegaard, and ope Leo xlll.
6
8uL Lhe
one Lo whom he devoLes Lhe mosL analysls ls l. u. Maurlce (1803-72), Loday falrly obscure, ln
whom, nlebuhr says, Lhe converslonlsL ldea ls more clearly expressed Lhan ln any oLher
modern ChrlsLlan Lhlnker and leader."
7

8uL nlebuhr never menLlons Lhe Lhlnker whose vlews are mosL frequenLly assoclaLed
wlLh LransformaLlonallsm ln Lhe currenL dlscusslon. 1haL ls Abraham kuyper (1837-1920).
kuyper was glfLed and promlnenL ln Lheology, church leadershlp, phllosophy, educaLlon,
pollLlcs, [ournallsm, and Lhe analysls of culLure, ln Lhe neLherlands of hls llfeLlme. lor several
decades he was Lhe besL-known flgure ln Lhe neLherlands, and from 1901-1903 he was rlme
MlnlsLer of Lhe counLry. Pe was so promlnenL LhaL he was commonly called laLher Abraham"
and Abraham Lhe MlghLy." kuyper's mosL famous sLaLemenL was parL of hls 1880 lnaugural
address as rofessor of 1heology aL Lhe lree unlverslLy of AmsLerdam, of whlch he was
founder:
Ch, no slngle plece of our menLal world ls Lo be hermeLlcally sealed off from Lhe resL,
and Lhere ls noL a square lnch ln Lhe whole domaln of our human exlsLence over whlch
ChrlsL, who ls Soverelgn over (,,, does noL cry: 'Mlne!'"
8

1hls sLaLemenL should be sufflclenL Lo mark kuyper as a LransformaLlonallsL ln nlebuhr's sense,
buL Lhls renalssance man also wroLe a whole shelf of closely reasoned volumes showlng Lhe
supremacy of ChrlsL ln every fleld of human knowledge and endeavor.
9

neverLheless, some recenLly have aLLempLed Lo show LhaL kuyper ls really a Lwo-
klngdoms Lhlnker, slnce he dlsLlngulshes beLween church and sLaLe, common and parLlcular
grace, a Lwofold klngshlp of Lhe Son, and so on.
10


3
nlebuhr, op. clL., 217-18. Pe quallfles hls commenLs by saylng LhaL Calvln and hls followers modlfled Lhls hope of
unlversal LransformaLlon by a separaLlsL and represslve noLe, even more markedly Lhan ln LuLheranlsm."
6
lbld., 220.
7
lbld., 229. 1he reasons nlebuhr glves for Lhe conslsLency of Maurlce's converslonlsm are because he has casL off
all ldeas abouL Lhe corrupLlon of splrlL Lhrough body, and abouL Lhe separaLlon of manklnd lnLo redeemed and
condemned" (lbld.)
8
hLLp://en.wlklpedla.org/wlkl/Abraham_kuyper, accessed !uly 13, 2013.
9
We may obLaln some ldea of Lhe scope of kuyper's vlslon ln hls ;-:&+#-% 2) !(,5$)$%8 (Crand 8aplds: Lerdmans,
1931), orlglnally presenLed as Lhe SLone loundaLlon LecLures aL rlnceLon 1heologlcal Semlnary ln 1898. 1he
chapLer-LlLles are Calvlnlsm a Llfe-sysLem," Calvlnlsm and 8ellglon," Calvlnlsm and ollLlcs,"
Calvlnlsm and Sclence," Calvlnlsm and ArL," and Calvlnlsm and Lhe luLure."
3

