Dutch Reformed Churches

Last updated
Dutch Reformed Churches
Nederlandse Gereformeerde Kerken
Nederlandse Gereformeerde Kerken logo.jpg
Type Continental Reformed
Classification Christian
Orientation Protestant
Theology Calvinist
Governance Presbyterian
Region Netherlands
OriginMay 1, 2023
Merger of Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated)
Netherlands Reformed Churches

The Dutch Reformed Churches (Dutch : Nederlandse Gereformeerde Kerken, NGK) is a Reformed Christian denomination, formed on May 1, 2023 as a merger of the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated) and Netherlands Reformed Churches (Nederlands Gereformeerde Kerken). [1] [2] [3] [4]

Contents

History

In the early 20th century, disagreements arose within the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands over the Covenant Theology view of Abraham Kuyper, so that several pastors disagreed with it. This dispute came to a head during World War II, when the General Synod ruled in favor of Kuyper's view which essentially questioned the inclusion of the children of believers in the Covenant. Many theologians and pastors disagreed with this decision, claiming that it contradicted the simple facts of the Scriptures, and tried to appeal the decision. [5]

The General Synod strictly enforced this view, requiring, among others, that new graduates (new graduates of the Theological Seminary) seek to subscribe to the Kuyperian point of view. Protesters also alleged that the General Synod was abusing its functional authority, staying longer than the three years allowed by Church Order legislation. In 1944, many pastors and theologians who opposed Abraham Kuyper's view were excommunicated by the General Synod. Therefore, a large number of local congregations broke away from the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands, led by Prof. Dr. Klaas Schilder among others, to form his own denomination, the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated) (Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland (vrijgemaakt)). This event was called Liberation (Vrijmaking). Since then there have been no serious attempts at reconciliation by either side.

In 1967, a new controversy arose over the exclusivity of the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated) (GKV) as a true Christian church in Netherlands. The denomination decided that the GKV were the only true Christian churches in the country, which is why many members left the denomination.

In the same year, these members constituted the Netherlands Reformed Churches (Nederlands Gereformeerde Kerken, NGK).

In the following decades, however, the GKV changed its position, starting to recognize the existence of other truly Christian churches in the Netherlands. This led to rapprochement between the GKV and the NGK. In 2017, the two denominations began negotiating a merger. In 2021, it was decided by both churches that the merger will take place on March 1, 2023, the year in which the GKV and NGK will cease to exist, to give way to a new denomination called Dutch Reformed Churches (Nederlandse Gereformeerde Kerken). [1] [3] [4] However, in 2022, the merger was delayed by two months to May 1, 2023. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian Reformed Church in North America</span> Protestant Christian denomination

The Christian Reformed Church in North America is a Protestant Calvinist Christian denomination in the United States and Canada. Having roots in the Dutch Reformed Church of the Netherlands, the Christian Reformed Church was founded by Dutch immigrants in 1857 and is theologically Calvinist.

The Dutch Reformed Church was the largest Christian denomination in the Netherlands from the onset of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century until 1930. It was the traditional denomination of the Dutch royal family and the foremost Protestant denomination until 2004, the year it helped found and merged into the Protestant Church in the Netherlands. It was the larger of the two major Reformed denominations, after the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands was founded in 1892. It spread to the United States, South Africa, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Brazil, and various other world regions through Dutch colonization. Allegiance to the Dutch Reformed Church was a common feature among Dutch immigrant communities around the world and became a crucial part of Afrikaner nationalism in South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian and American Reformed Churches</span> North American federation of Christian churches

The Canadian and American Reformed Churches (CanRC) is a federation of Protestant Reformed (Calvinist) churches in Canada and the United States, with historical roots in the Reformed Churches of the Netherlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">G. C. Berkouwer</span> Dutch theologian

Gerrit Cornelis "G.C." Berkouwer was for years the leading theologian of the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (GKN). He occupied the chair in systematic theology of the Faculty of Theology, Free University (VU) in Amsterdam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herman Bavinck</span> Dutch Theologian and Philosopher

