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82-614: The VAR was founded as one of several parties that were founded in the 1890s, which all turned against the leadership and ideology of Abraham Kuyper , the leader of the Protestant Anti Revolutionary Party . Kuyper had initiated a new political course for Protestantism in the Netherlands, which included cooperation with the Catholics , in the coalition , strategical support for extension of suffrage

164-866: A minister for the Dutch Reformed Church in Hoogmade , Maassluis, Middelburg and Leiden . Kuyper was home-schooled by his father. The boy received no formal primary education , but received secondary education at the Gymnasium of Leiden. In 1855, he graduated from the Gymnasium and began to study literature , philosophy and theology at Leiden University . He received his propaedeuse in literature in 1857, summa cum laude , and in philosophy in 1858, also summa cum laude. He also took classes in Arabic , Armenian and physics . In 1862 he

246-495: A candidate in Dordrecht and Amsterdam , but was defeated there. In the election he joined the so-called Takkians, in a conflict between the liberal minister Tak, and a majority House of Representatives. Tak wanted to reform the census-suffrage , but a majority in parliament rejected his proposal. Kuyper favoured the legislation because he expected the enfranchised lower class voters would favour his party. This orientation towards

328-517: A clear sympathy for the more liberal Łaski. During his studies Kuyper was a member of the modern tendency within the Dutch Reformed Church. In May 1862, he was declared eligible for the ministry and 1863 he accepted a call to become minister for the Dutch Reformed Church for the town of Beesd . In the same year he married Johanna Hendrika Schaay (1842–1899). They had five sons and three daughters. In 1864 he began corresponding with

410-491: A danger to the reformed workers. He called for workers to accept their fates and be happy with a simple life because the afterlife would be much more satisfying and revolution would only lead to instability. At the same time, he argued that the system of unrestricted free enterprise was in need of "architectonic critique" and he urged government to adopt labour legislation and to inspect workplaces. Kuyper's political views and acts have influenced Dutch politics . Kuyper stood at

492-609: A fad that would pass away. In politics, he dominated the Anti-Revolutionary Party (ARP) from its founding in 1879 to his death in 1920. He promoted pillarisation , the social expression of the anti-thesis in public life, whereby Protestant , Catholic and secular elements each had their own independent schools, universities and social organisations. Abraham Kuyper was born on 29 October 1837 in Maassluis , Netherlands . His father Jan Frederik Kuyper served as

574-465: A new denomination called The Reformed Churches in the Netherlands after merging with other orthodox Reformed people who had seceded from the Dutch Reformed Church in 1834. In the general election of 1894, Kuyper was re-elected to the House of Representatives for the district of Sliedrecht . He defeated the liberal Van Haaften and the anti-takkian anti-revolutionary Beelaerts van Blokland. He also ran as

656-581: A new party. In 1896, they set up a commission to found a new party. In September 1898 the Free Anti Revolutionary Party was founded. In the 1901 elections , the party won nine seats, four more than the five the free Anti Revolutionaries had won as individual candidates in 1897. The religious parties won a majority in this election, a cabinet was formed by ARP leader Kuyper, which the VAR supported without providing any ministers. In 1903,

738-458: A newspaper. In religious affairs, he sought to adapt the Dutch Reformed Church to challenges posed by the loss of state financial aid and by increasing religious pluralism in the wake of splits that the church had undergone in the 19th century, rising Dutch nationalism, and the Arminian religious revivals of his day which denied predestination. He vigorously denounced modernism in theology as

820-418: A number of issues. Furthermore, Kuyper made a significant contribution to the formulation of the principle of common grace in the context of a Calvinist world-view. Most important has been Kuyper's view on the role of God in everyday life. He believed that God continually influenced the life of believers, and daily events could show his workings. Kuyper famously said, "Oh, no single piece of our mental world

