DOCSLIB.ORG

Notes on the Canons of Dort C Bouwman

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Notes on the Canons of Dort C Bouwman 1 Notes on the Canons of Dort C Bouwman 2 The Historical Background to the Canons of Dort INTRODUCTION The Canons of Dort are "statements of doctrine adopted by the great Reformed Synod of Dort in 1618-1619". (Book of Praise, p. 531). This synod, which took place in the Dutch town of Dort, the Netherlands, commenced on November 13, 1618 and lasted for almost one year. Why is it that in 1997, some 380 years later, we, Australians, find ourselves studying Dutch synodical decisions that date back so many years? What is it about their content that we still find relevant today? Wouldn't it be far more beneficial for us to study today's issues, and seek today's answer for today's questions? Is a study on the centuries old and European Canons of Dort not a misplaced endeavour in our post-modern and technological culture? The Preacher in Ecclesiastes 1:9,10 warned us that "That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which it may be said, "See this is new"? It has already been in ancient times before us." The very same issues which demand our attention today in the twentieth century turn out to so similar to issues which kept our fathers busy back in the seventeenth century. Hence the answers our fathers arrived at in addressing these issues can certainly benefit us in seeking answers today. More, given that the answers of the fathers of long ago were based on Scripture, it is for to work today with their answers of yesteryear. The Belgic Confession was completed in 1561, in a context of severe persecution. To be Reformed at that time was not 'cheap', or easy. To choose to be Reformed meant that one was prepared to give up one's life for the sake of one's faith. In 1567, Guido deBres himself was hung because he wanted to be Reformed and refused to renounce his Reformed faith. The Reformed suffered much at the hands of their Roman Catholic oppressors and Spanish overlords. However, it was not only the Reformed who resisted their Catholic oppressors and attempted to overthrow the Spaniards, but so did the Liberals (or Libertines). The latter believed in freedom, not necessarily in a political sense, but specifically in a spiritual sense. They embraced a concept of the self which considers man as being good. As far as sin is concerned they believed that man is not dead in sin even though man commits sin. Sinful is the way one describes some of man's deeds, but not man's nature. Man was good, and had within himself the wherewithall to choose the good on his own accord. In 1572 the Netherlands were freed from Spanish oppression and consequently from persecution. This allowed for growth in Reformed Church life. Believers, individually and collectively, could come out of hiding; churches could be established openly. From this time on one notes a development of the Church Order, and the convening of provincial and national Synods. All in all the following years were a prosperous time for the Reformed Church. However to assume that all who embraced the Reformed faith were of one mind in matters of doctrine is a false assumption. 3 There were, in actual fact, two kinds of Reformed people at the time namely, the Calvinistic Reformed (those who adhered to Calvinism) and the Arminian Reformed (as we understand it today, for at the time Arminius, only a young boy, had not yet influenced people's thinking; the term is used simply to 'tag' the group and give it some colour in our minds). For the second group, the term 'reformed' is hardly a fitting label, for they were at heart not at all 'reformed'. THE CALVINISTIC REFORMED The Calvinists understood the Bible to be the inspired Word of God. Therefore, the Bible is to be believed, and it is to be regarded as the final authority in all aspects of life. Out of respect for the Bible as God's Word, this Bible was not to be challenged (said the Calvinists) but was rather to be accepted and obeyed in humility. If we can believe the Bible, we can also echo what the Bible says (confessions). Because these confessions are based on what the Bible says, one can also hold one to the confession. So these Calvinistic Reformed people demanded that office bearers sign a Form of Subscription, by means of which they promise to adhere to the confessions. THE ARMINIAN REFORMED The Arminian Reformed on the other hand were not so submissive to the absolute authority of Scripture. The reason for their refusal to grant such a high place to Scripture (and by extension to the confession since it echoed the Scripture) was their positive perception of man. They rightly understood that the position of the Calvinistic Reformed implied the notion that man is depraved and so cannot know the truth for himself, nor can he discover for himself what is right and good. To see the self as dead in sin (in the words of Ephesians 2:1) was anathema to these Arminian Reformed people. To have to make such a confession concerning the self was offensive to the Arminian Reformed because it challenged their belief that the mind and heart of man is not dead. Sacrosanct to these people is the notion that man is not depraved and consequently is able to reason things out for himself and so arrive at the truth. Man is able to decide between doing good or bad, to believe or not. The Bible can be of assistance, and one should busy oneself with it, but what is essential is that one uses one's mind and so comes to