Pioneer Christian Monthly - April, 1995

Our Reformed Church
John Muller

At our February meeting of the Pioneer Editorial Committee I expressed concerns about several articles in the January-February issue which I felt were highly critical of certain trends in the Reformed Church in America. Hence I asked permission to express my opinions.

The Pioneer is the organ of what is now the Canadian Synod of the R.C.A. As such we are free to champion the generally conservative and evangelical positions that are held in our churches. However, I do not believe that this gives us the freedom to take all kinds of potshots at our denomination. If trends in a wrong direction are observed, then they should be dealt with graciously and kindly and in Christian love.

It is hardly a loving observation that "to protect the flock by removing the false teaching and heresy much as one would deal with a malignant tumour .. remove the Church Herald ... until such time as the magazine reflects sound Biblical teaching consistent with Reformed interpretation." Several of my elders could not see that the Church Herald article in question said all it was implied to have said. Certainly an article you disagree with does not give one a right to condemn the whole magazine, or to call it a false teacher.

One can draw variant conclusions after reading the 1994 GENERAL SYNOD REPORT on "THE USE OF SCRIPTURE IN MAKING MORAL DECISIONS." Note these statements: 'This report reflects the Reformed convictions that all moral decisions must be made in light of Scripture. The Bible is not merely an accessory to the Christian, moral life but its very foundation" or "Reformed Christians confess that the primary purpose of Scripture is to lead them to the living God." Also: "The Commission on Theology affirms the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as inspired by God and as the only final authority for the faith and practice of the people of God."

The article also states that the church has to deal with 'the incompatibility of R. C.A. membership and Free Masonry." That question was clearly decided in the 1881-1884 years when the General Synod of the R.C.A. decided it would not add the Free Masonry issue to church membership, but would let each consistory decide this matter. That decision caused many Midwestern R.C.A. members to leave us and strengthen what is today the Christian Reformed Church.

Does the assessment issue at the General Synod of '94 have all the implications suggested? One very conservative church in North Grand Rapids Classis refused to pay its share and one ecumenically minded church in Muskegon Classis also refused. That caused both Classes to fall short, and hence their delegates were not seated . Now really this would wreak havoc in the church if every church that disagrees on an issue would withhold its assessments. We are not separate congregations but we function under the Presbyterian polity.

The Pioneer should serve as a cohesive factor, bringing together our Reformed people in Canada as a spiritual unit, working under the banner of the historical Reformed Church in America. Christian unity is necessary if we are to influence a very divided world.

I would like to express my personal testimony in regard to the R.C.A. My father served it for over 31 years, and 1995 marks 50 years of ordained service for me personally. In all these years we have appreciated the R. C.A. despite its diversity. Our conservative and evangelical viewpoint was always respected, whether it was in writing, in public statements, or in preaching or teaching. No elder, no consistory, no Classis, no Synod ever told us we weren't free . to defend the faith, or express our opinion. Our service extended into seven of the eight Regional Synods. As my longtime friend Dr. Jerome DeJong, expressed it in his swan-song Editorial in the Sunday School Guide of November 13: "It is true that the Reformed Church has its flaws and failures, but I have

had enough experiences in the Church of Jesus Christ to know that there is no perfect church on earth ... There were times when we felt the church was turning too much in the liberal ecumenical direction, but as I grow older I appreciate the Reformed Church more and more. May God make and keep her faithful!"