The Inspiring Story of Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920)

Abraham Kuyper was a Dutch politician, journalist, church reformer, theologian, pastor and educator whose influence shaped both Dutch society and Christian thinking about all areas of life and society. He was a founder of a Christian university, the Free University in Amsterdam and a Christian political party—the Anti-revolutionary Party—and even found time to become the Prime Minister of the Netherlands (1901-1905).

He was born in Maassluis in the nineteenth century and died in The Hague in the twentieth century but his impact and legacy stretch into the twenty-first. In his day Kuyper sought to awaken Christians from “a pietistic slumber” and today his work and prolific writings are helping many to appreciate the kingdom of God in all areas of society. Not just church life. He summed up his key idea like this:

“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!”

No area of life is exempt from the gracious and merciful rule of Christ. We should not reduce the Christian faith to just church and its busy programmes. Kuyper not only preached this but he lived it. He was a multifaceted and multitalented character. Even his many enemies recognised he was a man of many heads. He was born in a liberal Calvinist home, studied at a secular university and became a church pastor, before he experienced a powerful, evangelical conversion.

As a newspaper editor, he edited two newspapers, the weekly De Heraut and, the daily, De Standaard. He founded a Christian political party, the Anti-Revolutionary Party, became a politician and established a new church denomination. He also worked as a church pastor. While Kuyper was deeply involved in church, politics and journalism, his theological contributions laid the groundwork for his work.

Kuyper’s ideas, sometimes described as neo-Calvinism, have had a lasting impact on politics, education and theology. He believed that faith should shape not only personal life but also public life. In his Lectures on Calvinism (1898), Kuyper proposed that Calvinism was not just a religious doctrine but a comprehensive worldview, providing a lens through which to view every sphere of life—education, politics, art, business, science, media etc. He rejected the pervasive and insidious idea that faith and public life can be separated into a ‘secular’ and a ‘sacred’ realm.

He was a theologian. Indeed he was the first professor of theology at the Free University. He wrote three volumes on the importance of God’s common grace by which God upholds the creation he loves and mercifully restrains the full impact of human evil and depravity resulting from our disobedience to God. In God’s providential care for the creation he not only restrains the consequences of sin but also enables all people, both saved and unsaved, to contribute good things to culture, science, technology, and the arts.

Another of Kuyper’s biblical insights was sphere sovereignty. Kuyper discovered in a fresh way that God has given humans many different kinds of responsibility; each with its own unique character. He urged fellow believers to recognise the distinctions between family life, business life, politics, the arts etc. Each sphere is a gift of God and a call to serve God and neighbour as faithful stewards in that arena of responsibility. This insight helps us to grasp what is misguided and misleading when people ignore these crucial distinctions in God’s good creation. These spheres should remain independent and no one sphere should interfere with or bully other spheres. This insight can help us to discern the dangerous distortions in communist, fascist and capitalist societies.

These biblical ideas show that cultural withdrawal is not an option for Christians. This was why he was active in the advancement of Christian schools and the founding of a Christian university. He believed that institutions, like schools and universities, cannot be neutral.

Our story about George Cadbury can help us to understand that a chocolate factory can either honour Jesus or an idol such as Mammon (Matthew 6:24). For Kuyper it isn’t just individuals who can follow Jesus. A business enterprise can also love and obey God. Kuyper helps us to understand the significance of Cadbury’s chocolate factory. His employees loved working in this amazing work place. Doesn’t everyone want a good job? We crave work that is meaningful, enjoyable and well paid. This is what a vibrant Christian work community can contribute to a flourishing and happy society. Churches on their own cannot do this. Why is this the case?

Christians gather together for different reasons. We gather together to worship, take communion and learn about God. We call this church. Some Christians gather together in order to make chocolate, thus creating exciting work opportunities for their employees. We call this a business. Some believers gather together in order to carefully study the world. We call this a university. Some disciples gather together in order to write insightful, biblically inspired articles about the world. We call this a Christian newspaper. Others might meet together to talk about how to serve God as painters and poets. We might call this an artistic community. Consider the Clapham Sect. This was a group of influential evangelical Christians who gathered together late 18^th and early 19^th century in order to abolish the slave trade. Kuyper helps us to understand that the term “Christian community” is not limited to the local church. We gather together for many different godly reasons as we seek to further Christ’s kingdom on earth.

Education, for Kuyper, was a vital issue. Schools were important because they always communicate a particular worldview be it secular, protestant or catholic. Kuyper believed that so-called ‘neutral’ schools were a myth. The school struggle, as it became known in the Netherlands, lasted several decades. Kuyper wrote:

         “The school should belong, not to the church, not to the State, but to parents!”

To implement change Kuyper realised it needed political involvement and so he entered the challenging and messy world of politics. His main goals as Prime Minister were to stem the influence of drunkenness and indecency, to deal with the impact of the industrial revolution on workers and to bring about educational reform. Unfortunately, several pressing issues confronted Kuyper, including the Russian–Japanese war and a nationwide rail strike. These challenges left him little time to press through with his social reforms.

The rail strike of 1903 proved to be a severe test for Kuyper’s government. The strike almost brought the country to a standstill. Kuyper was forced to take measures such as the foundation of a railway brigade, the setting up of a committee to investigate the status and claims of the railway workers and penalties for the dereliction of duty. Kuyper’s time as Prime Minister was marked by significant challenges that slowed the implementation of his reforms.

However, one of Kuyper’s major achievements during his time as Prime Minister was a Higher Education Act. It became law in 1905. This law meant that the Free University, and other non-State universities could award degrees and were on the same footing as the public universities. This included government funding for Christian schools and universities. Evangelische Omroep (EO) is an evangelical‑broadcasting association that is part of the Dutch public broadcasting system. Because of Kuyper it is publicly funded.

Kuyper’s legacy extends far beyond his theological or political career. He was a key figure in the development of Christian social thought, particularly in how religious belief can influence public and political life. His emphasis on common grace provides a theological basis for Christian engagement with the wider world, including science, culture, media, the arts and politics.

His view that faith should inform every aspect of life has influenced debates on the relationship between church and state, the role of religion in education, and how Christians can contribute to a complex and pluralistic society. His idea that “no single square inch” of life is exempt from Christ’s kingdom continues to inspire those who are exploring the role of faith in public life today.

Abraham Kuyper rightly prevents Christianity from being put in a church box or just being described as “religion”. Rather he shows that the whole of life is lived before God and is subject to the merciful rule of Christ. He brings Christianity into every area of life and its institutions where it truly belongs as a living and dynamic faith.

Let us thank God for His faithful and very inspiring servant, Abraham Kuyper.

This article is co-authored with Steve Bishop. His excellent book Kuyper: A Primer will be available in December.

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Mark Roques

Mark taught Philosophy and Religious Education at Prior Park College, Bath, for many years. As Director of RealityBites he has developed a rich range of resources for youth workers and teachers. He has spoken at conferences in the UK, Holland, South Korea, Spain, Australia and New Zealand.

Mark is a lively storyteller and the author of four books, including The Spy, the Rat and the Bed of Nails: Creative Ways of Talking about Christian Faith. His work is focused on storytelling and how this can help us to communicate the Christian faith. He has written many articles for the Baptist Times, RE Today, Youthscape, Direction magazine and the Christian Teachers Journal.

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