My crlLlque of Lwo-klngdoms Lhlnklng ln 92:&#$)- 23 &"- !"#$%&$() ;$3- and 1"- <%:2)*$*2
1"-2,20= was noL greeLed cordlally by Lhe 8eformed Lheologlcal communlLy. 1he general
response was LhaL l dld noL undersLand Lhe lssues and had Lherefore carlcaLured Lhe wrlLlngs ln
quesLlon. l wlll noL accepL LhaL crlLlclsm unLll someone from Lhe Lwo-klngdoms perspecLlve
acLually engages my argumenLs whlch are, ln Lhe end, exegeLlcal raLher Lhan hlsLorlcal.
8uL l do Lhlnk LhaL new opporLunlLles for dlalogue have opened up. lL appears LhaL Lwo
klngdoms" means dlfferenL Lhlngs Lo dlfferenL people.
lor some of Lhe wrlLers l dlscussed ln 1"- <%:2)*$*2 1"-2,20=, Lwo klngdoms" ls a
formula for re[ecLlng Lhe Amerlcan evangellcal LradlLlon of ChrlsLlan culLure," especlally
ChrlsLlan pollLlcs."
11
1helr argumenL ls Lhe Lhesls of MeredlLh kllne LhaL Cod ordalned a secular
socleLy Lo be governed enLlrely by naLural law" and noL aL all by speclal revelaLlon. So Lhere
should be no such Lhlng as ChrlsLlan culLure or ChrlsLlan pollLlcs. 1hese areas of llfe should
proceed by Lhelr own llghLs unLll Lhe Lord reLurns Lo [udge. 1hese wrlLers LhoughL, furLher, LhaL
anyone who dldn'L agree Lo Lhelr argumenL could noL conslder hlmself 8eformed.
l belleve LhaL l refuLed LhaL argumenL as well as any argumenL can be refuLed. 8uL more
recenLly lL seems LhaL some Lwo klngdom wrlLers are saylng LhaL Lhls was all a
mlsundersLandlng. 1hey really dldn'L mean Lo clalm LhaL Cod's word should noL rule all of llfe.
8aLher, Lhelr only concern was Lo sorL ouL deLalled hlsLorlcal dlscusslons of Lhe dlfferences
beLween church and sLaLe, common and speclal grace, and so on.
Well, Ck. lrankly, l have llLLle lnLeresL ln Lhese nuLs and bolLs. l have nelLher Lhe
compeLence nor Lhe lnLeresL Lo arblLraLe debaLes over Calvln's deLalled dlfferences from
AugusLlne, or kuyper, or 8avlnck. lf Lwo klngdoms" means dlsLlngulshlng beLween church and
sLaLe, Lhen l guess l am myself a Lwo-klngdoms person, and l don'L know anybody who lsn'L. l
oppose Lwo klngdoms" only lf lL ls an aLLempL Lo ellmlnaLe some areas of llfe from Cod's
command Lo do all Lo hls glory. lf lL ls someLhlng else, Lhen l don'L care much abouL lL.

10
See 8yan C. Mclnhenny, ed., >$)0*28% /?(#&@ <)0(0$)0 &"- 1A2 >$)0*28% 6-#%?-:&$5- (hlllpsburg, n!: &8,
2012) and Lhe revlew by uavld M. van urunen, WhaL LxacLly ls Lhe lssue? A 8esponse Lo >$)0*28% /?(#&"
B#*($)-* C-#5()& B),$)-, hLLp://opc.org/os.hLml?arLlcle_ld=334.
11
1hls ls parL of Lhe sLrangely perslsLenL love-haLe relaLlonshlp beLween Lhe 8eformed communlLy and Amerlcan
evangellcallsm. 8y any reasonable undersLandlng, 8eformed ChrlsLlanlLy has been a ma[or lnfluence upon
Amerlcan evangellcallsm, and 8eformed ChrlsLlans are parL of Lhe evangellcal communlLy. (See 8eformed and
Lvangellcals 1ogeLher" ln Lhe flrsL volume of my C-,-:&-* C"2#&-# D#$&$)0% (hllllpsburg: &8, 2014).) 8uL many of
Lhose who mosL emphaLlcally sLress Lhelr 8eformed commlLmenL are sharply crlLlcal of anyLhlng LhaL remoLely
sounds evangellcal" or fundamenLallsL." ln Lhe 1960s and '70s, my 8eformed frlends beraLed Amerlcan
evangellcals because Lhey were lnLeresLed only ln savlng souls and had no lnLeresL ln soclal beLLermenL, no full-
orbed world-and-llfe vlew." 8uL ln Lhe '80s and '90s, Lhe evangellcals caughL Lhe kuyperlan vlslon and organlzed for
culLural and pollLlcal acLlon (hence Lhe moral ma[orlLy"). AL LhaL polnL, Lhe 8eformed declded LhaL Lhe
evangellcals had vlolaLed Lhe prlnclple of Lhe Lwo klngdoms. lL was almosL as lf whaLever slde Lhe evangellcals Look,
Lhe 8eformed had Lo be on Lhe opposlLe slde.
4

