NR #1996-045: Christian Reformed Conservatives Pleased by Engelhard Speech to Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland Engelhard's speech to the general synod of the Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland may not have been appreciated by the GKN synodical delegates, but it is gathering support from some quarters that aren't always positive about the Christian Reformed denominational leadership. "I don't know if it is the fault of our Interchurch Relations Committee that they have not been as clear in the past, but I'm glad that Dr. Engelhard was as forthright as he was," said Rev. Roger Sparks, one of two delegates who led the charge against the GKN at Synod 1995. "I only hope that the Christian Reformed Church means business the way Dr. Engelhard suggested they do." In the CRC's largest congregation, the 2600-member Sunshine Community Church of Grand Rapids, the chairman of a special committee appointed by the church's consistory to respond to Synod 1995 also supported Engelhard. "That is very strong and I feel strengthened," said Elder Tom de Vries. "I sense that the statement was one of great encouragement to those of us who want to remain biblical in the way we want to order our lives; I think Engelhard said it and said it well." NR #1996-045: For Immediate Release Christian Reformed Conservatives Pleased by Engelhard Speech to Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland by Darrell Todd Maurina, Press Officer United Reformed News Service GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (May 3, 1996) URNS - Engelhard's speech to the general synod of the Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland may not have been appreciated by the GKN synodical delegates, but it is gathering support from some quarters that aren't always positive about the Christian Reformed denominational leadership. Rev. Roger Sparks of Calvin CRC in Rock Valley, Iowa, one of the first graduates of the conservative Mid-America Reformed Seminary, was one of two delegates at Synod 1995 to lead the charge against the GKN after a speech by GKN synod president Rev. Richard S.E. Vissinga. In that speech, Vissinga told the CRC synod that "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." In his own church, the Open Hof Gemeente in the Dutch city of Kampen, Vissinga said that "homosexual men or women participate in task forces, committees, and consistory." Not confining his speech to the issue of homosexuality, Vissinga described a recent report of his denomination on euthanasia for newborn infants. "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 . "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." Sparks and fellow synodical delegate Rev. John Noordhof of Dresden CRC in Ontario were the only two signatories of a minority report from the advisory committee on interchurch relations asking synod to break ties with the GKN. After Vissinga's speech, Sparks and Noordhof, two of the youngest ministers at synod, were placed in the unusual position of defending a minority report that almost passed the synod and was defeated by an 89 to 80 vote with numerous delegates abstaining. Sparks, whose church and classis submitted one of the nine overtures noted by Engelhard in his speech to the GKN synod, was pleased by Engelhard's speech. "I don't know if it is the fault of our Interchurch Relations Committee that they have not been as clear in the past, but I'm glad that Dr. Engelhard was as forthright as he was," said Sparks. "I only hope that the Christian Reformed Church means business the way Dr. Engelhard suggested they do." "I'm glad Engelhard did what he did and that probably took courage on his part as well to speak to the delegates in the GKN as forthrightly as he did," continued Sparks. "I commend him for that, but just speaking to him doesn't resolve the issue and we need to keep that in mind. The issue still has to be resolved somehow." The homosexual issue in the CRC's mother church has drawn fire not only from traditionally conservative sectors of the CRC but also from the CRC's largest congregation - the 2600-member Sunshine Community Church in Grand Rapids, which for over twenty years has attracted Christian Reformed members dissatisfied with CRC traditionalism. After reports of Vissinga's speech spread across the front pages of the Grand Rapids newspapers, Sunshine's consistory appointed a special committee to respond to Synod 1995's decision not to break ties with the GKN. When Classis Grand Rapids North met in January of this year, Sunshine pastor Rev. Matthew Heard and Elder Tom de Vries gave strong support to a Walker CRC overture asking the CRC synod to break ties with the GKN. De Vries - who chaired Sunshine's special committee responding to Synod 1995 - said he was "delighted" by Engelhard's speech to the GKN synod. "That is very strong and I feel strengthened," said de Vries. "I sense that the statement was one of great encouragement to those of us who want to remain biblical in the way we want to order our lives; I think Engelhard said it and said it well." According to de Vries, Sunshine took action on the GKN out of conviction that it could not remain silent in the face of apparent inaction by the denomination of which it is a part. "Departure on that point is so radical that it is extreme," said de Vries. "We had just as much concern about the euthanasia issue; the idea of taking life that has been born was beyond any kind of comprehension for us. Both carried a lot of weight." While disappointed that the Dutch papers described his speech as a "threat," Engelhard confirmed the tenor of his comments to the GKN synod. "The history of this whole process unfortunately is that our fraternal greetings often have to have some hard comments," said Engelhard. "I didn't intend them as threats so much as to identify what is the nature of our relationship at our present moment and what is our response to last year's decision." "The reason we went there, although I mentioned the overtures to the synod, was to deal with the mandate synod gave us, that we retain ecclesiastical fellowship but maintain discussion about the issues that concern us," said Engelhard. "I explained that our reaction was fueled in part by the address of the fraternal delegate last summer. What shocked, disappointed, and dismayed us was his use of Galatians 3:28 to defend homosexuality - that moved beyond what we had heard before." Engelhard said the reaction he had heard across the CRC has included strong criticism of the CRC as well as support and indifference. "Many don't know much about the Netherlands, and ignorance breeds a certain amount of indifference and only when it is highlighted through articles or overtures do people begin to think about it," said Engelhard. "My overall impression is that many of the Canadian congregations have much closer ties to the Netherlands and the churches there, and their knowledge about it sometimes makes them more sympathetic and sometimes much more critical." According to Engelhard, the CRC's Interchurch Relations Committee has not yet completed its report on the GKN to the synod but that it will include a report from the CRC's fraternal delegates to the GKN. However, Engelhard said he preferred to leave the question of whether the CRC should sever fraternal relations to the discretion of synod. "The interchurch relations committee has not been asked directly to address the overtures that come to Synod 96, that's really synod's business," said Engelhard. Cross-References to Related Articles: #1995-067: Christian Reformed Synod Votes to Keep Fraternal Relations with Gereformeerde Kerken Despite Advocacy of Gay Rights #1995-068: Complete Text of the GKN President's Fraternal Address #1996-011: CRC's Largest Congregation Joins Protest Against Fraternal Relations with Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland #1996-044: Engelhard to Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland: Christian Reformed Synod Upset by Biblical Justification of Homosexuality in Dutch Mother Church Contact List: Elder Tom de Vries, Sunshine Community Church 3215 Valley View Dr. NE, Rockford, MI 49315 * O: (616) 784-8000 * H: (616) 866-1186 * F: (616) 784-0650 Dr. David Engelhard, General Secretary, Christian Reformed Church in North America 2850 Kalamazoo Ave. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49560 O: (616) 246-0744 * H: (616) 243-2418 * FAX: (616) 246-0834 * E-Mail: engelhad@crcnet.mhs.compuserve.com Rev. John Noordhof, Pastor, Dresden Christian Reformed Church PO Box 494, Dresden, ON N0P 1M0 CANADA * H/O: (519) 683-2014 Rev. Roger Sparks, Calvin Christian Reformed Church 1606 - 18th St., Rock Valley, IA 51247 * O: (712) 476-5782 * H: (712) 476-2468 Rev. Richard S. E. Vissinga, President, Synod of the Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland Watermunt 11, 8265 EL Kampen, NETHERLANDS ------------------------------------------------ file: /pub/resources/text/reformed: nr96-045.txt .