Ecumenism

Much of what is contained in the R.B. Kuiper Collection pertains to his tenure as a professor at Westminster and a minister in the PCA/OPC. There is little in the collection from his time at Calvin College, CTS, the CRC, or the RCA. (Researchers should consult the R.B. Kuiper Collection at Calvin Theological Seminary for additional information on those years.)

A significant portion of the records pertaining to the PCA/OPC relate to the Gordon Clark case. There is little that appears to have been written by him personally, though some of the committee reports have his handwritten annotations. His voice is heard primarily through committee reports on which he was a signatory. The same can be said for other reports that appear in the PCA/OPC series. Kuiper’s involvement was not marked by individual statements, but by committee participation. Where Kuiper’s individual voice is heard the most distinctly is through the articles, radio addresses, and lecture outlines.

There are elements within the collection to note. The notebooks containing Kuiper’s lecture outlines were interleaved with supplemental material, perhaps inserted by Kuiper as he expanded and edited his courses. These papers have been removed from the notebooks and placed in order behind them. There is also an unidentified handwritten manuscript in the collection pertaining to Textual Criticism. Prior to the collection’s arrangement and description, this manuscript was separated into three folders, perhaps on the supposition that the three segments were three different works. It is, in the judgment of the archivist however, all part of the same work, given the similarity in handwriting and paper. Its authorship and origin are uncertain. It does not appear to be in Kuiper’s hand, but some of the marginal annotations may be. It is not clear why R.B. Kuiper would have this manuscript in his possession, as Textual Criticism does not appear to have been among Kuiper’s interests or areas of teaching responsibility.

Two other items are worth noting. The majority of the radio addresses in the collection include two copies. They have been included together within each folder. The notes taken by Kuiper at Princeton each included a slip of paper identifying the course title and instructor of each of the classes in question. Those have been removed from the notebooks and placed in the corresponding folders.