Kapic - Lugt - Pocket Dictionary of the Reformed Tradition

Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2013. – 140 p.

ISBN 978-0-8308-2708-4 (print)

ISBN 978-0-8308-8443-8 (digital)

 

We all like to know and be known. Consequently, when situations arise in which we do not understand what we are reading or hearing, we easily become overwhelmed. This is true for all of us, whether we are in the classroom or at a dinner.

 

For example, when students are just beginning their studies in biology, all the terms and background information easily discourage the newcomer. Such feelings of disorientation are often forgotten after we have learned a skill or subject, but the novice experiences this intensely. In such situations, wise biology teachers remember what it was like when everything was new and they had little background knowledge. With that in mind, they slowly begin to teach through the basics—explaining key scientific theories and specialized vocabulary. During this process the goal is neither to learn the complexity of all the principles immediately nor to grasp the exhaustive history of the language at the outset, but rather to enter into the conversation through basic summaries and guidelines. After a season, the student is equipped and able to dive more deeply, learning some of the qualifications, complications and debates that go along with the theories and history of the subject at hand.

 

Theological traditions often work in the same way. When one is raised or trained in a particular tradition, the common sights and sounds are easily taken for granted. But for the newcomer, all this is overwhelming and can create obstacles to profitable understanding.

 

Few theological traditions are as complex, rich and varied as the Reformed tradition. This is a rewarding heritage that has sustained and fostered the faith of many Christians through the centuries and around the globe. Yet it is easily misunderstood and misrepresented, by both insiders and outsiders. For example, sometimes John Calvin is viewed as the devil, and sometimes he is treated in messianic ways. Both views are problematic and false. We must know at least a little about Calvin if we are to understand and appreciate this tradition, but Calvin is only one person, and the Reformed tradition is so much more than simply a footnote to him.

 

What we have attempted to do in this very small dictionary is provide a basic reference tool for folks who want to know a little about the people, movements and terms that are so important to the Reformed tradition. We view this resource, with just over three hundred entries, as a launching pad rather than a resting place. We hope to get you started in your appreciation of the tradition and to help remove the disorientation that so often occurs when entering a new conversation. We expect readers to dip in and out rather than read this book cover to cover. Instead of trying to give exhaustive definitions, we have provided short ones that give the newcomer sufficient background without overwhelming them, which is why most entries are only 75-150 words. In addition, rather than using more words to explain terms that appear elsewhere in the dictionary, we have used an asterisk to indicate each term that has an entry of its own, and we encourage readers to refer to those entries for further information and clarification.

 

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education

The *Reformation wielded far-reaching influence on the education of *clergy and laity through such initiatives as vernacular Bible *translations, the establishment of schools and theological academies, and the creation and consistent use of *catechisms. Other factors contributing to the rise in Christian education and lay literacy include the spread of printed material and the influence of *humanist scholars such as *Erasmus. Many Reformed pastors, like Thomas *Chalmers, are known for their unstinting commitment to running schools and educating their parishes, and Reformed educational institutions are generally characterized by liberal arts education and dedication to *worldview formation.

 

kingdom of God

The rule or reign of God. It was common for many Reformers, following the *Augustinian tradition, to distinguish between the kingdom of God as Christ’s rule over the church by his *grace and the kingdom of the world as the rule of civil *government. Later Reformed theologians, such as Abraham *Kuyper and other *neo-Calvinists, emphasized the unified kingdom of God encompassing all of creation, with the secular state and the church as different spheres under the overarching rule of Christ. Divergent views of the kingdom also relate to *eschatology, particularly whether Christ’s *millennial reign has already been inaugurated or if we still anticipate the literal reign of Christ on earth.