Retrospective and prospective (introduction)

In 1979, a book was published to commemorate the 35th anniversary of a federation of Reformed Churches in the Netherlands: the Gereformeerde Kerken (vrijgemaakt); here we will use the name “liberated-Reformed”. The title of the book is Het vuur blijft branden: “The fire keeps burning.” It describes the history and life of these churches.

Here we present a translation and discussion of the last section of the book, a lengthy essay by Prof. Dr. Jochem Douma under the title Bezinning and uitzicht, “Retrospective and prospective.” The chapters are as follows:

1. Why still liberated-Reformed?
2. Isolation
3. Being the church
4. Depth
5. Theological work
6. The first keeps burning