The Christian Reformed Church in North America

Why it’s Right for US

Course Objectives

• To give a layman’s perspective of the origins of the Presbyterian and Christian Reform traditions

• To describe what the respective traditions have in common and how they differ both in the past and in modern times

• To demonstrate that the CRC is theologically and culturally a good fit for Center Grove Church

Topics

• The History of Reformed Theology • In Europe • In America

• Theological Beliefs

• Church Polity

• Missions as a focus for the CRC and the Center Grove Church

Grievances • Papal abuses

– Immoral conduct lived out and condoned even by popes – Grace became a cheap commercialized system of vows, fasts, indulgences etc. – The imperative was “do penance” rather then “repent” as Jesus commanded

• Papal pretentiousness – The Protestant forerunners questioned the papal claims to apostolic authority e.g. they

claimed that the rock on which the church was built (Matt. 16:18) was Peter’s faith not Peter the man therefore the Pope only held a position of honor

• Captivity of the Word – Protestants believed that Holy Scripture was for all to read and interpret

• Elevation of monasticism – Protestants didn’t believe that monasticism was a superior way to spirituality – They stressed a priesthood of all believers

• Usurped mediation – The Church taught mediation by Mary, the intercession of saints and transfusion of grace by

the sacraments – Protestants stressed that mediation with God was through Christ alone – They rejected all but Baptism and the Lord’s Supper as biblically founded

• The role of good works – Protestants rejected the idea that both grace and works was required for salvation

Reformation - The Early Years • Peter Waldo (1140-1218)

– Condemned Papal Excesses and some Catholic Dogma (e.g. purgatory, transubstantiation) – Accused the Church of being the “harlot of Babylon” i.e. the antichrist – Promoted: Universal priesthood, New Testament in the vernacular, voluntary poverty for the clergy – Followers (a.k.a Waldensians) were persecuted as heretics, fled to the southern Alps, later

connected with Geneva and German reformers becoming the Italian arm of the Reformed Church

• John Wycliffe (1320-1384) – Believed church should be poor as in the days of the Apostles – Proponent of predestination declaring an “invisible church of the elect” made up of those

predestined to be saved rather than the “visible” Catholic Church – He and others translated the Bible into common English – Disputed temporal rule of the clergy over secular matters – Declared annates and indulgences as simony (i.e. payments for the Sacraments) – Followers known as Lollards (derogatory term referring to people educated in the common tongue

instead of Latin – A strong influence on Jan Hus et al.

• Jan Hus (1369-1415) – Influenced by Wycliffe – Attacked the moral failings of the clergy, bishops and papacy – He wrote and preached commentaries on Wycliffe’s writings all of which the church ordered to be

burned – He was arrested in 1414, tried on 5-June, 1415, condemned and burned at the stake on 6-July, 1415 – His “Bohemian Wycliffeism” spread to Poland, Hungary, Croatia and Austria

Reformation – Luther • Martin Luther (1483-1546) “The Father of Protestantism”

– Entered Erfurt college at age 18 to study law – In 1505 he became an Augustinian monk after a near death experience – He devoted himself to fasting, prayer, pilgrimage and frequent confession

• “If anyone could have gained heaven as a monk, then I would certainly have done so.” • “I lost touch with Christ the Savior and Comforter, and made of him the jailer and hangman of my poor soul.”

– He was ordained a priest in 1507, received a doctorate in theology in 1512 and joined the theological faculty of the University Wittenberg

– “Tower Experience” While studying Psalms and Romans (1513-14) he had an epiphany: • "At last meditating day and night, by the mercy of God, I ... began to understand that the righteousness of God is that

through which the righteous live by a gift of God, namely by faith… Here I felt as if I were entirely born again and had entered paradise itself through the gates that had been flung open.“

– 1517 and the 95 Theses • Written to dispute the practice of indulgences • Spread like wildfire across Germany as a call for reform

– 1521 Diet of Worms • "Unless I can be instructed and convinced with evidence from the Holy Scriptures or with open, clear, and distinct

grounds of reasoning ... then I cannot and will not recant, because it is neither safe nor wise to act against conscience." Then he added, "Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me! Amen.“

• Branded a heretic he took refuge in Wartburg castle for ten months during which time he translated the Greek New Testament into German in 1522

