On Friday 12 December, Radboud University hosted a well-attended public symposium to mark the publication of the book God in Nederland 1966-2024. The symposium, which was attended by approximately 180 visitors, addressed the decline in religious affiliation in the Netherlands as outlined in the book. Specifically, the speakers addressed the consequences of secularisation for, among other things, spiritual care in healthcare (Ralf Smeets, VGVZ), special education (Mark Buck, Verus), the relationship between the church and the government (Jaap Smit, CIO) and, of course, the churches themselves (Monsignor De Korte, Roman Catholic Church). In addition to the four speakers, who were introduced by Radboud's rector José Sanders, a special issue of the magazine Religie & Samenleving (Religion & Society, issue in Dutch) was presented, containing 16 further reflections on the study God in Nederland 1966-2024.
Reports on the symposium can be found in the Nederlands Dagblad (in Dutch) and the Reformatorisch Dagblad (in Dutch). They noted that the speakers see trends behind the hard figures: they see the Christian faith changing for people from a source of meaning to a cultural aspect, with all the positive and negative consequences that entails. On the other hand, they also see an influx of younger generations to church services.