Comments on: Bavinck on Marriage and the Family

By: David Schildkraut

David Schildkraut — Mon, 09 Sep 2019 03:15:16 +0000

In reply to Nelson Kloosterman. Nelson Kloosterman has been divorced just to set the record straight. Should re-read Bavinck.

By: Nelson Kloosterman

Nelson Kloosterman — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 02:58:08 +0000

My reasoning on this is similar to what Dr. John Piper has said. God/the Bible defines marriage as a lifelong spiritual-physical-emotional union between a man and a woman. Of course there are other definitions of marriage—poly-gamy, bi-gamy, and the like—that come from the sciences of anthropology, sociology, etc. Politics generates its own definitions as well (cf. “common law marriage”).
Because of that definitional standard, I believe that using the phrase “homosexual marriage” concedes the issue under discussion, viz., should a lifelong monogamous relationship between any two people, regardless of gender, be called marriage?
I do realize this position resists the currents of the day, both within and outside the Christian church.

By: Jordan D. Harris

Jordan D. Harris — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 17:59:09 +0000

I’m always excited to hear that Dr. Kloosterman will be on the program. He is (along with Dr. Tipton) one of my favorite contributors. I thought that he was, by far, the most articulate and (in my humble opinion) the most consistently biblical of the contributors to the Christ and Culture series you guys did a few years ago. Dr. Kloosterman introduced me to Schilder who, along with Bavinck, Kuyper, and contemporary neo-Kuyperians like Al Walters and Michael Goheen, have greatly influenced my understanding of the relationship between Christ and culture. I hope you guys continue to have Dr. Kloosterman and others from the Dutch neo-Calvinist tradition on the program. Thanks for all the hard work you guys put into making these episodes happen!

By: pba

pba — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 23:39:02 +0000

I have a quick question about Dr. K’s comments about homosexual marriage, which he referred to as a “contradiction in terms.” I am wondering what this means more generally and what principle(s) is behind it as I’d like to know when/where/how I can extend the reasoning here. I take it SSM is a contradiction according to Dr. K because it violates a basic component of the theological nature of marriage. Does this generalize, though, and if not, why? For instance, is polygynous marriage a contradiction in terms? Would it be a contradiction to say David was married to multiple women and more accurate to call it something else? More broadly, I am wondering what principle is exactly behind Dr. K’s view. When does a deviation from something amount to a contradiction in terms? Is this only a moral principle or does it apply in other domains?

By: Adam York

Adam York — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 18:13:46 +0000

Great episode. I now have the Kindle edition and am looking forward to reading it. Thanks!