Free Republic

The Christian Reformed Church Synod has declared that its historic stance on sexual ethics, particularly the practice of homosexuality, has "confessional status." According to The Banner, a monthly magazine published by the Christian Reformed Church in North America, 69% of the denomination's representatives voted last week to affirm the definition of "unchastity" in the Heidelberg Catechism to include homosexual acts. The vote occurred at Synod 2022 at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan. CRC has over 1,000 congregations across the United States and Canada and over 230,000 members. The Heidelberg Catechism is a Protestant confession of faith in the Reformed...

After months of preparation, a theologically conservative denomination has broken away from the Reformed Church in America, with 43 congregations joining the new body on New Year’s Day. Known as the Alliance of Reformed Churches, the new denomination was created as the RCA continues to deal with a debate over its official stance on LGBT issues. Dan Ackerman, director of Organizational Leadership at ARC, wrote in a blog post last June that there were “three primary convictions” that led to the formation of the new denomination. “The Bible as understood within Reformed theology — its understanding of God, sin and...

On New Year’s Day, 43 congregations of the Reformed Church in America split from the national denomination, one of the oldest Protestant bodies in the United States, in part over theological differences regarding same-sex marriage and the ordination of LGBTQ clergy.The departure of the theologically conservative congregations to the new group, the Alliance of Reformed Churches, leaves some who remain in the RCA concerned for the denomination’s survival. Before the split, the nearly 400-year-old denomination had fewer than 200,000 members and 1,000 churches.At least 125 churches from various denominations are in conversation with ARC leaders about joining.“Realistically, it’s a large...

A worldwide coalition of Reformed churches representing approximately 80 million Christians has signed onto an ecumenical statement with the Roman Catholic Church to "overcome divisions" from the time of the Protestant Reformation.The World Communion of Reformed Churches signed a "Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification" with Catholic, Lutheran, and Methodist leaders last week at a church in Wittenberg, Germany. According to a WCRC press release, "The declaration stated that mutual condemnations pronounced by the two sides during the Reformation do not apply to their current teaching on justification." (Photo: Wikipedia Commons)Portrait of Martin Luther, the founder of the Protestant Reformation,...

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders asked President Trump’s education secretary candidate, Betsy DeVos, whether she would have got the job if her family had not donated $200m to the Republican party. Sanders’ demeaning question was followed with questions promoting his “free college” initiative. “My question is, and I don’t want to be rude, but do you think if you were not a multi-billionaire, if your family had not made hundreds of millions of dollars of contributions to the Republican party that you would be sitting here today?” “Senator, as a matter of fact, I do think there would be that possibility....

On Saturday afternoon the Great Lakes City Classis (formerly the South Grand Rapids Classis), one of forty-five classes in the Reformed Church in America (RCA), approved University Reformed Church’s request to transfer to the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). As a condition of its transfer, together with all its real and personal property, University Reformed Church (URC) must pay its annual assessment for 2015 and 2016 (roughly $80,000 total) and pay an additional $200,000 so that the classis can plant another church in the area. I’ve written before about how URC voted to leave the RCA–first as an internal “discerning...

Five Illinois Churches in the Reformed Church RCA) in America have voted to affiliate with the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). The PCA’s Chicago Metro Presbytery met with, examined, and approved the pastors and elders of these churches during 2014. On October 15, 2014, the churches were officially approved and received by the Chicago Metro Presbytery. The Presbytery will have a special service of celebration and welcome on February 1, 2015 at 3:00 p.m.; during this service the pastors and elders will be installed. The service will be held at the First Reformed Church in Lansing, IL. Dr. Ligon Duncan,...

The Reformed Church in America ship is sinking, argues one Reformed believer. "Listen. Do you hear them? Those are the gentle, mournful sounds of a denomination imploding," Donald A. Luidens, professor of sociology at Hope College in Holland, Mich., wrote in an article featured in November's Perspectives. "The denominational craft has carried us far, but its time is up. It has sprung debilitating leaks which can no longer be plugged." "It was here; it flourished; it ministered; it floundered; and then it was gone ... It is time to look for a new vehicle, or collation of vehicles, to move...

The National Council of Churches has a long history of supporting Communist causes -- and condemning the United States and Israel. NATIONAL COUNCIL OF CHURCHES 475 Riverside DriveSuite 880New York, NY 10115 Phone :212-870-2227 URL :http://www.ncccusa.org/     Largest coalition of leftwing religious denominations in the United States Has long record of financial support for Communist regimesRemains faithful ally of Communist Cuba  Reserves criticism on moral issues for Israel and the United States Makes common cause with environmentalist radicals Masks leftist politics in faith-based declarations  Earlier this month, the National Council of Churches condemned Israel – a nation plagued in...

Leaders of the Reformed Church in America suspended a New Jersey minister, ruling that he violated the denomination's teachings by officiating at his lesbian daughter's wedding. A majority of delegates voted Friday night to suspend the Rev Norman Kansfield from the ministry until he changes his views to fall in line with church doctrine. They also stripped him of his standing as a professor of theology in the RCA. Kansfield, 65, who has served in the church for 40 years, said the decision was "going to be very hard to deal with - my life has been the ministry". "The...