A Secession Story for Youth
In Times of Trouble (Refuge Book 1), P.M. Kuiper. Jenison: Reformed Free Publishing Association, 2025. Softcover, 218 pages.
Mention the Secession of 1834 and eyes may well glaze over. Try to describe it to young people and you may encounter a worse reaction. Yet this event was pivotal in our Reformed church history – it’s a need-to-know.
Prior to the Secession, there was essentially one Reformed church in the Netherlands, which was basically a state church. By the early 1800s, this church was in the grip of theological liberalism. Essential Bible teachings were being denied by pastors and theologians. The gospel was in grave danger of being eclipsed. However, under the leadership of men like Hendrik de Cock, God brought a reformation – known in Dutch as the Afscheiding, in English we call it the Secession.
This story is set just over a decade (1846) after the initial Secession movement. While we call it the Secession of 1834, the reality is that it occurred over a number of years, spreading around the Netherlands. In some corners of the state church there were still faithful preachers, so the need for reformation wasn’t felt until these preachers moved on or died and they were replaced with liberals.
In Times of Trouble follows the family of Tess, a thirteen-year old girl. They’re compelled to leave the mainline Reformed church and begin worshipping at a Secession (“free” as it’s called in the book) church. The book relates the persecution and pressure such families faced and how they responded to it.
P.M. Kuiper wrote this story for younger readers (pre-teen-early teen), but adult readers may equally enjoy it (as I did). It’s well-written and has an engaging plot. It’s Book 1 in a series and I’ll definitely be keeping my eye out for subsequent titles.
Most Reformed churches (including the CanRC and FRCA) outside the Netherlands trace their history back to the Secession. A wide spectrum of readers should therefore find this book an attractive way to learn about our shared roots. Kuiper helps modern readers understand the price that had to be paid for maintaining the truth of Scripture. Most importantly, we encounter again the great deeds of our God in preserving his church in history. Buy this one for a young man or woman in your life and keep the memory of this great event fresh in the minds of the next generation.
