What does Reformed mean?
At Redeemer University, the word Reformed refers to a rich, living, distinct, Christian tradition that acknowledges the breadth and depth of the larger church, including all who belong to Jesus Christ.
Always Reforming
Like many Protestant streams flowing from the Reformation, the Reformed tradition stands under the authority of Scripture, committed to let it shape and reshape our entire view of the world. It began as a movement to reform the church and became a way to embody the Christian faith in all areas of life. The tradition finds expression in local communities and diverse contexts around the world. At Redeemer, being Reformed looks like a spiritually vibrant community with representation from over 50 denominations.
Shape of the Tradition
The word Reformed is too often narrowly defined or associated with a singular doctrine or denomination. As a wider tradition however, there are three major areas that help shape the contours: history, theology and philosophy.
History
The Reformed tradition was one of the main streams to emerge from the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. What became known as Protestantism sought a return to Scripture and restored continuity with the New Testament church. The tradition has expanded globally and culturally into many different branches each with its own unique history and shared commitments.
Theology
Like other Christian traditions, Reformed theology is essentially biblical and in agreement with the historic creeds of the Christian Church (Apostles’, Nicene and Athanasian). It emphasizes essential biblical themes such as the authority of Scripture, the comprehensive Lordship of Jesus Christ (sovereignty of God), covenant and salvation by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone.
Philosophy
Out of the Reformation and Reformed creeds grew a distinctive theological movement that produced a system of thought to help guide faithful living in keeping with what God has revealed about reality in Scripture. In the Netherlands in the 19th century, Reformed thinkers began to emphasize that “every square inch” of creation exists under the Lordship of Christ. This emphasis produced a commitment to working for the common good of all people, in all communities and cultures. This movement became known as “neo-Calvinism.”
The Reformed tradition is therefore a comprehensive Biblical worldview that stresses the breadth of Creation, the extent of the Fall, and most importantly, the fact that salvation in Jesus Christ really means a reclaiming, a regaining, of the entire length and breadth of Creation with all of its cultural domains.
Al Wolters
Professor Emeritus, Redeemer University; author of Creation Regained
Foundational Themes
Anchored in the Word and a holistic vision for life, the following themes weave their way through the Redeemer experience. Neither exclusive to Reformed Christianity nor exhaustive of the tradition, their emphasis together creates a distinct foundation for what we call Reformed Christian education.
World-Transformative Grace
The grace offered to us by Christ’s redeeming work transforms each of us personally, and all of creation comprehensively. As such, every believer is called to follow Christ wherever he leads them and live a Gospel-centred life, always reflecting the hope we have in him.
#1
A Big and Personal God
God is sovereign over “every square inch” of creation. He is the beginning and the end and he is bringing all things to their fulfillment through history (Rev. 1:8). The motto in Redeemer’s crest reads “Lamb of God, King of All.” Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God who came before all things and holds everything together (Col. 1:17).
#2
True Story of the Whole World
The Scriptures are the written, inspired, fully trustworthy and authoritative Word of God. The Bible tells us the true story of the whole world in a multi-act drama—Creation, Fall, Redemption and Restoration. John Calvin called creation, “the theatre of God’s glory.” We and all of creation are a part of God’s story.
#3
The Cultural Mandate
God’s original command to Adam and Eve in Genesis 1:28, was to “fill the earth and subdue it.” Through this mandate, God’s image bearers (humans) are commissioned to be both stewards of his good creation and also ‘culture makers’, joining him in cultivating and shaping creation and human life.
#4
Common Grace
God providentially cares for creation despite its fallenness (Matt. 5:45). All people, redeemed and unredeemed alike have God-given insight as fellow fallen image bearers. With discernment, we can declare that “all truth is God’s truth,” and build upon the good while rejecting what is contrary to God’s Word.
#5
Everyone Has a Worldview
Worldviews shape all aspects of society and culture, defying the concept of “religiously neutral” education. All teaching and research begins with prior, typically unexpressed philosophical and religious assumptions. A Reformed Christian education embraces this reality, uncovering underlying worldviews in every discipline and teaching from a Christ-centred vantage point.
#6
To bear the image is to exercise dominion, caring for and cultivating the good world and making it very good through our creative attention. Most human work falls under this heading, which is why Christians work gladly alongside neighbors who don’t share our faith, and also why almost all human work is perfectly appropriate for Christians. It requires no more justification than this: bearing the image by working fruitfully in the good world is what we were always meant to do.
Andy Crouch
Author, Musician and Public Speaker
What does it look like?
So what difference does all of this make on the ground, every day at Redeemer? In short, it changes everything. In obvious and subtle ways, it informs how we learn, live and work together.
Framework
God’s story of the world is presented up front as an interpretive guide for all subject matter. This will be more obvious with some topics than others but the frame reminds us to take every thought captive for Christ. (2 Cor. 10:5).
Research and Scholarship
Faculty deepen their expertise through scholarship that builds upon their discipline with an all-encompassing Christian perspective which then flows through to the classroom.
Course Content
In practice, the information in a course may be similar to that of other universities, but a Christian worldview informed by a Reformed perspective will be evident in the approach, emphasis and the topics covered.
Living Faith in the Classroom
Christian faith is freely and regularly expressed openly in the classroom through activities such as prayer, scripture reading, discussions about beliefs, development of philosophical positions and in the expectations around classroom culture and care for one another.
