Reformed Churches in the Netherlands

The Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland ( GKN ) were until 1 May 2004, a Protestant church organization in the Netherlands. Lower church you have to imagine doing a local church who have joined forces with other federal government to rather loose GKN.

The Reformed, specifically designated as Gereformeerd in Dutch, are strictly - orthodox Calvinists, that belong to a Protestant direction of Christianity. They constitute about four percent of the Dutch population.

Development

GKN was significantly more severe in the faith and in everyday life as the Nederlandse Hervormde Kerk ( NHK ), from which the GKN had split off in 1892 with significant leadership of Abraham Kuyper. Within the NHK a group called Gereformeerde Bond was left, which is partly traditional than the GKN. Since the merger of three churches in 2004, there is the Protestant Church in the Netherlands, the PKN. This union stayed away from the strictest of gereformeerden. This is especially true for the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands ( Liberated ) of 1944, which had split from the GKN and since 2004, the second largest Dutch Reformed Church (after the PKN ).

The term Gereformeerd literally means " reformed " Hervormd as well as the existing Dutch word from word roots. During the 19th century, especially after the Afscheiding of 1834, a distinction was made between the liberal Hervormden and the strict religious gereformeerden, for example, reject Darwinism and observe the Sunday rest embarrassing. By the latter is meant that the gereformeerden Sunday amusements and not engage in any instance buy their children no ice because the ice cream man is working on Sunday. Nevertheless, both directions rely on John Calvin, although the Hervormden are far more open to other influences.

Politics and Society

In politics, in 1870, the anti - revolutionists Partij established as a political arm of the gereformeerden. When election results of only around ten percent, it had a far greater impact and provided several prime ministers. The party went 1977/1980 on the Christians Democratisch Appèl, together with the much larger Katholieke Volkspartij and similar small Christelijk Historical Unie.

Compared to the CHU ARP was more of the little people, the party, while the CHU rather addressed the upper class and the aristocracy. The CHU thought to defend the Protestant character of the entire country, while the ARP was skeptical whether this is realistic in view of secularization in the 19th century. The leader of the Anti-Revolutionary, Abraham Kuyper, therefore spoke of the sovereignty in their own milieu ( souverain in intrinsically kring ). The gereformeerden should set up their own education and in general to deal mainly with his own people. Similarly, the Catholics went before, and later the Socialists. So it was a social particularism which has been received as pillarisation in the history books. The population groups in the Netherlands lived side by side for the national compensation was provided by the cooperation of the respective elites. The flowering phase of this pillarisation seen in the years 1917 to about 1970, 1917, the religious groups had reached it, that her education was paid for mainly by the state.; in the 1960s, the church affiliation of many Dutch fell sharply.

The still existing state Kundig Gereformeerde Partij of 1918 represents the most radical gereformeerden and comes at a very constant election results from about 1.5 to two percent. She was always in opposition. Finally there is the more pragmatic ChristianUnion, which is clearly in the political center except in religious matters. The issues of environmental protection and refugees, their position is even more left. Unlike the SGP, the CU has experience in government since 2007.

Notable people

Known gereformeerden in the Netherlands are of Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, the TV presenter Andries Knevel as well as a parliamentary reporter Frits Wester. Formerly Gereformeerd were the writer Maarten 't Hart, the Social Democratic Minister Eberhard van der Laan (since July 7, 2010 Mayor of Amsterdam ) and the TV presenter Jack Spijkerman.