Herman Selderhuis (born 21 May 1961) is a Dutch minister,

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

and professor of

church history __NOTOC__ Church history or ecclesiastical history as an academic discipline studies the history of Christianity and the way the Christian Church has developed since its inception. Henry Melvill Gwatkin defined church history as "the spiritual ...

and church polity.

Life

Herman Johan Selderhuis was born on 21 May 1961. He grew up in a family that was not involved in the church. At the age of 15, he began attending church services and was subsequently baptized and joined the

Christian Reformed Churches The Christian Reformed Churches in the Netherlands ( nl, Christelijke Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland) is a Protestant church in the Netherlands. History The original name of the church was Christian Reformed Church in the Netherlands ('' ...

. He attended the grammar school at the Ichthus College in his hometown,

Enschede Enschede (; known as in the local Twents dialect) is a municipality and city in the eastern Netherlands in the province of Overijssel and in the Twente region. The eastern parts of the urban area reaches the border of the German city of Gronau ...

. From 1981 to 1988 he studied theology at the

Theological University of Apeldoorn The Theological University of Apeldoorn (TUA) is the Dutch theological university of the Christian Reformed Churches (Christelijke Gereformeerde Kerken). More than 130 students study at the university in Apeldoorn. The theological course lasts si ...

of the Christian Reformed Churches. His doctoral exam was on Church History. Selderhuis was minister of the Christian Reformed Church in

Hengelo Hengelo (; Tweants: ) is a city in the eastern part of the Netherlands, in the province of Overijssel. The city lies along the motorways A1/E30 and A35 and it has a station for the international Amsterdam – Hannover – Berlin service. Popu ...

from 1987 until 1992. The following five years he was minister of the Christian Reformed Church in

Zwolle Zwolle () is a city and municipality in the Northeastern Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of Overijssel and the province's second-largest municipality after Enschede with a population of 130,592 as of 1 December 2021. Zwolle is o ...

. He graduated in 1994 on the subject of

Martin Bucer Martin Bucer ( early German: ''Martin Butzer''; 11 November 1491 – 28 February 1551) was a German Protestant reformer based in Strasbourg who influenced Lutheran, Calvinist, and Anglican doctrines and practices. Bucer was originally a me ...

on Marriage and Divorce. In January 1997 he became Professor of Church History and Church Law as the successor to

Willem van 't Spijker Willem van 't Spijker (21 September 1926 – 23 July 2021) was a Dutch minister and theologian. He was specialized in church history and church law. Life Willem van 't Spijker was born and grew up in Zwolle in a simple family characterized by ...

at the Theological University in Apeldoorn.

Career

He is currently professor of church history and church polity at the

. He also served as the academic curator of the John Lasco Library (

Emden Emden () is an independent city and seaport in Lower Saxony in the northwest of Germany, on the river Ems. It is the main city of the region of East Frisia and, in 2011, had a total population of 51,528. History The exact founding date of E ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

) from 2010 - 2017 and is president of the International Calvin Congress. He is also director of Refo500, the international platform for knowledge, expertise, ideas, products and events, specializing in the 500 year legacy of the Reformation. In November 2020 he became boardmember of the international Martin Luther foundation.

Bibliography

Some of his books are: * ''

John Calvin John Calvin (; frm, Jehan Cauvin; french: link=no, Jean Calvin ; 10 July 150927 May 1564) was a French theologian, pastor and reformer in Geneva during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system ...

: A Pilgrim's Life '' * * ''Marriage and Divorce in the Thought of

'' * ''Handbook of Dutch Church History '' * ''Calvin's Theology of the

Psalms The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived ...

'' * ''

Martin Luther Martin Luther (; ; 10 November 1483 – 18 February 1546) was a German priest, theologian, author, hymnwriter, and professor, and Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinian friar. He is the seminal figure of the Reformation, Protestant Refo ...

: A Spiritual Biography ''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Selderhuis, Herman 1961 births Living people 20th-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians 20th-century Dutch Calvinist and Reformed ministers 20th-century Dutch educators 20th-century Dutch male writers 20th-century Dutch non-fiction writers 21st-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians 21st-century Dutch Calvinist and Reformed ministers 21st-century Dutch educators 21st-century Dutch male writers 21st-century Dutch non-fiction writers Calvinist and Reformed writers Canonical theologians Christian Reformed Churches Christians from the Netherlands Converts to Protestantism from atheism or agnosticism Academic staff of the Theological University of Apeldoorn Dutch Calvinist and Reformed theologians Historians of Christianity People from Enschede Reformation historians