Evangelical People's Party
Encyclopedia
The Evangelical People's Party was a minor progressive Christian
political party
in the Netherlands
.
(CDA), which were united in the group "Not by Bread Alone" (Niet bij Brood Alleen) and members of the Evangelical Progressive Party, which had previously left the Protestant Anti Revolutionary Party
. Both groups were opposed to the formation of the CDA and its conservative
course.
After winning one seat in the 1982 general election
- it was unable to do so in 1981
- the party joined the opposition. The party became divided between a left wing and a centrist
wing. The left wing wanted to co-operate with the Political Party of Radicals (which had split from the Catholic People's Party
in 1968) and its left-wing allies, the Pacifist Socialist Party
and the destalinized
Communist Party of the Netherlands
. The EVP was more reserved towards the CPN. The centrist wing wanted to co-operate with the Labour Party
and the CDA. Although some members were willing to co-operate, the party congress rejected the co-operation with the CPN, the PSP and the PPR in the 1984 European Parliament elections
.
After the party lost its sole seat in the 1986 elections
, co-operation with other parties become more important. For the 1989 elections
the Political Party of Radicals (PPR), Pacifist Socialist Party
(PSP) and the Communist Party of the Netherlands
initiated a common list GreenLeft
. The EVP hesitated to join, and only after the talks were concluded did it opt to enter. It got one candidate on an ineligible eleventh place. In 1991 the party officially dissolved itself into GreenLeft in the Moses
and Aaron
Church in Amsterdam. Prominent EVP-members became involved in the Leftwing Cheek, a platform for the New Testament and Politics. This platform still exists, but it is only of limited importance within the party.
program, inspired by the New Testament
. The Sermon on the Mount
was an important inspiration for the party. The Sermon was seen as an evangelical imperative to create a society where justice
, peace
and solidarity would rule. Important issues for the party were:
, for whom opposition
to the placement of nuclear weapons was an important issue. The party was open to non-religious persons.
and emphasised green
ideals. It also had good relations with the social-democratic Labour Party
and the Pacifist Socialist Party
(PSP). In 1989 it chose for the PPR and the PSP and merged into the GreenLeft
, together with the Communist Party of the Netherlands
, a party towards which the EVP was more reserved, because of its atheism
, alignment with communist dictatorships and centralised organization.
.
Christian left
The Christian left is a term originating in the United States, used to describe a spectrum of left-wing Christian political and social movements which largely embraces social justice....
political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in the Netherlands
Politics of the Netherlands
The politics of the Netherlands take place within the framework of a parliamentary representative democracy, a constitutional monarchy and a decentralised unitary state. The Netherlands is described as a consociational state...
.
History
The EVP was founded in March 1981 by members of the Christian Democratic AppealChristian Democratic Appeal
The Christian Democratic Appeal is a centre-right Dutch Christian democratic political party. It suffered severe losses in the 2010 elections and fell from the first to the fourth place...
(CDA), which were united in the group "Not by Bread Alone" (Niet bij Brood Alleen) and members of the Evangelical Progressive Party, which had previously left the Protestant Anti Revolutionary Party
Anti Revolutionary Party
The Anti Revolutionary Party was a Dutch Protestant Christian democratic political party. The ARP is one of the predecessors of the Christian Democratic Appeal. After 1917 the party never received more than twenty percent of the vote.-History before 1879:The anti-revolutionary parliamentary caucus...
. Both groups were opposed to the formation of the CDA and its conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
course.
After winning one seat in the 1982 general election
Dutch general election, 1982
The General Election to the House of Representatives of the States-General of the Netherlands was held in the Netherlands on September 8, 1982.-National summary:...
- it was unable to do so in 1981
Dutch general election, 1981
The General Election to the House of Representatives of the States-General of the Netherlands was held in the Netherlands on May 26, 1981.-National summary:...
- the party joined the opposition. The party became divided between a left wing and a centrist
Centrism
In politics, centrism is the ideal or the practice of promoting policies that lie different from the standard political left and political right. Most commonly, this is visualized as part of the one-dimensional political spectrum of left-right politics, with centrism landing in the middle between...
wing. The left wing wanted to co-operate with the Political Party of Radicals (which had split from the Catholic People's Party
Catholic People's Party
The Catholic People's Party was a Catholic Christian democratic Dutch political party. During its entire existence, the party was in government. The party is one of the precursors of the Christian Democratic Appeal.- 1945-1965 :The KVP was founded on 22 December, 1945...
in 1968) and its left-wing allies, the Pacifist Socialist Party
Pacifist Socialist Party
The Pacifist Socialist Party was a Dutch left-socialist political party. The PSP played a small role in Dutch politics. It is a predecessor of the GreenLeft.-Before 1957:...
and the destalinized
De-Stalinization
De-Stalinization refers to the process of eliminating the cult of personality, Stalinist political system and the Gulag labour-camp system created by Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. Stalin was succeeded by a collective leadership after his death in March 1953...
