Among historians there is little disagreement about the significance of Dutch theologian and statesman Abraham Kuyper (1837?1920), but discussions about Kuyper have centered mostly on his worldview, w
Among historians there is little disagreement about the significance of Dutch theologian and statesman Abraham Kuyper (1837?1920), but discussions about Kuyper have centered mostly on his worldview, with little said about his context and personal life. Jan de Bruijn?s beautiful pictorial biography fills a gap in offering a full-fledged portrait of this remarkable, visionary, polemical, complex character.
Nearly four hundred full-color illustrations with extended explanatory captions make up the book. Readers will see political cartoons, family photos, posters, pictures of important places in Kuyper?s life. Even Kuyper enthusiasts are sure to find something new here! Never before has there been a book available in English that illustrates Kuyper?s life to such a great extent.
James D. Bratt
-- author of Abraham Kuyper: Modern Calvinist, Christian Democrat
"An inviting, accessible introduction to a man of vast energy and vision, a Christian leader and thinker of the first order. We get to see and hear Abraham Kuyper up close — his development and character; the people, issues, and events that loomed large in his life — all captured in intriguing pictures, images, and words from close to his heart. This is the readiest way to get to know Kuyper — and to want to know more."
George Harinck
-- Free University of Amsterdam
"From a photo of his fiancée (1858) to a picture of him lying on his deathbed (1920), this volume shows Kuyper in his personal life — amidst his family, as a mountaineer or a savvy traveler — and in his public career as a professor, journalist, churchman, and politician. With his wide knowledge of the Kuyper archives and of the life and times of Kuyper, historian Jan de Bruijn not only offers a magnificent pictorial overview of Kuyper?s career but also gives an intimate biographical portrait of the man who like no other in his day knew how to turn the private into the public."
Robert P. Swierenga
-- A. C. Van Raalte Institute, Hope College
"If a picture is worth a thousand words, de Bruijn?s pictorial biography of Abraham Kuyper is priceless. Hundreds of images ranging from formal portraits to political cartoons and documents, all skillfully set in their proper place, bring to life the Calvinist cleric, founder of the Free University of Amsterdam, and prime minister of the Netherlands."
John Bolt
-- Calvin Theological Seminary
"As valuable as Abraham Kuyper?s words are in providing a portrait of the man and his times, they are not enough. A bigger-than-life figure like Kuyper, who was both a product of his own time and a major influence on it, is understood much better when he and his world are made visible to us. Kuyper needs to be seen as well as heard, and this volume gives us the whole picture."
Gordon Graham
-- Abraham Kuyper Center for Public Theology, Princeton Theological Seminary
"Abraham Kuyper: A Pictorial Biography wonderfully brings to life the astonishing career and turbulent times of Abraham Kuyper, and does so in a way that words alone cannot. Jan de Bruijn has masterfully assembled the perfect complement to James Bratt?s equally masterful biography of Kuyper."
Jan Peter Balkenende
-- former prime minister of the Netherlands
"I recommend this book wholeheartedly. It contains an excellent combination of a lot of information and numerous pictures, giving fantastic insight into the life and meaning of the great Dutchman Abraham Kuyper."
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