– 1525 he married Katharina von Bora a former nun – By 1526 Luther was occupied with organizing the new church – In 1529 the Philip I of Hesse organized the Marburg Colloquy bringing together Swiss and German reformers

to establish doctrinal conformity for the emerging Protestant states in German speaking Europe • Zwingli et al. and Luther et al. agreed on 14 of 15 points of doctrine. • They disagreed on the doctrine of the Real Presence of Christ in the Holy Communion

Reformation – Reformed Theology

• Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531) – German Swiss Reformer centered in Zurich – Contemporary of Luther and in general agreement with

him except on the doctrine of Holy Communion (Marburg Colloquy)

– His thoughts and writings predated Calvin’s – Killed at the Battle of Kappel in 1531

• Heinrich Bullinger (1504-1575) – A protégé of Zwingli – After Zwingli’s death he further established and

systematized Reformed Theology – His efforts were overshadowed by Calvin

Reformed Theology - Calvin • John Calvin (1509-1564)

– Became clerk for the bishop at 12 – Studied philosophy at Montague College – 1525 to 1526 studied law at the University of Orleans then at Bourges where he also learned

Greek – In 1533 he experienced a conversion event leading to a break with Catholicism and, as an ally

of Nicholas Cop, a reformer under persecution, he fled to Basel, Switzerland. – William Farel persuaded Calvin stay in Geneva and assist the growing Protestant community in

1536 – In 1536 Calvin published the first edition of Institutes of the Christian Religion

• Intended to be a catechism for French Protestants, was a short work consisting of six chapters dealing with the law, the Apostle’s Creed, the Lord's Prayer, the sacraments, false sacraments, and Christian liberty (i.e. freedom)

• He published eight revisions from 1539 to 1560 with the last growing into a four volume treatise on systematic theology.

– In 1538, due to government resistance Calvin and Farel moved to Strasbourg. In 1541 a newly elected city council invited Calvin back to Geneva where he lived for the rest of his life.

– Calvin also published commentaries on twenty-three of the Old Testament books and all of the New Testament books except 2-3 John and Revelation. He held that commentaries should be clear and brief. Thus, his Institutes received more of the doctrinal discussions, although doctrinal discussions were sometimes included in his commentaries. The commentaries were published in both Latin and French from 1540 through 1564.

– While Calvin often revised and expanded his Institutes, he was also a very committed preacher. He preached daily starting in his return to Geneva in 1541. On weekdays he’d preach from the Old Testament, on Sunday mornings from the New Testament and on Sunday afternoons on the Psalms. Starting in 1549 his sermons were recorded and are available today.

• "If Luther sounded the trumpet for reform, Calvin orchestrated the score by which the Reformation became a part of Western civilization.” Mark A. Noll, Evangelical Dictionary of Theology.

• Jacobus Arminius, the founder of the anti-Calvinistic view called Arminianism, said the following of Calvin's commentaries: – “Next to the study of the Scriptures which I earnestly inculcate, I exhort my pupils to peruse

Calvin’s Commentaries, which I extol in loftier terms than Helmich himself (a Dutch divine, 1551–1608); for I affirm that he excels beyond comparison in the interpretation of Scripture, and that his commentaries ought to be more highly valued than all that is handed down to us by the library of the fathers; so that I acknowledge him to have possessed above most others, or rather above all other men, what may be called an eminent spirit of prophecy. His Institutes ought to be studied after the (Heidelberg) Catechism, as containing a fuller explanation, but with discrimination, like the writings of all men.” Philip Schaff, "Tributes to the Memory of Calvin", History of the Christian Church, VIII (1892)

• Calvin's theology will be covered in greater detail next week when we study the belief systems of the Presbyterian and Christian Reformed traditions

• Calvin founded the Presbyterian system of church government followed by both the PCUSA and CRC, more about this in our third meeting.

• Calvin believed in the separation of church and state, although he believed both were subject to God’s laws, each had its own sphere of influence.

• Calvin’s concept that hard work, either sacred or secular, with a joyful attitude glorifies God. Thus the Protestant Work Ethic was born.

Summary of Differences

Protestant Tenets

1. Scripture alone

2. Faith alone

3. Grace alone

4. Christ alone

5. Glory to God alone

Roman Catholic Tenets

1. Scripture and tradition

2. Faith and works

3. Grace and merit

4. Christ, Mary, and intercession of saints

5. Glory to God, Saints and church hierarchy

Point 1 deals with the fundamental issue of authority Points 2-4 deal with the basics of salvation Point 5 addresses the focus of Christian worship

The Reformed Faith Spreads - Europe • The movement first went to Germany centered around Heidelberg. The Heidelberg Catechism originated there in

1563. • Geneva became a refuge for persecuted reformers from many countries and Calvin founded a school to teach

Reformed Theology and train men to return to their homelands and plant churches. He sent missionaries to France, Scotland, England, the Netherlands and Poland. In 1556 he sent the first Protestant missionaries to the New World (Brazil).

