Segers and Koyzis on citizenship

During my visit last month to the Netherlands, I was privileged to spend time with Gert-Jan Segers, former head of the ChristenUnie political party and member of the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament. As I wrote earlier, we had to delay a joint interview by Pieter-Jan Rodenburg until after my return to Canada, but it has now been published at Evangelische Omroep online: 'Een goede burger mag ongehoorzaam zijn': Gert-Jan Segers en David Koyzis over geloof en politiek. Here is a partial translation of the article:

An unwanted phone

No, I never really wanted a smart phone, but "Once everyone uses the infrastructure of a new technology, it becomes a lot harder to opt out": An unwanted phone.  An excerpt:

I find myself sympathizing with someone living in, say, 1920 who resists buying an automobile, reasoning that his horse and buggy will do just fine. In the meantime, roads are being paved and automobiles are zooming past him at what must seem like breakneck speed. At some point purchasing a Model T is no longer optional, because an entire transportation infrastructure is being built for it. 

Read the article here. 

Recent activities for October 2026

I have now posted my Global Scholars Canada newsletter for October. Included are a speaking tour of the Netherlands, lunch with a member of the Dutch parliament, a conversation at a political party headquarters, a podcast interview, a visit to Abraham Kuyper's home village, a board meeting just outside of Washington, DC, my review of a book about an important Christian philosopher, and a brief foray into an ecclesiastical issue. Thank you for your continuing support for my work!

De Nieuwe Wereld interview

During my recent trip to the Netherlands, Govert Buijs interviewed me at De Nieuwe Wereld's studio in Leiden, as I wrote earlier. Our conversation ranged widely over a number of topics, especially the thesis of my first book, Political Visions and Illusions. The interview has now been posted online in English with Dutch subtitles, lasting an hour and ten minutes. Listen to it here:

Nederland 2026: Conclusion

All in all my visit to the Netherlands lasted exactly one week. But the time was so filled with activities that it somehow seemed much longer. I was really pleased to renew my friendship with Samuel Vandeputte, for whom I had come to have great affection during his years here in Canada. I owe a considerable debt of gratitude to him and his two friends Floris Wagenaar and Hildebrand Bijleveld, who organized the visit, covering every detail and extending unusual hospitality. Putting together something like this takes a lot of effort and expense. A huge thank you as well to the dr. Abraham Kuyperfonds for partially funding my visit.

Nederland 2026, 12: A home in exile

On the last full day of my visit to the Netherlands, I requested to Samuel that we visit Huis Doorn, which I was pleased to hear is located less than 30 kilometres from Nijkerk. On 9 November 1918, two days before the armistice ended the Great War, Germany was declared a republic at Weimar, and Kaiser Wilhelm II went into exile. He chose to spend the remainder of his life in the Netherlands, which had maintained a strict but precarious neutrality during the conflict. Although the allies considered putting him on trial for war crimes, the Netherlands refused to hand him over. Queen Wilhelmina was apparently involved in the decision to offer refuge to the deposed Kaiser, although she maintained a personal distance from him.

The Kaiser took up residence at Huis Doorn, a large mansion surrounded by sprawling grounds covered with trees, most of which the Kaiser subsequently felled in large numbers. He was allowed to take with him trainloads full of possessions from only three of his palaces. Indeed most of these possessions are still in storage, but many of them are now on exhibit at Huis Doorn. The Kaiser lost his first wife, Augusta Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Augustenburg, Queen of Prussia and German Empress, in 1921. He remarried Princess Hermina Reuss of Greiz the following year. He himself died in 1941 in the midst of the German occupation of the Netherlands.

Nederland 2026, 11: Mannenzang and Sunday worship

What is a Mannenzang? There is a Dutch tradition, apparently not more than three decades old, of mass gatherings of men in churches, and perhaps elsewhere, to sing psalms and hymns together. The sound of huge numbers of tenor and bass voices praising God in song exudes a certain power that has to be experienced first hand for a full appreciation. In the evening of saturday, 19 September, Samuel and I made our way into Nijkerk's historic Grote Kerk for a mannenzang. I would be hard pressed to estimate the number of men present, but the building was completely filled for the event. The assembled men sang six psalms according to the Genevan melodies and six hymns. These were interspersed with commentary by Dr. Paul Jan Visser. Martin Mans was at the organ, Pascal van de Velde on the trumpet, Wibrand van Norel on the timpani, and Jan Verhoef directing from the front.

