From: Darrell128@aol.com Date: Sun, 18 Jun 1995 22:46:22 -0400 Subject: NR 67: CRC Keeps Fraternal Relations with GKN .c1.To Reach United Reformed News Service Staff, Contact: Darrell Todd Maurina, Press Officer [For news tips or content-related inquiries] DURING SYNOD 1995 ONLY: (Monday, June 12 to Friday, June 23): Voice: (616) 451-4205 * FAX: (616) 698-9265 * E-Mail: Darrell128@AOL.com 1214 Fountain NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503 PERMANENT ADDRESS: Voice: (616) 674-8446 * FAX: (616) 674-8454 * E-Mail: Darrell128@AOL.com PO Box 691, Lawrence, MI 49064-0691 Laurie Vanden Heuvel, Circulation Manager [For missing or back issues, subscription inquiries, or address changes] Voice: (616) 878-9278 * FAX: (616) 878-3256 * E-Mail: TomLaur@AOL.com 2475 - 85th St., Byron Center, MI 49315 NR #1995-067: Christian Reformed Synod Votes to Keep Fraternal Relations with Gereformeerde Kerken Despite Advocacy of Gay Rights Despite a speech by the newly elected president of the General Synod of the Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland noting that his own congregation had homosexual consistory members and paraphrasing Galatians 3:28 to read "in Christ there is neither male nor female, slave nor freeman, Jew nor Greek -- and, I might add, neither hetero nor homo," the Christian Reformed synod voted by an 89 to 80 margin not to break fraternal relations with its mother church and repeatedly voted down attempts to officially express objections to the speech. Instead, the CRC Interchurch Relations Committee will be mandated to discuss "the issues and trends in the life and practice of the GKN that are of deep concern to the CRC and trouble our ecclesiastical relations." NR #1995-067: For Immediate Release Christian Reformed Synod Votes to Keep Fraternal Relations with Gereformeerde Kerken Despite Advocacy of Gay Rights * GKN Synod President: "In Christ there is neither male nor female, slave nor freeman, Jew nor Greek -- and, I might add, neither hetero nor homo." by Darrell Todd Maurina, Press Officer United Reformed News Service GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (June 17, 1995) URNS -- "Where believers are true to each other in love, and are committed to the edification of Christ's church, the apostle's words become true that in Christ there is neither male nor female, slave nor freeman, Jew nor Greek -- and, I might add, neither hetero nor homo." That's what the newly elected synod president of the Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland (GKN) told the assembled Christian Reformed synodical delegates on the afternoon of June 16. In his speech, Rev. Richard Vissinga said that in his church, the Open Hof Gemeente in the Dutch city of Kampen, "homosexual men or women participate in task forces, committees, and consistory." "When they live with a partner under one roof, they are faithful to each other in love. In faith we accept one another as a gift of God," said Vissinga. "Homosexuals experience the room which the church has come to respect as theirs as a boon and a gift. Unfortunately, this room is not found everywhere among us." Vissinga did not confine his comments to the subject of homosexuality. "The times of strong synodical pronouncements to church and nation are over. Believers today are better served with deliberations that help them to make their own choices in the questions that confront them," said Vissinga, citing as examples two reports on the treatment of seriously handicapped newborn children and the New Age movement. The reports were accepted by a recent joint synod of the GKN, the Nederlands Hervormde Kerk, and a small Lutheran denomination which are in the process of reunifying to become the United Protestant Church in the Netherlands. "With reverence for the Creator, for life, for those concerned, and with great care, the study notes that in exceptional cases it may not be irresponsible to terminate life," said Vissinga about the report on treatment of seriously handicapped newborn children. "The study, written to assist the churches, makes no strong claims but underscores the need to continue the dialogue on these difficult and heart-rending questions." Vissinga also touched on a theological training program for members of GKN congregations, the GKN's attitude toward Jews, and the importance of continued fraternal relations with the CRC. Vissinga urged the Christian Reformed synod not to break almost 140 years of ties with the GKN, the "mother church" of the Christian Reformed Church in North America. "It appears easier to split churches than to bring them together," said Vissinga, referring to the difficulties in the Dutch church reunification process. "Through our faith in Jesus Christ and our commitment to the Reformed heritage we belong together. That does not always lead to the same opinions. But because we belong together in Christ we hold on to each other, seeking communion and dialogue." Reaction to the GKN Speech The speech from the GKN synod president came a few