This book describes all aspects of daily religious life of pious Reformed people in the Netherlands between 1720-1820 on the basis of the autobiographies of 14 men and 6 women. Sources are explored thematically, with each chapter describing one section of Pietist life. After introductory chapters on the theological, cultural, and social context and the individual backgrounds of the autobiographers, collective surveys are given about youth, education, adolescence, conversion experiences, spiritual life, marriage, children, congregational life, social and economic life, and the production and reception of the autobiographies. The Dutch perspective was chosen so as to demonstrate that Pietism was not just a movement from the big European countries like Britain and Germany. Apart from its impact on East European and Scandinavian countries, Dutch Pietism is an important and essential part of the movement, at the one hand in the special context of the pluriform and tolerant nation, at the other hand as a 'bridge' between Anglo-Saxon and German Pietist movements. Focusing on Dutch Reformed Pietism may also give a correction to the dominant 'Lutheran' view, caused by the Germanocentric historiography of the movement. Dutch Pietism has also influenced the spirituality of many religious people in the Netherlands up to the present day, including descendants of emigrants in North America and in South Africa.

"In this study of the international pietist movement as in appeared amongst Dutch Calvinists and the Reformed Church in Holland, van Lieburg (Protestant history, Vrije U., Amsterdam) notes that Dutch pietism was a major influence in Eastern Europe and Scandinavia and in fact held its own beside England and Germany. He uses the personal accounts of 14 men and six women to explain how they came to their practices and beliefs about youth and vanity, the conversion process, the experience of the saints, marriage, the concept of the church, the world, and the Word, the Walk and writing." - Reference and Research Book News, August 2006

"The author is to be commended and thanked for such an important contruibution to an illuminating and important series." - Calvin Theological Journal, April 2007 (vol 42, no 1)