I recorded two of the songs we sang together, including one that will be familiar to English-speaking Christians. Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven is one of my favourites, written by Henry Francis Lyte in 1834, with accompanying melody by Sir John Goss. The words are loosely based on Psalm 103. In Dutch this becomes Prijs, mijn ziel, de Hemelkoning, whose first stanza I recorded below:

Nederland 2026, 10: Paleis Het Loo and other sites

On saturday, 19 September Samuel and I visited the Paleis Het Loo in Apeldoorn, a former royal palace built by the stadhouder Willem III, who, along with his wife Mary II, became co-ruler of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland following the so-called Glorious Revolution of 1688. The Glorious Revolution saw Mary's father King James II overthrown by Parliament and sent into exile and solidified parliamentary government in England and eventually in its overseas colonies such as Canada, Australia, and New Zealand as well. (Paradoxically, however, this event may have made inevitable the rebellion of the American colonies not quite a century later.) The city of Williamsburg, Virginia, restored in the last century to its colonial appearance with Rockefeller money, is named for this Willem, as is the College of William and Mary. Our family visited Williamsburg in 2008.

Nederland 2026, 9: CHE and De Nieuwe Wereld

Friday, 18 September saw the last two significant events of my stay in the Netherlands. That morning Hildebrand drove me the 30 kilometres from Nijkerk to Ede, the location of one of the principal Christian universities in the country. Its formal name is Christelijke Hogeschool Ede (CHE), also known at the Ede Christian University of Applied Sciences. CHE is a publicly funded university that accepts students from all backgrounds. It offers a variety of professional programmes, including business administration, human resource management, journalism, social work, nursing, theology, teacher education, and information and computer technology. My own experience, of course, has been with liberal arts education, and more specifically with political science. My reflections on political ideologies might be thought to be applicable within that field only. How then might we apply the method I employ in my books to the several professional fields taught at CHE? This is what I was tasked with doing during my conversation with faculty at this institution.

As a matter of fact, I believe that the sorts of idolatrous ideologies we meet within public life have their counterparts in other areas as well. The fields I addressed were journalism, business, the arts, and education, but I could also have touched on medicine, law, technology, and the various helping professions. Once again I found this a stretching experience, as questions posed by the CHE faculty in attendance required me to think outside the parameters of my own discipline. I enjoyed our conversation. I would have enjoyed a tour of the facilities, which are much more extensive than I had anticipated. However, we had to stick with our schedule, which required our presence at the studios of De Nieuwe Wereld in Leiden, just under 100 kilometres to the west.

Nederland 2026, 8: ChristenUnie

The evening of thursday, 17 September, I was privileged to spend time with the good people of the Wetenschapelijk Instituut – ChristenUnie (WI – CU), or the Scientific Institute – ChristenUnie. This is the think tank connected with the ChristenUnie political party, which currently holds three seats in the Tweede Kamer and has been part of three governing coalitions. This was less a lecture than an interview conducted by Jasper Knecht on the subject of Burgerschap zonder illusies, or Citizenship Without Illusions, my latest book.

Prior to the evening event, and shortly after supper, I met also with Marcel Koning, pastor of Mozaiek33, a large church congregation located just outside of Amersfoort, and a municipal councillor for ChristenUnie in Amersfoort. Koning will be writing a column on our conversation for Groen, the periodical of WI – CU. Here we are in one of the offices:

Nederland 2026, 7: Lunch with Don Ceder

The primary reason for our visit to the Dutch Parliament was to have lunch with Don Ceder, a member of parliament for the ChristenUnie, one of three explicitly Christian political parties which currently holds three seats in the Tweede Kamer. Ceder is a lawyer who has served in parliament since 2021. He studied law at the Free University (VU) in Amsterdam. He has paternal roots in Suriname, a former Dutch territory in South America that became independent in 1975, and maternal roots in Ghana. He had requested this meeting because he had read and appreciated my first book, Political Visions and Illusions. The three of us ate in the parliamentary dining room at Bezuidenhoutseweg 67, the temporary home of the Tweede Kamer during the Binnenhof's extensive renovations. We had a great conversation together, and I very much enjoyed getting to know Ceder, who struck me as being a thoughtful person and conscientious legislator.

Nederland 2026, 6: Tweede Kamer

From Nijkerk we drove the roughly 100 kilometres to the capital city of Den Haag, or The Hague. My host for this leg of the journey was Hildebrand Bijleveld, who read my Political Visions and Illusions during his studies at the Free University of Amsterdam (VU). Prior to my visit, I had hoped I would be able to visit the Binnenhof, the complex of buildings where the Dutch Parliament meets. Dating to the 13th century, it has been the seat of the Dutch government since the outbreak of the Eighty Years' War (1568-1648), by which the Seven United Provinces of the Netherlands gained their independence from Spain. Unfortunately, the Binnenhof has been undergoing renovations for the past five years. These are not expected to be completed until 2031.

During this lengthy period, the Tweede Kamer, or Second Chamber, is meeting at Bezuidenhoutseweg 67, the former home of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A very modern-looking building, it could be plopped down in the middle of a North American city and would fit right in. To enter the building we had to undergo airport-level security clearance. Bags had to be checked and stored in a locker, and even my hat (an inexpensive Walmart trilby I use for travelling) could not accompany me inside the premises. But I did have my phone with me so I could make a photographic record of the visit.

