View source for Abraham Kuyper

{{Short description|Dutch prime minister and theologian (1837–1920)}}
{{redirect|Kuyper|other people of the same name|Kuiper|the American college|Kuyper College}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix    = [[Excellency|His Excellency]] [[the Reverend]]
| name                = Abraham Kuyper
| image               = Abraham Kuyper 1905 (1).jpg
| caption             = Kuyper in 1905
| office              = [[Prime Minister of the Netherlands]]
| term_start          = 1 August 1901
| term_end            = 17 August 1905
| monarch             = [[Wilhelmina of the Netherlands|Wilhelmina]]
| predecessor         = [[Nicolaas Pierson]]
| successor           = [[Theo de Meester]]
| office1             = [[Senate (Netherlands)|Member of the Senate]]
| term_start1         = 16 September 1913
| term_end1           = 22 September 1920
| parliamentarygroup1 = [[Anti-Revolutionary Party]]
| office2             = [[List of Ministers of the Interior of the Netherlands|Minister of the Interior]]
| term_start2         = 1 August 1901
| term_end2           = 17 August 1905
| primeminister2      = Himself
| predecessor2        = [[Hendrik Goeman Borgesius]]
| successor2          = [[Pieter Rink]]
| office3             = [[Parliamentary leader]] in the <br /> [[House of Representatives (Netherlands)|House of Representatives]]
| term_start3         = 13 November 1908
| term_end3           = 18 September 1912
| predecessor3        = [[Jan Hendrik de Waal Malefijt]]
| successor3          = [[Gerrit Middelberg]]
| term_start4         = 16 September 1896
| term_end4           = 1 August 1901
| predecessor4        = [[Jan van Alphen]]
| successor4          = [[Jan van Alphen]]
| term_start5         = 20 May 1894
| term_end5           = 1 July 1894
| predecessor5        = ''Office established''
| successor5          = [[Jan van Alphen]]
| office6             = [[Anti-Revolutionary Party#Leadership|Leader of the Anti-Revolutionary Party]]
| term_start6         = 3 April 1879
| term_end6           = 31 March 1920
| predecessor6        = ''Office established''
| successor6          = [[Hendrikus Colijn]]
| office7             = [[Anti-Revolutionary Party#Leadership|Chairman of the Anti-Revolutionary Party]]
| term_start7         = 12 February 1907
| term_end7           = 31 March 1920
| leader7             = Himself
| predecessor7        = [[Herman Bavinck]]
| successor7          = [[Hendrikus Colijn]]
| term_start8         = 3 April 1879
| term_end8           = 17 August 1905
| leader8             = Himself
| predecessor8        = ''Office established''
| successor8          = [[Herman Bavinck]]
| office9             = [[House of Representatives (Netherlands)|Member of the House of Representatives]]
| term_start9         = 13 November 1908
| term_end9           = 18 September 1912
| term_start10        = 16 May 1894
| term_end10          = 31 July 1901
| term_start11        = 20 March 1874
| term_end11          = 1 June 1877
| birthname           = Abraham Kuyper
| birth_date          = {{Birth date|1837|10|29|df=y}}
| birth_place         = [[Maassluis]], [[Netherlands]]
| death_date          = {{Death date and age|1920|11|08|1837|10|29|df=y}}
| death_place         = [[The Hague]], [[Netherlands]]
| nationality         = [[Netherlands|Dutch]]
| party               = [[Anti-Revolutionary Party]] <br />(from 1879)
| spouse              = {{marriage|Johanna Hendrika Schaay|1 July 1863|25 August 1899|reason=died}}
| children            = {{ubli|[[Herman Kuyper]] (1864–1945) | Jan Kuyper (1866–1933) | Henriëtte Kuyper (1870–1933) | Abraham Kuyper Jr. (1872–1941) | Johanna Kuyper (1875–1948) | Catharina Kuyper (1876–1955) | Guillaume Kuyper (1878–1941) | Levinus Kuyper (1882–1892)}}
| residence           = 
| alma_mater          = [[Leiden University]]
| occupation          = {{hlist|[[Politician]] | [[Minister (Christianity)|Minister]] | [[Theology|Theologian]] | [[Historian]] | [[Journalist]] | [[Author]] | [[Academic administration|Academic administrator]] | [[Professor]]}}
| signature           = Signature Kuyper.jpg
| website             = 
}}
{{Portal|Reformed Christianity}}
'''Abraham Kuyper''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|aɪ|p|ər}} {{respell|KY|pər}}, {{IPA|nl|ˈaːbraːɦɑm ˈkœypər|lang}}; 29 October 1837 – 8 November 1920){{sfn|Snel|2020|p=20}} was the [[Prime Minister of the Netherlands]] between 1901 and 1905, an influential [[Neo-Calvinism|neo-Calvinist]] pastor and a journalist. He established the [[Reformed Churches in the Netherlands]], which upon its foundation became the second largest [[Calvinist|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 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 [[Arminianism|Arminian]] religious revivals of his day which denied predestination.{{sfn |Wood|2013|p=}} He vigorously denounced [[Liberal Christianity|modernism in theology]] as 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 [[Antithesis (Netherlands)|anti-thesis]] in public life, whereby [[Protestant]], [[Catholic]] and [[Irreligion|secular]] elements each had their own independent schools, universities and social organisations.

== Early life ==
Abraham Kuyper was born on 29 October 1837 in [[Maassluis]], Netherlands. His father Jan Frederik Kuyper served as a [[Minister (Christianity)|minister]] for the [[Dutch Reformed Church]] in [[Hoogmade]], Maassluis, [[Middelburg, Zeeland|Middelburg]] and [[Leiden]].

Kuyper was [[home school|home-school]]ed by his father. The boy received no formal [[primary education]], but received [[secondary education]] at the [[Education in the Netherlands|Gymnasium]] of Leiden. In 1855, he graduated from the Gymnasium and began to study [[literature]], [[philosophy]] and [[theology]] at [[Leiden University]]. He received his [[propaedeutics|propaedeuse]] in literature in 1857, [[summa cum laude]], and in philosophy in 1858, also summa cum laude. He also took classes in [[Arabic]], [[Armenian language|Armenian]] and [[physics]].

In 1862 he 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 a clear sympathy for the more liberal Łaski. During his studies Kuyper was a member of the [[liberal christianity|modern tendency]] within the Dutch Reformed Church.

== Religious life ==
In May 1862, he was declared eligible for the [[Minister of religion|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 the anti-revolutionary MP [[Guillaume Groen van Prinsterer]], who heavily influenced his political and theological views (see [[#Views|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.{{sfn|Mouw|2011|p= 3}} He began to oppose the centralization in the church, the role of the [[Dutch monarchy|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 (city)|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 (Dutch newspaper)|De Standaard]]'' (''The Standard''). This paper laid the foundation for the network of Reformed organisation (the Reformed [[pillarisation|pillar]]), which Kuyper founded.

=== Doleantie ===
In 1886, Kuyper led an exodus from 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.<ref name="Dan Knight"/>

Kuyper and the [[Consistory (Protestantism)#Reformed usage|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 the Amsterdam consistory, were suspended in December 1885. This was appealed to the provincial synod, which upheld the ruling in a 1 July 1886 ruling.<ref name="Dan Knight">{{cite web|url=http://reformed.net/bios/abraham-kuyper.htm |title=Dr. Abraham Kuyper |access-date=2008-02-06 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513070959/http://reformed.net/bios/abraham-kuyper.htm |archive-date=May 13, 2008 }}</ref>

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 {{lang|nl|[[Doleantie]]}} (grieving ones).

By 1889, the {{lang|nl|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 {{lang|nl|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 {{lang|nl|Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland}} (Reformed Churches in the Netherlands) was formed. This denomination has its counterpart in the [[Christian Reformed Church in North America]].

=== Anti-modernism ===
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.{{sfn | Molendijk | 2011 }}  In his lectures at Princeton in 1898 he argued that  Calvinism 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.{{sfn | Molendijk | 2008 }}

