Authority In Question: The Controversy On Simon Vestdijk's 'Toekomst der Religie' 1948-1998

Simon Vestdijk's essay 'The Future of Religion' triggered a controversy among Dutch religious leaders and intellectuals. In this essay, Vestdijk argued that, in the long run, Christianity would be substituted by both Socialism and Buddhism. For more than fifty years after its publication in 1947, the argument has been the target of fierce attacks. Van de Breevaart traces the twists and turns of the debate, developing a challenging theory on modern polemics in general.