Belhar: the 'conservative' Reformed Church In America & the Christian Reformed Church

There is a long list of comments under the Belhar Confession on the Resource page of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) web site. Charles Wiley, Coordinator for the Office of Theology and Worship, has been very faithful to respond to the comments. And I have undoubtedly commented too often. But I saw a comment tonight I could not ignore. However I decided to post on my own blog.

Wiley believes that part of the proof that adopting Belhar will not lead to departures from the PCUSA is because it was first adopted by a conservative church in South Africa and is being considered by two denominations that are more conservative than the PCUSA. (One has adopted the confession.) He writes that they are, “the Reformed Church in America (https://www.rca.org/belhar) and the Christian Reformed Church in North America (http://www.crcna.org/pages/belhar.cfm).” [1]

But the truth is both of those two denominations are struggling with the same issues as the PCUSA. Right after GA I wrote about coming home on a train with our particular car filled with CRC young people and their pastor. Toward the end of our journey together the pastor, hearing our conversations about GA, started asking us questions. He was very concerned about his church adding Belhar to their confessions. And well he should be.

Kate Kooyman, a member of the CRC and part of that denomination’s Justice Seekers Community, an official CRC organization, has pulled together many documents into one pdf file Kate Kooyman Becoming a Belhar-Confessing Church Ministry Manual ...for use by the more progressive members of her Church. In the introduction among other reasons for adopting Belhar, Kooyman writes,

...it is the Spirit speaking in a unique way when confessed in North America. It became clear that the prophetic words of the Belhar would, if taken seriously and attempted to live out, challenge the RCA and the CRC into true (and painful transformation. It would call to question ecclesial structures which limit participation based on gender and sexual orientation. (Emphasis mine)

I have many articles on my blog about the Belhar Confession. I also have a feed where I, as well as others, can see the various places people visiting my blog are coming from and what they are looking for. The CRC is in both the United States and Canada. And everyday I see people coming from Canada to read about Belhar. Before the RCA voted to adopt Belhar I also had people from that denomination reading my Belhar material.

Both of these ‘conservative’ denominations have members just as concerned as many members of the PCUSA are about Belhar. It is a great error to believe that these two Reformed bodies are not enduring the same battles we are. One excellent article about Belhar was written by a RCA member, Kevin De Young. His article is “The Belhar Confession: Yea or Nay.”

That two less progressive denominations are seeking to adopt Belhar does not speak to its non-problematic content but rather to the battles our Reformed sisters and brothers have entered into and are sharing with us.

[1] I am not at all suggesting here that members should depart the PCUSA if Belhar is adopted.