Donald A. Luidens

This annual report covers the scholarship and activities of the Senior Research Fellows and the Dutch Honorary Research Fellows of the Van Raalte Institute of Hope College in the year 2021. It also contains a full list of current and forthcoming publications as well as instructions for applying for a Visiting Research Fellowship.

Sola scriptura, decreed the Reformers, and thereby launched a literacy frenzy. The newly christened "priesthood of all believers" necessitated that even the lowly layman know how to read and reflect on Holy Writ. Buoyed by the mushrooming bourgeoisie that boasted exceptional resources and unprecedented discretionary time, and fueled by geopolitical and mercantile demands, literacy-steeped in approved Christian dogma-became a widespread expectation throughout seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Europe. These high expectations for Christian education crossed the Atlantic with succeeding waves of Dutch Reformed immigrants and set the stage for a remarkable flourishing of academic institutions, from the earliest grades through postgraduate training. During the colonial era, while broad-scale literacy was the impetus for establishing primary and secondary schools for young folk-principally males-the demand for an educated clergy and a well-trained professional class prompted the founding of postsecondary schools. Reformed congregations and individuals were at the forefront of both initiatives-literacy training for the layman and theological training for the clergy. The resulting institutions were augmented in their educational tasks by a nascent publishing industry that produced a broad range of Christian literature and commentaries. Most of the essays in this volume provide snapshots of the ongoing drive for a self-consciously Christian education that was embedded in the Dutch Reformed immigrant movement. These essays are happily complemented by chapters that reflect on the broader implications of the Dutch immigrant experience in other spheres of the educational enterprise. The multidisciplinary approaches that appear here make this volume particularly engaging. Along with a preponderance of historians, a scattering of cultural anthropologists, language and literature scholars, theologians, and even a photographer will make their appearance in the following pages. The rich variety of lenses that they bring to bear enlivens our imaginations and extends our understanding of the Dutch immigrant experience.

Copublished with the Calvin Center for Christian Scholarship, Reformed Vitality addresses the issue of what constitutes religious vitality and where it can be found within Reformed circles throughout the world. The authors examine evidence of religious vitality among Reformed believers, within Reformed institutions and communities to discover how they have maintained and/or created that vitality in the face of cultural and social fragmentation. This investigation revealed complex and multifaceted patterns that are explored and assessed to create a proper evaluation of the status of religious vitality by interpreting the signs around it. The information gathered shows that many Reformed communities have entered a critical stage, where issues of identity and relevance are central problems that confront their corporate life. Difficult questions arise as the very purpose and essence of Reformed communities are explored along with the place of religious vitality in them.

Copublished with the Calvin Center for Christian Scholarship, Reformed Vitality addresses the issue of what constitutes religious vitality and where it can be found within Reformed circles throughout the world. The authors examine evidence of religious vitality among Reformed believers, within Reformed institutions and communities to discover how they have maintained and/or created that vitality in the face of cultural and social fragmentation. This investigation revealed complex and multifaceted patterns that are explored and assessed to create a proper evaluation of the status of religious vitality by interpreting the signs around it. The information gathered shows that many Reformed communities have entered a critical stage, where issues of identity and relevance are central problems that confront their corporate life. Difficult questions arise as the very purpose and essence of Reformed communities are explored along with the place of religious vitality in them.

This in-depth survey provides a vivid overview of the religious world of the Baby Boomers. The authors worked with a national sample of persons confirmed in the Presbyterian Church, examining the religious faith of Baby Boomers and exploring the reasons they gave for leaving or staying in the church. The authors identify eight types of young adults--half of them churched and the other half unchurched. Their findings provide some unexpected results.