Nederland 2026, 5: Theologische Universiteit Utrecht

Utrecht is a city of 378,000 people, the capital and largest city of the province of Utrecht. It is the home of University of Utrecht, established in 1636. The city itself is nearly 2,000 years old, dating to Roman times, although it did not receive official city status until 1122. It is the fourth largest city in the Netherlands and for centuries has been the centre of Christianity in that country. In 1579 the Union of Utrecht federated several northern provinces of the Low Countries in opposition to Spanish rule. Another Union of Utrecht brought together dissidents from the First Vatican Council in 1889, creating the Old Catholic Churches, which are not in communion with Rome but have been in ecclesiastical fellowship with the Anglican Communion since 1931.

On wednesday evening of 16 September the first of my speaking engagements took place at the Theologische Universiteit Utrecht (TUU), which had moved to this city from its previous home in Kampen, a much smaller city some 80 kilometres northeast. The move has been an altogether positive one for the institution, considerably boosting its student numbers. Prior to this event, several of us ate supper together at an Indian restaurant. Although a double interview with Gert-Jan Segers, former member of the Second Chamber and head of ChristenUnie, was to have taken place between supper and my address, this had to be postponed for lack of sufficient time. The interview has now been rescheduled and will occur online.

Neocalviniana review: a hopeful philosophy

Some months ago I indicated here that I was reading the new book by Maarten Verkerk, Gerrit Glas, and Suzan Sierksma-Agteres, The Intellectual Legacy of Herman Dooyeweerd 1894–1977: A Hopeful Philosophy for Our Time. My review of this book has just appeared in the journal Neocalviniana and can be read here. An excerpt:

I was first introduced to Herman Dooyeweerd’s philosophy just over half a century ago and almost immediately took to it. This was in spite of its contents being locked within the confines of a dense prose likely to put off the uninitiated or fainthearted. Although I would eventually write a dissertation on his political thought, I often found myself wishing that Dooyeweerd had possessed the wittiness of a G. K. Chesterton, who once observed that the madman is not someone who has lost his reason, but someone who has lost everything except his reason (Chesterton, Orthodoxy). This clever adage has always struck me as a Dooyeweerdian insight of the first order, given the Dutch philosopher’s obvious esteem for what he calls naïve experience and others call intuition. Incalculable harm has been done throughout recent history by intellectuals who have become enamoured of their own reasoning at the expense of sound judgement borne of a fuller human experience. 

The book can be ordered or downloaded in its entirety from this website.

Nederland 2026, 4: Maassluis and the Kuyper Library

After I had become accustomed to the UTC +2 time zone, the next few days were exceedingly full, as we moved in quick succession from one event to the next. Wednesday, 18 September was the first of these work days. In the morning we drove to the village of Maassluis, the birthplace of Abraham Kuyper, one of the key influences on my own thought. Unlike Leiden, with its frenetic youthful energy, Maassluis is fairly quiet, with a population of around 35,000. Located in the province of South Holland, it lies to the west of Rotterdam along the Scheur River, a branch of the Meuse at the Rhine delta. 

Here are some photographs of Maassluis:

Nederland 2026, 3: Leiden and environs

Monday and tuesday were spent in and around Leiden. Leiden is a famous university city, and as such there are a lot of young people walking and biking in it, raising the general energy level accordingly. These first days were given me to enable me to acclimatize to an as yet new environment. I quite enjoyed Leiden, a city that dates back to the 9th century AD. Living in Canada, it is difficult for us to comprehend the age of many European cities. What would it be like to live in a place where countless generations of one's ancestors had lived before oneself? Here are some photographs of Leiden:

 

Nederland 2026, 2: Arrival and Oud-Poelgeest

My journey began with an overnight flight from Toronto's Pearson Airport to Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport. The flight was about an hour late in leaving and took approximately seven hours in total. Having cleared customs, which takes some time for travellers with non-EU passports, I was greeted by my great friend Samuel Vandeputte, whom I was delighted to see again. As I wrote in my last post, we saw each other regularly during his studies in Canada. After he returned to the Netherlands and then entered graduate studies at Leuven, Belgium, we kept up with each other via regular online conversations. He now works in the field of journalism.

We deliberately kept monday and tuesday fairly free of commitments to allow me to adjust to the UTC +2 time zone covering western Europe. My first days were spent at the Hotel Landgoed Oud-Poelgeest in Oegstgeest, a village north of the city of Leiden. The hotel sits on a beautifully wooded property on which stands a kasteel, or castle. No, not a mediaeval castle, but a stately mansion in which lived the famed Dutch botanist and polymath Herman Boerhaave (1668–1738). During my stay there, I would walk around the property every morning after breakfast, enjoying the footpaths, water channels, and diverse flora, much of which is unfamiliar in North America. However, Boerhaave planted a famous tulip poplar that lived into the mid-20th century. Only shoots survive into the 21st. This tree is definitely familiar to me because we have one in our front garden. Many locals walk or run through this lovely property on a daily basis.