902-601: A rejection of theocracy in favour of a specific conception of state neutrality, sphere sovereignty and a strong party organization and party discipline . The opposition against Kuyper was led by Alexander de Savorin Lohman . The elections of 1894 proved decisive. An important issue in the election was the extension of suffrage proposed by the Minister of the Interior Johannes Tak van Poortvliet . After

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984-713: A revision of the constitution. In 1912, he resigned his seat in parliament for health reasons, but he returned to politics in the following year, this time as a member of the Senate for the province of South Holland . He retained this seat until his death. In 1913, he was made commander in the Order of the Netherlands Lion . During the First World War Kuyper sided with the Germans, because he had opposed

1066-732: Is one of the oldest Dutch Reformed Church built in America. The largest Dutch Reformed body in North America, the Christian Reformed Church in North America , split off from Reformed Church in America in 1857 under the leadership of Gijsbert Haan . Smaller related denominations and federations include the Canadian and American Reformed Churches , the Free Reformed Churches of North America (FRC),

1148-872: Is strongly influenced under the Dutch reformed church, the first known church established in the country is "De Oude kerk" in Batavia in 1640. Christianity in Indonesia, like Sri Lanka, has been nationalised into different branches of Protestantism while retaining many of the reformed church elements, such as Protestant Church in Indonesia . The Dutch Reformed Church went with migrants to the Americas , beginning in 1628 in New Amsterdam . St. Thomas Reformed Church, founded in 1660 in St. Thomas , Danish West Indies , became

1230-505: Is to be hermetically sealed off from the rest, and there is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all , does not cry: 'Mine!'" God continually re-creates the universe through acts of grace. God's acts are necessary to ensure the continued existence of creation . Without his direct activity, creation would self-destruct. Kuyper's political ideals were orthodox-Protestant and anti-revolutionary. The concept of sphere sovereignty

1312-771: The Afrikaner Calvinist community as the kern der natie became a rallying position for the Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk . As Christian nationalists, Kuyper's adherents in South Africa were instrumental in the building of Afrikaner cultural, political and economic institutions to restore Afrikaner fortunes following the Boer War , which ultimately led to Apartheid . Saul Dubow notes that Kuyper advocated "the commingling of blood" as "the physical basis for all higher development" in

1394-690: The Canons of Dort to the Confessions. The Canons of Dort, together with the previously adopted Belgic Confession and Heidelberg Catechism, were called the Drie formulieren van Enigheid (Three Forms of Unity). Most conflicts and splits in the Church arose because of disagreement over the substance and interpretation of these doctrinal documents. The government of the Dutch Republic , which had instigated

1476-583: The Delft University of Technology . In 1907, he was re-elected chair of the ARP, a post which he held until his death in 1920. In 1907, Kuyper wanted to return to parliament. In a by-election in Sneek he needed the support of the local CHU. They refused him support. This led to a personal conflict between Kuyper and De Savorin Lohman. In 1908, he came into conflict with Heemskerk , who had not involved him in

1558-749: The Dutch East India Company and its workers, the Dutch Reformed Church was established in Ceylon in 1642. The Groote Kerk , built in 1755, still stands in Galle . The Dutch Reformed Church of Ceylon officially changed its name in 2007 to the Christian Reformed Church of Sri Lanka to reflect its Christian identity in the nation, rather than on its Dutch colonial heritage. As of 2007, its membership stands around 5,000, comprising both communicant and baptised members in 29 congregations, preaching stations, and mission outposts. Christianity in Indonesia

1640-639: The Free University in Amsterdam and he was made professor of Theology there. He also served as its first rector magnificus . In 1881, he also became professor of literature. In 1886, he left the Dutch Reformed Church, with a large group of followers. The parish in Amsterdam was made independent of the church, and kept their own building. Between 1886 and 1892, they were called the Dolerenden (those with grievances). In 1892, those Dolerenden founded

1722-857: The Heritage Reformed Congregations (HRC), the Netherlands Reformed Congregations (NRC), the Protestant Reformed Churches in America (PRC), and the United Reformed Churches in North America (URC). The Dutch were mainly Protestant and Catholic before arrival to America, but became dominantly Protestant after settling in America. They spread their religion by forming bonds with the natives in The Ohio River Valley. In 1766, ministers of

