Marinus De Jong, "A Church for a Secular World: The Development of Klaas Schilder's Ecclesiology" (Brill, 2025)

June 14, 2026

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5 min read

Klaas Schilder, a Dutch Reformed pastor and theologian who wrote in the shadow of two world wars, insisted on a paradox that still feels urgent: the church must become more central to Christian life precisely as the world becomes more secular, but it must never mistake itself for the goal. The goal is the world itself—the farms, the streets, the daily labor of farmers and workers. The church is the means, not the end. Marinus de Jong, author of A Church for a Secular World: The Development of Klaas Schilder's Ecclesiology, spent years as a pastor in Amsterdam—"one of the world's most secular cities"—and found Schilder's voice speaking directly into that pressure.

The Church as Means, the World as End

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What you'll learn

1 (00:00) **Introduction and Guest Background** - Michael Shaw introduces Dr. Marinus de Jong and his book on Klaas Schilder's ecclesiology.
2 (02:32) **Who Was Klaas Schilder?** - A portrait of Schilder as a theologian, pastor, and polemicist.
3 (05:20) **The Central Thesis: "Church is Means, World is End"** - De Jong unpacks the core argument of Schilder's ecclesiology.
4 (08:45) **Schilder's Critique of Kuyper: Organic vs. Institutional Church** - A key distinction between Schilder and his towering predecessor.
5 (12:18) **World War II as Proof** - How historical events vindicated Schilder's emphasis on a strong, engaged church.
6 (13:43) **Common Grace vs. Common Temperance** - A major theological dispute within the neo-Calvinist tradition.
7 (17:41) *[Ad break]*

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Show Notes

The relationship between the Church and the world has been a subject of debate since the Church's earliest days. In ⁠A Church for a Secular World: The Development of Klaas Schilder's Ecclesiology⁠ (Brill, 2025), Marinus De Jong explores how Stanley Hauerwas, with his emphasis on the Church as polis, made a significant contemporary contribution—one that has also faced strong criticism. This study examines the distinctive insights of second-generation neo-Calvinist theologian Klaas Schilder (1890-1952) on this issue. Neo-Calvinism is renowned for its development of Reformed theology, particularly in this area, and Schilder builds on this tradition with a critical eye. Engaging with the increasing secularity of the twentieth century, he carefully interacts with Karl Barth's writings while refining his own perspective. In doing so, Schilder's position comes close to the Anabaptist stance of Hauerwas, yet remains firmly rooted in the Reformed understanding of creation.

Marinus de Jong, Ph.D., is assistant professor of the theology of neo-Calvinism at Theologische Universiteit Utrecht, the Netherlands. He co-editedThe Klaas Schilder Reader: The Essential Theological Writings (Lexham, 2022).

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