As a denomination in North America, we are called to bring the Gospel to those still far from Christ. Where I live, same sex marriage is recognized by our government. Along with the legal permission from the government for same sex couples to marry, they are also given the privilege to parent children. Given the clear position on same sex marriage that our denomination confesses, how would a congregation disciple a same sex married couple with children who wish to become followers of Jesus and who wish to be baptized?
I think another category of people in the CRC are those who are curious whether future synods will be dealing with the other nine commandments. Are future synods going to go through each of them with the same amount of effort and study and concern as it did the seventh commandment? For example, is the CRC at all concerned with those who commit the sin of idolatry? Will there be study committees set up to define what idolatry is? Will there be disciplinary action given to congregations who support known idolaters? Or how about murder as Jesus defined it in the Sermon on the Mount. Are there known violators of that commandment in our congregations who get to call others names with little to no disciplinary action? And if so, why? And what about coveting, or bearing false witness? How about breaking the Sabbath? Will these commandments get the same amount of study time, definition as that of the seventh? And if not, why not? Are these commandments of any lesser importance than the seventh? Are we confident these sins don't exist in our denomination? If they do, why are we not giving these commandments the same amount of concern and study time as that of the seventh? Why are we not detailing how congregations aught to be disciplined when they support people who are clear violators of these commandments? Are we becoming the denomination that picks and chooses which sins are important enough to discipline and which ones aren't. Are we as a denomination becoming pharisaical, hypocritical, and self-righteous in that we are selective in determining which commandments are important enough to clarify and focus disciplinary action on and which ones we're willing to let slide?
If we as a denomination are so concerned about sin, repentance and discipleship, then shouldn't we be giving the same amount of serious study and clarity to all the commandments and not just the seventh?
I think the problem is much wider and more complex. I think statistics will show that there is a decline in all denominations for those interested in pastoral ministry. There is also a growing disinterest in organized religion in general, not just Christianity.
I think culturally we in North America can align ourselves with the nation of Israel, prior to being exhiled to Babylon. The refrain of Jeremiah at that time describing Israel’s heart was, Peace, Peace. But there was no peace. The poor the lonely the outcast, the foreigner and the widow were not valued or properly cared for. But the average Israelite didn’t care because they were doing well. Another refrain of Jeremiah was that the people don’t even know how to blush anymore. Morally they became so slack that nothing embarrassed them anymore, they felt no shame about accumulating wealth and having no regard for the poor. There was no regard for doing justice, loving kindness and walking humbly with God. Whatever religion was left was legalistic ritual and heartfelt love for one’s neighbour was out the window. And when Jeremiah tried to address this, they tossed him in a pit. They did a similar thing to Jesus when he spoke to the sin of the religious leaders of the day. Then I look at today, and I see the levels of burnout, and article 17s and those leaving ministry and our tendency to spend so much time on defining sexual sin and discipline those who are unrepentant. And we do this without addressing other areas of the 10 commandments that we regularly transgress like idolatry, or misrepresenting God’s name, or hatred, like in the area of politics or race or attitudes towards migrants, or gossip; why are we not spending time focusing on what it means to be repentant of these sins? Why can so many in our denomination transgress these sins without discipline? Why can folks guilty of these sins be members and leaders. It’s this kind of hypocrisy and legalism that I believe is leading to the decline of the CRC and it’s why I believe there are fewer candidates feeling called to be leaders in our denomination. Just my two cents.
Posted in: Three Responses to Synod 2024
As a denomination in North America, we are called to bring the Gospel to those still far from Christ. Where I live, same sex marriage is recognized by our government. Along with the legal permission from the government for same sex couples to marry, they are also given the privilege to parent children. Given the clear position on same sex marriage that our denomination confesses, how would a congregation disciple a same sex married couple with children who wish to become followers of Jesus and who wish to be baptized?
Posted in: Three Responses to Synod 2024
I think another category of people in the CRC are those who are curious whether future synods will be dealing with the other nine commandments. Are future synods going to go through each of them with the same amount of effort and study and concern as it did the seventh commandment? For example, is the CRC at all concerned with those who commit the sin of idolatry? Will there be study committees set up to define what idolatry is? Will there be disciplinary action given to congregations who support known idolaters? Or how about murder as Jesus defined it in the Sermon on the Mount. Are there known violators of that commandment in our congregations who get to call others names with little to no disciplinary action? And if so, why? And what about coveting, or bearing false witness? How about breaking the Sabbath? Will these commandments get the same amount of study time, definition as that of the seventh? And if not, why not? Are these commandments of any lesser importance than the seventh? Are we confident these sins don't exist in our denomination? If they do, why are we not giving these commandments the same amount of concern and study time as that of the seventh? Why are we not detailing how congregations aught to be disciplined when they support people who are clear violators of these commandments? Are we becoming the denomination that picks and chooses which sins are important enough to discipline and which ones aren't. Are we as a denomination becoming pharisaical, hypocritical, and self-righteous in that we are selective in determining which commandments are important enough to clarify and focus disciplinary action on and which ones we're willing to let slide?
If we as a denomination are so concerned about sin, repentance and discipleship, then shouldn't we be giving the same amount of serious study and clarity to all the commandments and not just the seventh?
Posted in: The CRCNA Leadership Landscape, Part IV: The Problem of Less Interest in Ministry
I think the problem is much wider and more complex. I think statistics will show that there is a decline in all denominations for those interested in pastoral ministry. There is also a growing disinterest in organized religion in general, not just Christianity.
I think culturally we in North America can align ourselves with the nation of Israel, prior to being exhiled to Babylon. The refrain of Jeremiah at that time describing Israel’s heart was, Peace, Peace. But there was no peace. The poor the lonely the outcast, the foreigner and the widow were not valued or properly cared for. But the average Israelite didn’t care because they were doing well.
Another refrain of Jeremiah was that the people don’t even know how to blush anymore. Morally they became so slack that nothing embarrassed them anymore, they felt no shame about accumulating wealth and having no regard for the poor. There was no regard for doing justice, loving kindness and walking humbly with God. Whatever religion was left was legalistic ritual and heartfelt love for one’s neighbour was out the window. And when Jeremiah tried to address this, they tossed him in a pit. They did a similar thing to Jesus when he spoke to the sin of the religious leaders of the day.
Then I look at today, and I see the levels of burnout, and article 17s and those leaving ministry and our tendency to spend so much time on defining sexual sin and discipline those who are unrepentant. And we do this without addressing other areas of the 10 commandments that we regularly transgress like idolatry, or misrepresenting God’s name, or hatred, like in the area of politics or race or attitudes towards migrants, or gossip; why are we not spending time focusing on what it means to be repentant of these sins? Why can so many in our denomination transgress these sins without discipline? Why can folks guilty of these sins be members and leaders.
It’s this kind of hypocrisy and legalism that I believe is leading to the decline of the CRC and it’s why I believe there are fewer candidates feeling called to be leaders in our denomination.
Just my two cents.