From: Darrell128@aol.com Date: Tue, 14 Jan 1997 17:32:47 -0500 (EST) Subject: Media Alert: Two CRC classes to debate abortion, women's ordination, Jan. 15 and January 14, 1997 * MEDIA ALERT: For Immediate Release: Two Christian Reformed Classes to Debate Abortion, Women in Office, on January 15 and 16: * Allegan Christian Reformed Church Asks Synod to Equate Abortion with Nazi War Crimes * Pine Creek Christian Reformed Church Petitions to Leave Classis Holland for Zeeland Due to Opposition to Women's Ordination by Darrell Todd Maurina, Press Officer United Reformed News Service HOLLAND, Mich. (January 14, 1997) URNS -- Over the next two days, two local Christian Reformed classes (regional group of churches; singular: "classis") will debate the highly charged issues of women's ordination and abortion. Both classes have already received widespread attention in the religious and secular media, including the Holland Sentinel, Grand Rapids Press, Kalamazoo Gazette, TV-13, TV-3, and TV-8. At 9 am, Classis Zeeland will convene at First CRC of Zeeland, 15 S. Church Street. The agenda will include a request from Unity CRC of Allegan to overture synod (the CRC's broadest assembly composed of 47 classes throughout the US and Canada) to do the following: * "Reaffirm its commitment to the sanctity of life and its opposition to abortion, as taught by Scripture and delineated in previous synodical decisions;" * "Authorize its officers to send official correspondence to the President of the United States and to the Congress of the United States lamenting the presidential veto of the ban against partial birth abortions and calling upon our government to enact legislation which protects 'the unique value of all human life' and prohibits 'the wanton or arbitrary destruction of any human being at any stage in its development," and to * "Declare the practice of partial birth abortion tantamount in nature to the war crimes of Nazi Germany." For over two decades, the Christian Reformed synod has been strongly on record in opposition to abortion. Synod 1972 declared that "induced abortion is an allowable option only when the life of the prospective mother is genuinely threatened by continuation of the pregnancy," voted to "call believers to a ringing testimony against the evils of abortion as practiced in our society, and encourage them to promote action and legislation that reflects the teaching of Scripture," and in light of the Sixth Commandment's prohibition of murder, voted to "condemn the wanton or arbitrary destruction of any human being at any stage of its development from the point of conception to the point of death." Four years later, Synod 1976 not only voted to adopt the National Right to Life Committee's proposed Human Life Amendment to the US constitution but also voted to "call classes, consistories, and members of our congregations to do all in their power to protect and promote the sanctity of human life at any age; publicizing the issues, educating people, organizing committees, and doing whatever is considered necessary to confront people with the crucial physical and moral issues which are at stake." If adopted by the Christian Reformed synod this June, the Allegan overture will not be unprecedented. While synod has historically been very hesitant to send official communications to governmental officials, Synod 1988 authorized the stated clerk of synod to send a letter to the Canadian Prime Minister and Parliament regarding "the impending introduction of new abortion-regulatory legislation in the Parliament of Canada." Unity CRC pastor Rev. Daniel Dykstra said that the CRC's own debates over abortion were not a factor in the council decision to send the overture but may have been a factor for individual members who promoted the overture. Classis Wisconsin currently has a committee studying the views of Calvin College biology professor Dr. Hessel Bouma regarding abortion and is considering bringing an overture to Synod 1997 to deal with Christian Reformed members who advocate abortion in cases other than saving the life of the mother. Bouma came to the attention of Christian Reformed abortion opponents with the 1989 publication by Eerdman's of a book entitled "Christian Faith, Health, and Medical Practice," produced by the 1985-1986 team of scholars at the Calvin Center for Christian Scholarship. Bouma was a member of the team of scholars that year. The book states that "abortion is not the moral equivalent of murder," that "under exceptional circumstances, abortion occasionally may be recommended, cooperated with, or tolerated," and calls the Synod 1976 decision supporting the Human Life Amendment to the US Constitution "an emotional response to the dramatic increase in abortions in the wake of Roe v. Wade, based on minimal Scripture exegesis." If Classis Zeeland adopts the overture it will be forwarded to synod with the endorsement of a regional body of the denomination containing 20 churches with 7500 members; Unity CRC could also send the overture to synod on its own with the note that classis declined to adopt it. Women in Office and Classis Holland When Classis Holland meets at 8:30 am at Graafschap CRC in Holland, A-621 Church Street, the second-oldest classis in the CRC will have to decide whether to grant Pine Creek CRC of Holland, Michigan, an option that wasn't available to the founders of the Christian Reformed denomination when theological disagreements led them to secede from the Reformed Church in America in 1857. Graafschap CRC where the meeting will be held was organized in 1847 and was one of the four churches that seceded from Classis Holland of the Reformed Church in America to begin the Christian Reformed Church in 1857. At a December 3 congregational meeting, the members of Pine Creek CRC voted to endorse an overture asking Classis Holland for permission to transfer to Classis Zeeland, an option granted to local churches by Synod 1996 as a partial compromise over the women in office issue. So far, Classis Hackensack has granted Terra Ceia (NC) CRC permission to transfer to Classis Hudson due to Hackensack's endorsement of women in office and Classis Northern Michigan has granted Trinity CRC of Mt. Pleasant permission to transfer to a classis which