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1804-766: The Nadere Reformatie , and a number of splits in the 19th century that greatly diversified Dutch Calvinism. The church functioned until 2004, the year it merged with the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands to form the Protestant Church in the Netherlands (PKN), a united church of both Reformed and Evangelical Lutheran theological orientations. At

1886-829: The Three Sister Churches of South Africa (the Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa (NGK) ( Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk ), the Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa (NHK) ( Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk ), the Reformed Churches in South Africa ( Gereformeerde Kerke in Suid-Afrika )), the Afrikaans Protestant Church ( Afrikaanse Protestantse Kerk ), and the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa ( Verenigende Gereformeerde Kerk in Suid-Afrika ). Through

1968-478: The petition against a new law on education , which would further disadvantage religious schools. This was an important impetus for the foundation of the Anti-Revolutionary Party (ARP) in 1879, of which Kuyper was chairman between 1879 and 1905. He was the undisputed leader of the party between 1879 and 1920. His followers gave him the nickname "Abraham de Geweldenaar" (Abraham the Masterful). In 1880, he founded

2050-433: The rules of procedure of cabinet in order to become chair of cabinet for four years (before him, the chairmanship of the cabinet had rotated among its members). The portfolio of home affairs at the time was very broad: it involved local government, industrial relations, education and public morality. The 1903 railway strike was one of the decisive issues for his cabinet. Kuyper produced several particularly harsh laws to end

2132-470: The 19th century, theological liberalism led to splits in the Dutch Reformed Church. King William I of the Netherlands imposed a new form of government for the church, in which the civil authorities selected the commissioners to the National Synod in 1816, making it increasingly difficult for ministers to speak out against perceived errors. In 1834, the minister Hendrik de Cock of the town of Ulrum

2214-504: The Amsterdam consistory, were suspended in Dec. 1885. This was appealed to the provincial synod, which upheld the ruling in a 1 July 1886 ruling. Refusing to accept his suspension, Kuyper preached to his followers in an auditorium on Sunday, 11 July 1886. Because of their deep sorrow at the state of the Dutch Reformed Church, the group called itself the Doleantie (grieving ones). By 1889,

2296-480: The Anti Revolutionary beliefs without being a member of the strong party organisation. The VAR was a conservative Protestant party. It saw government as a God-given institution, which should act according to Biblical norms. Society should furthermore follow its historical course. Power should not be based on the opinion of the majority but on authority . The VAR was formed as a result of dissent within

2378-823: The Arminians' expulsion, subsequently prohibited the Reformed Church from assembling synodically. No Synod was held in the Netherlands until after the end of the Republic in 1795. The 17th and early 18th centuries were the age of the Dutch Nadere Reformatie (best translated in English as the Further Reformation ), led primarily by Gisbertus Voetius and Wilhelmus à Brakel , which was greatly influenced by English Puritanism . In

2460-784: The Doleantie churches had over 200 congregations, 180,000 members, and about 80 ministers. Kuyper, (although at first antagonistic towards them), soon began to seek union with the churches of the Secession of 1834 , the Christelijke Gereformeerde Kerken (Christian Reformed Church). These churches had earlier broken off from the Dutch Reformed Church. This union was effected in 1892, and the Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland (Reformed Churches in

2542-503: The Dutch Circle of Journalists in 1898; when he left in 1901 he was made honorary president. In the same year, at the invitation of B.B. Warfield , Kuyper delivered the "Stone Lectures" at Princeton Seminary , which was his first widespread exposure to a North American audience. These lectures were given 10–11 October 14 and 19–21 in 1898. He discusses the relationship of Calvinism with philosophy, religion, politics, science, art and

