NR #1995-043: For Immediate Release Committee Divides on Whether Gay Ministries Must Declare that Homosexual Activity is Sin; Classis Grand Rapids East Refers Both Reports to Churches for Study by Darrell Todd Maurina, Press Officer United Reformed News Service GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (May 27, 1995) URNS - Confronted with minority and majority reports on the hotly disputed issue of whether ministries with persons who are homosexual must explicitly state that homosexual activity is sin, Classis Grand Rapids East voted at its May 18 meeting to refer both reports to the churches for study. The compromise motion to refer both reports to the churches followed the defeat of an overture from Oakdale Park CRC which would have explicitly stated that Grand Rapids area ministries to homosexuals which receive CRC support should "support persons who for whatever reason, are unable to move from a predominantly homosexual orientation to a predominantly heterosexual orientation, to live a sexually celibate life that is as full as that of a single celibate heterosexual person" and "help those persons who are wanting to leave the gay lifestyle or are struggling with unwanted homosexual feelings to receive help in their journey out of homosexuality." After the Oakdale overture was voted down during a discussion that exceeded the allotted time, classis agreed to "refer" rather than "commend the report to the church councils for study" and to take up the matter again at its next meeting in September. Contents of the Report Both the majority and minority reports agreed on five parameters for evaluating ministries with persons who are homosexual, while noting that they "should be seen neither as exhaustive nor as a minimum checklist for any such ministry." A key parameter - the one which Oakdale Park sought to amend - specified that: CRC-supported ministries in Grand Rapids should a. be wholistically oriented to the entire person and Christian community; it should pursue the goals of enabling persons who are homosexual, family members or friends of persons who are homosexual, and persons who are struggling with their sexual identity, to be integral persons in the Christian community faithful to Christ without segregating such persons from the community, b. be evangelical, seeking to serve and broaden God's kingdom beyond the membership of a church or the borders of a classis, c. be integrated with the other ministries of the classis and denomination, d. be broadly supported, minimally by an entire classis, with a goal toward achieving support by neighboring classes; such support might include prayer support, publicizing the availability of ministry services, invitations to conduct educational presentations or worship services (if ministry is led by an ordained minister), and/or financial support, e. be led by a part-time or full-time director (preferably ordained) under the direction of a special board committed to the ministry and to the Christian Reformed Church through a classis and church, f. enable congregations to fulfill their missions in this area. Other portions of the report included a bibliography and list of available ministries including As We Are (AWAre), whose local chapter is served by celibate gay minister Rev. Jim Lucas, a member of Eastern Avenue CRC and chaplain for AWAre; Dignity, a predominantly Roman Catholic gay ministry whose local chapter, according to the report "has consistently included members and leadership from the Christian Reformed Church"; Evangelicals Concerned, a group of evangelical gays whose local chapter, according to the report "was originally started by members of the Christian Reformed Church" but "has now broadened its base ecumenically," Ministry of Hope, a Holland-area ministry started by a Christian Reformed couple offering "Christian support and referral ministry to homosexuals and their families," and Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (P-FLAG), an international gay advocacy group whose local chapter, according to the report, "has had strong leadership and support from persons in the Christian Reformed Church." The report also noted the existence of Exodus International, the umbrella group for ex-gay ministries, and Metanoia Ministries, an ex-gay organization founded by CRC members in Seattle and officially recommended by the Christian Reformed synod for financial support. Both strongly emphasize that homosexual practice is sinful and that Christ can overcome homosexuality. However, according to the report, "neither have local offices" in the Grand Rapids area. Both the majority and minority could concur in the body of the report, including a statement that "the church should further address whether and to what extent Christians can support ministries which accept committed, faithful, monogamous relationships," but both the majority and minority also concur in declaring that "the Christian community should stand steadfast against any 'ministries' which tacitly accept uncommitted, promiscuous relationships or declare such relationships to be a matter of moral indifference, even as we continue to respond with compassion and with a call to faithful obedience to all persons, regardless of where they are in their own life's journey." The division between the two reports surfaces on the next-to-last page of the eleven page report. Speaking for the committee majority, Calvin College professors Dr. Hessel Bouma III and Dr. David Holquist, Grand Rapids Area Center for Ecumenism staff member Betty Zylstra, and Gladys Verhulst argued that "ministries with persons who are homosexual should not be contingent upon declaring homosexual activity to as sin or distinctive evidence of the fall. To do so is to give an incomplete testimony with the potential harm in practice of closing ministry with many persons who are homosexual. Instead, these ministries should work with everyone in Christian community to discern what it means