P. H. Hugenholtz
About the Author
A revolutionary Dutch minister and founder of the Vrije Gemeente (Free Congregation), Petrus Hermannus Hugenholtz was a religious thinker far ahead of his time. Influenced by modernist theology, he sought to reconcile faith and science, a mission that led him to challenge core church doctrines.
In his sermons, Hugenholtz questioned the physical resurrection of Christ, viewed God not as a person but as a force, and saw Christianity as just one moment in the development of human religious consciousness. These unorthodox views led to his resignation from the established church in 1878.
He immediately founded his own Free Congregation, whose building—opened in 1880 on Amsterdam's Weteringschans—is now the world-famous music venue, Paradiso. A testament to his progressive vision, Hugenholtz often read from the Quran and Hindu and Buddhist scriptures in his services, famously preaching on the topic, "Buddha or Jesus?"
Resources by P. H. Hugenholtz
Religion and Liberty
This volume is the official proceedings of the 1903 Amsterdam congress of the International Council of Unitarian and Other Liberal Religious Thinkers and Workers. The collection captures a pivotal moment in the global liberal religious movement at the turn of the 20th century, bringing together leading theologians, scholars, and ministers to discuss the intersection of "Religion and Liberty." It serves as a valuable historical record of the movement's international scope, theological diversity, and shared commitment to freedom of thought, religious fellowship, and social progress.
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