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2624-688: The Dutch Reformed Church founded Queen's College , which would later become Rutgers College , in the Province of New Jersey . Today, Rutgers University is a major public research institution in the state of New Jersey . As one of nine colonial colleges clustered in the eastern United States, Rutgers serves as a reminder of early Dutch cultural influence in the North American colonies. Former U.S. Presidents Martin Van Buren and Theodore Roosevelt , both of Dutch descent, were affiliated with

2706-528: The Dutch Reformed Church. He grieved the loss of Reformed distinctives within the State Church, which no longer required office bearers to agree to the Reformed standards which had once been foundational. Kuyper and the consistory of Amsterdam insisted that both ministers and church members subscribe to the Reformed confessions. This was appealed to Classis, and Kuyper, along with about 80 members of

2788-488: The Dutch people. His commitment to universal suffrage was only tactical; he expected the Anti-Revolutionary Party would be able to gain more seats this way. In actuality, Kuyper wanted a Householder Franchise where fathers of each family would vote for his family. He also favoured a Senate representing the various interest, vocational and professional groups in society. With his ideals, he defended

2870-544: The English since the Boer wars. In 1918, Kuyper played an important role in the formation of the first cabinet led by Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck . In 1920, at the age of 83 Kuyper died in The Hague and was buried amid great public attention. Kuyper's theological and political views are linked. His orthodox Protestant beliefs heavily influenced his anti-revolutionary politics. Christianity • Protestantism In 1905 there

2952-641: The English. In 1896, Kuyper voted against the new suffrage law of Van Houten , because according to Kuyper the reforms did not go far enough. In the 1897 elections , Kuyper competed in Zuidhorn , Sliedrecht and Amsterdam . He was defeated by liberals in Zuidhorn and Amsterdam, but he defeated the liberal Wisboom in Sliedrecht. In Amsterdam he was defeated by Johannes Tak van Poortvliet . As an MP, Kuyper kept his job as journalist, and he even became chair of

3034-578: The Netherlands) was formed. This denomination has its counterpart in the Christian Reformed Church in North America . He vigorously ridiculed modernism in theology as a new-fangled fad based on a superficial view of reality. He argued that modernism missed the reality of God, of prayer, of sin, and of the church. He said modernism would eventually prove as useless as 'A Squeezed Out Lemon Peel,' while traditional religious truths would survive. In his lectures at Princeton in 1898 he argued that Calvinism

3116-483: The Netherlands). It was the larger of the two major Reformed denominations, after the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands ( Gereformeerde kerk ) was founded in 1892. It spread to the United States , South Africa , Indonesia , Sri Lanka , Brazil , and various other world regions through Dutch colonization . Allegiance to the Dutch Reformed Church was a common feature among Dutch immigrant communities around

3198-638: The Protestant movement. Two years later, in 1568, following an attack on the Netherlands by the forces of the Duke of Alba, many Netherlanders fled to the German city of Wesel , where a Synod was convened at which the Belgic Confession and Heidelberg Catechism were adopted, and provisions were made for the offices of pastor, elder, teacher and deacon. The first Synod of 23 Dutch Reformed leaders

3280-441: The Republic. Although it remained endorsed by the royal family, the Netherlands never had any public church afterwards. The Reformation was a time of religious violence between the established Catholic Church, Protestants and governments, in some cases. Efforts to form a Reformed church in the southern provinces stemmed from a secret meeting of Protestant leaders at Antwerp in 1566, and despite Spanish repression, many nobles joined

3362-631: The Stone Lectures (1898). Harinck argues that "Kuyper was not guided by the cultural racism of his day, but by his Calvinistic creed of human equality". Kuyper's legacy includes a granddaughter, Johtje Vos , who is noted for having sheltered many Jews in her home in the Netherlands from the Nazis . After World War II she moved to New York City . Kuyper wrote several theological and political books: Dutch Reformed Church The Dutch Reformed Church ( Dutch : Nederlandse Hervormde Kerk , pronounced [ˈneːdərlɑntsə ɦɛrˈvɔr(ə)mdə ˈkɛr(ə)k] , abbreviated NHK [ˌɛnɦaːˈkaː] )

