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Family Quarrels in the Dutch Reformed Church of the 19th Century (Historical Series of the Reformed Church in America)

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Nederlands Hervormde Kerk is the Reformed Church of the Netherlands. Christelijke Afsheiding Kerk is the Christian seceded church of the Netherlands. The secession from the Netherlands Hervormde Kerk to the Christelijke Afsheiding Kerk happened in 1834. The issues are the same that brought about the National Synod of Dordrecht (1618-1619), therefore the cannons of Dordt (Calvinism/Arminian). The split comes from the history of Napoleon conquering the Netherlands and getting rid of governmental financial support of the church and the eventual rule of the Netherlands by King Willem the first is rule brought back governmental support for the church but also more governmental interference to the government. This made official church doctrine effected the enlightenment. The authors of this work mark the start of this controversy in 1810 when the Reverend Nicolaas Schotsman memorialized the Synod of Dordt in two published sermons. Willem Bildderdijk, a lawyer and founder of a private theological school in Leiden, reacted by starting a teaching and pamphlet war against unbelief. He among others defended the Bible and Reformed creeds. These men did not depart from the Nederlands Hervormde Kerk, but were known as Reveil men.

The links between Reveil and the Secession starts at the university level, Groningen and Leiden. One of these secession leaders De Cook wrote a pamphlet attacking hymns as "contrary to the word of God. The government at the time had a rule to select to hymns from hymnal called the Evangeliche Gezangen, so writing against all hymns was a bit rebellious. It brought out an immediate suspension and the start of proceedings to depose him. When he preached again this started the Christelijke Afsheiding Kerk. The second of the two were outdoors. At the University of Leiden, four students the Scholte club who learned from a grain merchant Johannes leFebure who taught the bible and Reformed Faith. The followers of the secession church were fined: pastors elders, and those owning the place of worship. Nonpayment involved imprisonment.

Remember the Reformed Church located in New York (known The Reformed Protestant Dutch Church) was established in 1628 well before the events mentioned. Three things in common in the Netherlands and the Reformed Dutch Church are Heidelberg Catechism, the Belgic Confession, and Canons of the Synod of Dort. It is the Mother church in the Netherlands that became more liberal being influenced by the enlightenment and the concept of Natural Religion. In the United States the year 1822, the RCA went through a succession. This group called itself the "True Reformed Church". The RCA responded to this by reaffirming original sin. Thus the original reason for the schism was gone.

This is some history of the Reformed Church before Van Raalte and his parishioners came to the United States which eventually meant moving to what was to become known as Holland Michigan. In 1848 their church joined the RCA. The RCA gave much needed financial support to its new member churches out west. This work does some analysis of what portion of the transplants from the Netherlands were from the Christelijke Afsheiding Kerk. One thing made clear is the immigrants were skeptical of the Americanization of the RCA out in the east of the United States. They knew the life and spirit of the Church could be heterodox while the formal doctrine of the Church could be Orthodox. Not all divisions and disputes were based of the Reformed theology, but the establishment was clearly based on disputes about what it meant to be a Reformed Church.

What eventually started the formal dive between the RCA and what was to be known as the Christian Reform church was clarified by Pastor Gysbert Haan? The fact many ministers and elders were members of secret lodges (Masonic) in the RCA churches out east. The fact the RCA used some 800 man made hymns instead of Psalms. The use of church choirs out east. The fact one elder did not have any of his children baptized.

This work is very interesting and I found very informative.