== Political life ==
{{Christian Democracy sidebar|people}}

=== Member of Parliament ===
In 1873, Kuyper stood as candidate in the general election for parliament for the constituency of [[Gouda, South Holland|Gouda]], but he was defeated by the incumbent member of parliament, the conservative [[Jonkheer]] {{Ill|Willem Maurits de Brauw (1810–1874)|nl|Willem Maurits de Brauw (1810-1874)}}. When De Brauw died 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 [[School struggle (Netherlands)|equal financing of public and religious schools]]. In 1876, he wrote "Our Program" which laid the foundation for the [[Anti-Revolutionary Party]]. In this programme he formulated the principle of [[Christian democracy in the Netherlands|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 the [[petition]] against a new law on [[education in the Netherlands|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 [[Partijvoorzitter|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 the [[Vrije Universiteit|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 [[Reformed Churches in the Netherlands|''Dolerenden'']] (those with grievances). In 1892, those Dolerenden founded 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 [[1894 Dutch general election|general election]] of 1894, Kuyper was re-elected to the [[House of Representatives of the Netherlands|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 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 [[Householder Franchise|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 the lower classes gave him the nickname "The bellringer of the common people" ({{lang|nl|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 [[Christelijk Historische Unie|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 the elections Kuyper became [[Fractievoorzitter|chair of the parliamentary caucus]] of the ARP. In his second term as MP he concentrated on more issues than education, like [[suffrage]], [[Labour movement|labour]], and [[foreign policy]]. In foreign affairs especially the [[Second Boer War]] was of particular interest to him, in the conflict between the [[afrikaans|Dutch-speaking]] reformed farmers and the English-speaking Anglicans he sided with the Boers, and heavily opposed the English. In 1896, Kuyper voted against the new suffrage law of [[Samuel van Houten|Van Houten]], because according to Kuyper the reforms did not go far enough. In the [[1897 Dutch general election|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 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 [[Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield|B.B. Warfield]], Kuyper delivered the "Stone Lectures"<ref>[https://sources.neocalvinism.org/.full_pdfs/kuyper/LecturesOnCalvinism.pdf Lectures on Calvinism]</ref> at [[Princeton Theological Seminary|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 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.

=== Prime minister ===
[[File:De Ware Jacob 3e jaargang nr. 16 16 januari 1904 Tekening van Albert Hahn.jpg|thumb|left|175px|Caricature of Kuyper by [[Albert Hahn]], from a 1904 edition of the satirical magazine ''De Ware Jacob''.]]
In the [[1901 Dutch general election|1901 elections]], Kuyper was re-elected in Sliedrecht, defeating the liberal De Klerk. In Amsterdam he was defeated again, now by the [[Vrijzinnig Democratische Bond|freethinking liberal]] Nolting. He did not take his seat in parliament however but was instead appointed [[Cabinet of the Netherlands#Formation|formateur]] and later [[Prime Minister of the Netherlands|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 [[Aeneas Baron Mackay|Mackay]] or [[Theo Heemskerk|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 the [[Procedural law|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 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 the public universities, was defeated in the [[Senate of the Netherlands|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".

=== Minister of State ===
In 1905, his ARP lost [[1905 Dutch general election|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 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 [[Theo Heemskerk|Heemskerk]], who had not involved him in the formation of the CHU/ARP/[[Algemeene Bond van RK-kiesverenigingen|Catholic General League]] cabinet, thereby denying him the chance to return as minister. In 1908, Kuyper received the honorary title of [[Minister of State#Other use|minister of state]]. He was elected to the House of Representatives for the district of [[Ommen (electoral district)|Ommen]] in the by-elections in the same year, defeating the [[Liberale Unie|liberal]] De Meester. He also ran in Sneek where he was elected as sole candidate. Kuyper took 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 (1834–1968)|Catholic University of Leuven]]. In the [[1909 Dutch general election|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 the so-called decorations affairs (''lintjeszaak''). While minister of home affairs, Kuyper allegedly received money from one [[Rudolf Lehmann (artist)|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 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 of the Netherlands|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 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.

== Views ==
Kuyper's theological and political views are linked. His orthodox Protestant beliefs heavily influenced his anti-revolutionary politics.

=== Theological views ===
{{Calvinism}}
In 1905 there 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 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 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!{{'"}}<ref>1880 Inaugural Lecture, Free University of Amsterdam, quoted in {{harvnb|Kuyper|1998|p=461}}.</ref>{{verify inline|reason=Previously cited the lecture separately, but a lecture is not directly [[WP:V|verifiable]] and so not acceptable as a source by itself|date=February 2025}} God continually re-creates the universe through acts of grace. God's acts are necessary to ensure the continued existence of [[Creation myth|creation]]. Without his direct activity, creation would self-destruct.{{citation needed|date=December 2020}}

=== Political views ===
Kuyper's political ideals were orthodox-Protestant and anti-revolutionary.