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3444-411: The VAR merged with the Christian Historical Voters' League to form the Christian Historical Party . The term anti-revolutionary was used to denote supporters of the main Protestant party, the Anti Revolutionary Party, which denounced the French Revolution . The dissenters against the organizational and political course of the ARP called themselves free antirevolutionaries , implying that they upheld

3526-410: The anti-revolutionary MP Guillaume Groen van Prinsterer , who heavily influenced his political and theological views (see below ). Around 1866, he began to sympathise with the orthodox tendency within the Dutch Reformed Church. He was inspired by the robust reformed faith of Pietje Baltus , a single woman in her early 30s, the daughter of a miller. He began to oppose the centralization in the church,

3608-431: The antithesis between religious and non-religious parties. Catholic influences within society should be limited. The VAR advocated limited government. It supported only limited government interference in the economy and instead advocated charity to help the poor. Furthermore, the party opposed general suffrage . This table shows the VAR's results in elections to the House of Representatives and Senate , as well as

3690-440: The cradle of pillarisation , the social expression of the anti-thesis in public life. His championing of parity treatment for faith-based organisations and institutions created the basis for the alliance between Protestants and Catholics that has dominated Dutch politics to the present day. One of the major political parties of the Netherlands, the CDA , is still heavily influenced by Kuyper's thought. His greatest theological act,

3772-457: The election two anti-revolutionary parliamentary parties were formed one, led by Kuyper favoured the suffrage which was backed by the ARP, while the other led by De Savorin Lohman rejected it. With De Savorin Lohman many aristocrats and noblemen left the ARP, as did adherents of the Dutch Reformed Church , as opposed to the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands , which was founded by Kuyper himself. The group around De Savorin Lohman sought to found

3854-425: The elections Kuyper became chair of the parliamentary caucus of the ARP. In his second term as MP he concentrated on more issues than education, like suffrage , labour , and foreign policy . In foreign affairs especially the Second Boer War was of particular interest to him, in the conflict between the Dutch-speaking reformed farmers and the English-speaking Anglicans he sided with the Boers, and heavily opposed

3936-423: The first Dutch Reformed Church in the Caribbean . During the period of Dutch settlement in Brazil in the 17th century colonists organised the Reformed Church in Pernambuco . In Canada and the United States , the oldest and second largest body is the Reformed Church in America , which was the American branch of the Dutch Reformed Church in the Netherlands between 1628 and 1819. The Brookville Reformed Church

4018-407: The formation of the CHU/ARP/ Catholic General League cabinet, thereby denying him the chance to return as minister. In 1908, Kuyper received the honorary title of minister of state . He was elected to the House of Representatives for the district of Ommen in the by-elections in the same year, defeating the liberal De Meester. He also ran in Sneek where he was elected as sole candidate. Kuyper took

4100-619: The foundation for the Anti-Revolutionary Party . In this programme he formulated the principle of antithesis , the conflict between the religious (Reformed and Catholics) and non-religious. More broadly, this programme articulated his broader political philosophy, emphasizing the proper role of government among the other spheres of life, including the family and the church. Kuyper argued that government's authority, like all human authority, derived from God's authority. In 1877, he left parliament because of problems with his health, suffering from overexertion. In 1878, Kuyper returned to politics, he led

4182-597: The foundations laid by Kuyper. In North America , Kuyper's political and theological views have had a significant impact, especially in the Reformed community. He is considered the father of Dutch Neo-Calvinism and had considerable influence on the thought of philosopher Herman Dooyeweerd . Others that have been influenced by Kuyper include Auguste Lecerf , Francis Schaeffer , Cornelius Van Til , Alvin Plantinga , Nicholas Wolterstorff , Albert M. Wolters , Vincent Bacote, Anthony Bradley , Chuck Colson , Timothy J. Keller , James Skillen , R. Tudur Jones , Bobi Jones , and

