De spiritualiteit van O. Noordmans

Samenvatting

Recent discussions of “a contemplative turn in theology” disclose greater preference for a turn away from an abstract, cognitive, intellectual way of speaking. Dr. O. Noordmans (1871­1956) demonstrated such a turn much earlier with a theology rooted in the “womb of piety” as experienced in his parental home. Reformed theology is characterized by earnestness and simplicity, not rooted in a school; it has a strong eschatological focus. Critical response charged Noordmans’ theology with spiritualism and world­avoidance. Against this critique, this essay argues that this spiritualism is best understood as a historical spiritualism, in which the concrete reality of church and world is always present.