In the previous and first instalment of this short series I attempted to make a case for writing, by appealing to its unforeseen blessings. In some ways, it was a sustained reflection on Augustine’s City of God. Despite being written for a particular audience—both historically and culturally—facing a remarkable period in human history, the City of God is arguably the most influential work of theology to have ever existed. Like all texts, it has wandered beyond the writer’s horizon, into the lives and faith of those for whom it was never intended. Only, this shouldn’t surprise us. For good theology isn’t time-bound. We serve a God “who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think,” or write (Ephesians 3:20).

This second article will follow that trend, set by the first, in at least two ways. That is, it is little more than a sustained reflection on a single theologian, designed to inspire more writing in the church. A friend recently told me to stop quoting so much Herman Bavinck. But I won’t. In fact, to adapt the words of Michael Scott, I’m going to read Bavinck even harder. Below I engage with a section from one of his shorter works, which makes a compelling case for Christian writing.

We Must Give an Account of Our Faith

At one point in his What is Christianity?, Bavinck considers whether the Bible is sufficient. Unsurprisingly, he answers in the affirmative. In his own words, “Scripture is the magnificent painting which, in a series of captivating scenes, brings before our eyes the works of God in salvation history.” So Bavinck calls God’s people back to the Bible, for it should forever be the church’s touchstone and treasure. However, having a high view of Scripture doesn’t deny the need for theology.

Bavinck continues, “That powerful imprint which the Scriptures make on the church, it must reproduce.” And a few lines on he adds, “What the church has seen through that wonderful book, what it has felt of the word of life, it must proclaim.” The church, Bavinck continues, “finds what is laid down in Scripture; it merely reflects after the Holy Spirit has thought it all out, but then the church expresses what it has found and thus reflects it in its own language, in its own way, fully conscious and understandable for everyone.” The church “must try to put it into words and account for” what God says in Scripture. This is its task in every age.

As the Dutch theologians puts it, once “the church has absorbed what the Scriptures tell it, lived it as it were, and now reproduces it in its confession. Emerging again from the penetration of the Holy Scriptures, it looks around itself, feels strange in this world, and expresses to opponents and those who are astray—with holy enthusiasm—what it has experienced and enjoyed.”

What I really appreciate about Bavinck’s point is that he calls on the church to give a fresh account of its faith and God’s self-revelation, without dismissing the theological work of our predecessors. We may be standing before different audiences, but we’re singing off the same song sheet. This is why Bavinck could draw extensively on the 16th century Reformers while also adapting their theology for 20th century Europe. In this sense, his Neo-Calvinism wasn’t merely an attempt to make Calvinism relevant; it was what Bavinck envisioned the church must enact from generation to generation, and culture to culture.

We Must Contribute to the Church’s Incomplete Theology

What I’ve outlined above is, in my opinion, an excellent reason to write. So that the 21st century church might voice “what it has found and thus reflect it in its own language, in its own way, fully conscious and understandable for everyone.” However, Bavinck’s observation is a twofer, doubly inspiring. As he goes on to note, while the Bible is sufficient for the church in every age, the theological task is never complete. For the church never arrives, at least not until glory.

Still in his What Is Christianity?, Bavinck remarks that the church’s confession doesn’t happen all at once. This is because, “what is contained in that Bible is so rich and so broad in scope that it cannot be taken in and reproduced by one person, not by a single generation of people. That requires centuries,” and continents. Building on this and Ephesians 3 he writes, “The knowledge of the length and breadth and depth and height of Christ’s love can only be attained in fellowship with all the saints…each time the church is introduced more deeply into God’s revelation in subsequent times, [the] root grows up and various branches grow on it.”

Again, Bavinck doesn’t dismiss the theology in other ages, as if every generation need completely reinvent the wheel. By “fellowship with all the saints” I assume he means around the world and throughout history. Simultaneously, however, “in the course of the centuries, the love of Christ is interpreted more and more broadly, and that glorious image which the church conceives from the Holy Scriptures and causes to radiate outwardly is further and further completed.”

We Must Write

Why write? Bavinck offers us two related reasons. Firstly, though the Bible is sufficient, our theological efforts and writing are always inadequate. The riches of God’s word can never fully plumbed, for the Holy Spirit continues to illuminate what he’s inspired, from age to age. This means we gladly add our experience of God in the Scriptures to those that came before us. Secondly, no single generation or culture can exhaust God’s speech. Thus the theological task is never complete. As much as I cherish the works of Herman Bavinck, there’s more to be said. Through writing we’re able to contribute to the church’s incomplete theology, perhaps in ways not only unique to our culture but necessary for the universal and catholic church.

Though he was describing the task of theology, I feel one last quote from Bavinck—in his Magnalia Dei this time—is fitting. “Theology is the science which derives the knowledge of God from his revelation, which studies and thinks into it under the guidance of his Spirit, and then tries to describe it so that it ministers to his honour. And a theologian, a true theologian, is one who speaks out of God, through God, about God, and does this always to the glorification of his name.” In some ways, then, the individual’s theological task is also incomplete until she turns her reading and reflections into writing.