William Durkin
I'm a member of River Terrace Church in East Lansing, MI. Moved here in 2012 to take an engineering position with a local firm. I came to faith in my mid-20's in the Lutheran Church (I'm in my 60s) after growing up with no religious or faith experience in the Pittsburgh, PA, area. For a number of years I considered myself an atheist, then later an agnostic, but was baptised as an infant (Catholic) and, looking back, I can see the signs of God coaxing me along toward faith.
My wife had a Lutheran background and remained in the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. I had some excellent training and experiences while part of the Lutheran church. I believe I was called to be part of that congregation for a very long time (35 yrs) but the call changed and he called me to find a new fellowship where he would use me. And I ended up in Webster CRC, where I believe he called me. After a year or two I found a position in Michigan and moved there with my wife, who passed away in February, 2013.
Posted in: Can unity be established under constraint?
I think Mr. Van Surksum has a valid point. I believe that the composers of the Belhar were trying stress that God is on the side of justice and freedom, and maybe the problem is that they use the word "constraint" with a very specific idea in mind, ie. the evils produced by Apartheid. And certainly in that context, their statement makes sense; if two races are treated seperately and very unequally how can there be unity between the two groups.
The problem, then, is that the authors of the Belhar Confession were really addressing a particularly unjust political, social, and religious situation and the document is designed to support the abolishion of that situation. But the confession does not put forth a universal and timeless set of truths as the other Christian confessions do. Therefore, while it may be an admirable statement, it is applicable only to the time and environment in which it was generated.
It should not be included in the church's set of important creeds and confessions.
Respectfully,
Bill Durkin
Posted in: Defining the Roles of the Offices of the Church
I think many denominations have this problem. Too often the roles are not based on biblical definitions but on tradition, a tradition that might have evolved only in the last generation. And too often that tradition is more of an organizational or business tradition than what God calls us to be. Yearly examination of the roles against scripture would be an excellent practice.