Summary

Abraham Kuyper's accomplishments were many and he had a stellar career. He served as pastor, theologian, founder of the Free University in Amsterdam, chief organizer of a Calvinist political party, prime minister of the Netherlands. He is, however, less well-known for another major contribution-his writings on worship and liturgy which are still relevant for the church today and now appear in an English translation as Our Worship.

Listen Online

Download audio

Details

Abraham Kuyper's accomplishments were many and he had a stellar career. He served as pastor, theologian, founder of the Free University in Amsterdam, chief organizer of a Calvinist political party, prime minister of the Netherlands. He is, however, less well-known for another major contribution-his writings on worship and liturgy which are still relevant for the church today and now appear in an English translation as Our Worship.

Presented at the 2009 Calvin Symposium on Worship.

Recent Media Resources

Video History Music/Song
Psalmody in Black: The Psalter as Human Expression

This workshop explores the deep connection between the psalms and the breadth of human emotion through musical settings by Black composers. Interwoven with reflections on the history and function of the Psalter, this program reveals how these timeless texts continue to speak to the spiritual, emotional, and cultural experiences of our shared humanity. 

May 1, 2026 | 90 min video
Podcast History Psalms/Scripture
Nancy L. deClaissé-Walford on the Shape and Shaping of the Psalter

Old Testament scholar Nancy deClaissé-Walford has spent her career studying the ordering of the Psalter. Most of the psalms, she says, are not tied to a particular situation, allowing us to sing and pray them honestly in our own contexts.

April 10, 2026 | 17 min listen
Podcast Justice/Reconciliation Psalms/Scripture
Andrew Wilkes on Doing the Work of Liberation and Justice with the Psalms as Our Guide

Pastor-scholar Andrew Wilkes shares how his worshiping community, Double Love Experience Church, prayed and sang the psalms during the troubling times of 2020. The psalms gave them language and support for praise and lament, and Wilkes asserts that lament is the evidence of faith because we are bringing our troubles to God.

April 10, 2026 | 14 min listen