PThU Professor Mirella Klomp appointed Theologian Laureate of the Netherlands

Honourable Distinction and Ambassadorship

Mirella Klomp: 'This is a tremendous opportunity to be an ambassador of this wonderful field. I want to show that theology can contribute to many conversations and provide a valuable voice in the discussion, even in a country where the Christian faith has lost much of its firm foothold.'

The PThU is proud of its professor. Prof. Dr. Klaas Spronk, acting rector of PThU, expresses his delight: 'We at PThU are pleased and proud that our youngest professor has received this honorable award. She truly deserves it. With great creativity and full commitment, she demonstrates the relevance of theology to society. In doing so, she makes an significant contribution to a deeper understanding of contemporary faith experiences and the motivations behind the choices we Christians face today.'

Dutch Soil

'It is a given that I will fulfill this ambassadorial role on Dutch soil', says Klomp. 'As a child, I grew up among the meadows - vast green fields lined with ditches. I spent hours fishing for frog spawn at the water's edge. This was my unbothered playground. But soil also holds danger. On the frozen paths in the forest on my way to school, you could slip and take an nasty fall. The older I get, the more I realize that our country, the Netherlands, is a unique tapestry of diverse landscapes: from heathlands to sand drifts, and from ancient marshes to stretches of resilient peat.'

She is curious about the stories of the land that sustains us in the Netherlands: how it inspires us or perhaps  holds us back, how it connects or divides . What the soil says about who we are. As Theologian Laureate of the Netherlands, she will spend the coming year listening to these stories and bring theology into dialogue with the collective narrative on Dutch soil.