Nederland 2026, 1

I have recently returned from a week's visit to the Netherlands, a country to which I owe a deep debt of gratitude. This is due to the spiritual and intellectual influence that several notable Netherlanders have played in my own thinking, especially on the relationship between Christianity and politics, but more broadly on the cultural and social implications of the faith. I personally am heir to a tradition that extends back to John Calvin and includes such later figures as Guillaume Groen van Prinsterer (1801-1876), Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920), Herman Dooyeweerd (1894-1977), Bob Goudzwaard (1934-2024), and many others.

A broken communion

Christian Courier just posted my monthly column, titled, A broken communion. What about? "At Synod 2026, the CRC decided to withdraw from the World Communion of Reformed Churches. Was this the right choice?"

I do not normally weigh in on ecclesiastical issues in this space, but given my long association with and current membership in the Christian Reformed Church (CRC), I think it is appropriate to comment on Synod 2026’s decision to withdraw from the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC). I understand that church denominations have to weigh their associations carefully to ensure that they align with their mission and identity. But I believe Synod was too hasty in ending our relationship with this global communion, and I hope it isn’t too late to correct this.

 Read more to learn my reasons for this conclusion.

Recent activities for September 2026

My Global Scholars Canada newsletter for September is now posted online. Activities for the past month include three remote lectures and conversations, an expression of gratitude from a Brazilian reader, a brief reflection on the "deep state," a comment on dominion theology, and the submission of the manuscript for my next book to the publisher. As always, I am grateful for your continued support for my work.

The hubris of dominion theology: Bruce Barron

Last year Bruce Barron reviewed my most recent book on his Substack under this title: Should churches endorse political candidates? Two weeks ago Barron published a new post, The hubris of dominion theology, in which he published my own comments on an earlier draft of the post. An excerpt from my comments:

I don’t think the faith of our political leaders is altogether irrelevant to doing justice in their respective offices. This is the grain of truth in Christian nationalism and similar movements. However, this is dependent on such Christians cultivating and retaining an awareness of how the several political ideologies work to distort their perceptions of reality. Adding Christian to nationalism, or to any other ideology, in no way guarantees that it will produce just governance. Sad to say, even otherwise orthodox believers are susceptible to the allure of the ideological visions (or illusions) on offer in the public realm. 

Read the entire post here.

Belonging to God: manuscript submitted

I have just submitted the final draft of my forthcoming book, "Belonging to God: A Catechism's Relevance for Private and Public Life." The publisher is Cascade, a division of Wipf & Stock. 

The earliest material in the book dates to around 2009 when I wrote a series of commentaries on the Ten Commandments for the benefit of my students. In 2016 I decided to write a fuller exploration of the Heidelberg Catechism, incorporating much of this material, although I was not yet clear as to its purpose. I completed this during the summer of that year. The following year I was caught up in the events surrounding the loss of my teaching position and efforts to find something new. In the short term this led to a revision of my first book, Political Visions and Illusions, which came out in a second edition in 2019. This was followed by translations in Portuguese and Spanish. By then I was affiliated with Global Scholars Canada, an association I have found extremely fruitful for advancing my work. Then came Citizenship Without Illusions, something of a sequel to my first book, applying its principles to the practice of citizenship.

The 'Deep State'?

My latest column in Christian Courier is titled, The 'Deep State', a term much used in certain quarters while mystifying many others. What is it? Here is an excerpt:

Those who speak of a deep state suspect that there is a vast network of persons working clandestinely within the institutions of government to derail the intentions of elected officials. Their goals are hidden from public scrutiny; their nefarious activities dressed in the garb of public service. If any official threatens to expose them, they will ensure that he or she is thwarted or removed from office.

What do we make of this "deep state"? Read more here for my take on the matter.

Recent activities for August 2026

I have now posted my Global Scholars Canada newsletter for August 2026. Included are two articles drawing on my analysis in Political Visions and Illusions, three podcast interviews, and a farewell to a beloved sister. In the meantime, I am near the end of preparing my monograph for publication. Thank you, as always, for your continuing support for my work!

Evangelical 360 interview

In January of this year Brian Stiller interviewed me in studio at the offices of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC) in Scarborough, Ontario. Brian is a longtime leader of the evangelical movement in this country, having served as the president of the EFC and of Tyndale College and Seminary. He is now a Global Ambassador of the World Evangelical Alliance. Our interview has now been posted and can be accessed below.

 

UpNext interview: 'Faithful Citizenship'

Back in January (note my winter beard length) I was interviewed by Tommy Lee, founder and president of Resource Global, for his UpNext Podcast on the subject of my most recent book, Citizenship Without Illusions. We had a good conversation that covered a lot of ground, including two treasured mentoring relationships and my sideline in music and psalm versification. The interview has now been posted and runs for a little over half an hour.