8uL leL's all undersLand, Lhen, LhaL on Lhls basls we are lefL wlLh no means Lo aLLack
ChrlsLlan pollLlcs, and we are lefL wlLh a mandaLe from Cod Lo brlng hls word Lo bear on
pollLlcal and broader culLural lssues.
Wlll Lhls klnd of ChrlsLlan acLlvlsm Lransform Lhe presenL slnful culLure? LeL me make
anoLher clarlflcaLlon. Some wrlLers seem Lo Lhlnk LhaL when we speak of LransformaLlon" ln
nlebuhr's sense we mean LhaL Lhrough our programs and preachlng we can ln Lhe near fuLure
end Lhe relgn of sln and brlng abouL perfecLlon, Lhe relgn of Cod on earLh. LeL me say
emphaLlcally LhaL Lhls ls noL whaL LransformaLlon means for me, or for mosL people who call
Lhemselves LransformaLlonallsLs.
12
CompleLe and full LransformaLlon ls a goal, and lL may be far
off. uependlng on your mlllennlal poslLlon, lL may noL happen unLll Lhe Lord reLurns.
8uL Lhere are llLLle LransformaLlons. Lvery Llme a ChrlsLlan buslnessman decldes Lo
change hls company's pracLlce and execuLe honesL conLracLs, Lhere ls a llLLle blL of
LransformaLlon. Lvery Llme a ChrlsLlan ln Lhe l8l launches a program Lo brlng human Lrafflckers
Lo [usLlce, LhaL ls a llLLle blL of LransformaLlon.
1hese LransformaLlons are Lhe work of Cod, who flrsL changes Lhe hearLs of people
(regeneraLlon) and Lhen enables Lhem Lo make dlfferenL klnds of cholces (sancLlflcaLlon) as Lhey
are engaged wlLh Lhe world. And so nlebuhr's oLher Lerm, converslonlsm" ls also approprlaLe.
nlebuhr used Lhe word LransformaLlon," noL Lo refer Lo Lhe arroganL bellef LhaL we can
LoLally repalr Lhe world by our own efforLs, buL Lo dlsLlngulsh Lhe vlews ln dlfferenL Lheologlcal
LradlLlons of whaL Cod's grace accompllshes ln Lhe presenL age for culLure ln general. uoes
culLure serve only as an anLagonlsL for Lhe gospel (as vlew (1))? ls culLure already one wlLh Lhe
gospel (vlew (2))? ls Lhe gospel a supplemenL Lo culLure (3)? A paradoxlcal envlronmenL for Lhe
gospel (4)? 1ransformaLlonallsLs or converslonlsLs (3) have a dlfferenL ldea of how Lhe gospel
affecLs culLure, namely LhaL Lhe grace of Cod enables people Lo work llLLle LransformaLlons ln
Lhe culLure. 1ransformaLlonallsm ls noL a quanLlLaLlve docLrlne sLaLlng how much Lhe church
wlll achleve, buL a quallLaLlve vlew of whaL E$)* of change Lhe gospel brlngs.
1haL's all l wanLed Lo say ln Lhls essay. 1o all who wanL Lo crlLlclze
LransformaLlonallsm:" leL's agree LhaL Lhe Lerm means noLhlng more or less Lhan LhaL we
should be dolng all Lhlngs Lo Lhe glory of Cod, ln all areas of llfe (1 Cor. 10:31), and LhaL Lhls klnd
of obedlenL acLlvlLy lnevlLably makes some changes for Lhe beLLer.


12
l Lhlnk Lhls ls noL whaL nlebuhr had ln mlnd elLher, desplLe hls lnvocaLlon of Wesley's perfecLlonlsm.