understand the truth. Admittedly, with everyone thinking things through for themselves there will be many different conclusions as to what constitutes truth, and only tolerance will accommodate this. Here we find two radically different lines of thought which, not surprisingly, brought its own tensions to church life in Holland. For with the Arminian Reformed thinking, the very heart had been cut out of the Reformed faith. What the churches together had confessed in Article 15 of the Belgic Confession was denied by the Arminian Reformed: "We believe that by the disobedience of Adam original sin has spread throughout the whole human race. It is a corruption of the entire nature of man and a hereditary evil which infects even infants in their mother's womb. As a root it produces in man all sorts of sin. It is, therefore, so vile and abominable in the sight of God that it is sufficient to condemn the 4 human race. It is not abolished nor eradicated even by baptism, for sin continually streams forth like water welling up from this woeful source…." But if people were not totally depraved, salvation did not need to depend entirely on God either. So friction arose also on Article 16 of the Belgic Confession: "We believe that, when the entire offspring of Adam plunged into perdition and ruin by the transgression of the first man, God manifested Himself to be as He is: merciful and just. Merciful, in rescuing and saving from this perdition those whom in His eternal and unchangeable counsel He has elected in Jesus Christ our Lord by His pure goodness, without any consideration of their works. Just, in leaving the others in the fall and perdition into which they have plunged themselves." Again, if salvation did not depend entirely on God, if people were not so dead that they could contribute nothing of their own, then the place of Christ's work as confessed in Article 21 was attacked as well: "…He presented Himself in our place before His Father, appeasing God's wrath by His full satisfaction, offering Himself on the tree of the cross, where He poured out His precious blood to purge away our sins…. He was numbered with the transgressors…. He died as the righteous for the unrighteous.…" For those who had learned to love the doctrine of salvation by grace alone, freely given by God to the unworthy, the positions held by the Arminian Reformed constituted an attack upon the very heart of the gospel itself. And an attack it was, a Satanic attack to destroy the gains of the Great Reformation. No wonder the two sides clashed. A CHURCH - POLITICAL STRUGGLE But the struggle was not only related to the question of what one thought about the nature of man, and hence about whether salvation came fully from God or not. The Arminian Reformed embraced a notion of church that destroyed the confession of Article 27 of the Belgic Confession. The Church, says that confession, is made up of "the true Christian believers", that is, the members. Hence from within the membership officebearers are chosen who govern the congregation in the name of Jesus Christ. The Arminian Reformed, on the other hand, maintained that the government of the country should control all matters in the country - including the Church. The government should control the Church by means of the ministers, who are its servants and who are also paid by the government. With the government in control it follows that there is then little room for elders and deacons. Hence, during this period of Holland's church history, one could find many churches but few elders and deacons, and those that were there were just lackeys at that, to be of service to ministers who in turn served the government.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Provisionally Adopt the Belhar Confession
    COMMISSIONS 267 Synod in 2003 and met for the first time in November of that year. Since its organization, Michael Vandenberg has served as the commission’s moderator. As he ends his term of service on the commission and his leadership as moderator, the commission offers the fol- lowing resolution: R-79 Be it resolved that the two hundred and first General Synod of the Reformed Church in America expresses its appreciation for Michael Vandenberg’s four years of faithful service as moderator of the Commission on Christian Education and Discipleship. (ADOPTED) Report of the Commission on Christian Unity INTRODUCTION The General Synod is responsible for the RCA’s ecumenical relations (Book of Church Order, Chapter 1, Part V, Article 2, Section 5). In response to Christ’s prayer that we may all be one and to fulfill its constitutional responsibility, General Synod has constituted the Commission on Christian Unity (CCU) to oversee ecumenical commitments, to present an ecumenical agenda to the church, and to carry out ecumenical directives given by the General Synod. Since its creation in 1974 (MGS 1974, R-6, pp. 201-202) and adoption by General Synod in 1975 (MGS 1975, R-4, pp. 101-102) the CCU has served General Synod by coordinating a range of ecumenical involvements reaching all levels of mission in the RCA. CCU advises General Synod on ecumenical matters and communicates with other denominations, ecumenical councils, and interdenominational agencies. CCU educates the RCA on ecumenical matters and advocates for actions and positions consistent with the RCA’s confessions and ecumenical practices as outlined in “An Ecumenical Mandate for the Reformed Church in America,” which was adopted by General Synod in l996 (MGS 1996, R-1, p.
