Anthony A. Hoekema

Anthony Andrew Hoekema (July 26, 1913 – 17 October 1988) was a Dutch-American Calvinist minister and theologian who served as professor of Systematic theology at Calvin Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, for twenty-one years.

Hoekema was born in 1913 in Drachten in the Netherlands but immigrated to the United States in 1923. He attended Calvin College (A.B.), the University of Michigan (M.A.), Calvin Theological Seminary (Th.B.) and Princeton Theological Seminary (Th.D., 1953).^[1]

Hoekema was ordained as a minister in the Christian Reformed Church (CRC) in 1944.^[2] After pastoring several CRC churches from 1944–1956 he became Associate Professor of Bible at Calvin College in 1956. From 1958 to 1979, when he retired, he was Professor of Systematic Theology at Calvin Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Hoekema spent two sabbatical years in Cambridge, England (1965–1966, 1973–1974).^[3]

Hoekema’s theology was rooted in the classical Reformed tradition and emphasized the authority of Scripture interpreted in light of the historic Reformed confessions. A central theme of his work was the covenant of grace, which he understood as affirming both the sovereignty of God and the genuine responsibility of human beings. He rejected interpretations of covenant theology that minimized human response, arguing instead that God’s covenant establishes a reciprocal relationship in which grace precedes and enables faith, repentance, and obedience. His theological anthropology emphasized humanity as created in the image of God, an image distorted by sin but restored through redemption in Christ.^[3][4][5][6]

Hoekema also addressed contemporary movements within evangelicalism, particularly Pentecostalism and neo-Pentecostalism. While affirming the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in regeneration and sanctification, he rejected the doctrine of a post-conversion baptism in the Holy Spirit as a distinct experience ordinarily evidenced by speaking in tongues. He argued that the New Testament presents Spirit baptism as coincident with conversion and incorporation into Christ, and he maintained that miraculous gifts such as tongues served a primarily foundational role in the apostolic period rather than a normative function in the ongoing life of the church.^[3][7][8]

In eschatology, Hoekema was a prominent defender of amillennialism. He rejected both dispensational premillennialism and postmillennialism, arguing that the kingdom of God is both already present through Christ’s redemptive work and not yet consummated. He interpreted apocalyptic passages, including the book of Revelation, symbolically and within the context of the whole of Scripture, emphasizing the unity of biblical eschatology. For Hoekema, eschatology was an integral component of Christian doctrine rather than a speculative or peripheral subject.^[3][9]

Hoekema married Ruth Brink in 1942, and together they had four children. He died on October 17, 1988 after experiencing a heart attack in Frederick, Maryland.^[1]

Among his best-known works are:

• The Four Major Cults: Christian Science, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormonism, Seventh-day Adventism (1963)
• What About Tongue Speaking? (1966)
• Holy Spirit Baptism (1972)
• Amillennialism (1977)
• The Bible and the Future (1979)
• Created in God's Image (1986)
• Saved by Grace (1989)