to live lives faithful to Jesus Christ." The committee majority further stated that "this report does not address whether or how homosexual orientation or practice may be considered a sin," citing three grounds: that the topic is not included in the committee's mandate, that because the mandate did not include that question committee members were appointed "without special expertise in either Old or New Testament hermeneutics and exegesis to adequately begin to address this theological question," and that "considerable scholarly work by individuals as well as several major, mainstream denominational study committees composed of individuals with hermeneutical expertise over the past two decades have attempted but failed to achieve consensus on this issue." Speaking for the committee minority, Calvin College professor Dr. James Bradley and Calvin Seminary professor Dr. Mel Hugen argued that all aspects of human personality have been distorted by the fall, including sexuality, and that "the homosexual orientation is one form of such distortion, one that usually is not of the person's own choice or decision." Furthermore, "the church must both hope for and direct her ministry toward whatever restoration of our sexuality to its original form is possible. Where such restoration is either limited or not possible, she must minister with compassion, encouragement, and support." The committee minority closes with an affirmation that "at all times the church must call all her members to a life of obedience to God's provision of marriage as the proper relationship for the expression of genital sexuality," and cites grounds which amplify its position. Heated Discussion Greets Report Committee chairman Hessel Bouma led off his presentation of the report by reading a letter from a homosexual person who attended the previous classis meeting in January expressing frustration that the January meeting tabled an earlier version of the report. "Christians of good will come to honest disagreement on this issue, just as they do on the women's issue," said the letter-writer, arguing that the CRC is "unable to deal with ambiguity." The writer closed the letter with a request that his or her name be deleted. "I would prefer to choose the time and place that my own congregation would learn that one who has served as an elder and deacon is one of 'them.'" As expected, the homosexuality report touched off a heated debate in classis. Rev. Al Luke of Boston Square CRC asked whether the committee did "any evaluation of the various ministries which were listed in the last section of the report." Hessel Bouma answered in the negative, noting that each of the ministries depended in large part upon the local leadership and the positions of local chapters sometimes change over time or differ from the stated position of the national organization. "What we have produced here is a list of ones that we think are serving people far better than we are because we aren't doing anything in this area of ministry," said Bouma. Rev. Scott Hoezee of Calvin CRC pressed Bouma on the issue. "When we appointed this committee we noted that we as a community have a set of guidelines, broadly defined, in the 1973 report" said Hoezee, referring to the CRC synodical report on homosexuality. "Are we to assume that these ministries aren't doing anything obviously contrary to the 1973 report? Can we at least say that?" Hessel Bouma responded by noting the problems caused by the churches of classis not having their own ministry to persons who are homosexual, citing the example of Dignity, which by the very nature of its Roman Catholic roots is not in full agreement with the Reformed faith. "Within a ministry like Dignity, there may be individuals who say and do things which are not in agreement with the 1973 report," said Bouma. "Rather than labelling a ministry as entirely acceptable or unacceptable we need to dialogue with those who are doing ministry and use discernment." Rev. Rolf Bouma of Eastern Avenue CRC asked whether he could encourage "involvement in a group that is not in conformity with the parameters of the report;" Jim Bradley responded that the parameters are "designed to guide the church in making referrals of persons to ministries." After discussion, Rev. Roger Van Harn of Grace CRC suggested that classis pass both the majority and minority reports on to the churches without making a decision on which was preferable. Speaking for the majority, Hessel Bouma endorsed Van Harn's proposal on the grounds that it would help the churches in dealing with both sides of the issue. "I think where this issue will come up again is when a person or ministry comes to us and asks us to decide whether the ministry meets these parameters," said Bouma, citing Dignity and Rev. Jim Lucas as two examples of possible ministries and persons who might seek recognition from classis. The minority members objected to Van Harn's proposal, however. "I think my own preference would be to see classis take some leadership and establish some parameters for ministry, in which case classis would have to make a decision one way or the other," said Bradley. The possibility of passing both reports on to the churches brought a vehement response from Madison Square CRC's elder delegate, Bob Schuyler. "When we send a report as volatile as this out, we will be taking leadership," said Schuyler, noting that the report would have immediate consequences for young people and families throughout the classis and beyond. "If we don't take a position we are saying people can take this report any way they want to." Schuyler then told the delegates about his background growing up in an unchurched family and in his young adulthood turning to adultery, homosexuality, alcohol, and drug abuse. "They all led to destruction, confusion, and all the other earmarks of sinful destruction," said Schuyler. "Jesus freed me from these things. By the grace of God I was freed. I believe somehow