Abstract

This article is a tribute to the memory of Louk Hulsman. His abolitionism is examined against the backdrop of critical and revolutionary ideas within the Christian tradition. By forging his own religion, it is argued, Hulsman expresses a form of social Christianity and embraces in an original fashion liberation theology. His work resonates with some libertarian arguments put forward by giants of Western literature such as Victor Hugo and Lev Tolstoj. With Bakunin's anarchism, Hulsman shares the belief that the realization of freedom requires that political action be conducted religiously. His discursive system, in brief, far from being removed from "reality", displays a high degree of syncretism that characterises tolerant, combative, noble activists engaged in bringing change to society and to our minds.