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Re-emerging Christianity in West European Politics: The Case of the Netherlands

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 February 2013

Hans J. P. Vollaard
Hans J. P. Vollaard*
Affiliation:
Leiden University
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Hans J. P. Vollaard, Institute of Political Science, Faculty of Social Sciences, Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK Leiden, The Netherlands. E-mail: vollaard@fsw.leidenuniv.nl
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Abstract

Does Christianity re-emerge in politics even in the most secularized part of the world, Western Europe? In this article, the exemplary case of the Netherlands provides empirical evidence for two mechanisms of resurgent Christianity in party politics. In this way, the article also offers a more precise understanding under what conditions various dimensions of religion become (again) or remain politically significant. The first mechanism has been the incentive of secularization and secularism for remaining Christians to regroup in a so-called creative minority to convey an explicitly faith-based message to a broader public. Modernization has therefore not automatically meant less religion in politics. However, creative minorities remained a relatively minor affair in Dutch party politics, despite the large number of Christian migrants and their descendants. Second, Christian and culturally rightwing, secular parties have increasingly referred to a Judeo-Christian culture to mark the political identities of the European Union and its nations in response to Islam's growing visibility. The concept of Judeo-Christian culture foremost functioned as a sacred word to denote the liberal and secular order of the West, reflecting the re-emergence of Christianity as cultural phenomenon rather than faith in West European politics.

Type
Articles
Information
Politics and Religion , Volume 6 , Issue 1 , March 2013 , pp. 74 - 100
Copyright
Copyright © Religion and Politics Section of the American Political Science Association 2013 

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