    [Show full text]
  • The Synod of Dort, the Westminster Assembly, and the French Reformed Church, 1618-431 MICHAEL DEWAR
    The Synod of Dort, the Westminster Assembly, and the French Reformed Church, 1618-431 MICHAEL DEWAR The European Background In an age of ecumenical councils, from 'Edinburgh, 1910' and 'Amsterdam, 1948' to 'Vatican II', and beyond, it is often forgotten that the Reformers, insular and continental, were no less 'ecumenically' minded in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Richard Baxter wrote, 'The Christian world, since the days of the Apostles, had never a Synod of more excellent divines, taking one thing with another, than this [of Westminster] and the Synod of Dort. '2 These were the nearest to the Council of Trent that Protes­ tantism was to see. Yet earlier correspondence between Geneva and Canterbury shows that closer union might have been possible three generations before. Calvin had written to Cranmer, 'if I can be of any service, I shall not shrink from crossing ten seas, if need be for that object' ,3 (that is, of uniting the Reformed Churches). This was in 1552, the 'high tide' of Anglican Reformation, with Melanchthon and Bull­ inger for Cranmer's 'Lambeth Confere~e· also. It is tragic that this ideal, so broadly based on international and eirenic lines, came to nothing until Protestantism at home and abroad was hopelessly divided. For it cannot be urged that the 'Dordrace­ nists' and the Westminster Fathers were other than polemical in their intentions, and divisive in their results. The sixteenth century left the Reformed Churches inclusive and international. The seventeenth century left them enfeebled but embattled, exclusive and nationalistic. The Synod of Dort, 1618 Inevitably Calvinism was closely equated with Netherlands National­ ism.
    [Show full text]
  • The Reformed Presbyterian Theological Journal
    FALL 2019 volume 6 issue 1 3 FROM RUTHERFORD HALL Dr. Barry J. York 4 FOUR CENTURIES AGO: AN HISTORICAL SURVEY OF THE SYNOD OF DORT Dr. David G. Whitla 16 THE FIRST HEADING: DIVINE ELECTION AND REPROBATION Rev. Thomas G. Reid, Jr. 25 THE SECOND HEADING - CHRIST’S DEATH AND HUMAN REDEMPTION THROUGH IT: LIMITED ATONEMENT AT THE SYNOD OF DORDT AND SOME CONTEMPORARY THEOLOGICAL DEBATES Dr. Richard C. Gamble 33 THE THIRD HEADING: HUMAN CORRUPTION Rev. Keith A. Evans 39 THE FOURTH HEADING: “BOTH DELIGHTFUL AND POWERFUL” THE DOCTRINE OF IRRESISTIBLE GRACE IN THE CANONS OF DORT Dr. C. J. Williams 47 THE FIFTH HEADING: THE PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS Dr. Barry J. York STUDY UNDER PASTORS The theological journal of the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary Description Reformed Presbyterian Theological Journal is the online theological journal of the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Reformed Presbyterian Theological Journal is provided freely by RPTS faculty and other scholars to encourage the theological growth of the church in the historic, creedal, Reformed faith. Reformed Presbyterian Theological Journal is published biannually online at the RPTS website in html and pdf. Readers are free to use the journal and circulate articles in written, visual, or digital form, but we respectfully request that the content be unaltered and the source be acknowledged by the following statement. “Used by permission. Article first appeared in Reformed Presbyterian Theological Journal, the online theological journal of the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary (rpts.edu).” e d i t o r s General Editor: Senior Editor: Assistant Editor: Contributing Editors: Barry York Richard Gamble Jay Dharan Tom Reid [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] C.