• France – By Calvin’s death in 1564 about 20% of the population of France confessed the Reformed faith including half the aristocracy and

merchant class. Civil war and Catholic persecution halted the movement and the Reformed believers known as Huguenots fled France for friendlier countries.

• Scotland – John Knox (1513-1572), a former galley slave, studied under Calvin and brought the Reformed faith to Scotland. By 1560 the

Scottish Parliament rejected papal authority and in 1561 the Scottish Reformed Church was organized.

• England – A little more complex starting with Henry VIII (1491-1547) wanting a male heir – Thomas Cranmer (archbishop of Canterbury under Henry VIII and his son Edward VI) led the early development of the Church of

England and wrote the Book of Common Prayer and his Forty-two Articles of Religion. – Cranmer drew his reformation principles from both Lutheranism and Calvinism. – Mary Tudor succeeded Edward VI and returned England to Roman Catholicism and fiercely persecuted Protestants (~300

executed including Cranmer). – Elizabeth I (1533-1603) succeeded Mary Tudor and, while rejecting Catholicism, she was not eager to aggressively continue the

reforms started under Edward VI. Her modest approach disappointed many but eventually gave rise to the robust Calvinism derogatorily known as Puritanism.

– Puritanism lasted from the 1560s to the early 1700s but during the reign of James I (1603-1625) some Puritans seceded from the Church of England. They were separatist dissenters and usually formed Congregationalist churches.

• The Netherlands – Calvinism got its start in the southern region in around 1545 and the northern region in about 1560. – Dutch Calvinism didn’t flourish until the 17th century mainly the result of the Synod of Dort in 1618-1619 (more about this next

week). – The expansion of the reformed Faith in the Netherlands paralleled the rise of Puritanism in England – It was fortified during the so-called Dutch Further Reformation in the 17th and early 18th centuries.

The Reformed Faith comes to America • Who came first?

– The first settlement in what is now the U.S.A. was in Florida near present day Jacksonville in 1564 by French Huguenots fleeing persecution. In 1565 Spanish Conquistadors led by Admiral Pedro Menéndez attacked their settlement and killed or captured most of the inhabitants. (America's Hidden History: Untold Tales of the First Pilgrims, Fighting Women, and Forgotten Founders Who Shaped a Nation, by Kenneth C. Davis 2008)

• Jamestown 1607 – Church of England (i.e. Puritans) – Founded as a commercial venture not as a religious safe haven

• Plymouth 1620 – The ‘Pilgrims’ who were ‘Brownist English Dissenters’ from the Church of England a.k.a. Congregationalists

• Massachusetts Bay Colony 1628 – Also a commercial venture but essentially a Puritan settlement that became increasingly intolerant to other faiths (denying

Anglicans, Quakers and Baptists voting rights)

• New Amsterdam – 1628 marked the first celebration of the Lord’s Supper by the Dutch Reformed Church (Jonas Michaelius ). – The Dutch Reformed Church expanded throughout the colony during the 1600’s even after the English took over in 1664 – Ministers were sent to Holland for training and ordination and English wasn’t used in services until 1764 – After American independence the church in America cut ties to the mother church in Holland

• Those English loyalist in the Dutch Reformed Church moved to Canada and eventually became part of the Presbyterian Church of Canada

• Philadelphia 1706 – The official start date of the Presbyterian church in North America was marked by the inaugural meeting of the Presbytery of

Philadelphia. – Why Philadelphia?

• The Dutch and Puritan colonists had the backing of the governments from the founding countries • The Presbyterians were not backed by any country and thus chose Pennsylvania because the Quaker colony allowed for religious

freedom

– Of the eight ministerial members at that meeting four were from Scotland, three from Northern Ireland and one was from Massachusetts, Jedediah Andrews

• Andrews represented a decidedly Puritan flavor of Presbyterianism in the northern colonies

– Most notable among the eight was Francis Makemie of Northern Ireland, the so-called father of American Presbyterianism • He was the 1st moderator of the Presbytery of Philadelphia and an unlicensed pastor

– The Presbyterian Church in Scotland was initially established in 1561 but, because of English interference didn’t become the national church of Scotland until 1690

American Presbyterianism • By 1716 four Presbyteries were organized (Philadelphia, New Castle (Del.), Snow Hill (Mar.) and New York) and the

first Synod was held in Philadelphia • During the 1720’s the Scotch-Irish faction (southern colonies) and the Puritan faction disagreed on _______. This

arose because the church lacked a constitution and it was resolved by the Adopting Act of 1729 by the Synod of Philadelphia.