Communist Party of the Netherlands
Communist Party of the Netherlands
The Communist Party of the Netherlands was a Dutch communist political party. The CPN is one of the predecessors of the GreenLeft.- Foundation :...
. The EVP was more reserved towards the CPN. The centrist wing wanted to co-operate with the Labour Party
Labour Party (Netherlands)
The Labour Party , is a social-democratic political party in the Netherlands. Since the 2003 Dutch General Election, the PvdA has been the second largest political party in the Netherlands. The PvdA was a coalition member in the fourth Balkenende cabinet following 22 February 2007...
and the CDA. Although some members were willing to co-operate, the party congress rejected the co-operation with the CPN, the PSP and the PPR in the 1984 European Parliament elections
European Parliament election, 1984 (Netherlands)
The European Parliament election of 1984 in the Netherlands was the election of MEP representing Netherlands constituency for the 1984-1989 term of the European Parliament. It was part of the wider 1984 European election. It was held on on June 14, 1984...
.
After the party lost its sole seat in the 1986 elections
Dutch general election, 1986
The General Election to the House of Representatives of the States-General of the Netherlands was held in the Netherlands on May 21, 1986.-National summary:...
, co-operation with other parties become more important. For the 1989 elections
Dutch general election, 1989
The General Election to the House of Representatives of the States-General of the Netherlands was held in the Netherlands on September 6, 1989.-National summary:...
the Political Party of Radicals (PPR), Pacifist Socialist Party
Pacifist Socialist Party
The Pacifist Socialist Party was a Dutch left-socialist political party. The PSP played a small role in Dutch politics. It is a predecessor of the GreenLeft.-Before 1957:...
(PSP) and the Communist Party of the Netherlands
Communist Party of the Netherlands
The Communist Party of the Netherlands was a Dutch communist political party. The CPN is one of the predecessors of the GreenLeft.- Foundation :...
initiated a common list GreenLeft
GreenLeft
GreenLeft is a green political party operating in the Netherlands.GreenLeft was formed on 1 March 1989 as a merger of four left-wing political parties: the Communist Party of the Netherlands, Pacifist Socialist Party, the Political Party of Radicals and the Evangelical People's Party...
. The EVP hesitated to join, and only after the talks were concluded did it opt to enter. It got one candidate on an ineligible eleventh place. In 1991 the party officially dissolved itself into GreenLeft in the Moses
Moses
Moses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
and Aaron
Aaron
In the Hebrew Bible and the Qur'an, Aaron : Ααρών ), who is often called "'Aaron the Priest"' and once Aaron the Levite , was the older brother of Moses, and a prophet of God. He represented the priestly functions of his tribe, becoming the first High Priest of the Israelites...
Church in Amsterdam. Prominent EVP-members became involved in the Leftwing Cheek, a platform for the New Testament and Politics. This platform still exists, but it is only of limited importance within the party.
Ideology and issues
The party combined left-wing ideas with a greenGreen politics
Green politics is a political ideology that aims for the creation of an ecologically sustainable society rooted in environmentalism, social liberalism, and grassroots democracy...
program, inspired by the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
. The Sermon on the Mount
Sermon on the Mount
The Sermon on the Mount is a collection of sayings and teachings of Jesus, which emphasizes his moral teaching found in the Gospel of Matthew...
was an important inspiration for the party. The Sermon was seen as an evangelical imperative to create a society where justice
Justice
Justice is a concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion, or equity, along with the punishment of the breach of said ethics; justice is the act of being just and/or fair.-Concept of justice:...
, peace
Peace
Peace is a state of harmony characterized by the lack of violent conflict. Commonly understood as the absence of hostility, peace also suggests the existence of healthy or newly healed interpersonal or international relationships, prosperity in matters of social or economic welfare, the...
and solidarity would rule. Important issues for the party were:
- A pacifistPacifismPacifism is the opposition to war and violence. The term "pacifism" was coined by the French peace campaignerÉmile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress inGlasgow in 1901.- Definition :...
foreign policy, especially opposition to the placement of nuclear weaponsHollanditisHollanditis was a term coined in 1981 by the American historian Walter Laqueur. It was used to describe the wave of pacifist neutralism that swept through the Netherlands in the first half of the 1980s and which influenced similar grass roots movements in other European countries...
