Abraham Kuyper

Abraham Kuyper ( born October 29, 1837 in Maassluis, † November 8, 1920 in The Hague) was a Dutch Reformed theologian, politician, statesman and journalist.

Life

Abraham Kuyper was the son of a pastor. He studied theology in Leiden, where he also reached the doctoral degree. From 1863 to 1867 he was a pastor in the church Beesd.

1871 Kuyper founded the Church's weekly newspaper De Heraut, a year later, the daily De Standaard. Kuyper was the founder of the first political party in the Netherlands, the ARP, which he chaired from 1879 until his death in 1920. In 1880 he founded the Free University of Amsterdam, where he also taught as a professor of theology, and was involved in the formation of the Reformed Church Association Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland. Kuyper was 1901-1905 Prime Minister of the Netherlands.

1908, the honorary title of Minister of State, he was awarded.

Kuyper was head and spokesman of a Protestant flow that originated in the 1880s, it was believed that God intervenes constantly in the world. It was assumed that this intervention of God would be visible in everyday events.

His supporters came mainly from a section of the people, which was designated as the small luyden ( ordinary people ). For she was an esteemed political leader. His adversaries were initially especially the Liberals, and later the Socialists. Communism was the Christian faith against more reluctant, as the Marxist doctrine any transcendent faith denied the right to exist and be replaced by the state was looking for. The anti-socialist orientation Kuypers, among other things it clear that he is " anti-revolutionary " gave his newly founded party name. Here lies the origin of a social development in the Benelux countries, referred to as pillarisation ( verzuiling ). There is established an autonomous social structure of the Reformed within society (media, education, associations, etc.); Catholics, liberals and socialists had their own "pillars".

Works by him include: Encyclopaedia Theologiae, 3 volumes, 1894; E voto Dordraceno, 3 volumes, 1900 and Reformation resist Revolution ( German 1904). Kuyper is often regarded as one of the spiritual fathers of European Christian Democracy.

24971
de