Page 62 - Poat_to_Poot_Engels

of sin." Instead of "drinking, vanity, and frivolous behavior", they wanted
children to follow "prayer, song, and mutual brotherhood" and become filled
with "the continual joy of heaven."

The public had a mixed reaction to this movement. Some embraced it with
enthusiasm, while others were suspicious of it. The Reformed Church
became increasingly divided, and some national conferences were held. As
already mentioned, some churches had declared their independence from
the national church. The more radical believers separated to form small
Baptist churches, even going so far as to incorporate new religious
communities. Those wishing to reform the Reformed Church became
increasingly frustrated. Many Dutch people found emigration to America a
solution. In America they could let distance give them their freedom, even
though many belonged to the Dutch Reformed Church in America that was
technically affiliated with the Netherlands national church.

The church in America had a long history. The first Reformed minister had
arrived in New Netherlands in 1628. Although the Reformed Church in
America was influenced by the events in Holland, it had evolved in its own
manner. It had its own history of separations and reunions. Given the
religious and political freedoms of America, the condition of the church was
more complex and less clearly defined than in the Netherlands. Separatist
churches existed, yet most Dutch, including many separatists, belonged to
the (Dutch) Reformed Church in America.

In the Netherlands, an important Dutch theologian and politician was
Abraham Kuyper, nicknamed "Abraham the Mighty." He withdrew from
political office to form the Free University of Amsterdam in 1880 to teach
Calvinist principles to ministers. This school is a major university today. Its
collections about religious history contain several references to J.W. Poot.

Kuyper's desire to bring change to the Reformed Church was unsuccessful.
Kuyper was ordered expelled from the church in December 1885, and in
1886 his appeal was rejected. In 1886-1889 some 200 congregations with
180,000 members broke from the national church to create the Free
Reformed Church. This "second separation" became known as the
"Doleantie", which means grief or anguish. Kuyper organized a merger of
the new and old separatist churches into the Gereformeerde Kerken in
1892. He returned to politics and protected the future of the new churches
with a political alliance between the Calvinist and Catholic parties. He was a
major political figure actively seeking both political and social reforms in
the Netherlands. Kuyper was relatively moderate and tolerant in his
religious beliefs, and felt that the national Reformed Church (Hervormde
Kerk) could be salvaged if the Bureau of Church Affairs was no longer
imposed upon it by the government. He also sought to make everyday life
focus more on living a Christian lifestyle.

- Religious Turmoil - page 6 -