Here's a preview of my paper:
The Common Good and Just Peacemaking:
Abraham Kuyper's and Dietrich
Bonhoeffer’s Discipleship for a Better Worldliness
We
learn about discipleship from stories – the stories of Jesus, the disciples and
apostles, and the great saints and sinners of the faith. Christian discipleship is, to say the
least, about discerning how these stories engage the commitments and
convictions in one’s following-after Jesus Christ. Stories also help us to unpack abstract theological concepts
in order to see how nuanced theology animates and shapes concrete action. The topic of this paper – how the
common good informs practice norms of just peacemaking – runs the risk of
remaining elevated and abstract.
The concept of the common good in particular can be fraught with lofty
(although important!) concepts of human nature and the purpose of
societies. In an attempt to
alleviate even my own tendency to remain strictly theoretical, this paper
employs the method of historical drama.[1] The hope is that by encountering
specific episodes from the life of two contextually diverse Christian
disciples, a unique contribution might be made, first, to a notion of the
common good, and second, to connecting that notion of the common good to
concrete practices of just peacemaking.
Specifically, the paper will begin by following a unique development and
application of the concept of common grace in the Dutch Reformed theology and
practice of Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920).
Kuyper was trained as a Calvinist pastor before becoming heavily
involved in politics; he eventually served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands
from 1901 to 1905. Then, the paper
will trace Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s involvement in advocating for and articulating
the practice of confession of guilt for the renewal of society. Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) was a German
Lutheran pastor and theologian that was one of the few voices to stand against
the rise of National Socialism in the 1930s and 1940s. That these two figures represent quite
distinct historical and theological contexts helps prove the point: there is
much possibility within the diverse Christian tradition to define and apply
with concreteness the notion of the common good. What is more, the continuity of conviction that arises
despite Kuyper’s and Bonhoeffer’s contextual diversity demonstrates the powerful
viability of the contemporary practices of the Just Peacemaking Initiative.[2]
Now, a note about
the common good. It is undoubtedly
a grandiose concept; by its name, it seeks to affirm that the pluralistic and
often divisive segments of society can somehow agree on a common purpose and,
by implication, some shared solutions toward fulfilling that common
purpose. Such an idea may sound
naïve and idealistic, and such a practice seems ever fleeting within the
increasingly partisan halls of our political institutions. But, what else is democracy if not the
pursuit of the common good for society?
Perhaps the disunity in our nation could begin to be repaired by the
formation of a shared notion of the common good. Certainly some notable and promising headway is being made
in this regard. David Hollenbach,
for example, provides a robust treatment of the rich tradition of the concept of
the common good throughout human history, from Cicero to Aristotle and then
through Augustine, Aquinas, and Ignatius.[3] He demonstrates that the common good is
not just a Christian or Catholic concept, but that, in its nature, it supports
a practice of dialogic universalism by the pursuit of deep intellectual and
cultural exchanges of practices and ideas. The common good is defined by the diversity of both local
and global society, and as such one historical or intellectual tradition cannot
hold the monopoly on its definition and practice.
There is thus an
opening inherent within the very concept of the common good for further, and
perhaps even creative, intellectual and practical contributions. The Catholic tradition has a
particularly long and rich history of the common good.[4] What is more, Evangelicals recently came
together and produced a promising vision of the common good, and even
mainstream media is contributing a steady stream of articles and editorials on
the subject.[5] This concept is re-emerging as a vital
measure of our shared commitment to our common humanity. As our world becomes increasingly
connected, it may be that there is a collective reawakening to our
responsibility to care for each other and for the earth. If that is the case, we will need all
of the resources we can muster in order to hear, understand, and respect each
other.
Admittedly, Abraham
Kuyper and Dietrich Bonhoeffer are not usually found around the table
discussing the notion of the common good.
Most often (and for good reason) when we look to history for guidance on
this matter, we see the representatives that Hollenbach highlights – like
Aristotle, Augustine, and Aquinas.
These figures are vitally important and provide resources for a
diversity of religious and intellectual traditions. Kuyper and Bonhoeffer, on the other hand, are specifically
confessional figures with strong ties to their respective traditions – Kuyper
was unabashedly Dutch Reformed and Bonhoeffer, even with his critiques and
re-formulations, was thoroughly German Lutheran. Is it counterproductive to introduce such confessionally
specific voices to a concept that is seeking to cast a wide net? On the contrary, Kuyper and Bonhoeffer both
demonstrate that it is not only possible but also necessary for confessional
theology to provide a holistic framework for participation and engagement in
the pressing issues of society.
Today, the question of the common good as it specifically relates to war
and peace is just such a pressing issue.
So, it is my contention that the historical drama surrounding the life
and thought of Kuyper and Bonhoeffer provide compelling companionship in the
life of contemporary discipleship.
We can see the way forward because of the work they have already done.
[1]
James McClendon employs this kind of narrative-based theology as a basis for
his three-volume systematic theology.
See McClendon, Ethics: Systematic
Theology I, rev. ed. (Nashville: Abingdon, 2002). Glen Stassen outlines his understanding of twelve
characteristics of the “historical drama” genre in A Thicker Jesus: Incarnational Discipleship in a Secular Age
(Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2012), 10-13.
[2]
There are ten practices in the Just Peacemaking paradigm. The two that will be discussed here are
Practice Norm 5: Advance Democracy, Human Rights, and Interdependence and
Practice Norm 4: Acknowledge Responsibility for Conflict and Injustice and Seek
Repentance and Forgiveness. See
Susan Thistlethwaite, ed., Interfaith Just Peacemaking: Jewish, Christian,
and Muslim Perspectives on the New Paradigm of Peace and War (New York:
Palgrave Macmillan, 2011); Glen Stassen, ed., Just Peacemaking: The New
Paradigm for the Ethics of War and Peace (Berea, OH: The Pilgrim
Press, 2008); and Glen Stassen, Just Peacemaking: Transforming Initiatives
for Justice and Peace (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1992).
[3]
See David Hollenbach, The Common Good and
Christian Ethics (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2002).
[4]
See, for example, the papal encyclicals Pacem
in Terris (Peace on Earth) by Pope John XXIII and Deus caritas est (God is love) by Pope Benedict XVI. For this and other insights on this
matter, I am grateful to Glen Stassen for providing access to his unpublished
article “Catholic and Evangelical Support for the Common Good.”
[5]
For example, the National Association of Evangelicals produced a call to public
engagement for the common good in “For the Health of the Nation: An Evangelical
Call to Civic Responsibility.” See
Ronald Sider and Diane Knippers, eds., Toward
an Evangelical Public Policy: Political Strategies for the Health of the Nation
(Grand Rapids: Baker, 2005).
Recent newspaper articles on the common good include Frank Bruni,
“Individualism in Overdrive,” New York
Times, July 16, 2012 and Ed O’Malley, “A Global Gathering for the Common
Good,” The Wichita Eagle, November
25, 2012.
