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(RNS) — The Christian Reformed Church, a small evangelical denomination of U.S. and Canadian churches, voted Wednesday (June 15) at its annual synod to codify its opposition to homosexual sex by elevating it to the status of confession, or declaration of faith.
The 123-53 vote at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, caps a process begun in 2016 when a previous synod voted to form a study committee to bring a report on the “biblical theology” of sexuality.
The vote, following a long day of debate, approves a list of what the denomination calls sexual immorality it won’t tolerate, including “adultery, premarital sex, extra-marital sex, polyamory, pornography and homosexual sex.”
Paul VanderKlay has been preparing for this synod for quite some time. In past videos when addressing this topic, he has demonstrated a sadness that he knew that the issue would tear the denomination apart. He has offered a couple of short videos outlining his thoughts and reactions to the vote, here and here.
I commented at the first of these two videos, and my (edited) comment follows (with a few further thoughts thrown in):
In my parents’ home was a poster, depicting the narrow path and the broad path. The first showed a family under blessing; the second, movie theaters, alcohol, prostitutes, etc. The first led to heaven, the second to hell. Setting aside the theological discussions which such a depiction entails, it is at least an interpretation of Jesus’s words in Matthew 7: 13-14.
This is the poster, although I don’t recall that the one my parents had was in German:
What such a decision does to the CRC is unknown; but it is doctrinally correct. Matthew 7:21 is quite applicable here. No one said the road would be easy, and teaching people that it would be easy is a path to destruction for all. This is not to discount the point: what we believe to be true (and is objectively true) says nothing about how we relate to those who live outside of or fall short of that truth. We all have logs in our eyes.
Lines have to be drawn somewhere, don’t they? Remember, we are enemies to those of this world. Yes, we are to love our enemies; this doesn’t mean we have to affirm and accept and take pride in everything done by our enemies – in June or in any other month of the year.
It is also interesting to note that Calvin University will now (presumably) require a signed statement on beliefs regarding homosexuality.
Calvin University is owned by and under the auspices of the Christian Reformed Church of North America. As this issue is now a statement of confession, well…if such a statement cannot be confirmed by those employed by and representing the denomination…this has to mean something, doesn’t it?
This is nothing new in society – corporate, academia, etc. It is just that this might be one of the few institutions that requires the statement opposite of that which many other institutions are demanding. The university may see an increase in student applications, as many are looking for such academic institutions for their children.
I do believe that this last sentence may be truer than even I understand. We see people searching for solutions to this meaning crisis. At the root of the meaning crisis is the abandonment of objective truth and the natural law ethic built on this. We see interest in the Traditional Latin Mass, in the Orthodox Church, and in Protestant denominations that hold to a more conservative social construct.
People are looking for meaning. They want something built on rock, not sand.
Finally…interesting to note 20% strongly in favor, 20% strongly opposed, with those in-between voting primarily on the conservative / traditional side. This is an image of the larger society. Just because the crazies scream the loudest or get the entire month of June to shove their views down our throats doesn’t mean that they have numbers.
There are more normal people out there than we might come to believe if we only watch the mainstream or listen to our politicians.
Conclusion
I think it is fitting that we get to celebrate this event in June….
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ReplyDeleteAs most Christians will readily and eagerly admit when it comes to some of the most notorious abominations in the bible, most notably the dietary laws, "no one is justified by the law." As Jesus himself points out, it isn't what enters a man that defiles him because it doesn't enter into his heart, but enters into the stomach and then into the sewer. Of course this is only in reference to ritual washing before a meal. What possible reason could there be for this same principle to be ignored were they to ignore these ritual washings before engaging in sexual intercourse?
In other words, if as Christians claim, it necessarily follows that anything and everything may now be consumed in direct contradiction to God's own revulsion, wouldn't it necessarily follow that any and all forms of sexual depravity are also now accepted and condoned? Of course not due to the fact that Christianity is indulging in a blatant Non Sequitur. So is the abomination of homosexuality as horrendous as violating the dietary laws, or is it no worse than violating the dietary laws? Take your pick.
Until Christianity is able to articulate the fundamental purpose of marriage, they will only continue to blindly hold the vanguard of this meaning crises. It is no coincidence that a culture rich in wordplay presents Jesus' mother with the name Mary. The term "marry" comes from a Latin word which means "to impregnate." Historically, the church and the state were in alignment when it came to growing these institutions. A strong church and state requires a strong family so the church was tasked with sanctioning the context in which pregnancies must occur. This is the ONLY defense that can possibly fend off the LGBTQetc. lawsuits that are going to emerge as churches denounce homosexuality.
Have you read the early Church fathers on these matters? Have you read any of the Reformation leaders? Are you well-versed in the arguments made by any of these? Or are you just blowing hot air?
DeleteIf you can demonstrate that you have engaged in a thoughtful way with Christian theologians of the last two thousand years, you will have an audience here. If not, your next comment won't be published.
By now, you should be getting used to this.
Good to hear a denomination taking a clear stand on the truth. In contrast the Southern Baptist Convention is continuing to slide down the social justice path. They don't advocate for LGBT+ acceptance. Yet. But they take money from George Soros or have in the past so anything is possible.
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Will the Christian Reformed Church likewise take a position against contraception? Until the Anglican Church's 1930 Lambeth Conference, artificial birth control was roundly condemned as a violation of the natural law--not only by every mainline Christian church, but by many non-Christians as well.
ReplyDeleteThe only place I've ever heard contraception raised as a moral issue is in a Traditional Latin Mass church. Even the Novus Ordo Catholic churches shy away from the subject.