 Here is the description from the YouTube page:

Politics can feel exhausting, divisive, and overwhelming. As Christians, should we engage, or step away entirely? In this episode of UpNext, Tommy Lee sits down with political scholar and author David Koyzis to explore what faithful citizenship looks like in today's polarized world. Drawing from his book Citizenship Without Illusions, David shares why political ideologies often become idols, how Christians can engage politics without becoming cynical, and why lasting change often begins in our local communities. Whether you're passionate about politics or prefer to avoid it altogether, this conversation offers a biblical perspective on navigating disagreement, serving your neighbors, and keeping your ultimate allegiance to the Kingdom of God. 

Citizenship: blessing and burden

I was first introduced to the work of Rick Barry and the Center for Christian Civics by my niece Bethany during a family gathering near Boston late last year. I subsequently met Barry personally at the Kuyper Conference at Calvin University in March of this year. We had some great conversations together at that event, and I agreed to assist him in his work in whatever way I can, including joining and serving on his advisory council.

Recently he interviewed me for his Christian Civics Podcast, and the episode has been posted here: The Blessing and Burden of Citizenship. The length is a little over half an hour.

Four Americas: ideologies & idolatries, part 2

In May Gospel in Life published the first part of the late Tim Keller's analysis of political life in the United States, to which I link here. Among the sources he cites are my own Political Visions and Illusions, which he endorsed several times beginning six years ago. This month the second part has been published here: A Political Case Study: Four Americas: ideologies & idolatries (part 2). Given his enthusiasm for my first book, I hope Keller would have liked my most recent book, Citizenship Without Illusions, as well. We certainly miss his presence among us, but even in death his influence for the kingdom of God continues.

Political Faithfulness in a Polarized Age

Writing in Christianity Today, Kyle Tucker writes about the political polarization besetting both the United States and American churches: Political Faithfulness in a Polarized Age. We are seeing more such articles published today, with pastors and other church leaders attempting, often with great difficulty, to address this divisiveness in their own congregations. Tucker mentions my own work:

In his book Political Visions & Illusions, David Koyzis argues that the dominant political ideologies of our day—from socialism to nationalism—are undergirded by idolatry. By idolizing the individual, the past, the future, or the collective, we transfer our love to false gods. This idolatry fuels identity politics, public discourse that is less about the common good and more about individual performance.

Tucker is a pastor at City on a Hill Church Brighton in Boston, Massachusetts.

Our ancestors hated each other

An anniversary road trip and some genealogical research led my wife and me to a surprising discovery. Read about it here: Our ancestors hated each other. An excerpt:

This year marks Nancy’s and my 30th wedding anniversary. On our honeymoon, we travelled through the mid-Atlantic states, visiting sites associated with our respective family histories. In April and May of this year, we returned to some of these places, especially Baltimore, Annapolis, and St. Mary’s City, the first capital of Maryland in the seventeenth century. 

Read the entire article here.

An extraordinary Hollander

Christian Courier has published my latest: An extraordinary Hollander. The subject? A man who served as mentor for Abraham Kuyper. An excerpt:

This year marks the 150^th anniversary of the death of one of the great figures in Dutch – and arguably Western – history. Guillaume Groen van Prinsterer was born in 1801 and was raised in a Netherlands undergoing significant change. When revolution broke out in France in 1789, it would unleash such instability as to plunge Europe into a full generation of war and bloodshed.

Much as Edmund Burke, whom we visited last month, foresaw the Revolution’s trajectory, it fell to Groen to assess it in retrospect. With the advantage of hindsight and under the influence of the Réveil, a Christian revival then sweeping Protestant Europe, Groen was persuaded that the Revolution was rooted in a rejection of God and in misplaced faith in political ideologies and their false promises of earthly salvation.

Read the entire article here. 

Recent activities for July 2026

My Global Scholars Canada newsletter for July 2026 is now posted. Included are a tribute to my work in French, continued work to format my next monograph, my review of a book related to Maryland's history, and a book on Herman Dooyeweerd's philosophical legacy, which I will be reviewing in the near future. I remain grateful, as always, for your support for my work!

Maryland's Revolution of Government, 1689–1692

My wife and I recently travelled into Maryland and, in so doing, made numerous discoveries about our respective ancestors, who were leading figures in the province. Shortly after we returned, we obtained a copy of a fascinating account of a transitional period in its history. The book is by Lois Green Carr and David William Jordan, Maryland's Revolution of Government, 1689–1692, published by Cornell University Press in 1974. I found this book interesting for three reasons. First, my wife and I share a passion for history. Second, I am a political scientist with an enduring interest in constitutional issues and the functionality of political systems. And third, at least three of my direct ancestors, along with my wife's, took part in the events recounted here and merit mention in the text and appendices.

Théologien? Moi?

