Klaas Runia (7 May 1926 in

Oudeschoot Oudeschoot ( fry, Aldskoat) is a village in Heerenveen in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. It had a population of around 1,580 in January 2017. History The village was first mentioned in 1299 as van Scoeten. The name means "corner of hi ...

– 14 October 2006 in

Kampen Campen or Kampen may refer to: Places Finland * Kampen, the Swedish name of Kamppi, a district in Helsinki Germany * Campen, Germany, a village by the Ems estuary, northwestern Germany, home of the Campen Lighthouse * Campen Castle, a part ...

) was a Dutch theologian, churchman and journalist. He studied at the Free University, Amsterdam and obtained his doctorate with a dissertation on the concept of theological time in

Karl Barth Karl Barth (; ; – ) was a Swiss Calvinist theologian. Barth is best known for his commentary ''The Epistle to the Romans'', his involvement in the Confessing Church, including his authorship (except for a single phrase) of the Barmen Declara ...

in 1955. In 1956 he was appointed Professor of Systematic theology at the

Reformed Theological College The Reformed Theological College (RTC) is the theological college supported by the Christian Reformed Churches of Australia, the Reformed Churches of New Zealand, and the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Australia. It is located in the Melbourne ...

Geelong, Australia Geelong ( ) ( Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the south eastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon Riv ...

, where he taught until his return to the Netherlands in 1971. During his time in Australia he exerted much influence on evangelical Christians, particularly at universities and theological schools. He was also elected chairman of the

Reformed Ecumenical Council The Reformed Ecumenical Council (REC) was an international organization of Calvinism churches. It had 39 member denominations from 25 countries in its membership, and those churches have about 12 million people together. It was founded August 14, 1 ...

from 1968 to 1976. In 1971 he was appointed Professor of Practical Theology at the Kampen Theological University. During his professorship he was heavily engaged in church affairs and was regarded as a leader of the orthodox wing of the Dutch Reformed Church (Gereformeerde Kerken van Nederland), now the Protestant Church in the Netherlands. For many years he was also active as a journalist. He was editor-in-chief of ''Centraal Weekblad'' from 1972 to 1996. He also wrote many articles in the Frisian daily newspaper ''

Friesch Dagblad The ''Friesch Dagblad'' (; the first word is spelled ''Fries'' in modern Dutch) is a Dutch daily newspaper founded in 1903. It covers the region of Friesland with news reports written from a protestant perspective. ''Friesch Dagblad'' and its c ...

''. He retired in 1992, but remained active as a theologian and journalist until his death in 2006.

Works

*''De theologische tijd bij

'', 1955 (dissertation) *''

's Doctrine of Holy Scripture'', 1962 *''I Believe in God...'', 1963 *''Reformation Today'', 1968 *''The Sermon under Attack'', 1983 (1980 Moore College Lectures) *''The Present-day Christological Debate'', 1984 *''Wegen en doolwegen in de nieuwere theologie'', 1993 *''Bewerken en bewaren'', 1982 (Festschrift) *''In de krachtenveld van de Geest'', 1992 (Festschrift) For a complete bibliography of all his writings see ''Bibliography of the Writings of Professor Klaas Runia 1926–2006'', compiled, edited and introduced by David T Runia (2010).

External links

For the text of some of his writings in English and his complete bibliography se

1926 births 2006 deaths Dutch Calvinist and Reformed theologians Academic staff of Protestant Theological University People from Heerenveen 20th-century Dutch journalists {{Netherlands-bio-stub