ORIGINAL RESEARCH

 

Flying on the wings of Vollenhoven's radical Christian worldview: A reconsideration of the usual typology of Christian worldviews

 

Om te vlieg op die vlerke van Vollenhoven se radikale Christelike lewensvisie: 'n Herevaluering van 'n gangbare tipologie van Christelike lewensvisies

 

 

Barend J. van der Walt

School of Philosophy, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, South Africa

Correspondence

 

 

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ABSTRACT

This article investigated the traditional typology of Christian worldviews from the perspective of the Christian philosopher, D.H.Th. Vollenhoven (1892-1978). The usual categorisation started by Niebuhr (in 1951), and adopted by some Reformational scholars afterwards, is questioned as too simplistic, forcing Christian thinkers and schools of thought into five pigeonholes. Worldviews - including the Christian ones - are complex phenomena. They should not be considered, for example, as merely logical systems or aesthetic 'stories'. Vollenhoven's systematic philosophy and historiography of philosophy (his thetical-critical approach) can provide some clues for a new way to describe different Christian worldviews, as well as to arrive at the outlines of a more radical and comprehensive Christian worldview based on God's threefold creational, inscripturated and incarnated revelation.

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OPSOMMING

Hierdie artikel ondersoek in hoofsaak die tradisionele tipologie van Christelike lewensvisies vanuit die perspektief van die Christelike filosoof, D.H.Th. Vollenhoven (1892-1978). Daarvolgens word die gangbare kategorisering, wat by Niebuhr (in 1951) 'n aanvang neem en later ook deur verskeie reformatoriese denkers aanvaar is, bevraagteken as te simplisisties, omdat dit Christelike denkers en denkskole in slegs vyf tipes probeer indeel. Die artikel toon aan dat lewensvisies - ook die Christelikes - meer komplekse verskynsels is. Hulle mag byvoorbeeld nie as blote logiese of estetiese 'stories' beskou word nie. Vollenhoven se sistematiese filosofie en sy filosofiese historiografie (sy teties-kritiese benadering) bied belangrike suggesties vir 'n nuwe wyse om verskillende Christelike lewensbeskouings te bestudeer en bied daarbenewens ook die moontlikheid om 'n duideliker, radikaler en omvattender Christelike lewensvisie, wat op God se drievoudige skeppings-, skrif- en vleesgeworde openbaring gegrond is, te vergestalt.

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Acknowledgements

Competing interests

The author declares that he has no financial or personal relationships which may have inappropriately influenced him in writing this article.

 

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Correspondence:
Barend van der Walt
7 Bezuidenhout Street
Oewersig
Potchefstroom 2531
South Africa
Email: benniejvanderwalt@gmail

Received: 05 July 2011
Accepted: 07 Nov. 2011
Published: 22 Oct. 2012