would be willing to ordain its female minister, Mary-Lee Bouma. Synod 1997 will have the final say on whether these and any other classis transfers will be permitted. "I know my congregation is not ready to leave the denomination and I don't feel it's my calling to lead them out," said Pine Creek pastor Rev. Zack Anderson, who said the option of transferring to Classis Zeeland gave the church a way to remain in the CRC without a potentially divisive vote on secession. One issue confronting Pine Creek CRC is that it has a number of pending discipline cases on which the church must seek the advice of classis before proceeding to excommunication. "This is a very serious matter to us, and if we were to take this to classis and be asked to accept the judgment of women at classis as authoritative we would be asked to accept an unbiblical situation in which headship would be compromised," said Anderson. "Myself, I would have to be involved in pulpit exchanged with churches that have women elders. Holland still has a tradition of inviting all the churches to send a representative at ordinations and installations, and I may be asked to go to a church for the installation of a woman, and that would be difficult for us." "Are we by our lack of participation in these types of activities to, as it were, stick it in their faces, or should we seek participation in a classis where we can participate more fully?" asked Anderson. Anderson said he didn't anticipate problems with an amicable transfer. "I have indications from talking to people in Classis Zeeland that we will be accepted," said Anderson. "The [Classis Holland] stated clerk knows of our overture and he'll be mailing it out. I have a hunch that Classis Holland will simply say go, good riddance, but they may be more polite than that, let's hope." Classis Holland consists of 32 congregations with 11,424 members, mostly in the Holland lakeshore area but extending as far south as Saugatuck, St. Joseph, and South Haven. One sidelight to the Classis Holland situation is that Pine Creek CRC has, as a matter of conscience, declined to participate in previous classis sessions when women have been delegated to classis. The woman most often delegated has been Elder Susan Hulst of Providence CRC, the mother of Rev. Mary Antonides of Eastern Avenue CRC in Grand Rapids. Rev. Antonides was the second woman ordained in the Christian Reformed denomination and her ordination received widespread attention from the local news media. EDITORS NOTE: The Christian Reformed Church (CRC) may be described as an evangelical Protestant denomination based in Grand Rapids with 291,796 members. Approximately a quarter of its membership and 198 of its 991 churches are located in the ten classes (regional groups of churches) of West Michigan. The Christian Reformed Church's broadest governing body is its synod which meets annually during June, normally at Calvin College, the CRC's official denominational college in Grand Rapids. The designated media contact for the CRC is Dr. David Engelhard, the general secretary of the denomination, whose phone number and address is included on the contact list for this media alert. There is no connection between United Reformed News Service and the Christian Reformed Church, or between URNS and any other denomination. This news release and statistics on Dutch Reformed denominational sizes may be used without attribution, but if a tag line is desired, media may wish to identify us as "United Reformed News Service, an independent conservative news agency." As always, feel free to URNS if you have any questions on these news releases or other matters involving the Reformed and Presbyterian church community, particularly if you are seeking: 1) assistance in identifying people who can be quoted representing one or both sides of a particular church story, or 2) background information or details on a particular church conflict. Cross-References to Related Articles: #1996-076: CRC Synod Rejects 25 Overtures and Communications Calling for End to Classical Option on Ordination of Women #1996-077: Churches Allowed to Switch Classes for Theological Reasons #1996-078: Synod Approves Korean Classis with 15-Year Time Limit #1996-080: Record of Previous Synodical Votes on Women in Office #1996-101: Northern Michigan Nixes Ordination for Mary-Lee Bouma #1996-073: Synod Rejects Wisconsin Overture: Calvin Prof. Dr. Hessel Bouma III Remains Free to Teach His Views on Abortion #1996-114: Classis Wisconsin Appoints Committee to Study Calvin Professor Dr. Hessel Bouma's Views on Abortion #1996-117B: Separation Without Secession: Interclassical Conference Urges Christian Reformed Synod to Create New Conservative Classes Contact List: Rev. Zachary (Zack) Anderson, Pastor, Pine Creek Christian Reformed Church 663 Riley St., Holland, MI 49424 O: (616) 399-1413 * H: (616) 399-2016 Rev. Mary Antonides, Pastor, Eastern Avenue Christian Reformed Church 2514 Normandy Dr. SE, Apt. 210-C, Grand Rapids, MI 49506 O: (616) 454-4888 * H: (616) 248-8357 Dr. Hessel Bouma III, Professor of Biology, Calvin College Science Building 233, 3201 Burton St. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 O: (616) 957-6401 Rev. Dan Dykstra, Pastor, Unity Christian Reformed Church 147 Sunset Dr., Allegan, MI 49010 H/O/FAX: (616) 673-2034 Dr. David Engelhard, General Secretary, Christian Reformed Church in North America 2850 Kalamazoo Ave. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49560 O: (616) 246-0744 * H: (616) 243-2418 * FAX: (616) 246-0834 * E-Mail: engelhad@crcnet.mhs.compuserve.com Elder Susan Hulst, Providence Christian Reformed Church c/o Providence CRC, 821 Ottawa Ave., Holland, MI 49423 H: (616) 335-6103 * E-Mail: Sushul@hoho.org Rev. Les Kuiper, Convener, Classis Wisconsin Abortion Study Committee 215 S. 8th St., Oostburg, WI 53070-0305 O: (414) 564-3238 * H: (414) 564-2725 Rev. Steven Sytsma, Stated Clerk, Classis Zeeland 4452 - 38th St., Hamilton, MI 49419 O: (616) 688-5290 * H: (616) 688-5603 Rev. Peter Winkle, Stated Clerk, Classis Holland 533 Central Ave., Holland, MI 49423 O: (616) 396-8811 * H: (616) 394-4728 ---------------------------------------------------------- file: /pub/resources/text/reformed/archive97: nrma97-1.txt (corrected) .