Groen van
Prinsterer has been a member of Parliament –the so called Second Chamber the
Dutch equivalent of House of Commons or House of Representatives- from 1849
till 1857 (a short interval excepted), and again from 1862 till 1866. There
Groen van Prinsterer confessed the significance of the Gospel for all society,
as opposed to the principles of the French Revolution. In the 19th century
there were not yet political parties as we have them now. But there were two
main currents: conservatives and liberals. But for Groen van Prinsterer the
differences between them were not fundamental.
When the
deepest principles were taken into account, Groen van Prinsterer saw a certain
connection between liberalism and socialism. All these currents were connected
by their proceeding from autonomous man. In certain aspects Groen van
Prinsterer was nearest to the conservatives. But their refusal of the
principles of the Revolution was more from opportunistic motives, than from
good principles, as he saw it.
Only by the light of God’s revelation, and by living in
that light can we really hold fast to the essential an immutable norms and
values for the organisation of society. So we must interpret Groen van
Prinsterer’s saying: ‘in our isolated position lies our strength.’ He meant an
isolation as Daniel and his three friends in Babel; being in Babel doing with
all the talents God gave you your work in Babel but being at the same time a
citizen of the new Jerusalem. A Christian intermingles with other people and
tries to win them for Christ but realises always that he sees all things in a
completely other perspective: the perspective of God’s revelation.
So, Groen van Prinsterer was an advocate of an isolated
position in a spiritual sense. He wanted to the meaning and consequences of
biblical revelation, not just for personal and ecclesiastical life, but also
for society at large. Groen van Prinsterer is the father of the formation of
Protestant-Christian political parties in the Netherlands. For him the
formation of Protestant- Christian institutions however was not an aim as such,
but a means to win back to whole nation to God and his Word. Against the
principles of the Revolution he emphasised the authority of God and his
infallible Word.
The French Revolution had started with the declaration of
the human rights, and acknowledging God’s rights could only conquer that
position. From the history of the Netherlands Groen van Prinsterer pleaded for
the Protestant character of the Dutch nation. Therefore he could also speak
about the anti-revolutionary or Christian-historical persuasion. A Christian
ought to reject the principles of the French Revolution. The Bible must be his
only rule for faith and practice, his guide for all areas of life. A Christian
ought also to think along historical lines.