Abraham Kuyper, Dutch Neo-Calvinism of the 19th Century and Contemporaneity

Notes for understanding a Reformed Model of Public Theology

Abstract

This paper is based on empirical data from contemporary Brazil, at the intersection of religion and politics, to show that the formal relationship between evangelicals and political activity is not exclusive to the field of Pentecostal and neo-Pentecostal churches and leaders. In fact, currently, it is required that scientific investigations contemplate the advance, albeit discreet, of historic Calvinist Protestants in the public and political arena in our country. What we seek is not to analyze the Brazilian evangelical field, but, rather, to promote a reading of the nineteenth-century Dutch neo-Calvinism, with emphasis on the person and work of Abraham Kuyper. We want to offer theological subsidies (or a key to interpretation) so that social and religion scientists can discuss and evaluate whether the presence of reformed Protestants in politics – and even in government positions – in twenty-first-century Brazil can be considered a heritage of Dutch neo-Calvinism.