Someone in the francophone world who styles himself ThéoPol has written me up in this blog post: David Koyzis : le théologien dont les évangéliques ont besoin! ("The theologian evangelicals need!") Here is an excerpt, as translated by Chrome:

David Koyzis is a unique figure. This Canadian is relatively unknown in the Christian world and receives very little media attention; he doesn't even have a Wikipedia page. He holds a doctorate in political science and adheres to Reformed orthodoxy, which theologically aligns him with evangelicals committed to the Holy Scriptures.

Recent activities for June 2026

My Global Scholars Canada newsletter for June is now online. Among the items covered are work on my new book manuscript, a one-day conference on Christian Nationalism, a posthumous use of my work by the Rev. Timothy Keller, an online conversation with Brazil, and a moving expression of appreciation from a British young adult. Thank you for your ongoing support for my work!

Reckoning with Christian Nationalism, 2

Earlier in the week I posted a portion of my response to James Wood's three talks on Christian Nationalism. But there was somewhat more to my response than my post contained. So here is more of what I had to say at Wycliffe College last saturday.

I appreciate Wood’s emphasis on “serious engagement with [Christian Nationalism] before critique.” Indeed we need to discern what is right about someone’s position before we can level a credible critique. I would go further than Wood on this score. There is something right about communal solidarity, full stop. Whether that community is the state, the nation, the family, the workplace community, or something else, we rightly celebrate the bonds that hold people together as they live their lives and pursue their daily vocations. There is in principle much good in the fact that Americans and Canadians love their respective countries and take pride in their achievements.

Justiça pública: questions and answers

Last evening I had another opportunity to talk remotely with people in Brazil connected with the new organization, Justiça pública. I last spoke to them three months ago and immensely enjoyed the experience. This time the event took place over Instagram and is available at this link: Eleições e a Fé na Cidade (Elections and faith in the city). My grasp of Portuguese is rather limited. Apologies as well that we all appear to be backward. A description of the organization: "Justiça Pública is a nonpartisan Christian think tank that develops leadership, conducts research, and proposes a constructive way of doing politics in Brazil." I will be connecting again with Justiça Pública in August.

Reckoning with Christian Nationalism

On saturday, 6 June, I was privileged to participate in a conference at Wycliffe College in Toronto devoted to Reckoning with Christian Nationalism: A Reformed Response. The principal speaker was James Wood, who teaches theology at Redeemer University and is one of the contributors to the Presbyterian Church in America's just-released report on the subject. There was obviously a lot of interest in the subject matter, as reflected in the large number of people who registered for the event.

Four Americas: ideologies & idolatries: Keller's analysis

It has been three years since the Rev. Timothy Keller left us and entered into the presence of his Saviour. Although I never met the man, I am personally indebted to him for endorsing my first book, Political Visions and Illusions, several times beginning in July 2020. I regret that I never had an opportunity to thank him personally for his support. Now Keller's Gospel in Life website has published the first part of an essay, A Political Case Study: Four Americas, Ideologies & Idolatries (Part 1 of a 2-Part Series), written a few months prior to his death in 2023. Here he undertakes to analyze four ideologies shaping political life in the United States, drawing on Reinhold Niebuhr, George Packer, and yours truly. An excerpt:

Burke's continuing relevance

My latest column has been posted at Christian Courier's website: Burke's continuing relevance. An excerpt:

In 1790, one year after revolution had broken out across the channel, the Anglo-Irish statesman Edmund Burke wrote his now classic Reflections on the Revolution in France. Many of Burke’s compatriots, especially his fellow Whigs, thought that the French were finally rid of their absolutist government and were embracing the constitutional institutions which they themselves had long enjoyed. They thus gave qualified support to the revolution.

Burke would have none of this, sensing that something more destructive was afoot in that country. The revolutionaries were going much further than to replace flawed rulers with better ones. In fact, their efforts would soon lead to a reign of terror, something that Burke foresaw in his Reflections.

Read the rest of the column here. I have now been writing for Christian Courier for 36 years. Next month's column will cover Guillaume Groen van Prinsterer, an intellectual and spiritual heir of Burke whose recent biography by Roel Kuiper I have reviewed here.

Recent activities for May 2026

As I usually do in the middle of the month, I have just posted my Global Scholars Canada newsletter for May 2026. Included are big news about my next book, a review of a biography of an important 19th-century Christian statesman, and recent travels in the mid-Atlantic states. Thank you once more for your continued support for my work!

The Antirevolutionary: a review

Imagine growing up in a time of great political and social upheaval and coming to maturity in its aftermath. This was the experience of the young Guillaume Groen van Prinsterer, who was born the first year of the 19th century and died 75 years later. At the time of his birth his native Netherlands had been under French influence for several years. The former Dutch Republic of the 17th and 18th centuries had been replaced in 1795 by the Batavian Republic, a centralized state modelled along revolutionary lines. In Groen's fifth year of life, the republic was further supplanted by a puppet monarchy under one of the Napoleon's brothers. This lasted for four years until the Netherlands was annexed outright to France. Groen was reaching adolescence as the Congress of Vienna was establishing a new European order at war's end. One of the features of this new Europe was an enlarged Kingdom of the Netherlands under a strong monarch from the House of Orange. Often referred to as the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, it included what in 1830 would become an independent Belgium.

