Which religious views did Johan van Oldenbarnevelt support during the conflict between Arminians and Gomarists?

Johan van Oldenbarnevelt supported the Arminians during the religious conflict that divided the Dutch Republic. While he was a member of the Reformed Church, he and the ruling regents of Holland favored a latitudinarian approach to dogma, seeking a church that was inclusive rather than strictly dogmatic.1

In contrast to the Gomarists—who demanded an uncompromising, strict Calvinist orthodoxy—Oldenbarnevelt viewed the Dutch revolt as a struggle for freedom, including protection from religious inquisition. He believed that the state should maintain authority over the church, and he resisted the Gomarist push for a national synod, which he feared would establish an independent church power that could challenge civil governance. To maintain this moderate religious stance, Oldenbarnevelt and his supporters occasionally employed measures to silence or exile preachers who insisted on delivering controversial sermons.1