hours before the CRC was scheduled to vote on the question of whether to break fraternal relations with the GKN. Synod had already received two reports from its advisory committee, a majority report arguing that relations should not be broken but that the CRC's Interchurch Relations Committee be mandated to discuss "the issues and trends in the life and practice of the GKN that are of deep concern to the CRC and trouble our ecclesiastical relations" and a minority report signed by two of the committee's seventeen members advocating termination of the ecclesiastical relationship. The advisory committee minority quoted statements in the CRC's own official report on the GKN that "several historical-critical hypotheses and conclusions have found general acceptance among GKN biblical scholars and theologians that would generally be thought among us to involve Scripture criticism and would undoubtedly be judged incompatible with the CRC report on 'The Nature and Extent of Biblical Authority.'" The minority report also noted the CRC's own official report that "the GKN tolerance of homosexual practice is in the judgment of the CRC contrary to the Scriptures and in conflict with the decisions of our Synod of 1973." Other items cited in the minority report included statements that "continued ecclesiastical fellowship with the GKN may jeopardize our ecclesiastical fellowship with other Reformed and Presbyterian denominations," that "dialogue with the GKN to present has proven to be unfruitful" with respect to Scripture criticism and homosexual practice, and that "termination of ecclesiastical fellowship with the GKN is consistent with the ecumenical charter, which mandates the [Interchurch Relations Committee] to assure that continued fellowship with other denominations is warranted, based not only on their formal standards, but also on their actual practice." In contrast to the two-member committee minority, the majority argued that "the GKN confess the Bible to be the authoritative, infallible Word of God in conformity with the Reformed confessions, even though their affirmations about the nature, extent, and character of the Scriptures as the Word of God seem questionable and some interpretations appear unsatisfactory to the CRC." As a result of these questionable interpretations, the committee majority said that "the CRC has an ongoing ecumenical responsibility to the GKN particularly as they struggle to be a Reformed church in a radically secular European environment. This responsibility may not be abandoned as long as the CRC has opportunity to fulfill its ecumenical task with the GKN." Both committee reports were produced prior to the speech of the GKN synod president to synod. After hearing a brief speech from a representative of the National Association of Evangelicals, synod took up the matter of fraternal relations. Within minutes, it became obvious that the speech had not gone down well with many delegates. Rev. Bernie Tol from Classis Zeeland took the floor early in the debate to inform the delegates that he regretted signing the majority report. "Because of what we heard this afternoon, because of what we heard, it became evident that for at least twelve years, we've been talking, but they ain't been listening," said Tol. "Jesus says sometimes you have to draw a line in the sand and love him more than mother or father, brother or sister." Tol's comment about family relations responded to a theme stated by a number of synodical delegates who still have close relatives in the Netherlands. "For us you are speaking of the church I was baptized in, so you have to be more careful talking about them," said Rev. Morris Greidanus from Classis Grand Rapids East. "You make friends, but you've got your family," said Greidanus, translating a Dutch proverb. "You may not like your mother or father, brother or sister, but they're still your family." Family issues cut both ways, however. Minority chairman Rev. John Noordhof noted that his parents were born and baptized in the GKN and that a number of his own relatives were still members of that denomination. "I know there are many personal sentimental ties, but based on the evidence before us in items one and two it's time to terminate the relationship," said Noordhof. "I had a son who was unruly," said Elder Gordon Kuipers from Classis Hudson. "He grew up and I once had to say to him, move out, but I left the door open and months later he came back and is now a deacon in our church." "It's time to practice tough love, say to them, here's the door, but it will always be open for you to come back," said Kuipers. Another Classis Hudson delegate, Rev. Casey Freswick, went even farther in his criticism of the GKN leadership. "There are salvation issues involved," said Freswick. "My prayer is that God would convert many, or maybe even one of those theologians, that he would stand for the truth of Scripture and declare it." Elder Jan de Koning of Classis Toronto urged the delegates to remember that the family relationship