bread.”^126 Before his departure from Kampen Bavinck confessed, “I am a child of the
secession, and I hope always to remain one.”^127 Amid this personal struggle he
successfully weathered the theological challenges and according to John Bolt, editor
of the Reformed Dogmatics, Bavinck was “thus definitely shaped by strong patterns
of deep pietistic Reformed spirituality.”^128 However, Bavinck equally critiqued the
weaknesses of his Church recognizing the potential for an other-worldliness and anti-
cultural withdrawal.^129 Nonetheless, Bavinck validated his piety and orthodoxy by
returning to Kampen in 1882 as professor.
However, some scholars in examining this tension are prone to view “Bavinck
as a man between two worlds.”^130 Unfortunately, to date there is no biography or
even expanded treatment of Bavinck in English to further explore the reality or
dynamics of this question.^131 Clearly Bavinck is aware of this conflict:
The antithesis, therefore, is fairly sharp: on the one side, a Christian life that
considers the highest goal, now and hereafter, to be the contemplation of God
and fellowship with him, and for that reason (always being more or less hostile to the riches of an earthly life) is in danger of falling into monasticism
and asceticism, pietism and mysticism; but on the side of Ritschl, a Christian
life that considers its highest goal to be the kingdom of God, that is, the moral
obligation of mankind, and for that reason (always being more or less adverse
to the withdrawal into solitude and quiet communion with God), is in danger
of degenerating into cold Pelagianism and an unfeeling moralism. Personally,
I do not yet see any way of combining the two points of view, but I do know
126
Bolt, “Between Kampen and Amsterdam,” 269. For an elaboration of Leiden’s
effect on Bavinck see Dosker, “Herman Bavinck,” 450That Must Remain,” 250-55. - 52 and Harnick, “Something
(^127) Bolt, “Between Kampen and Amsterdam,” 269, cf. 268.
(^128) Editor’s introduction, Reformed Dogmatics, 1:12, cf. 4:24 and Veenhof, “History of
Theology and Spirituality,” 276. 129
130 Bolt, “Imitation of Christ Theme,” 77.^
Editor’s introduction, Reformed Dogmatics, 1:13. For an expansion on this see
Bolt, “Between Kampen and Amsterdam,” 264-69 and Harnick, “Something that
Must Remain,” 249 (^131) Ron Gleason is in the process of preparing an English biography.-52. (^)