• Old Side vs. New Side Schism of 1741 – First Great Awakening 1730’s and 1740’s Swept through Protestant Europe and British America – It was a call for revival of a believer’s faith at an emotional level – The Old Side (anti) was the Scotch-Irish churches and the New Side (pro) the more Puritan focused northern churches – The dispute was again over Creedal Subscription – The two sides reconciled and in 1758 there was a reunion

• Old School vs. New School Schism of 1837 – Essentially the same dispute regarding Creedal Subscription but the under current was more generally on the authority of church

polity, associations with other denominations and revivalism – Additionally the New School Northern members were generally abolitionist while the southerners were generally not

• North vs. South Schism of 1861 – In 1787 the Synods of New York and Philadelphia made a resolution in favor of “universal liberty” and supported efforts to

“promote the abolition of slavery”. – In 1793 the General Assembly confirmed its support for the abolition of slavery but stated this only as “advice”. – In 1795 it refused to consider discipline of slaveholders in the church and advised all members of different views on the subject

to “live in charity and peace according to the doctrine and the practice of the Apostles”. – By 1818 the GA was in control of the New School and made a clear declaration that the PCUSA should work to abolish slavery

but they also advised against harsh censures and uncharitable statements on the subject and again rejected the discipline of slaveholders in the church.

– The 1818 GA action held sway until the Civil War when both sides used Scripture to defend their cause • The North was staunchly patriotic and backed the Union and the abolition of slavery • The South firmly believed in the right to secede and to practice slavery although some southern theologians distinguished between

slavery and the slave trade and promoted reform of the southern practice (Robert Lewis Dabney, in his book, “A Defense of Virginia, and Through Her of the South”)

– The 1869 reunion • New School party in the South died out and the Southern Church became the Presbyterian Church in the U.S. • New School and Old School in the North softened their differences and became the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A.

“Ultimately the PCUSA did not die of New School errors or of the New England theology. It died due to the New School attitude of toleration and laxity when faced with newer and more deadly errors. It succumbed to theological liberalism. And this set the stage for the Fundamentalist-Modernist controversies of the early 20th century.” (Presbyterian History by Louis F. DeBoer)

American Reformed - RCA • 1664 - The English conquered New Netherland

– After that, while still owing ecclesiastical allegiance to the classis (i.e., governing body) of Amsterdam in Holland, the church gave civil allegiance to England.

• 1747 - The American church was given permission to organize an assembly and in 1754 declared itself independent of the classis of Amsterdam

• 1766 - The American classis was granted a charter for Queens College (Rutgers) and in 1784 the New Brunswick Theological Seminary under John Henry Livingston was started.

• 1792 - A formal constitution was adopted • 1794 - The Reformed Church held its first general synod • 1796 – With other denominations formed the New York Missionary Society

– Primarily American Indian missions

• 1819 - The church incorporated as the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church • Missions

– By 1820 Missionaries had reached China, India, Africa, and other parts of America – In 1857 the church revamped its Board of Foreign Missions into a denomination-only supported, non-partnered

agency. – World-wide missions continues to play a major role in the RCA

• 1867 - The name was changed to the Reformed Church in America • The RCA moved west with a surge of immigration from Holland in the mid-19th century

– Hope College and Western Theological Seminary were founded in Holland, MI (1851?) – Central College founded in Pella, Iowa (1853)

• Post WWII – Many Dutch immigrants came to Canada and in 1950 two congregations were established and in 1993 the Regional

Synod of Canada was established – Between 1949 and 1958, 120 new churches were organized and for the first time many were many were opened

among people unfamiliar with Dutch heritage and the Dutch Reformed traditions. – The first women elders and deacons were ordained in 1970 and in 1973 the first woman minister was ordained

American Reformed – CRCNA • Prior to 1857 The new Dutch immigrants settling in and around Holland, MI joined existing RCA churches • 1834 - The Secession of 1834 began in Ulrum, a town in the north of the Dutch province of Groningen. Leading up

to this Secession, their pastor, the Rev. Hendrik de Cock, was forbidden by the government to preach and ordered not to warn people against what he believed to be the erroneous teachings of some of his colleagues. He was also forbidden to baptize the children of believers who refused to have their children baptized by their own ministers who they believed not sound in the faith. Therefore, on 14 December 1834, a large majority of the congregation of the Dutch Reformed Church in Ulrum, signed The Act of Secession and Return, breaking away from the State Church.

