Centennial Reader

Kuyper was a 19th-century Dutch Calvinist theologian, politician, and journalist who led a reform movement within the Dutch Reformed Church (NDK). He also served as prime minister of the Netherlands, and his governmental reforms led to the formation of the Anti-Revolutionary Party (ARN), described as the Netherlands's "first truly modern mass-based political organization." In 1898, Kuyper was awarded an honorary doctorate at Princeton University. While there he delivered his Lectures on Calvinism, which became the best-known statement of his worldview. This anthology commemorates the centennial of the Lectures and is intended to make some of Kuyper's other classic works accessible to a present-day, English-speaking audience. Sixteen separate pieces are grouped into four broad categories: Introductory Documents, Church & Theology, Politics and Society, and Culture and Education. An excellent introductory essay from editor Bratt (history, Calvin Coll.) not only sets Kuyper's work in its 19th-century context but shows the relevance of his ideas to contemporary debates on modernism, evangelicalism, and fundamentalism. A worthwhile addition to specialized collections in history and religion.