Book Review on Abraham Kuyper "The Problem of Poverty"

BOOK REVIEW

Kuyper, Abraham. The Problem of Poverty. Edited by James W. Skillen. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House; and Washington, DC: The Center for Public Justice, 1991. 94 pp. Paperback, $6.95.

Abraham Kuyper, once a Dutch prime minister (1901-1905) and an influential neo- Calvinist theologian addressed the opening address at the First Christian Social Congress in the Netherlands, November 9, 1891. This speech was first translated into English by Dirk Jellema and published Christianity and the Class Struggle (Grand Rapids: Piet Hein, 1950). One hundred years later, James W. Skillen re-edited this speech into a different form of English in the aim to convey the original meaning and intent of Kuyper. Throughout the reading, readers should note that the speech was taken in the year 1891 before the era of Marxist-Leninist governments. Everyone had expected that socialism could be a key ideology that promised change for the poor and challenge for the rich. Revolution is greatly expected to be done. However, one hundred years later, with socialism in decline, Marxism in disgrace, and capitalism in bankruptcy, Skillen believes that Kuyper’s perspective on the problem of poverty must be heard again. Kuyper argued that Christians must actively take part in bringing redemption for poverty just as Jesus had done in the first place.

    The Problem of Poverty projects two different frameworks of Kuyper’s vision: the nature of religion and the differentiation of society. Dominantly in the Western religion view, the Westerners tend to marginalize their religion from society. There is a tense connection between Christian and non- Christian over the social and economic policies concerning the state. In this book, Kuyper persuades Christians to “approach the social problem with all the distinctive resources available to them in the biblical view of God, creation, and especially human nature” (17). Whereas the second framework that Kuyper used highlighted the fact that the life of society is meant to be more complex as history develops over time. If Christians have the desire to take part in alleviating the problem of poverty, then there is a need of integrating the Christian value with the various aspects in the secular world such as through institutions, communities, and social relationships.

    Throughout the book, Kuyper advocates the notion of learning from Jesus and his way of coping with the problem of poverty. Kuyper declares Jesus as someone more than a social reformer (37). By being a personal example and organizing the church, Jesus is the perfect Christian example to alleviate poverty. In being a personal example, Jesus does not merely limit his work to moral motivation (38). He directly came in contact with the poor and oppressed. Not just by his teaching, he also implemented His teaching with his practice of “devotion, self- denial, and abundant compassion which pours every ounce of balm at his disposal into the wounds of suffering mankind” (40). Through the ministry of the church, Kuyper put forward the three important influences that Jesus had done through the ministry of the Word, ministry of the charity, and the church as influenced society by instituting the equality of brotherhood (41). In contrast to Jesus, socialism replaced God’s authority by the individual free will, replaced the fallenness and the need for conversion by natural human pride, the acceptance of egoism, and the replacement of human dignity from organically integrated society under God into self-seeking and self-serving individualism.

    Abraham Kuyper’s views toward the problem of poverty proposed a Calvinistic view towards the role of Christianity in society, especially in diminishing the poverty problem. The idea of having Christians to fully participate in the social problem and having Jesus as an example demonstrates that Christians are not outdated. Biblical views could always be integrated into every part of our lives. Therefore, I think that Kuyper’s book is very helpful as a resource in the classroom for setting the stage in the study of ideology and Christianity.