Groen van Prinsterer (1801-1876), born in an aristocratic family, became a dedicated Protestant in his younger years and one of the leaders of Dutch and European Christianity, gaining an influential role as pioneer in international Christian thought and parliamentary action. He criticized the secular ideas of the French Revolution in his Unbelief and Revolution (1847). This book has been (and still is) widely read. Two years later he was elected in the Dutch parliament, where he became the leader of his Antirevolutionary Party. He fought for Christian education and democratic rights. As a historian he wrote several books highlighting the merits of the Reformation and God's guidance in the lives of the nations. He became the spiritual father of many Christian leaders, especially of Abraham Kuyper, who shaped this Protestant political movement to be one of the most influential in Dutch history. His legacy shaped thinkers like Herman Bavinck and Herman Dooyeweerd, the founder of reformational philosophy.
