Religion in the Netherlands was historically dominated by Christianity between the 10th and 20th centuries. In the late 19th century, roughly 60% of the population was Calvinist and 35% was Catholic.

That was before its dalliance with secularism. Now, a mere 100 years later, most Dutch people are in the firm grip of secular ideology and identify as secular agnostics.

"A little yeast leavens the whole lump," wrote the apostle Paul in Galatians 5:9. Used as a metaphor this explains what will happen in situations where there is an unstable foundation: a slight inclination to error or a few false teachers will pervert the concept of faith and lead the church astray.

Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920) pastored churches in Beesd, Utrecht and Amsterdam for 11 years (1863-1874), but during the onslaught of godless secularism the Dutch theologian, statesman and journalist began his trek into the rough and tumble of the public square and civic engagement. As such, he dominated the religious and political life of the Netherlands for nearly half a century, serving finally as the Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1901 to 1905.

The prominent Dutch historian Ernst Heinrich Kossmann (1922-2003) noted that Kuyper's intention was not to reform or dominate modern civilization but to break it. "There is not a single inch of the whole terrain of our human existence," wrote Kuyper, "over which Christ ... does not proclaim, 'Mine!'"

Guillaume Groen van Prinsterer [1801-1876], the Dutch Protestant political leader and religious thinker wrote in 1847 "Ongeloof en Revolutie" (Unbelief and Revolution), presciently linking disbelief in religion with the oncoming godless spirit of the French Revolution.

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