Pietje Baltus
Pietronella "Pietje" Baltus (5 December 1830 – 26 March 1914) was a Dutch peasant instrumental in the conversion of Abraham Kuyper to orthodox Christian belief.[1]
She was born near Beesd, the daughter of the miller of De Vrijheid.[2] She was a staunch pietistic Calvinist. When Kuyper came to Beesd in 1863 to pastor the Reformed church there, Baltus stopped attending services. When Kuyper asked her why, she told him, "You do not give us the true bread of life."[3] This led to a series of conversations in which Baltus explained orthodox Reformed Christian belief to Kuyper.[4]
Kuyper was reported to have kept a picture of Baltus on his desk for the rest of his life.[5][6] He arranged for her to receive a government pension when she was elderly.[7] Kuyper wrote an obituary for her in De Standaard, noting that "one child of God, however insignificant by the world's standards, can be like the morning star, again bringing radiance into the night of the church's life."[8]
Baltus never married. There is a street named after her in Beesd.[2]
References[edit]
- ^ "Pietronella Baltus". Biografisch Portaal. Huygens Institute for the History of the Netherlands. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
- ^ a b van Lieburg, F. A. "Pietje Baltus". Biografisch Woordenboek Gelderland (in Dutch). Retrieved 30 November 2023.
- ^ Yu, Steven (11 May 2019). "Abraham Kuyper and the Stone Lectures". AP. Presbyterian Church of Australia. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
- ^ Bredenhof, Wes (9 December 2017). "Abraham Kuyper: larger than life". Reformed Perspective. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
- ^ Joustra, Jessica. "God rules over the cosmos". Christian History Institute. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
- ^ Engelsma, David (2003). "God's Renaissance Man: The Life and Work of Abraham Kuyper". The Standard Bearer. 80 (1). Retrieved 30 November 2023.
- ^ Thomas, Geoff (14 February 2006). "The Women At The Cross". Banner of Truth. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
- ^ Abraham Kuyper: A Centennial Reader. Eerdmans. 1998. p. 59. ISBN 9780802843210. Retrieved 30 November 2023.