Matthew J Tuininga is the assistant professor of moral theology at Calvin Theological Seminary. He is the author of Calvin's Political Theology and the Public Engagement of the Church (Cambridge University Press), and he blogs at www.matthewtuininga.wordpress.com.
One of the frustrations expressed at Synod 2017 was that calls for the church to serve the poor and the oppressed and to advocate for justice are too often expressed without reference to the church’s gospel mission.
What struggling Christians desperately need to hear is not merely that God affirms them, regardless of their sin. What struggling Christians desperately need to hear is that God empowers them toward life in the Spirit.
To stand in solidarity with refugees and immigrants is not to politicize the church. It is to fulfill the exhortation of Christ in Matthew 25:45, “Whatever you do for the least of these, you do it for me.”
Ed Shaw's book Same-Sex Attraction and the Church is a crucial resource for the CRC's ongoing conversation on sexuality. Here is my review of Shaw's book.