    [Show full text]
  • THE SYNOD of DORT Many Reformed Churches Around the World Commemorate the Great Protestant Reformation Which Begun in Germany on October 31St 1517
    THE SYNOD OF DORT Many Reformed Churches around the world commemorate the Great Protestant Reformation which begun in Germany on October 31st 1517. On that providential day, Martin Luther nailed his famed 95 Theses on the door of the castle church of Wittenberg. In no time, without Luther's knowledge, this paper was copied, and reproduced in great numbers with the recently invented printing machine. It was then distributed throughout Europe. This paper was to be used by our Sovereign Lord to ignite the Reformation which saw the release of the true Church of Christ from the yoke and bondage of Rome. Almost five hundred years have gone by since then. Today, there are countless technically Protestant churches (i.e. can trace back to the Reformation in terms of historical links) around the world. But there are few which still remember the rich heritage of the Reformers. In fact, a great number of churches which claim to be Protestant have, in fact, gone back to Rome by way of doctrine and practice, and some even make it their business to oppose the Reformers and their heirs. I am convinced that one of the chief reasons for this state of affair in the Protestant Church is a contemptuous attitude towards past creeds and confessions and the historical battles against heresies. When, for example, there are fundamentalistic defenders of the faith teaching in Bible Colleges, who have not so much as heard of the Canons of Dort or the Synod of Dort, but would lash out at hyper-Calvinism, then you know that something is seriously wrong within the camp.
    [Show full text]
  • A Study of the Belhar Confession Contents
    What is the Belhar Confession, and why does it matter? In this five-session study, learn how the Belhar was born, what it has to say about unity in the church, reconciliation between Christians, and justice in the world, and how it speaks to Christians everywhere. Visit www.crcna.org/belhar for accompanying videos and a 28-day devotional guide. A Study of the Belhar Confession Contents Introduction . .3 Important Dates in Belhar History �����������������������������������������������������������4 A Statement of Introduction by the CRC and RCA �������������������������������5 Original 1986 Accompanying Letter . .6 The Confession of Belhar ���������������������������������������������������������������������������9 A Study of the Using This Study Guide �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������13 Belhar Confession Session 1: The Belhar: What Is It? Why Does It Matter? . .17 Session 2: The Belhar Calls for Unity . .25 Session 3: The Belhar Calls for Justice . .33 Session 4: The Belhar Calls Us to Reconciliation . .43 by Susan Damon Session 5: What Shall We Do with This Gift? . .51 Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations in this publication are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®, © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. From the Heart of God: A Study of the Belhar Confession (Revised), © 2010, 2013, Christian Reformed Church in North America, 2850 Kala­ mazoo Ave. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49560. All rights reserved. This study is updated from the 2010 version prepared for study of the Belhar Confes­ sion prior to Synod 2012’s deliberation whether to adopt the document as a confession of the Christian Reformed Church in North America. On June 12, 2012, synod adopted the Belhar Confession as an Ecumenical Faith Declaration.
    [Show full text]
  • A Quarterly Journal for Church Leadership
    A Quarterly Journal for Church Leadership Volume 10 • Number 2 • Spring 2001 THE BELGIC CONFESSION OF FAITH AND THE CANONS OF DORDT ,I his powerful and willing divine care and turning-to-my­ good of which question 26 (in the Heidelberg Catechism) J ael7f( 1Beeiw speaks is God's providence, providentia Dei. Providence means not only to "foresee" but, according to the old trans­ lation, to "over-see." Dominus providebit: God will provide. Over and in all creatures in one way or another-quietly or he oldest of-the doctrinal standards of the Reformed actively, known or unknown, always according to the deci­ TIt Churches of the Netherlands is the Confession of Faith, sion of his wisdom-there is the "almighty and ever-pres­ most commonly known as the Belgic Confession, taken from ent power of God," the same power in all the differences the seventeenth-century Latin designation Confessio Belgica. and contradictions, light and dark sides, of creation. At this "Belgica" referred to the whole of the Low Countries, both point all arbitrary optimism and pessimism err in their north and south, today divided into the Netherlands and evaluation of creation because they believe that from a Belgium. Variant names for the Belgic Confession include the freely chosen standpoint they can judge how God's power Walloon Confession and the Netherlands· Confession. orders both sides in the direction of his final goal, in the The Confession's chief author was Guido de Bres (1522- service of his coming kingdom, looking forward to the rev­ 1567), a Reformed itinerant pastor.