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4264-421: The founding of the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands was largely undone in 2004 with the creation of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands which united the Dutch Reformed Church , the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands . There is still a small federation named the Continued Reformed Churches in the Netherlands which remains loyal to

4346-468: The future. He also received an honorary doctorate in law there. During his time in the United States, he also traveled to address several Dutch Reformed congregations in Michigan and Iowa and Presbyterian gatherings in Ohio and New Jersey. In the 1901 elections , Kuyper was re-elected in Sliedrecht, defeating the liberal De Klerk. In Amsterdam he was defeated again, now by the freethinking liberal Nolting. He did not take his seat in parliament however but

4428-474: The hip hop artist Lecrae . Institutions influenced by Kuyper include Cardus (formerly The Work Research Foundation), Calvin College , The Clapham Institute, Dordt College , Institute for Christian Studies , Redeemer University College , The Coalition for Christian Outreach , Covenant College , The Center for Public Justice, and the Washington Institute for Faith, Vocation, & Culture. In 2006, Reformed Bible College , located in Grand Rapids , Michigan

4510-460: The interest of a level playing field, he championed the right of every faith community (among whom he counted humanists and socialists) to operate their own schools, newspapers, hospitals, youth movements etc. He sought equal government finances for all faith-based institutions. He saw an important role for the state in upholding the morality of the Dutch people. He favoured monarchy, and saw the House of Orange as historically and religiously linked to

4592-582: The interests of a group of middle class orthodox reformed, who were often referred to as "the little people" ( de kleine luyden ). He formulated the principle of antithesis : a divide between secular and religious politics. Liberals and socialists , who were opposed to mixing religion and politics were his natural opponents. Catholics were a natural ally, for not only did they want to practice religiously inspired politics, but they also were no electoral opponent, because they appealed to different religious groups. Socialists, who preached class conflict , were

4674-431: The largest church body in the Netherlands until the middle of the 20th century, when it was overtaken by the Catholic Church . The rapid secularisation of the Netherlands in the 1960s dramatically reduced participation in the mainstream Protestant church. From the '60s onward, a number of attempts were made to effect a reunion with the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands ( Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland ). This led to

4756-405: The law demanded that every public official should be a communicant member. Consequently, the Church had close relations with the Dutch government. A privilege of members of the Dutch Reformed Church was that they could have their businesses open on Sundays, otherwise considered a religious day and not one for business. The Dutch Reformed Church was officially disestablished in 1795 with the end of

4838-578: The lower classes gave him the nickname "The bellringer of the common people" ( klokkenist van de kleine luyden ). His position on suffrage also led to a conflict within the ARP: a group around Alexander de Savornin Lohman was opposed on principle to universal suffrage because they rejected popular sovereignty ; they left the ARP to found the CHU in 1901. The authoritarian leadership of Kuyper also played an important role in this conflict. Lohman opposed party discipline and wanted MPs to make up their own mind, while Kuyper favoured strong leadership. After

4920-450: The main Protestant party the Anti Revolutionary Party. Unlike that party the VAR did not recognize Catholicism as a legitimate religion. The party was strongly anti-papist . According to the VAR the Netherlands was a Protestant nation. As such it was hostile to the Roman Catholic segment of society. It renounced the coalition between the Protestant Anti Revolutionary Party and the Catholic General League and more generally it rejected

5002-434: The next year, Kuyper stood again in the by-election for the same district. This time he was elected to parliament, defeating the liberal candidate Herman Verners van der Loeff . Kuyper subsequently moved to The Hague , without telling his friends in Amsterdam. In parliament he showed a particular interest in education, especially the equal financing of public and religious schools . In 1876, he wrote "Our Program" which laid

