Herman Bavinck: The Wise & Understanding Teacher
by Simonetta Carr
Reformed Fellowship | 2025 | 64 pages (hardcover) | $20.00
In an age where theological literacy is lacking, Simonetta Carr’s Herman Bavinck offers a compelling invitation to rediscover one of the most important Reformed thinkers of church history. Part of the Christian Biographies for Young Readers series, this book aims to introduce children and adults alike to the life, mind, and ministry of a theologian whose contributions continue to shape churches and theology today.
Carr’s strength as a storyteller lies in her use of chronology, and she continually calls the readers back to the theme of God’s providence through Bavinck’s life using historical context. Beginning with Bavinck’s childhood in a Secession church rectory, a world marked by a resistance to theological compromise, she then describes his reluctant move to a more academically challenging environment of Leiden. It is there that Bavinck encountered modernism. The tension between and engagement with the sacred and the secular intellectual currents of the nineteenth century becomes one of the strongest threads of the book, preparing readers to understand the importance of Bavinck’s later theological works as an attempt to maintain Christian doctrine in a rapidly secularizing world.
Considering that this book is aimed at younger readers, Carr does not linger on Bavinck’s theological contributions, yet she does provide context and introduces them with clarity. Concepts such as “the organic unity of revelation” or “the centrality of Christ in every doctrine” appear in a simplified but not over simplistic or trivialized form.
The strength of this book is especially found in its balance of respect and objectivity. Carr continually calls the readers back to the theme of God’s providence through Bavinck’s life and personal struggles, specifically his loneliness as a student and his pastoral workload. She avoids veering into hagiography since his virtues emerge not as perfect or heroic feats, but as the formation of a life rooted in Scripture and the ordinary means of grace. Additionally, the illustrations by Matthew Bird add grounding to the historical narrative in concrete scenes. The malleable minds of young readers will benefit greatly from the tale of tenacity and courage that centers around the life of an academic and churchman.
If there is any limitation, it is inherent to the genre: readers looking for a detailed theological analysis will need to look elsewhere. Carr’s aim is introductory and certain complexities in Bavinck’s intellectual development are condensed by necessity and the intended audience being children. However, the omissions do not detract from the book’s view; they simply emphasize and mark its intended purpose. Given the audience, Carr handles weighty historical context with clarity and sensitivity, consistently focusing on the sovereign hand of God in history. Ultimately, this book helps readers understand how living a faithful life can be joyfully ordinary.
In short, this book is built upon a timeless truth that Carr states eloquently, “The gospel, the announcement of what Christ has done for sinners, changes not only individual people, but everything around them.”
Carr makes goodness compelling by telling the stories of great and underappreciated heroes of the faith. Her biography of Herman Bavinck does just this as she relates, in a captivating and age appropriate manner, the life of an ordinary and gifted man committed to the truth and teaching of the gospel. Every page emphasizes the importance of orthodox teaching and reminds readers to ask questions to seek truth.
