God and Knowledge - (T&t Clark Studies in Systematic Theology) by Nathaniel Gray Sutanto (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Nathaniel Gray Sutanto offers a fresh reading of Herman Bavinck's theological epistemology, and argues that his Trinitarian and organic worldview utilizes an extensive range of sources. Sutanto unfolds Bavinck's understanding of what he considered to be the two most important aspects of epistemology: the character of the sciences and the correspondence between subjects and objects. Writing at the heels of the European debates in the 19th and 20th century concerning theology's place in the academy, and rooted in historic Christian teachings, Sutanto demonstrates how Bavinck's argument remains fresh and provocative.

This volume explores archival material and peripheral works translated for the first time in English. The author re-reads several key concepts, ranging from Organicism to the Absolute, and relates Bavinck's work to Thomas Aquinas, Eduard von Hartmann, and other thinkers. Sutanto applies this reading to current debates on the relationship between theology and philosophy, nature and grace, and the nature of knowing; and in doing so provides students and scholars with fresh methods of considering Orthodox and modern forms of thought, and their connection with each other.

Review Quotes

"With this monograph, Sutanto has established himself as a formidable guide to the theology of Bavinck." --Religion and Theology

"This erudite study of Bavinck's organic understanding provides a helpful launchpad for future scholarship, both in assisting deeper study of Bavinck's system, and providing a picture on how to apply this thought into real-world practice by observing Bavinck's own attempts." --International Journal of Systematic Theology

"For Reformed scholars seeking to understand the Neo-Calvinist movement, this scholarly and well-written study will be invaluable." --Theology

"This monograph is the fruit of Sutanto's doctoral work at the University of Edinburgh, where James Eglinton supervises some of the most rigorously constructive works on Bavinck." --Themelios

"This is an important resource for students and scholars of Bavinck looking for interpretive insights into Bavinck's pedagogical method ... Sutanto has done far better than argue for a mere dusting off theological coinage deep within a specialized field; instead, he has revitalized a criterion through which Bavinck continues to connect and inform contemporary theological studies." --Reformation21

"Sutanto's careful work and measured conclusions display a virtue Bavinck himself was known for. This, as it turns out, makes Sutanto's God and Knowledge not only an important gain for Bavinck studies and a fascinating journey into Bavinck's unique theological epistemology, but, indeed, a model for all theologians engaged in the art of retrieval" --Journal of Reformed Theology

"Nathaniel Gray Sutanto has made a unique contribution to the retrieval of Herman Bavinck's philosophical theology ... I heartily recommend Sutanto's study on Bavinck's theological epistemology." --Calvin Theological Journal

"In fact, Sutanto's careful work and measured conclusions display a virtue Bavinck himself was known for. This, as it turns out, makes Sutanto's God and Knowledge not only an important gain for Bavinck studies and a fascinating journey into Bavinck's unique theological epistemology, but, indeed, a model for all theologians engaged in the art of retrieval." --Journal of Reformed Theology

"God and Knowledge deserves high praise. It is a sophisticated and lucid analysis that breaks new ground. Bavinck studies owes a considerable debt to Sutanto. His monograph deserves wide circulation." --Religious Studies

"Sutanto has rendered us a marvelous service in excavating the sophisticated ways in which Bavinck used his sources to forge an epistemological account of his own that was deeply inspired by (and inherently rooted in) his Reformed theological views." --Journal of Analytic Theology

"This is an outstanding piece of work. It contributes to our knowledge of Herman Bavinck in a new and significant way, bringing previously unknown archival sources to the fore. It explores Bavinck's epistemological concerns within a wider context of recent studies on his use of organicist thought, and makes a convincing argument that Bavinck's account of human knowing also follows an organicist paradigm. On that front, God and Knowledge manages to bring Bavinck into conversation with important figures past (Aquinas), then contemporaneous (Abraham Kuyper), and present." --James Eglinton, The University of Edinburgh, UK

"God and Knowledge is an important contribution to the retrieval of Herman Bavinck's theology. Nathaniel Gray Sutanto confronts the 'two Bavinck' hypothesis that depicts him as torn between modernity and orthodoxy, then draws upon his organic motif to show that Bavinck's epistemology is both fully modern and fully orthodox - united in one person, without confusion, without separation." --Kevin J. Vanhoozer, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, USA

"This study reshapes our views of Herman Bavinck's epistemology. He is neither simply modern nor simply Thomistic. For Bavinck, all true knowledge is organic; it rests in God's revelation. We do not invent the truth, but recognize it by rethinking the thoughts of the triune God expressed in creation and Scripture." --Henk van den Belt, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands

"Nathaniel Gray Sutanto convincingly argues that the epistemology of Herman Bavinck and his deployment of historical sources is structured by the organic motif. He thus succeeds, in a very lucid way, in presenting Bavinck as an eclectic and creative thinker, who opened new avenues for the Reformed theological tradition in modern times." --George Harinck, The Neo-Calvinism Research Institute, the Netherlands

"The principle of unity in diversity was a vital organizing principle in Herman Bavinck's theology. Here Nathaniel Gray Sutanto skilfully explores its epistemological application to the subjective act of knowing and to the unity of the sciences as an organic whole. This is an important addition to the burgeoning secondary literature on Bavinck's work." --David Fergusson, University of Edinburgh, UK

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