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5084-779: The party's political leadership: the fractievoorzitter. It also possible that the party leader is member of cabinet, if the VAR was part of the governing coalition, the "highest ranking" minister is listed. The electorate of the VAR was mainly constituted by adherents of the Dutch Reformed Church from the upper class, especially nobility , land owners , high officers and high-ranking civil servants . It won and kept seats in several districts with large reformed populations, Goes in Zeeland , Apeldoorn in Gelderland , Dokkum in Friesland and Katwijk and Schiedam in South Holland . Abraham Kuyper Abraham Kuyper ( / ˈ k aɪ p ər / KY -pər , Dutch: [ˈaːbraːɦɑm ˈkœypər] ; 29 October 1837 – 8 November 1920)

5166-490: The pluralistic nature of the merged church, which they allege contains partly contradicting Reformed and Lutheran confessions. This conservative group also opposes the ordination of women and the blessing of same-sex unions in Christian churches , which have been adopted as practices by the merged church. Dutch migrants carried the Dutch Reformed Church with them, planting several Reformed denominations in Kenya (The Reformed Church of East Africa), South Africa , including

5248-453: The public universities, was defeated in the Senate . Consequently, Kuyper dissolved the Senate and, after a new one was elected, the legislation was accepted. He was also heavily involved in foreign policy, giving him the nickname "Minister of Foreign Travels". In 1905, his ARP lost the elections and was confined to opposition. Between 1905 and 1907, Kuyper made a grand tour around the Mediterranean . In 1907, Kuyper became honorary doctor at

5330-512: The role of the King and began to plead for the separation of church and state . In 1867, Kuyper was asked to become minister for the parish in Utrecht and he left Beesd. In 1870 he was asked to come to Amsterdam . In 1871 he began to write for the De Heraut ( The Herald ). In 1872, he founded his own paper, De Standaard ( The Standard ). This paper laid the foundation for the network of Reformed organisation (the Reformed pillar ), which Kuyper founded. In 1886, Kuyper led an exodus from

5412-409: The seat for Ommen. In 1909, he was made chair of the committee that prepared the new orthography of the Dutch language . In the same year he also received an honorary doctorate at the Catholic University of Leuven . In the 1909 elections he was re-elected in Ommen, defeating the liberal Teesselink, but he was defeated in Dordrecht by the liberal De Kanter. In 1909, he came under heavy criticism in

5494-442: The so-called decorations affairs ( lintjeszaak ). While minister of home affairs, Kuyper allegedly received money from one Rudolf Lehman , to make him Officer in the Order of Orange-Nassau . A parliamentary debate was held on the subject and a committee was instituted to research the claim. In 1910, the committee reported that Kuyper was innocent. Between 1910 and 1912, he was member of the committee headed by Heemskerk, which prepared

5576-452: The strikes (the so-called "worgwetten", strangling laws), and pushed them through parliament. He also proposed legislation to improve working conditions ; however only those on fishing and harbour construction passed through parliament. In education Kuyper changed several education laws to improve the financial situation of religious schools. His law on higher education, which would make the diplomas of faith-based universities equal to that of

5658-419: The time of the merger, the Church had 2 million members organised in 1,350 congregations. A minority of members of the church chose not to participate in the merger and instead formed the Restored Reformed Church (HHK). Before the demise of the Dutch Republic in 1795, the Dutch Reformed Church enjoyed the status of "public" or "privileged" church. Though it was never formally adopted as the state religion ,

5740-582: The two churches uniting with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands ( Evangelisch-Lutherse Kerk in het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden ) to establish the Protestant Church in the Netherlands in 2004. The 2004 merger led to a separation in which a number of congregations and members of the Dutch Reformed Church separated to form the Restored Reformed Church ( Hersteld Hervormde Kerk ). Estimations of their membership vary from 35,000 up to 70,000 in about 120 local congregations served by 88 ministers. The Restored Reformed Church disapproves of

5822-408: The world and became a crucial part of Afrikaner nationalism in South Africa. The Dutch Reformed Church was founded in 1571 during the Protestant Reformation in the Calvinist tradition, being shaped theologically by John Calvin , but also other major Reformed theologians. The church was influenced by various theological developments and controversies during its history, including Arminianism ,