. - It sought to formulate an alternative to both capitalismCapitalismCapitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
and communismCommunismCommunism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
. It proposed the economy of enough, in which incomes would be redistributed, people would get more rest (for instance by a government-financed sabbatical for all) and damage to the environmentNatural environmentThe natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....
would be limited. - The party was progressive on ethical issues, such as gay rightsSame-sex marriage in the NetherlandsSame-sex marriage has been legal in the Netherlands since 1 April 2001...
and abortionAbortion in the NetherlandsAbortion in the Netherlands was fully legalized on November 1, 1984, allowing abortions to be done on-demand until the twenty-first week. Cases which involve urgent medical attention can be aborted until the twenty-fourth week. There is a five-day waiting period for abortions.- History :Abortion...
, which is unusual for a Christian party.
Representation
This table the EVP's results in elections to the House of Representatives, as well as the party's political leadership: the fractievoorzitter is the chair of the parliamentary party and the lijsttrekker is the party's top candidate in the general election; these posts are normally taken by the party leader.| Year | HoR | Fractievoorzitter | Lijsttrekker Lijsttrekker Lijsttrekker is a Dutch term for the top candidate of a party on a party list. He or she is almost always the party's political leader. After an election, this person usually leads the party's faction in the States-General, or serves in a senior position in the Cabinet if his party is part of... |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 Dutch general election, 1982 The General Election to the House of Representatives of the States-General of the Netherlands was held in the Netherlands on September 8, 1982.-National summary:... |
1 | Cathy Ubels | Cathy Ubels |
| 1983 | 1 | Cathy Ubels | no elections |
| 1984 | 1 | Cathy Ubels | no elections |
| 1985 | 1 | Cathy Ubels | no elections |
Electorate
The EVP's small electorate consisted out of left-wing Protestants, mostly former adherents of the Anti Revolutionary PartyAnti Revolutionary Party
The Anti Revolutionary Party was a Dutch Protestant Christian democratic political party. The ARP is one of the predecessors of the Christian Democratic Appeal. After 1917 the party never received more than twenty percent of the vote.-History before 1879:The anti-revolutionary parliamentary caucus...
, for whom opposition
Hollanditis
Hollanditis was a term coined in 1981 by the American historian Walter Laqueur. It was used to describe the wave of pacifist neutralism that swept through the Netherlands in the first half of the 1980s and which influenced similar grass roots movements in other European countries...
to the placement of nuclear weapons was an important issue. The party was open to non-religious persons.
Linked organisations
The EVP published a periodical called "EVP info", which was continued after 1990 as "The Leftwing Cheek" within GreenLeft. Its scientific institute was Foundation for Formation and Education, which published "Schering en Inslag"Relationships to other parties
The party had good relations with the Political Party of Radicals (PPR), which also had its roots in Christian democracyChristian Democracy
Christian democracy is a political ideology that seeks to apply Christian principles to public policy. It emerged in nineteenth-century Europe under the influence of conservatism and Catholic social teaching...
and emphasised green
Green politics
Green politics is a political ideology that aims for the creation of an ecologically sustainable society rooted in environmentalism, social liberalism, and grassroots democracy...
ideals. It also had good relations with the social-democratic Labour Party
Labour Party (Netherlands)
The Labour Party , is a social-democratic political party in the Netherlands. Since the 2003 Dutch General Election, the PvdA has been the second largest political party in the Netherlands. The PvdA was a coalition member in the fourth Balkenende cabinet following 22 February 2007...
and the Pacifist Socialist Party
Pacifist Socialist Party
The Pacifist Socialist Party was a Dutch left-socialist political party. The PSP played a small role in Dutch politics. It is a predecessor of the GreenLeft.-Before 1957:...
(PSP). In 1989 it chose for the PPR and the PSP and merged into the GreenLeft
GreenLeft
GreenLeft is a green political party operating in the Netherlands.GreenLeft was formed on 1 March 1989 as a merger of four left-wing political parties: the Communist Party of the Netherlands, Pacifist Socialist Party, the Political Party of Radicals and the Evangelical People's Party...
, together with the Communist Party of the Netherlands
Communist Party of the Netherlands
The Communist Party of the Netherlands was a Dutch communist political party. The CPN is one of the predecessors of the GreenLeft.- Foundation :...
, a party towards which the EVP was more reserved, because of its atheism
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
, alignment with communist dictatorships and centralised organization.
International comparison
Internationally the party is comparable to other small parties which combine left-wing politics with religious inspiration, for instance the Swiss Christian Social PartyChristian Social Party (Switzerland)
The Christian Social Party is a political party in Switzerland. The CSP is more social democratic than the CVP. With the moderate Christian left as its background, the CSP commits itself to social democratic and environmentalist political solutions...
.