The concept of [[sphere sovereignty]] 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 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 [[School struggle (Netherlands)|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 the Dutch people. His commitment to [[universal suffrage]] was only tactical;{{inconsistent}} 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.{{Citation needed|reason=This seems to infer underlying personal motive and should have reference to Kuyper's direct admission of such belief|date=November 2018}} He also favoured a Senate representing the various interest, vocational and professional groups in society.

With his ideals, he defended the interests of a group of middle class orthodox reformed, who were often referred to as "the little people" ({{lang|nl|de kleine luyden}}). He formulated the principle of [[Christian democracy in the Netherlands|antithesis]]: a divide between secular and religious politics. [[Liberale Unie|Liberals]] and [[Social Democratic Workers' Party (Netherlands)|socialists]], who were opposed to mixing religion and politics, were his natural opponents. [[RKSP|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 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.{{Citation needed|date=October 2025}} 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.

== Legacy ==
Kuyper's political views and acts have influenced [[Politics of the Netherlands|Dutch politics]]. Kuyper stood at the cradle of [[pillarisation]], the social expression of the [[Antithesis (Netherlands)|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 [[Christian Democratic Appeal|CDA]], is still heavily influenced by Kuyper's thought. His greatest theological act, 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 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 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]] 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 the [[Afrikaner Calvinism|Afrikaner Calvinist]] community as the {{lang|af|kern der natie}}, became a rallying position for the [[Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa]]. 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]].{{sfn|Bloomberg| 1989|p=12}}

[[Saul Dubow]] notes that Kuyper advocated "the commingling of blood" as "the physical basis for all higher development" in 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".{{sfn|Harinck|2002|p=187}}

Kuyper's legacy includes a granddaughter, [[Johtje and Aart Vos|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]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Hevesi|first= Dennis|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/04/nyregion/04vos.html |title=Johtje Vos, Who Saved Wartime Jews, Dies at 97|work=The New York Times|date=4 November 2007}}</ref>

== Bibliography ==
Kuyper wrote several theological and political books:

* ''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; his dissertation, 1862)
* ''Conservatisme en Orthodoxie'' (Conservatism and Orthodoxy; 1870)
* ''Het Calvinisme, oorsprong en waarborg onzer constitutionele vrijheden. Een Nederlandse gedachte'' (Calvinism; the source and the safeguard of our constitutional freedoms. A Dutch thought; 1874)
* ''Ons Program'' (Our program; ARP political program, 1879)
* ''Antirevolutionair óók in uw huisgezin'' (Anti-revolutionary in your family too; 1880)
* ''Soevereiniteit in eigen kring'' (Sovereignty in its own circle; 1880)
* ''Handenarbeid'' (1889; Manual Labour)
* ''Maranatha'' (1891)
* ''Het sociale vraagstuk en de Christelijke Religie'' (The Social Question and the Christian Religion; 1891)
* ''Encyclopaedie der Heilige Godgeleerdheid'' (Encyclopedia of Sacred Theology; 1893–1895)
* ''Calvinisme''  (Lectures on Calvinism; six [[Princeton Theological Seminary#Seminary Lectureships|Stone lectures]] Kuyper held at [[Princeton Theological Seminary|Princeton]] in 1898)
* The South African Crisis  (1900)
* ''De Gemene Gratie'' (Common Grace; 1902–1905)
* ''Parlementaire Redevoeringen'' (parliamentary speeches; 1908–1910)
* ''Starrentritsen'' (1915)
* ''Antirevolutionaire Staatkunde'' (Anti-revolutionary politics; 1916–1917)
* ''Vrouwen uit de Heilige schrift'' (Women from the Holy scripture; 1897)

==See also==
* [[Conclusions of Utrecht]]

