Includes bibliographical references and index.

Front Matter -- Copyright Page -- Dedication -- Preface -- Abbreviations -- Introduction -- The Dutch Modernist Movement -- The Genesis of the Modernist Movement -- The Modernist ‘Tribune’ -- Modernising Christianity: Ecclesial-Religious Life -- Modernism, Orthodoxy, and Self-Identification -- Envisioning the Faith Community of Tomorrow -- Little Religions, ‘Liberal’ Tendencies, and Atheism -- Liberal Protestant Discourse -- A Spiritual Aristocracy of Tutors -- Christianising Modern Society: Socio-cultural and Political Life -- Conquering the Lower Classes -- Captivating the Intellectual Class -- Becoming a Pillaret -- The International Context -- Fields Ripe for Harvest? -- The International Liberal Protestant ‘Family’ -- Concluding Remarks -- Back Matter -- Bibliography -- Index of Names.

In The Eclipse of Liberal Protestantism in the Netherlands, Tom-Eric Krijger is the first to offer a synthesis of the development of the Protestant modernist movement in Dutch religious, social, cultural, and political life between 1870 and 1940. In historiography, the liberal Protestant community is said to have lost appeal and influence in these decades due to a lack of theological clarity, inner harmony, and organisation. Analysing liberal Protestants’ self-perception vis-à-vis Christian orthodoxy, self-understanding as a faith community, attitude towards other alternatives to orthodoxy, class-consciousness, literary criticism, political commitment, and involvement with foreign mission, Krijger challenges this view. Making an international comparison, he argues that the Dutch modernist movement failed to make headway primarily due to liberal Protestant expectations and discourse.