Campus Life
An integrated Christian worldview weaves its way through the entire Redeemer experience. Friends and fellow classmates study, play, work, live and worship together. In this diverse, faith-filled community, deep connections are made that last a lifetime.
Callings and Careers
Redeemer prepares students to be innovative, collaborative, problem-solving messengers of hope wherever God calls them. Students grow intellectually, spiritually, socially and technologically to be effective leaders and contributors to the world once
they graduate.
Nothing matters but the Kingdom, but because of the Kingdom everything matters.
Gordon Spykman
Former professor of theology, Calvin University
If learning is spiritual, then it is inherently and necessarily a process of discipleship. In classrooms and labs, residence life, athletics, student activities, clubs and campus worship, growing in the Gospel is the heartbeat of the Redeemer experience.
David Zietsma
President, Redeemer university
Common Terms
Every tradition, big or small, has idioms and phrases that quickly capture larger, more complex ideas. Here are some that you will likely encounter at Redeemer.
“All of life is worship”
Our entire lives are lived Coram Deo (a Latin term meaning, “before the face of God”). There is no separation between the sacred and secular. Scripture says “… whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God,” (1 Cor. 10:31b) therefore all of life can be seen as worship, including work, leisure and study.
“Every square inch”
Abraham Kuyper famously said that “every square inch” of creation is claimed by Jesus Christ. Christians are called into every corner of creation and everything they do is grounded in their devotion to their Creator. There is nothing that falls outside the sovereignty of God.
“Drama of Scripture”
The Bible is God’s true story of the whole world and it can be seen as four (and some say six) acts in a play (Creation, Fall, Redemption and Restoration.) Moving from a picture of a garden (in Genesis) to that of a city, filled with the presence of God (in Revelation) — the Bible provides the narrative framework for understanding all of human history, the present and the future.
“All things new”
Looking to the ultimate arrival of the new heaven and earth, Jesus says “I am making all things new!” (Rev. 21:5). God’s grace restores nature through Christ’s healing power, removing the corruption brought by the fall into sin, permeating all of creation and restoring all things to what God intended from the beginning. This redeeming work has already begun by the Holy Spirit, through Christ’s church and the transformed lives of believers.
“Already and not yet”
Christ has come and our salvation is secure—we know how the story ends but we are called in this present time and place to live faithfully while we await the full coming of his Kingdom.
“Sphere” (and “Sphere Sovereignty”)
A sphere is a realm of human life that has its own distinctive calling, authority and responsibility.
God has ordered his creation such that each sphere of human life has its own purpose and arena of authority—including family, school, church and the state.
“Worldview” (or “World and Life View”)
A worldview refers to a person’s most basic beliefs, moral principles and desires, which shape the perspective they use to navigate through life. Often, our worldview is revealed not simply by what we profess to believe, but also by what we do—how we love (or fail to love) God, his creatures and his creation. Worldviews shape all aspects of society and culture.
A Calvinist who seeks God, does not for a moment think of limiting himself to theology and contemplation … he is conscious of having been called to fathom … things terrestrial as well as things celestial; to open to view both the order of creation, and the “common grace” of the God he adores.
Abraham Kuyper
Theologian, Former Prime Minister of the Netherlands
Going Deeper
If you wish to dig deeper into the Reformed tradition and Redeemer’s place in it, here are some additional resources:
Redeemer’s Mission & Vision
To offer a university-level liberal arts and science education which is scripturally directed and explores the relation of faith, learning and living from a Reformed Christian perspective.
The Cross and Our Calling
Seeking to be a faithful and vibrant Christian academic community, we have crafted this document to give a fuller expression of the religious identity and founding vision of Redeemer University as a Reformed Christian institution seeking to serve the broader Christian community. Using biblical language and a contemporary idiom, The Cross and Our Calling is intended to build on the other founding and official documents of the university.
Creation Regained
In print for two decades and translated into eight languages, Albert Wolters’ classic formulation of an integrated Christian worldview has been revised and expanded to reach new readers beyond the generation that has already benefited from this clear, concise proposal for transcending the false dichotomy between sacred and secular.
The Drama of Scripture
This bestselling textbook surveys the grand narrative of the Bible, demonstrating how the biblical story forms the foundation of a Christian worldview. The second edition has been thoroughly revised. Additional material is available online through Baker Academic’s Textbook eSources, offering course help for professors and study aids for students. Resources include discussion questions, a Bible reading schedule, an adult Bible class schedule and a course syllabus.
Contours of the Kuyperian Tradition
There was a time when knowledge of Abraham Kuyper or the Kuyperian theological tradition was limited to a few Dutch scholars with ties to Amsterdam or West Michigan. Today, that situation has changed. Major publishers are pumping out first-ever English translations of primary Kuyper works and a wide range of secondary literature on Kuyper’s enduring relevance for global Christianity. Many Christians outside the Reformed tradition are turning to Kuyper for inspiration and help in making a constructive Christian contribution to the public issues of our day. We’re living in the midst of a Kuyperian renaissance.
Calvinism for a Secular Age
As pastor, theologian, professor, newspaper editor, political organizer, member of parliament, prolific author and public speaker and prime minister of the Netherlands, Kuyper was a key public Christian at the turn of the 20th century. He lived at a time of great technological, political, economic and cultural change and sought to articulate the Christian faith for every area of life. In many ways, Kuyper slowed the secularization of the Netherlands and the leftward drift of the church and state. He was convinced that no area of life was outside the lordship of Jesus Christ.