between the CRC and the GKN was not that of a father to a son but that of a daughter church to a mother church. "It's not that we are kicking our son out, we are kicking our father out," said de Koning. "This church is a daughter church of their church in the Netherlands. If we're going to kick our father out, we'd better be careful." Westminster Theological Seminary president Dr. W. Robert Godfrey, who had been appointed as chairman of the advisory committee on interchurch relations before being elected as the second clerk of synod, blasted the GKN delegate for his approval of monogamous homosexual relationships. "Is there nothing clear in the Bible?" asked Godfrey. "It seems to me we need to say in love to the GKN that this position on homosexuality is very unbiblical and very unrighteous." Calvin Seminary president Dr. James A. De Jong echoed Godfrey's concern about the GKN speech but came to somewhat different conclusions. "My reaction was much the same as many of the delegates here this afternoon; I was incensed and offended by his treatment of homosexuality," said De Jong. "My concern and quandary here tonight is that I must not react tonight to one 12 or 14 minute speech by a fraternal delegate. As a faculty we have had many ongoing conversations with a number of the younger theologians in the GKN who are themselves troubled by what is going on in the GKN." Rev. Clarence Boomsma, administrative secretary of the CRC Interchurch Relations Committee, reminded the delegates that the GKN speech correctly described the GKN position. The only new item, according to Boomsma, was the use of the paraphrased Scripture text from Galatians 3:28 -- a key verse used by Boomsma and others in the CRC to defend women in office -- to defend gay marriages in the GKN. "This is pretty much what we knew to be true all along, and its because of this that we cannot give blanket approval to pulpit and table fellowship to the GKN because there are homosexual ministers and members who may demand access to our pulpits and communion tables on that ground," said Boomsma. However, Boomsma argued that as long as the GKN was willing to dialogue with the CRC it was not possible to completely sever fraternal relations. After being granted the privilege of the floor, the other GKN fraternal delegate echoed Boomsma's plea that the CRC not break fraternal relations. "I come here, people ask me how I like the United States, and I tell them, ask me again in five years," said Rev. Evert Overeem, moderator of the GKN fraternal relations committee. "Can you judge a church from paper, even a church overseas?" asked Overeem. "Can you say to a whole denomination of 800,000 people that you are not a church anymore?" In the opinion of some of the CRC delegates, the answer to that question is yes. Dr. Warren Lammers of Classis Iakota told delegates that within half a year of his father-in-law leaving his pulpit in the GKN, "there was a lesbian minister in that pulpit and her lesbian lover." While most of the discussion focussed on the GKN's tolerance of homosexual practice, Rev. C.J. Den Dulk of Classis Grand Rapids North cited a number of Scripture verses on the need to discipline erring brothers and then told the delegates about his sister's severely handicapped child. "If Brittany were here to hear a respected leader in the church state his position that there are some people in the church who are so seriously handicapped they should be terminated..." began Den Dulk before breaking down in tears. "A country that is so close to Germany needs to be reminded that there are special children, created in the image of God, and are precious in his sight." The last delegate to speak was Elder James I. Park from Classis California South, a member of Orange Korean Church in Fullerton -- the largest Korean congregation which did not leave when Dr. John E. Kim led a secession of over forty percent of the CRC's Korean membership in 1993 over the issues of homosexuality and women in office. "This matter is not just between the CRC and the GKN," said Park in halting English. "I know this outcome, however we vote, will be in the ethnic papers, Korean papers, and the result will be immeasurable." After Park's speech, the synodical delegates voted on a 89 to 80 roll call vote, with a number of delegates abstaining, not to break fraternal relations with the GKN. Synod president Rev. Cal Bolt then adjourned the meeting, already over thirty minutes past closing time, until the next morning. When the delegates reconvened on Saturday morning, a number of proposals were made asking the CRC to suspend rather than break fraternal relations with the GKN. Some asked for suspension to begin in 1977; others asked for suspension to begin in 2000, if the GKN did not change its position on homosexual practice and/or euthanasia. Still other proposals asked that that matter be sent back to the advisory committee to come up with a new recommendation in light of the discussion following the GKN speech. All the proposals met with