5904-406: Was a higher education law enacted, but Kuyper was against this and became part of the opposition. Theologically Kuyper has also been very influential. He opposed the liberal tendencies within the Dutch Reformed Church . This eventually led to secession and the foundation of Reformed Churches in the Netherlands . He developed the so-called neo-Calvinism , which goes beyond conventional Calvinism on

5986-558: Was held in Dordrecht in 1578. This synodical meeting is not to be confused with the better known Second Synod of Dort of 1618. Large groups of Marranos settled in Emden and converted to Christianity . Mostly all Marranos , many Jewish groups converted to Christianity around 1649 to the Nederduitsche , Niederdeutsche church later on Dutch Reformed Church. In the latter meeting, the Church fathers expelled Arminians and added

6068-586: Was held in October 1571 in the German city of Emden . The Synod of Emden is generally considered to be the founding of the Dutch Reformed Church, the oldest of the Reformed churches in the Netherlands. The Synod both affirmed the actions of the earlier Synod of Wesel, as well as established presbyterian church government for the Dutch Reformed Church. The first Synod to be located in the Dutch Republic

6150-423: Was instead appointed formateur and later prime minister of the Dutch cabinet. He also served as minister of Home Affairs . He originally wanted to become minister of labour and enterprise, but neither Mackay or Heemskerk , prominent anti-revolutionaries, wanted to become minister of Home Affairs, forcing him to take the portfolio. During his time as prime minister he showed a strong leadership style: he changed

6232-466: Was more than theology—it provided a comprehensive worldview and indeed had already proven to be a major positive factor in the development of the institutions and values of modern society. In 1873, Kuyper stood as candidate in the general election for parliament for the constituency of Gouda , but he was defeated by the incumbent member of parliament, the conservative Jonkheer Willem Maurits de Brauw (1810–1874)  [ nl ] . When De Brauw died

6314-403: Was promoted to Doctor in theology on the basis of a dissertation entitled "Disquisitio historico-theologica, exhibens Johannis Calvini et Johannis à Lasco de Ecclesia Sententiarum inter se compositionem" (Theological-historical dissertation showing the differences in the rules of the church, between John Calvin and John Łaski). In comparing the views of John Calvin and Jan Łaski , Kuyper showed

6396-401: Was renamed in honor of Abraham Kuyper and is now Kuyper College . As well as Kuyper's profound influence upon European Christian-Democrat politics up to the present, his political theology was also crucial in the history of South Africa. His legacy in South Africa is arguably even greater than within the Netherlands. There, his Christian-National conception, centred upon the identification of

6478-567: Was the Prime Minister of the Netherlands between 1901 and 1905, an influential neo-Calvinist pastor and a journalist. He established the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands , which upon its foundation became the second largest Reformed denomination in the country behind the state-supported Dutch Reformed Church . In addition, he founded the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam , the Anti-Revolutionary Party , and

6560-661: Was the largest Christian denomination in the Netherlands from the onset of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century until 1930. It was the traditional denomination of the Dutch royal family and the foremost Protestant denomination until 2004, the year it helped found and merged into the Protestant Church in the Netherlands (the largest Protestant and second largest Christian communion in

6642-647: Was told by church leaders that he could not preach against certain colleagues, who he believed held erroneous views. He and his congregation seceded from the Dutch Reformed Church. In time, the Afscheiding (the Separation) led to the departure of 120 congregations from the Dutch Reformed Church. In 1886, another separation, the Doleantie , occurred, led by Dutch Reformed journalist, theologian and politician Abraham Kuyper . The Dutch Reformed Church remained

6724-414: Was very important for Kuyper. He rejected the popular sovereignty of France in which all rights originated with the individual, and the state-sovereignty of Germany in which all rights derived from the state. Instead, he wanted to honour the "intermediate bodies" in society, such as schools and universities, the press, business and industry, the arts etc., each of which would be sovereign in its own sphere. In

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