Rooted and Resilient: Kuyper's Ecclesiology for the Church Under Pressure

In this work, Dr Agnes Chiu examines Abraham Kuyper's ecclesiology and doctrine of common grace as complementary theological resources for Christian public engagement under persecution. Tracing Kuyper's ecclesiological development through three distinct phases — from his early balanced understanding of the church as organism and institution, through his mature distinction between essence and form, to his final vision of ecclesial visibility independent of institutionalization — the work argues that these seemingly abstract distinctions constitute a coherent and practically oriented theological vision. Grounded in Kuyper's conviction that common grace and particular grace function as integral components of God's unified redemptive plan, this framework insists that the persecuted church fulfills its witness not through institutional self-preservation but through the embodied holiness and organic community life of its members. Drawing on Ad de Bruijne's and John Halsey Wood's analyses, alongside dialogue with Herman Bavinck and David Fergusson, the work demonstrates how progressive common grace sustains cultural engagement even under hostility, while Kuyper's doctrine of pluriformity enables authentic public presence as official institutional space contracts. Grounded in Ephesians 3:10-15, this vision holds enduring relevance for persecuted churches worldwide, offering theological resources for communities — from Chinese house churches to Western congregations facing cultural marginalization — to persist, adapt, and witness faithfully when institutional structures are stripped away.

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