    [Show full text]
  • Canons of Dort
    Canons of Dort (DOWNLOAD THIS DOCUMENT) The third of our Doctrinal Standards is the Canons of Dort, also called the Five Articles Against the Remonstrants. These are statements of doctrine adopted by the great Reformed Synod of Dortrecht in 1618-1619. This Synod had a truly international character, since it was composed not only of the delegates of the Reformed Church of the Netherlands but also of twenty-seven delegates from foreign countries. The Synod of Dortrecht was held in view of the serious disturbance in the Reformed Church by the rise and spread of Arminianism. Arminius, a theological professor at the University of Leyden, departed from the Reformed faith in his teaching concerning five important points. He taught conditional election on the ground of foreseen faith, universal atonement, partial depravity, resistible grace, and the possibility of a lapse from grace. These views were rejected by the Synod, and the opposite views were embodied in what is now called the Canons of Dort or the Five Articles Against the Remonstrants. In these Canons the Synod set forth the Reformed doctrine on these points, namely, unconditional election, limited atonement, total depravity, irresistible grace, and the perseverance of the saints. Each of the Canons consists of a positive and a negative part, the former being an exposition of the Reformed doctrine on the subject, and the latter a repudiation of the corresponding Arminian error. Although in form there are only four chapters, occasioned by the combination of the third and fourth heads of doctrine into one, we speak properly of five Canons, and the third chapter is always designated as Chapter III-IV.
    [Show full text]
  • The Canons of Dordt As a Missional Document
    Volume 48 Number 1 Article 1 September 2019 The Canons of Dordt as a Missional Document Lyle Bierma Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcollections.dordt.edu/pro_rege Part of the Christianity Commons, and the Higher Education Commons Recommended Citation Bierma, Lyle (2019) "The Canons of Dordt as a Missional Document," Pro Rege: Vol. 48: No. 1, 1 - 6. Available at: https://digitalcollections.dordt.edu/pro_rege/vol48/iss1/1 This Feature Article is brought to you for free and open access by the University Publications at Digital Collections @ Dordt. It has been accepted for inclusion in Pro Rege by an authorized administrator of Digital Collections @ Dordt. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Editor’s Note: Dr. Lyle Bierma presented this paper at the Prodigal Love of God Conference, sponsored by Dordt University and co-sponsored by the Lilly Fellowship Program as a regional conference, April 2019, at Dordt University, in celebration of the 400th anniversary of the Canons of Dort. In the subsequent articles, Dordt and Dort will be used interchangeably. The Canons of Dordt as a Missional Document of Dordt as a missional document nicely brings together my professional and non-professional in- terests. The confessions of the sixteenth and seven- teenth centuries, including the so-called Three Forms of Unity of the Dutch Reformed tradition, have sometimes been criticized for not addressing the missional or evangelistic nature and task of the church.2 One counterexample to this claim, of course, is a line in Heidelberg Catechism, Question and Answer 86: Q. … Why then should we do good works? A.
    [Show full text]
  • Being a Confessional Church C a L V I N Th E O L O G I C a L Se M I N a R Y from the President Foru M Cornelius Plantinga, Jr
    C ALVIN THEOLOGI C AL SEMINARY FORUM S PRING 2008 Being a Confessional Church C ALVIN THEOLOGI C AL SEMINARY from the president FORUM Cornelius Plantinga, Jr. Providing Theological Leadership for the Church Volume 15, Number 2 Spring 2008 Dear Brothers and Sisters, REFLECTIONS ON We Calvinists have always wanted reform according to the Word of God. That’s BeinG A confessionAL CHUrcH the first thing “Reformed” means. We want a straightedge to guide reforms, espe- cially because sin has twisted our thinking. We want an outside word, an inspired 3 and infallible word, which defines “good” and “evil” not by human opinions, Why Be a Confessional Church? but by the wisdom of God. We want a picture of the kingdom of God so we can by Lyle D. Bierma see how life is supposed to go and then judge how life needs to be reformed in 5 order to go that way. We want the same Holy Spirit who had originally inspired Theology That Sings: A Discussion Scripture to inspire us when we take Scripture in hand to read or preach it. That’s on the Confessions Today why there’s a “prayer for illumination” not right before the sermon, but right before the reading of Scripture. We know that unless the Holy Spirit breathes 9 through Scripture all over again as it’s read, we might not hear it the right way With Integrity of Heart and Spirit and we might not believe it. by Henry De Moor But in thinking about applying Scripture to life, the Reformers faced a 11 problem, namely, that it’s hard to guide a program of reform by reference to the Is It Time for a New Confession? whole Bible, which is very large, or by reference to a single verse from it, which is by Kathy Smith very small.
