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Christian Political Action in an Age of Revolution
A companion volume to Rougemont's "The Individualists in Church and State," this outline of Christian political action was written by the nineteenth century pioneer of the genre, the Dutchman Guillaume Groen van Prinsterer. Groen not only developed a political philosophy based solidly in Reformation truths but he also formed a political party to bring those truths to bear in the political forum of his day.
Then, as now, the battle was against the "the invasion of the human mind by the doctrine of the absolute sovereignty of man, thus making him the source and centre of all truth, by substituting human reason and human will for divine revelation and divine law." It is "the history of the irreligious philosophy of the past century; it is, in its origin and outworking, the doctrine that—given free rein—destroys church and state, society and family, produces disorder without ever establishing liberty or restoring moral order, and, in religion, inevitably leads its conscientious followers into atheism and despair."
Against the Revolution there is only one the Gospel. To proclaim and elaborate this truth was Groen van Prinsterer's life work. This volume—never before published in English—is an adept summary of it.
Then, as now, the battle was against the "the invasion of the human mind by the doctrine of the absolute sovereignty of man, thus making him the source and centre of all truth, by substituting human reason and human will for divine revelation and divine law." It is "the history of the irreligious philosophy of the past century; it is, in its origin and outworking, the doctrine that—given free rein—destroys church and state, society and family, produces disorder without ever establishing liberty or restoring moral order, and, in religion, inevitably leads its conscientious followers into atheism and despair."
Against the Revolution there is only one the Gospel. To proclaim and elaborate this truth was Groen van Prinsterer's life work. This volume—never before published in English—is an adept summary of it.
167 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 11, 2015
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About the author
Guillaume Groen van Prinsterer
165 books4 followersDutch historian and politician for the Anti-Revolutionary Party.
From 1829 to 1833 he acted as secretary to William II of the Netherlands in Brussels. Afterwards he took a prominent part in Dutch domestic politics, and gradually became the leader of the Anti-Revolutionary Party,
Groen was ardently opposed to constitutionalist Thorbecke, the father of Dutch parliamentarism, whose principles he denounced as ungodly and revolutionary. Although Groen lived to see these principles triumph in the constitutional reforms implemented by Thorbecke, he never ceased to oppose them until his death in 1876.
From 1829 to 1833 he acted as secretary to William II of the Netherlands in Brussels. Afterwards he took a prominent part in Dutch domestic politics, and gradually became the leader of the Anti-Revolutionary Party,
Groen was ardently opposed to constitutionalist Thorbecke, the father of Dutch parliamentarism, whose principles he denounced as ungodly and revolutionary. Although Groen lived to see these principles triumph in the constitutional reforms implemented by Thorbecke, he never ceased to oppose them until his death in 1876.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 17, 2020
Most people seem to sense that we're living in tumultuous times. Especially Christians who are dismayed by the unmooring of all normalcy. Few in the Church seem to provide adequate insights as to the nature of the problem. The great Christian political movements of the 80's and 90's admirably took the symptoms head-on, but the nature of the disease isn't known with enough clarity. Sin and moral debasement are the cause, yes, but how did it transpire? How should we then act politically?
This slim volume is an admirable attempt to address all these things. I have read it once and just given it a brief read/skim and can say each time I'm blown away by both the profundity and practicality of Groen's work. Section II especially, since the other parts tend to get into the weeds of 1800's Dutch politics.
Read this along with Groen's other work Unbelief and Revolution and Harry Van Dyke's Challenging the Spirit of Modernity. You won't regret it.
This slim volume is an admirable attempt to address all these things. I have read it once and just given it a brief read/skim and can say each time I'm blown away by both the profundity and practicality of Groen's work. Section II especially, since the other parts tend to get into the weeds of 1800's Dutch politics.
Read this along with Groen's other work Unbelief and Revolution and Harry Van Dyke's Challenging the Spirit of Modernity. You won't regret it.
February 29, 2016
Van Prinsterer was one of the leaders in the 19th century Dutch Reformed Church. He was a predecessor to the great Abraham Kiyper and, in many ways, laid the foundations for the latter's social thought.
This book is really an essay, that probably best accompanies his larger work that addresses the fault lines within the political and philosophical ideals of the French Revolution.
There are some really great quotations in this book, but there is also a fair amount of contemporary material that has passed its usefulness for the modern reader. Here are a few:
"Must we then renounce the hopes we had in 1789? Must we consign freedom, equality, brotherhood, tolerance, humanity, and progress to a systematic condemnation?
... These ideas, branches detached from the Gospel tree and poisoned by revolutionary sap, bear but deadly fruit. In the service of an anti-Christian philosophy, even a panacea only compounds the evil, it does not heal".
"Unlimited equality and freedom, democracy and universal brotherhood, these are now, under whatever guise, the pattern and ideal in politics."
"... perpetual revolution always has been and always will be the inevitable consequence of the denial of man's dependence on the God of nature, history and the Gospel.."
This book is really an essay, that probably best accompanies his larger work that addresses the fault lines within the political and philosophical ideals of the French Revolution.
There are some really great quotations in this book, but there is also a fair amount of contemporary material that has passed its usefulness for the modern reader. Here are a few:
"Must we then renounce the hopes we had in 1789? Must we consign freedom, equality, brotherhood, tolerance, humanity, and progress to a systematic condemnation?
... These ideas, branches detached from the Gospel tree and poisoned by revolutionary sap, bear but deadly fruit. In the service of an anti-Christian philosophy, even a panacea only compounds the evil, it does not heal".
"Unlimited equality and freedom, democracy and universal brotherhood, these are now, under whatever guise, the pattern and ideal in politics."
"... perpetual revolution always has been and always will be the inevitable consequence of the denial of man's dependence on the God of nature, history and the Gospel.."
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews