Author
TOPCAN, Özlem
Publication Place
Hits University -
Hits University
Subject
Calvinism, Protestantism
Type
Book
Language
ara,eng,tur
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Library
Leitir Library
Library Asset ID
ISSN: 2757-6949, EISSN: 2757-6949, DOI: 10.14395/hid.1144137
Record ID
cdi_doaj_primary_oai_doaj_org_article_cc6f2cb25c34480f8bf0f221f60aed5b
Library Location
DOAJ Directory of Open Access Journals
Notes
In most Christian Western societies today, debates about the place of faith in the social sphere continue. The principles of Modernism that emerged after the reform movements caused religion to shift from the public sphere to the individual sphere. In response to this situation, religious movements emerged in Europe in the late 19th century that challenged the distinction between religion and the public and individual spheres. One of the leading ones of these movements is the Protestant Christian Neo-Calvinist worldview shaped by Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920). This study deals with the basic intellectual sources of the Neo-Calvinist tradition, which Kuyper developed by reinterpreting Calvinism in the context of "world view", and its effects on Western societies. Kuyper designed a religious pluralist social structure by challenging modern secular culture. According to Kuyper, who prepares the theological basis for the whole of reality; Against the dominant principles of modern secular culture, Calvinism has the qualities to penetrate society as a whole. According to him; While in Europe the understanding that people's faith must be sacrificed for freedom prevails, in America, on the contrary, there is a general opinion that the most effective guarantee for the continuation of freedom is Calvinism. Kuyper, who reconsidered the basic principles of modernism with a critical approach, put forward a worldview based on the principles of Christian faith through antitheses and based on Calvinism. He described his period as an age of crisis and did not hesitate to clearly express the troubled point Christianity had reached. According to him, the church must face the realities of modern culture, have a theology that appeals to the world it lives in, and realize its cultural captivity to which it remains indifferent. Kuyper's comparison of the church with the army when talking about the church in his works, and his preference for military images when describing the function of the church, stems from the fact that he sees the struggle between the sacred and the secular as a war between good and evil in his own mind. Kuyper's "field sovereignty" model, which advocates the understanding of cultural diversity and pluralism that forms the basis of the understanding of Christianity, also expresses a plurality of world views. Kuyper states that everyone has a worldview that shapes their lives, and that institutional expressions of individuals' worldviews – such as Islamic schools, Jewish butchers (Kosher butchers) – should be in the public sphere. After many years as a member of parliament, Kuyper served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands between 1901 and 1905. He tried to shape the relationship between religion and politics and the mission of religion in social life through the "domain sovereignty" model. He struggled for religious life in a culture dominated by the principles of Modernism, which rejected religious values, and rejected the principles of the "neutral world view" produced by Modernism. It is possible to say that he ignited today's cultural conflicts and debates in Western societies with his work and the practices he followed. The aim of this study, which was produced by scanning the literature through national and international sources with the descriptive method of the History of Religions, is to focus on how Neo-Calvinism, which was put forward by Abraham Kuyper as a comprehensive belief system in the context of "world view", emerged and was shaped, Neo-Calvinist theses and their applications in social life. In the "domain sovereignty" model that Kuyper shaped through the antitheses he put forward in his struggle against modernism; to explain his thoughts and practices on state administration, science, philosophy, education, theology, politics and social life. To present evaluations regarding the future vision of the Neo-Calvinist worldview. The aim is to explain the theological foundations of the long-standing struggle between modernism and Christian worldviews, thereby increasing the level of consciousness and awareness about the role and importance of the Protestant Neo-Calvinist worldview in international politics in the new world order shaped by the USA. It is to reveal how important the gains achieved in the struggle against secular, modern and positivist life on the axis of the neo-Calvinist worldview have come to in Western society today. The role of religion in societies is an ongoing debate even for most of the Western countries, which have advanced in terms of modernity. Particularly, the studies show that the impact of Christianity moved from the public sphere to the private domain due to the Modernist worldview that evolved in the context of Reformation and French Revolution. At the end of the 19th century, religious groups have arisen out of questioning the division between the individual and public spheres of religion in Europe. One of the foremost of these movements is the Neo-Calvinist tradition shaped by Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920). This study is to deal with the main intellectual resources of the Neo-Calvinist tradition, which Kuyper developed by reinterpreting Calvinism in the context of "worldview" and to explain its effects on Western societies. By opposing modern secular society, Kuyper tried to develop a social system that is pluralistic in religion. Calvinism, in contrast to the guiding principles of contemporary secular culture, has the qualities to permeate society as a whole, according to Kuyper, who builds a theological foundation for the entire truth. Kuyper developed a worldview based on the Christian belief systems through antitheses after critically reconsidering the underlying principles of modernity. In contrast, he asserts, there is a widespread perception in America that Calvinism is the most effective safeguard against the loss of liberties, but the idea that people's beliefs must be abandoned for freedom predominates in Europe. Kuyper developed a worldview based on Christian belief principles through antitheses by critically revising the fundamental ideas of modernism. He described the period he lived in as a crisis period and did not hold back while expressing the problematic aspects of Christianity. He contended that the church must acknowledge the reality of contemporary culture, have a theology that is relevant to the society in which it lives, and acknowledge its own cultural captivity, which it ignores. Kuyper viewed the conflict between the sacred and the secular as a war between good and evil in his mind, which is why he prefers military imagery when explaining the role of the church and compares the church to the army when discussing it in his works. According to Kuyper, who supports the understanding of cultural diversity and pluralism, the paradigm of "Sphere Sovereignty" also displays a variety of worldviews. Everyone has a worldview that affects how they live, and he claims that institutional manifestations of people's worldviews, such as Islamic schools and Jewish butchers, should exist in the open. After many years as a member of parliament, served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1901 to 1905. Through his "Sphere Sovereignty" model, he attempted to reshape the relationship between religion and politics as well as the role of religion in society. In a society where Modernism, which rejects religious values, is dominant, he battled for religious life and opposed the "neutral worldview" principles that Modernism developed. It is possible to say that with his studies and the practices he followed, he ignited the fuse of today's cultural conflicts and debates in Western societies. The purpose of this research is to examine how Neo-Calvinism came to be a comprehensive belief system within the framework of Abraham Kuyper's reinterpretation, and to clarify the core principles of the Neo-Calvinist worldview for social and religious life. It is also to explain the theological foundations of the long-standing struggle between modernism and Christian worldviews, and thus to increase the level of consciousness and awareness about the role of the Protestant Neo-Calvinist worldview in international politics in the new world order shaped by the USA. Therefore, we searched the literature on national and international sources using the descriptive method of the History of Religions. By doing so, the article will provide the theoretical framework of Neo-Calvinism, which shaped the state, religion, science, philosophy, education, politics, and social life. It also will demonstrate how significant the achievements in the struggle against secular, modern, and positivist living based on the Neo-Calvinist worldview have become in current Western society.
Detaylı Başlık
Modernizme Karşı Neo-Kalvinist Dünya Görüşü İnşası, Abraham Kuyper’in Alan Egemenliği Modeli