New book contract: 'Belonging to God'

I am pleased to report that I have just signed a contract for my next book, an in-depth exposition of the Heidelberg Catechism with a focus on its implications for our life in God’s world, especially public life. Although the timeline is admittedly short, the manuscript is basically complete and simply needs to be formatted to conform to the publisher's specifications. This will occupy my time for the next little while.

I see this new book as foundational for my other three published volumes, as it elucidates the faith that underpins them. If the books are to be read in logical order, proceeding from faith basics to application, one would begin with "Belonging to God," then proceed to We Answer to Another: Authority, Office, and the Image of God, then Political Visions and Illusions, and finally Citizenship Without Illusions. I will keep readers informed of the progress of this new project as it moves towards publication.

Recent activities for April 2026

I have now posted my Global Scholars Canada newsletter for April 2026. Included are a book review, the annual Kuyper conference at Calvin University, a remote address to Justiça Pública, and a forthcoming announcement about my next major publication. Details to follow shortly. Thank you for your continuing support for my work!

More on the 'Neo-Calvinist rodeo': two cheers for the market

In my previous post I mentioned my own fairly minor role at this year's Kuyper conference as a respondent to Dylan Pahman's excellent book, The Kingdom of God and the Common Good. Pahman has now posted his own account of his role as an Orthodox Christian at the "Neo-Calvinist rodeo": Dispatch from KuyperCon. Here is Pahman:

We talked about our common ground of Scripture and catholicity. We debated the proper relation between the Law and the Gospel. We discussed the fraught history of traditionally Orthodox societies with autocracy, while nevertheless noting many important—and too often overlooked—exceptions. To that end Koyzis even expressed his hope that my book would be translated into Greek, Russian, and other traditionally Orthodox languages.

Kuyper Conference 2026

From 26 to 28 March I was at the annual Kuyper Conference at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I travelled there by car with Harry Van Dyke and Peter Schuurman and stayed, along with Peter, at his brother Derek's house near campus. Peter is, of course, executive director of Global Scholars Canada, the organization with which I am affiliated. The conference always offers an opportunity to meet and get to know new people and to renew older friendships, but this one was especially memorable, as Calvin University celebrates 150 years of providing Christian higher education in the Reformed tradition.

Justiça pública: Brazil

On saturday, 21 March, I was privileged to address remotely a network of Christian professionals engaged in public life in Brazil. This was under the auspices of Justiça Pública, a new organization established "To promote public justice for all Brazilians through a faithful, courageous, and constructive Christian presence in the public sphere." One of the inspirations behind this effort is the 49-year-old Center for Public Justice, on whose board of trustees I currently serve. Here is a description from an electronic English-language brochure I received last year:

Justiça Pública is a nonpartisan Christian think tank that develops leadership, conducts research, and proposes a constructive way of doing politics in Brazil.

Brazil is undergoing a profound demographic transformation, with the rapid growth of evangelicals, while at the same time facing a crisis in its political practices—marked by radicalism, polarization, and constructive paralysis [sic]. In this context, God has called us to propose an alternative: a long-term vision built by Christians with genuine commitment to the faith, above and beyond any ideology.

Should Christians be leftists? A review

Phil Christman. Why Christians Should Be Leftists. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2025. 174 pages. ISBN 978-0-8028-8405-3.

The best that can be said of this book is that the author is preaching to the choir. Phil Christman is a follower of Jesus Christ who has come to see himself as a political leftist and is now evangelizing for the cause. However, given his general approach, he is unlikely to persuade anyone not already onside.

Christman claims that “my Christianity has led me out of conservatism, past liberalism, to the left” (12). What does this leftism consist of? Support for “massive redistribution of wealth (either through alms or taxes), the right of marginalized communities and exploited nations to self-defense, a much-lessened emphasis on punishment-for-its-own-sake and on revenge and a much greater emphasis on harm reduction in our systems of punishment, an abhorrence of war, and an avoidance of the hoarding of wealth and power” (15-16). Christman spends the rest of the book unpacking this collection of priorities.

A new book for Christian scholars: Creation Regained: Disciplinary Perspectives

Creation Regained: Disciplinary Perspectives: two tributes

As I mentioned in a previous post, this newly published volume, Creation Regained: Disciplinary Perspectives, is a tribute to my great friend, former colleague, and even one-time instructor, Al Wolters. His classic book, Creation Regained: Biblical Basics for a Reformational Worldview, has been an influential introduction to a general approach to life anchored in the orderly possibilities God has built into his creation and in the scriptures which illuminate the path before us as we fulfil our respective callings. Our reformational philosophy discussion group, to whom this new anthology is dedicated, aspired to flesh out the implications of Wolters' insights for the several academic disciplines, including the highly theoretical and the more concrete and practical. This book is thus a tribute to Wolters' life and work.

