On Business & Economics
Kuyper on the Positive Potential of Business
In his vast treasury of writings, Abraham Kuyper addressed nearly every sphere of society, including politics, science, and the arts. But his views on business and economics are often overlooked because he rarely engaged with that sphere directly. Still, his doctrine of common grace has great significance for showing how Christ is at work in the workplace.
In this anthology of essays, speeches, and reflections, we see Kuyper’s attempts to think positively and creatively about the calling and potential of business. Included are his ideas about economic freedom, the eternal value of earthly work, stewardship and philanthropy, economic globalization, the workings of God’s grace in business, and the social function of money.
Praise for Business & Economics
In this volume we meet Abraham Kuyper, the social activist and reformer. I welcome this fine selection of texts, which offer a balanced introduction to his wide knowledge of social issues and thinking. It shows that his devotion to these issues was not incidental, but a constant drive all his life as a pastor and politician. The texts hold numerous practical suggestions and solutions, based on the conviction that the Christian religion asks for a reformation of society and economics. They are a boost for Christian social and economic reform today.
–George Harinck, professor of Protestant History at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam; Director of the Neo-Calvinism Research Institute, Theological University Kampen, The Netherlands; and a former Visiting Scholar at Princeton Theological Seminary.
[Kuyper's] understanding of the integral relationship between business, economics, and ethics surpasses anything available today. This volume’s introductions alone are worth the investment.
–Dick DeVos, president of the Windquest Group and former President of Amway
This is an invaluable collection of material on Kuyper's critical yet world-affirming approach to business and economics. Peter Heslam has assembled a rich array of material that illuminates how Kuyper’s view of ‘common grace’ can hold together the worlds of theology and economics, creating important possibilities for dialogue and debate.
–Alister McGrath, Andreas Idreos Professor of Science and Religion, University of Oxford.
In the 21st century, business and economics shape our everyday life across the globe. Many nations are enjoying economic growth and prosperity, though poverty persists. In this context, we can learn from the breadth and depth of Kuyper’s wisdom, as he fully understood the need to generate wealth and to tackle poverty
–Kam-hon Lee, Emeritus Professor of Marketing, CUHK Business School, Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Abraham Kuyper is a seminal figure in public philosophy and in Christian thought and action. His global influence continues to grow, in part due to the publication of his collected works by Lexham Press. This anthology of his key writings on money, business and economics will provide guidance and inspiration not only to researchers but to leaders in business, economics, church, and politics.
–Dr Amy L. Sherman, Senior Fellow at the Sagamore Institute's Center on Faith in Communities, USA.
The Abraham Kuyper Collected Works in Public Theology
Lexham Press is pleased to announce the publication of a major series of new translations of Kuyper’s writings in public theology. Created in partnership with the Abraham Kuyper Translation Society and the Acton Institute, the Abraham Kuyper Collected Works in Public Theology will mark a historic moment in Kuyper studies, and we hope it will deepen and enrich the church’s interest and engagement in public theology.
- Forewords by Brian Fikkert, Paul Oslington, and Kenneth Barnes
- Editor’s Introduction by Peter S. Heslam
- Volume Introduction by Jordan J. Ballor
- Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread: Commentary on Lord’s Day 50 of the Heidelberg Catechism
- You Shall Not Steal: Commentary on Lord’s Day 42 of the Heidelberg Catechism
- Remember the Sabbath Day: Commentary on Lord’s Day 38 of the Heidelberg Catechism
- Working People and the Church
- Sunday Rest and Hygiene
- Manual Labor
- The Social Question and the Christian Religion
- Draft Pension Scheme for Wage Earners
- Protectionism and Materialism
- Human Trafficking
- Social Organizations under Our Own Banner
- Feeding the Nation’s Workers
- The Social Question (1909)
- Industrial Organization
- The Sacred Order
- The Social Question (1917)
- What Next?
- Meditations
- Afterword by Jan Peter Balkenende
- Title: On Business & Economics
- Author: Abraham Kuyper
- Translators: Harry Van Dyke and Peter S. Heslam
- Volume Editor: Peter S. Heslam
- Series Editors: Melvin Flikkema & Jordan J. Ballor
- Publisher: Lexham Press
- Publication Date: 2021
- Pages: 504
- Format: Logos Digital, Hardcover
- Trim Size: 7x10
- ISBN: 9781577996767
Abraham Kuyper (1837–1920) was the Prime Minister of the Netherlands between 1901 and 1905. He founded the Free University in Amsterdam and served as a professor of theology. At the invitation of B. B. Warfield, Kuyper traveled to the United States to deliver the Stone Lectures at Princeton and address Reformed congregations in Michigan and Iowa.
Kuyper studied at the University of Leiden, and received his doctorate there in 1863. He became a minister in the Dutch Reformed Church in 1863, and consistently called for the separation of church and state. He also led a secession from the Dutch Reformed Church and united several disparate Reformed churches in the Netherlands.
Kuyper also led an active political life. He served as a member of Parliament in the Netherlands beginning in 1874 and served as prime minister from 1901–1905.
Abraham Kuyper was instrumental in the development of Neocalvinism, and is remembered for his articulation of common grace and for popularizing the notion of a Reformed worldview. He has influenced such notable figures as Francis Schaeffer, Cornelius Van Til, Alvin Plantinga, Nicholas Wolterstorff, and Chuck Colson.
Some of Kuyper’s publications, which are available in Logos, include Wisdom & Wonder: Common Grace in Science & Art, The Antithesis between Symbolism and Revelation, and Encyclopedia of Sacred Theology: Its Principles.