    [Show full text]
  • The Belgic Confession and the True Church W
    Chapter 11 The Belgic Confession and the True Church W. Robert Godfrey* Dr. James M. Renihan has been a distinguished servant of Christ as a minister, teacher, and scholar as well as a Christian husband and father. It has been a privilege for me to be his friend and colleague over many years and I am very pleased to join in this project to honor him. My choice of topics may seem a strange one: Does the Belgic Confession, as some claim, require its subscribers to confess that all Baptist churches are false churches? As one who subscribes the Belgic Confession, I want to understand the meaning of the Confession for my work and cooperation with others. Dr. Renihan, as a strong confessionalist himself, will also appreciate the value of this topic (even as it may cause him to smile). This question is important to our cooperation across confessional differences without compromise in our common commitment to Christ’s truth and to our Reformation heritage. The Belgic Confession (1561) has been the confession of faithful Dutch Reformed churches for over 450 years. The confession was written by the minister and missionary Guido De Bres during a time of great persecution of Reformed churches in the Netherlands. De Bres himself died a martyr at the hands of the Roman Catholic civil authorities in 1567. He wrote the Belgic Confession to distinguish clearly the teaching of the Reformed churches in the Netherlands both from the Roman Catholic Church and from the Anabaptist churches there. The Belgic Confession has a strong and detailed doctrine of the church which reflects the Reformed conviction that the church was a central doctrinal concern and that the reform of the church according to the Bible was a key work of the Reformation.
    [Show full text]
  • The Belhar Confession
    1 The Belhar Confession The Dutch Reformed Churches in South Africa traditionally had Three Standards of Unity: The Belgic Confession (1561), the Heidelberg Catechism (1563) and The Canons of Dort (1618-1619). In their original European context these documents asserted that Protestant Christians were not anarchists, but were good citizens, willing to obey the government of the land. These confessions from the 16th and 17th centuries were used in the 19th and 20th centuries in South Africa to justify obedience to a government that imposed strict separation of the races and domination by members of the white race. The system was called by its Afrikaans name, “Apartheid.” The Confession of Belhar was written as a protest against a heretical theological stance by the white Dutch Reformed Church that used the Bible and the Confessions to justify the harsh and unjust system of Apartheid. Historical Context: A History of Racial Segregation in South Africa In 1652, Dutchman Jan van Riebeeck brought the first Protestant Christians to the southern tip of what he viewed as the vast, heathen and uncivilized continent of Africa. There had been indigenous, dark-skinned people living in Southern Africa for millennia. There were many tribes, each with their distinctive language and culture. The early Europeans, such as the Portuguese, sailed around the Cape of Good Hope but were not interested in colonizing it. The Dutch East India Company wanted to leave just a small contingent of their men to found a trading post where food and water could be provided for Dutch ships on their way to and from their colonies in Asia.
    [Show full text]
  • Belhar Confession Report
    Appendix C The Belhar Confession: What the CRC Can Do with This Gift I. Introduction Synod 2007 mandated the Interchurch Relations Committee (IRC) to study and assess the Belhar Confession and to present recommendations concerning it to Synod 2009. This report is in response to that mandate, and the IRC is pleased to bring these recommendations for discussion. In addition to extensive discussion within the IRC itself, this report reflects the contributions of all who were invited to participate in fourteen focus groups conducted during the first six months of 2008. The IRC has also benefited from materials provided by the Reformed Church in America and from First Seattle CRC. The level of interest in the CRC about the discussion of the Belhar Confession has been encouraging and gratifying. A summary of the focus group responses follows: -- The participants were unanimous in the conviction that the CRC should develop a meaningful response to the Belhar Confession. -- A few of the participants suggested that it would be adequate for the CRC to receive the Belhar Confession “as information and with appreciation.” -- A number of the participants suggested that the Belhar Confession should be adopted as the “fourth confession” and become part of the confessional basis of the CRC. -- There was a broad consensus that synod will need to be very conscious of the impact of any decision made concerning the Belhar Confession an impact both within the CRC as well as with respect to the CRC’s ecumenical partners. -- There are no overriding theological issues in the Belhar Confession that would prevent the CRC from adopting or strongly endorsing it.
    [Show full text]