Yesterday I was privileged to present to Wolters his copy of this book.

Recent activities for March 2026

My Global Scholars Canada newsletter for March 2026 is now posted for your reading pleasure. Included are a speaking engagement in eastern Kentucky, a Brazilian podcast on the subject of two of my books, two commentaries on Iran, and a long-gestating anthology in honour of my great friend and former colleague Al Wolters. Thank you for your continuing support for my work!

Creation Regained: Disciplinary Perspectives: table of contents

I now have my own copy of this anthology:

Iran's uncertain future

Christian Courier has published my article, Iran's uncertain future. An excerpt:

Iran has had an outsized influence in the Middle East since ancient times. The Persian empire figures prominently in several books of the Old Testament, primarily because of King Cyrus’ role in permitting the Jews to return to their homeland and rebuild the Jerusalem temple. Since then several dynasties have ruled Persia, extending their influence throughout the region. Iranian languages are spoken, not only in Iran proper, but in Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Tajikistan. Even the Ottoman Turks adopted elements of Persian culture, which carried considerable prestige and conferred legitimacy on their rule.

Read here for more.

Creation Regained: Disciplinary Perspectives

I am pleased to report that a new book has been published to which I and several other authors contributed chapters. It's called Creation Regained: Disciplinary Perspectives, edited by my good friend and former colleague, Russell D. Kosits and published by Dordt Press. The anthology is inspired by Albert M. Wolters' classic book, Creation Regained: Biblical Basics for a Reformational Worldview (Eerdmans, 2005), which has been used profitably in a variety of settings since it was first published just over four decades ago. Here is the description from the amazon.com page:

Iran's troubled past and present

As an undergraduate student in the mid 1970s I was taking a course at the University of Minnesota and one day happened upon a demonstration by what I assumed were Iranian students against the Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who had occupied the Peacock Throne since 1941. 

The Shah was responsible for something called the White Revolution, a top-down effort to modernize the country, bringing it into the 20th century and making it a great regional power. In pursuing this policy, he was following the examples of Peter the Great in early 18th-century Russia and Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in interwar Turkey. Closely allied with the western powers, the Shah was restored to his throne by the US and the UK in 1953 after having fled the country in a dispute with Iran's parliament. Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh had nationalized the oil industry with parliament's support to the displeasure of the British interests that had controlled it. Once the Shah had returned to power, he centralized rule in his own hands. A secret police force, SAVAK, was the most brutal instrument of his rule, effectively alienating many Iranians, especially those of a more traditional bent.

Apologética cristã interview/entrevista

Last month I was interviewed by Gabriel Ennes for his Apologética cristã podcast. The conversation was in English. Although I am by no means fluent in Portuguese, I am coming to recognize the different accents and dialects from the different parts of Brazil. From his speech I could tell that Ennes is a Carioca. Indeed, I subsequently learned that Ennes lives in Petropolis, a city located north of Rio de Janeiro. His accent betrays his origins.

Kentucky sojourn: University of the Cumberlands

From 22 to 25 February I was privileged to visit the University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Kentucky, where I was a guest speaker. My time there was originally scheduled for last month, but a severe storm passing through the central part of the United States delayed my travels until this week. My principal host was Devon Goings, a graduate of Cumberlands who now works there as Director of Civic Responsibility. Goings has studied at Fuller Seminary under Matthew Kaemingk, whom I've known for the better part of two decades and for whom I have considerable respect.

Cumberlands is a Christian university in the Baptist tradition, although it is no longer formally affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. Established as the Williamsburg Institute in 1889, it became Cumberland College in 1913 and University of the Cumberlands in 2005. I was astonished to read that it has over 25,000 students, making it one of the largest universities in the state. But I was told that most of these are online students with around 2,000 residential students on campus. Student numbers have grown considerably in recent years, with a focus on outreach to the larger eastern Kentucky region.

Recent activities for February 2026

I have just posted my Global Scholars Canada newsletter for February 2026. Included are material related to Christian Nationalism, memories of Minneapolis prompted by recent events, an ecclesiological revolution, and a book review. Thank you for your ongoing support for my work!

Sowing chaos for no good reason

My most recent column has been published at Christian Courier's website: Trump is sowing chaos for no good reason. An excerpt:

Minneapolis holds a special place in my heart because, as a young man, I attended a Christian university in Minnesota’s Twin Cities. I grew to love the area’s numerous lakes, Minnehaha Falls, the many Lutheran churches, the Dinkytown neighbourhood near the University and the many friendly, hospitable people who lived there. There is even a suburb in Saint Paul called Little Canada, testifying to the presence of early French Canadian settlers. While the severe climate was definitely a trial, at the time I thought it was a place where I might eventually make a home.

Read the entire article here.