Herman Bavinck was a Dutch Calvinist theologian and churchman. He was a significant scholar in the Calvinist tradition, alongside Abraham Kuyper, B. B. Warfield, and Geerhardus Vos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reformed Churches in the Netherlands</span> Former Protestant church that merged in 2004

The Reformed Churches in the Netherlands was the second largest Protestant church in the Netherlands and one of the two major Calvinist denominations along with the Dutch Reformed Church since 1892 until being merged into the Protestant Church in the Netherlands (PKN) in 2004. The PKN is the continuation of the Dutch Reformed Church, the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian Democratic Union (Netherlands)</span> Defunct political party in the Netherlands

The Christian Democratic Union was a minor progressive Protestant party in the Netherlands during the interbellum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian Reformed Churches</span>

The Christian Reformed Churches in the Netherlands is a Protestant church in the Netherlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Klaas Schilder</span>

Klaas Schilder was a Dutch Neo-Calvinist theologian and professor in the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands and later in the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (liberated).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated)</span> Orthodox-protestant church

The Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated) (Dutch: Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland (vrijgemaakt)) was an orthodox Calvinist federation of churches. This church body arose in 1944 out of the so-called Liberation (Vrijmaking) from the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands, when many pastors and members refused to go along with the General Synod's demand to hold to "presumed regeneration of infants" at their baptism. Klaas Schilder played an important role in the Liberation. There are currently 270 affiliated local congregations with a total of about 120,000 members in 2016.

The Netherlands Reformed Churches was a conservative Reformed Protestant Christian denomination in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The denomination was formed in 1967 following a schism within the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Restored Reformed Church</span> Calvinist denomination in the Netherlands

The Restored Reformed Church is a Calvinist denomination in the Netherlands. It was founded in 2004, from congregations which made up the orthodox-reformed wing of the Dutch Reformed Church; they had previously been part of groups named Het Gekrookte Riet and the still existing Gereformeerde Bond within the Dutch Reformed Church. The Church has grown steadily since its founding.

The 1886 Dutch Reformed Church split, also known as the Doleantie, was the name of a prominent schism in the Dutch Reformed Church that took place in 1886 and was led by a renowned minister, Abraham Kuyper. The Doleantie was not the first schism in the Dutch Reformed Church. Another schism, the Secession of 1834 (Afscheiding van 1834), had led to the formation of the Christian Reformed Church in the Netherlands.

The Dutch Reformed Church, was a Christian denomination in the Netherlands before its 2004 merger into the Protestant Church in the Netherlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reformed Churches in South Africa</span> Conservative Christian denomination in South Africa

The Reformed Churches in South Africa is a Christian denomination in South Africa that was formed in 1859 in Rustenburg. Members of the church are sometimes referred to as Doppers.

The Continued Reformed Churches in the Netherlands or VGKN is a federation of churches founded on 8 May 2004, in the Netherlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reformed Congregations</span> Conservative Calvinist church

The Reformed Congregations is a conservative Reformed church with 152 congregations in the Netherlands, 1 in Randburg, South Africa and 1 congregation in Carterton, New Zealand. The denomination has approximately 107,299 members as of 1 January 2015. It is Calvinist in theology. It is affiliated with the North American Netherlands Reformed Congregations.

The Reformed Churches (Restored) (Dutch: Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland (hersteld)), also known as the New Reformed Churches (Dutch: Nieuwe Vrijgemaakte Kerken) constitute a Christian denomination in the Netherlands. It separated from the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated) in 2003. Officially named the "Reformed Churches in the Netherlands", they are usually called the "Reformed Churches (Restored)" to avoid confusion with the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Liberated) and the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (GKN).

NGK may refer to :

Henk de Jong was a Dutch minister, theologian, and biblical scholar.

References

  1. 1 2 "The Liberated Church and the Dutch Reformed Churches want to be a church again in 2023". 25 September 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  2. 1 2 "The intended merger of GKv and NGK was delayed by two months; Released Pastors Pension Fund is a Pain Point" . Retrieved July 17, 2022.
  3. 1 2 "GKV and NGK fight for unification on March 1, 2023" . Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  4. 1 2 "GKV and NGK unification". 25 September 2021. Archived from the original on 17 February 2022. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Reformed Online: Liberated Reformed Churches" . Retrieved January 2, 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.