==References==
===Footnotes===
{{Reflist}}

===Sources===
{{refbegin|30em|indent=yes}}
* {{citation|last=Bloomberg|first=Charles|title=Christian Nationalism and the Rise of the Afrikaner Broederbond in South Africa, 1918-48|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IMqvCwAAQBAJ&pg=PR12|date=1989|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=978-1-349-10694-3}}
*{{citation |last=Harinck |first=George |title=Abraham Kuyper, South Africa, and Apartheid |journal=The Princeton Seminary Bulletin |volume=23 |date=2002 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120828044408/http://scdc.library.ptsem.edu/mets/mets.aspx?src=PSB2002232&div=6 |url=http://scdc.library.ptsem.edu:80/mets/mets.aspx?src=PSB2002232&div=6 |archive-date=2012-08-28 |url-status=dead }}
*{{cite book|last=Kuyper|first=Abraham|contribution=Sphere Sovereignty|editor-first=James D.|editor-last=Bratt|title=Abraham Kuyper: A Centennial Reader|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jnGrrQj-A98C&pg=PA461|year=1998|publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans|location=Grand Rapids|isbn=978-0-8028-4321-0}}
*{{citation |last1=Molendijk |first1= Arie L.|title=Neo-Calvinist Culture Protestantism: Abraham Kuyper's Stone Lectures |journal=Church History and Religious Culture|volume=88|issue=2|year= 2008|pages=235–50|issn=1871-241X|doi= 10.1163/187124108X354330}}
*{{citation |last1=Molendijk|first1=Arie L.|title='A Squeezed Out Lemon Peel'. Abraham Kuyper on Modernism|journal= Church History and Religious Culture|volume= 91|issue=3|year=2011|pages= 397–412 |issn=1871-241X|doi= 10.1163/187124111X609397}}
*{{citation|last=Mouw|first=Richard J.|title=Abraham Kuyper: A Short and Personal Introduction|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mBGxE9e-H2MC|year=2011|publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans|location=Grand Rapids|isbn=978-0-8028-6603-5}}
*{{citation|last=Snel|first=Johan|title=De Zeven Levens van Abraham Kuyper: Portret van een Ongrijpbaar Staatsman|language=nl|url=https://webwinkel.uitgeverijprometheus.nl/book/johan-snel|year=2020|publisher=Prometheus|location=Amsterdam|isbn=978-90-446-4508-8|access-date=2021-03-04|archive-date=2020-12-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201219151953/https://webwinkel.uitgeverijprometheus.nl/book/johan-snel|url-status=dead}}
*{{citation |last= Wood |first= John Halsey |title= Going Dutch in the Modern Age: Abraham Kuyper's Struggle for a Free Church in the Netherlands |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=SZLEgKsF0nwC&pg=PA1 |year= 2013 |publisher= Oxford University Press |location= New York |isbn= 978-0-19-992038-9 }}
{{refend}}

== Further reading ==
{{refbegin|30em|indent=yes}}
* {{cite book|last=Bartholomew|first=Craig G. |title=Contours of the Kuyperian Tradition: A Systematic Introduction|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CvMtDwAAQBAJ|year=2017|publisher=InterVarsity Press|isbn=978-0830891603}}
* {{cite book|last=Bratt|first=James D. |title=Abraham Kuyper: Modern Calvinist, Christian Democrat|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TL7JwvNc-uQC|year=2013|publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans|location=Grand Rapids|isbn=978-0-8028-6906-7}}
* {{cite book|url=https://www.delpher.nl/nl/boeken/view?identifier=MMUBVU05:000000290:00005&coll=boeken&rowid=4 |title=Abraham Kuyper |year=1938 |last1=Kasteel |first1=Piet|author-link1=Piet Kasteel |location=Kampen |publisher=Kok |language=nl}}
* {{cite book|last=Kuipers|first=Tjitze |title=Abraham Kuyper: An Annotated Bibliography 1857-2010|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hovxL4X_5NsC|year=2011|publisher=Brill|location=Leiden|isbn=978-90-04-21139-1}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline}}
* {{Wikiquote-inline}}
* {{BHL author}}
* {{Gutenberg author | id=38593| name=Abraham Kuyper}}
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Abraham Kuyper}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20190220183013/http://kuyper.ptsem.edu/ Digital Library of Abraham Kuyper]
* [https://sources.neocalvinism.org/kuyper/ Digital Bibliography of Abraham Kuyper]
* [https://sources.neocalvinism.org/archive/ Digital Archive of Abraham Kuyper]
* {{Citation | url = https://thelaymenslounge.com/you-need-to-know-abraham-kuyper/ | title = You Should Know Abraham Kuyper (Article from The Laymens Lounge| date = 27 February 2020}}.
* {{Citation | url = https://thelaymenslounge.com/you-should-know-neo-calvinism/ | title = You Should Know Neo-Calvinism| date = 11 February 2021}}. by Steve Bishop
* [https://www.midamerica.edu/uploads/files/pdf/journal/beach19.pdf ''Abraham Kuyper, Herman Bavinck, and ‘The Conclusions of Utrecht 1905’ '', by J. Mark Beach, 2008]

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