Doleantie
Encyclopedia
The Doleantie was the name of a prominent schism
in the Dutch Reformed Church
(Nederlands Hervormde Kerk) which took place in 1886 and was led by the renowned minister Abraham Kuyper
. The Doleantie was not the first schism in the Dutch Reformed Church. In 1834 another schism, the Secession of 1834
(Afscheiding van 1834), had led to the formation of the Christian Reformed Church in the Netherlands (Christelijke Gereformeerde Kerk in Nederland).
In 1885 the first moves towards schism were made when Kuyper and his supporters issued a formal complaint about the perceived excessive liberal and progressive practices in the Dutch Reformed Church. Their complaint never won broad support within the Dutch Reformed Church and in the winter of 1885-1886 the call for schism grew stronger amongst a large number of conservative congregations in the Dutch Reformed Church. Most of these congregations were located in what is today the Dutch Bible Belt and especially in the Veluwe
area.
The first congregation to secede was Kootwijk, which appointed a minister trained at the Free University of Amsterdam without waiting for permission of the classis of the Dutch Reformed Church on February 7, 1886. The following day the congregation in Voorthuizen
followed suit.
The seceded congregations united in the Low German Reformed Church (Dolerende) (Nederduits Gereformeerde Kerk (Dolerende)). Nederduits Gereformeerde Kerk had been the official name of the Dutch Reformed Church until 1816 and with this name the seceded churches wanted to show that they thought of themselves as the legitimate continuation of this church, which was highly prominent in the Dutch Republic. The suffix (Dolerende), meaning 'those who feel sorrow', was added to show their disapproval with the Dutch Reformed Church.
Later in 1886 Kuyper and his supporters occupied the New Church in Amsterdam
, the seat of the governing body of the Reformed Church, to force a settlement in the conflict over church property that had followed the Doleantie. In July 1886 the dolerenden had to accept a verdict against them.
In 1892 the Nederduits Gereformeerde Kerken (Dolerende) merged with the Christian Reformed Church in the Netherlands to form the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands
.
Schism (religion)
A schism , from Greek σχίσμα, skhísma , is a division between people, usually belonging to an organization or movement religious denomination. The word is most frequently applied to a break of communion between two sections of Christianity that were previously a single body, or to a division within...
in the Dutch Reformed Church
Dutch Reformed Church
The Dutch Reformed Church was a Reformed Christian denomination in the Netherlands. It existed from the 1570s to 2004, the year it merged with the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands to form the Protestant Church in the...
(Nederlands Hervormde Kerk) which took place in 1886 and was led by the renowned minister Abraham Kuyper
Abraham Kuyper
Abraham Kuijper generally known as Abraham Kuyper, was a Dutch politician, journalist, statesman and theologian...
. The Doleantie was not the first schism in the Dutch Reformed Church. In 1834 another schism, the Secession of 1834
Secession of 1834
The Secession of 1834 refers to a split that occurred from out of the Dutch Reformed Church in the year 1834. The federation of churches resulting from this Secession, the Christelijke Gereformeerde Kerken , still exists in the Netherlands today...
(Afscheiding van 1834), had led to the formation of the Christian Reformed Church in the Netherlands (Christelijke Gereformeerde Kerk in Nederland).
In 1885 the first moves towards schism were made when Kuyper and his supporters issued a formal complaint about the perceived excessive liberal and progressive practices in the Dutch Reformed Church. Their complaint never won broad support within the Dutch Reformed Church and in the winter of 1885-1886 the call for schism grew stronger amongst a large number of conservative congregations in the Dutch Reformed Church. Most of these congregations were located in what is today the Dutch Bible Belt and especially in the Veluwe
Veluwe
The Veluwe is a forest-rich ridge of hills in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands. The Veluwe features many different landscapes including woodland, heath, some small lakes and Europe's largest sand drifts....
area.
The first congregation to secede was Kootwijk, which appointed a minister trained at the Free University of Amsterdam without waiting for permission of the classis of the Dutch Reformed Church on February 7, 1886. The following day the congregation in Voorthuizen
Voorthuizen
Voorthuizen is a village in the municipality of Barneveld, in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It currently is home to the Seaforth Highlanders of Holland pipe and drum band, a unit founded in 1999 to commemorate the liberation of the village in 1945 by the Seaforth Highlanders of British...
followed suit.
The seceded congregations united in the Low German Reformed Church (Dolerende) (Nederduits Gereformeerde Kerk (Dolerende)). Nederduits Gereformeerde Kerk had been the official name of the Dutch Reformed Church until 1816 and with this name the seceded churches wanted to show that they thought of themselves as the legitimate continuation of this church, which was highly prominent in the Dutch Republic. The suffix (Dolerende), meaning 'those who feel sorrow', was added to show their disapproval with the Dutch Reformed Church.
Later in 1886 Kuyper and his supporters occupied the New Church in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, the seat of the governing body of the Reformed Church, to force a settlement in the conflict over church property that had followed the Doleantie. In July 1886 the dolerenden had to accept a verdict against them.
In 1892 the Nederduits Gereformeerde Kerken (Dolerende) merged with the Christian Reformed Church in the Netherlands to form the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands
Reformed Churches in the Netherlands
The Reformed Churches in the Netherlands was the second largest Protestant church in the Netherlands until it merged into the Protestant Church in the Netherlands in 2004.-History:...
.
External links
- Description of the history of the Protestant Church in the Netherlands (PKN)
- Information about the Dutch Reformed Church (Nederlands Hervormde Kerk) in the Protestant Church in the Netherlands (PKN)
- Information about the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland) in the Protestant Church in the Netherlands (PKN)