November 2007 - Protestant Reformed Churches in America

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Book Reviews In his foreword, Dr. Allen Janssen writes of the high qualifications of the author for recounting the history of the NHK, especially the modern history. Blei writes well and the translation is very smooth. The book gives a good overview of the history of the Reformed church over the past 425 years. It is, however, a brief history, and the book does not examine Blei is himself an interesting and extremely well informed in detail the doctrinal issues that were part of the controversies guide. He served as a pastor through the ages. in the church prior to his appointment as general secre- A more significant criticism of the book is the ambivalence tary. He is also a theologian towards doctrine. The author of significant accomplishments, publishing on theologi- does not take a stand for the cal, historical, and ecclesiastical issue in the Netherlands. various events in that light. The Reformed truth and evaluate More broadly, he has served presentation of the teaching of on the Central Committee of Luther and Calvin is weak. The the World Council of account of the Arminian controversy Churches. is not entirely accurate. Blei writes that “Arminius himself The first sixty-four pages of the book describe the history of the Reformed churches in the Netherlands when the Reformed churches were one group, and there were not two or more Reformed denominations in the Netherlands. The next twelve pages recount the history of the turbulent 1800s – the Afscheiding (Secession) of 1834 and the second separation from the state church connected with Abraham Kuyper (the Doleantie of 1886). The final eighty-two pages give an account of the NHK’s history in the last century. advocated the calling of a national synod by the government. The synod would have to express itself on the difference” (p. 30). This may be formally true, but Arminius’ call for a national synod always included a request to revise the confessions – a significant omission by Blei. The orthodox rejected these calls because they refused to consider that option. Blei’s sympathy with the Remonstrants is plain from the fact he adopts their complaint as his own when he writes: “Only three of the delegates of the November 2007 87
Protestant Reformed Theological Journal synod belonged to the party of in the NHK. He is not friendly the remonstrants. Thus there to those who left the NHK. His could hardly be a real discussion presentation of various seces- of the points of difference sions is not unfair, but he obvi- between the remonstrants and ously has little sympathy, for the counterremonstrants” (p. instance, for the suffering endured 31). That was the viewpoint of by the ministers and the Remonstrants. They insisted people of the Afscheiding (Se- that the Synod of cession) of 1834. Nor can he Dordrecht had been called in disguise his critical attitude towards order to hold a discussion of Abraham Kuyper and the differences. The Reformed Doleantie, who left in 1886. churches maintained that the That is understandable to a synod was called to sit in judgment certain extent. Indeed, part of of the views of the Remon- the value of the book is that the strants based on Scripture and author is giving the history from the confessions. the perspective of the NHK. Blei is very easy on the enemies Sadly, he is one with the NHK of the truth. He writes of and obviously has no qualms Descartes’ rationalism that with the path taken by his “[d]ecidedly, Descartes did not church. Thus the description of intend thereby to attack or undermine the history of the NHK in the Christian faith” (p. 38). last century is a history of spiri- Concerning “Groningen Theology” tual decline and apostasy, leadology he writes, “This new theing to the death of his denomitual did not intend to detract nation. And Blei was a willing from the authority of the Bible, accomplice to this spiritual suicide. but principally set itself against any imposition of doctrine” (p. The last century of the history 63). Writing about the “intent” has the most detail and is of these men and movements is thus most profitable, even an odd way of addressing the though it is sad to read. Numbers matter. The fact is that the philosophy tell part of the story. At the of both did undermine turn of the twentieth century, the Christian faith and the authority almost half of the population in of the Bible. the Netherlands were members The viewpoint of the author of the NHK. By 1930, that was is decidedly that of a minister down to a third of the Dutch 88 Vol. 41, No. 1
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November 2007 - Protestant Reformed Churches in America

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