strong opposition, however. "Brothers, the synod that appointed our committee said this has gone on for 32 years and they wanted us to come back with a recommendation to terminate or not to terminate, one way or the other," said Boomsma. "To say we are going to talk to you for a certain specific period of time but if at the end of that time you haven't done some very specific things we aren't going to talk to you anymore, that isn't the way to relate to brothers in Christ," said Dr. George Monsma, elder delegate from Classis Grand Rapids East. After a number of amendments and motions to recommit failed, Rev. Edward Van Baak, vice-president of the CRC's Interchurch Relations Committee, told the delegates that he had heard the concerns of the synod and would be voicing their critiques in the ongoing dialogue with the GKN. "We will represent you in the very intricate and delicate matter we have represented in our report," said Van Baak. "We are going to continue to believe that patient dealing with the GKN synod, churches, and members will bring about change." "We will have longer and broader visits with the GKN. In this process we will believe that God is almighty and therefore able to effect change," said Van Baak, noting the unexpected survival and dramatic growth of the Chinese church under Communism and the sudden fall of the Berlin wall. "We should not sell the Holy Spirit short." Following several similar speeches by other delegates, Rev. Richard Blauw of Classis Illiana urged the Interchurch Relations Committee to take its mandate very seriously to confront the GKN with the official CRC position that its views are wrong. "I trust that in the interests of discussion the IRC will pursue those discussions with the same kind of urgency and vigor that they did with South Africa," said Blauw, noting that the CRC had suspended relations with its sister church in South Africa over apartheid and has still not fully restored those relations. "We have heard that South Africa changed their position, but in fairness they did so after we suspended ecclesiastical fellowship with them." Following Blauw's speech, Godfrey urged synod to "officially go on record expressing its dismay about what we heard last night." In response, another delegate moved to add a statement "that we cannot dialogue indefinitely with the GKN if there is little willingness on their part to change views and practices which are unbiblical." "'I can't talk with you unless you change.' That's how this recommendation sounds and I don't think that's what we want to say," responded Rev. Gordon Pols of Classis Toronto. The motion to express dismay about the speech failed, as did all the other efforts to strengthen the advisory committee majority report. Synod finally adopted the majority report without the proposed changes. "Let no one go from this auditorium and say we have given our blessing to the GKN," said synod president Rev. Cal Bolt at the end of the morning session. "We have no disagreement on the sinfulness of homosexuality, we disagree on how to handle our disagreement." GKN Reaction to the Vote In an interview following the morning adjournment, GKN fraternal relations committee moderator Rev. Evert Overeem said he was generally pleased by the Christian Reformed decision with regard to the GKN. "There were some harsh comments made on the floor," noted Overeem. "If they really knew what is going on in the Netherlands I don't think they'd make such comments." Overeem said Calvin Seminary president Dr. James DeJong -- himself a graduate of the GKN-related Free University of Amsterdam -- was correct that the GKN included more conservative as well as more progressive elements. "There will be many members of congregations who do not go along with the decisions of Synod," said Overeem. "We are a more open church; there is more room for disagreement than there is in the CRC." According to Overeem, the GKN desires to maintain its fraternal ties with the CRC even after the reunification process with the Hervormde Kerk and the Lutherans is completed. Each of the denominations will bring its current fraternal relations into the new United Protestant Church, which will then be a member of the Reformed Ecumenical Council, the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, the Lutheran World Fellowship, and the World Council of Churches. While the CRC and GKN were founding members of the Reformed Ecumenical Council, the CRC is not a member of any of the other ecumenical bodies to which the United Protestant Church will belong. Cross-References to Related Articles: [No related articles on file] Contact List: Mr. Tim Penning or Mrs. Bonny Wynia, Christian Reformed Synodical News Office Calvin College, 3201 Burton St. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 * O: (616) 957-8652 * FAX: (616) 957-8551 To Reach Delegates During Synod: (616) 957-6000 Pre-Recorded CRC Synod Hotline: (616) 957-8654 ------------------------------------------------ file: /pub/resources/text/reformed: nr95-067.txt .