• 1847 - Secessionist pastor Albertus Van Raalte – Fled from the specter of religious persecution and famine in the Netherlands and settled in Holland, MI with about 50 people – Wanted to establish a Dutch “colony” centered on orthodox reformed practices – Life was hard and they received assistance from RCA churches in New Jersey and eventually merged with the RCA

• 1857 Four congregations in the Holland area split with the RCA over – a perceived lack of sound doctrinal preaching by American pastors – a perceived lack of piety and too much accommodation to American culture by these same pastors – the use of hymns in worship by the Americans - the seceders insisted on psalm-singing only – the practice by the American churches of "open communion," extending an open invitation to all believers to participate in the

Lord's Supper – the perceived lack of solidarity on the part of the Americans with the secessionist cause in the Netherlands

• The CRC expanded rapidly in the late 19th century again due to immigration of the Dutch secessionists only this time they were heavily influenced by the Dutch theologian and political leader Dr. Abraham Kuyper. – Kuyper was firmly in the camp of the original secessionist regarding a simple, biblically based faith – He and the immigrants that were influenced by him had a more outward-looking faith

• still solidly grounded in Scripture and the confessions • Kuyper's vision was to claim Christ's lordship over all of life • Believers were called to extend God's kingdom into the society in which they lived • To reach the world using Christian schools, institutions, and organizations to make God's redemptive and recreating work a reality in

the marketplace, city hall, and factory.

– The new vision that began to live among CRC members did not displace the down-home piety, but it did spur the infant CRC to peer over the walls of its cradle to begin to engage a wider world.

• 1900 – 1940 – Americanization

• The beginning of the 20th century mark the place in CRC history when Dutch began to be replaced by English in the Church. It was a slow process!

• After WWI returning military men fully embraced the move to becoming ‘Americanized’

• 1924 Schism over “Common Grace” • The Synod adopted “Three Points of Common Grace” • A number of congregations seceded from the CRC forming the Protestant Reformed Church which grew until the 1950s

after which many returned to the CRC

• The Depression Years • Economically difficult and wide-spread churches became insular losing touch with each other and their Reformed

traditions • The editor of the Banner, H.J. Kuiper, vigorously encouraged members to dedicate themselves afresh to the Reformed

faith.

• The 1950s • Further Americanization • New influx of Dutch immigrants but mostly to Canada

– The Dutch Canadians shared a commitment to the Reformed confessions – They differed from their American cousins in life experience, mindset, and moral and religious values. – Dutch Canadians tended to focus their spiritual energies on working out the social ramifications of the gospel, rather than

personal piety. – Yet both groups shared a genuine desire and commitment to remain obedient to God's Word - a solid foundation on which

to build a bi-national church.

• The 1960s • Societal changes had a profound affect on the CRC

– How was the church to respond to or react from the social chaos around them? – How was the church to combat racism?

• Women in ecclesiastical office • Serious debate on the ordination of women for ecclesiastical office began in 1970 • Women were first ordained as deacons in 1979 • 1980 to 1995 lots of arguments! • 1995 Synod declared women could hold all offices but gave each Classis the option of doing so. • 2000 eighteen of forty-seven Classes allowed ordination of women • In 2006 > ½ of the Classes allowed their ordination and in 2007 the Synod opened all offices to women throughout the

CRCNA – BUT: It allowed each classis to determine if women elders could be representatives to the classis even though there was no

restriction on holding Synod positions

• Since 1996 many churches have split from the CRC over the ordination of women to ecclesiastical office

References • Noll, M. N. 1992. A History of Christianity in the United States and

Canada • Websites:

– theopedia.com – wikipedia.com – monergism.com - specifically Joel Beeke “The Origins of Calvinism” – infoplease.com – pcusa.org – rca.org – crcna.org

• Throughout the slides I also site specific references for quoted remarks.

• Please note: I shamelessly did a little lot cutting and pasting to get this presentation done by 10:30PM last night so be forewarned that if you look up some of these websites you may recognize a few phrases!

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