The Mob, the Power Grab, and the CRC Pastor – Read All About it!!

When I ran across this story, I just KNEW I had to share it with Network readers! It’s great. Is it about classis? Maybe not so much. (But think what might have happened if the whole classis had passionately supported this leader!)

This is like a movie! It’s got drama, danger, bravery, and the Mob! And the CRC…. Who could have imagined it?

These days lots of us are puzzling and fretting about the intersection between church and state. We wonder who may say what to whom – assuming we want to try to honor the appropriate separation. Yet, it’s hard for prophets to draw fine lines about what they are not supposed to talk about!

The question about who is speaking for whom isn’t addressed much in this story. It appears the church stayed pretty quiet about any concerns it may have had. And what about this pastor’s colleagues and fellow pastors in the CRC? Do you suppose he received strong encouragement and support?

I think I vaguely remember a story about Eastern Ave CRC’s members trying to tear up a trolley line outside the church. Another blurring of the line between church and state!

Did Rabble-Rouser Masselink think he had such profound insight about politics and the law that he felt he had the right to speak truth to power? Did the church really have the expertise to do the kind of community organizing that Dominie Masselink engaged in? Should the classis have supported Masselink?

Don’t miss this great story!