if we are going to publish some kind of report, we will be providing leadership, both for those who are seeking direction in their own lives and for those who are working to transmit their faith to their children." "If we don't sound a clear call we are going to contribute to that which ravels away," said Schuyler. "I don't really stand on a report, I stand on the power of Jesus who changed my life." Hoezee took the floor again, echoing Schuyler's concerns about the majority report. "We should not pass along a report which says we have not achieved consensus on this issue. We have in the 1973 report and that is why the committee was not asked to deal with that issue," said Hoezee. "Frankly, our classis has enough of a reputation of going against synod, and I don't want to add to that on this issue." Rev. William Vanden Bosch cited the concerns about the majority report as a reason for adopting his church's overture. "Suppose, hypothetically, a ministry is established and came to home missions for support," said Vanden Bosch. "Our concern is we want C and D to be included in that evaluation," referring to the additional points proposed in the Oakdale overture explicitly stating that the goal of any ministry must be to provide "those wanting to leave the gay lifestyle or are struggling with unwanted homosexual feelingsx help in their journey out of homosexuality," and that people unable to change their orientation must "live a sexually celibate life." Rev. Carl Kammeraad of Neland Avenue CRC spoke in strong support of the Oakdale overture. "C and D reflect what we as a denomination and as a faith community have said," noted Kammeraad. However, Rolf Bouma objected to the Oakdale overture's use of the term "sexually celibate," arguing that it is usually used to refer to religious vows, and to the term "the gay lifestyle," on the grounds that it was "very offensive" because it unfairly stereotyped gays. Urged to withdraw his church's overture, Vanden Bosch questioned the status of the report under discussion. "If this document has some authority within classis, I don't think we can withdraw," said Vanden Bosch. Classis proceeded to vote down the Oakdale overture. Following the defeat of the Oakdale overture on terminology grounds, classis received a motion to strike the word "commend" from the committee recommendation to "commend the report to the church councils for study" on the grounds that the word "commend" indicated explicit approval of its contents. "I'd like to ask the implications of this. Without adopting parameters we will not have furthered this issue much," said Mel Hugen. "This will not take 45 minutes, this will take 3 or 4 hours of discussion when we are all well-prepared to discuss this." Following up on Hugen's concern, Hessel Bouma noted that he had taken the time to put the works on homosexuality listed in the report's bibliography into the reserve reading room of the Calvin College library, but not even one person had checked out any of the reserve materials. Hoezee then moved to delete the majority report. Classis voted down Hoezee's motion as well. Following the defeat of both the Oakdale overture and Hoezee's motion to strike the majority report, classis agreed on a compromise motion to "refer" rather than "commend" the report to the churches for study, docket the matter for further discussion at the September meeting, and dismiss the committee with thanks, granting privilege of the floor to former committee members when the subject is next discussed. Although classis was finally able to agree on a motion to give further study to both the majority and minority report, few if anyone in classis views the issue as settled. Oakdale's pastor noted that his church's overture was defeated on terminology grounds rather than due to its content and said the overture would be back in a reworked form. Both the majority and minority reports will be back for discussion. And in addition to everything else, Classis Grand Rapids East will have to vote again on whether to extend Rev. Jim Lucas' eligibility for call Lucas' eligibility was most recently extended in September 1994 when Eastern Avenue CRC informed classis that Lucas had "requested that Eastern Avenue call him to a specialized ministry with AWARE." "In anticipation of this request, Eastern Avenue overtured classis in January of 1994 to establish a committee to study the appropriateness of various ministries to homosexual persons," Eastern Avenue CRC wrote at that time, noting that "we have informed Jim that we wish to wait until the study committee's report is received by Classis before requesting classical approval of a call to specialized ministry." Both Eastern Avenue and Lucas have now been waiting for classical action on the report for over a year. Whether they will receive that action at the next classis remains to be seen. Cross-References to Related Articles: #1994-031: Christian Reformed Synod: Members May Not "Practice or Advocate Homosexualism"; Dr. David Engelhard Approved as CRC's Next General Secretary; Synod Rejects Proposal to End Funding Endorsement for Westminster Seminary #1994-048: Jim Lucas Hired as Chaplain of "As We Are" Gay Ministry; Ministerial Credentials Extended to Permit Call to Position; Classis Grand Rapids East of the Christian Reformed Denomination Expects Homosexuality Study Committee to Report to January Classis Meeting Contact List: Dr. Hessel Bouma III, Professor of Biology, Calvin College Science Building 233, Calvin College, 3201 Burton St. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 * O: (616) 957-6401 Rolf Bouma, Pastor, Eastern Avenue Christian Reformed Church 900 Benjamin SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506 * H: (616) 637-5180 * O: (616) 637-6575 Dr. James Bradley, Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science, Calvin College North Hall 298, Calvin College, 3201 Burton St. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 * O: (616) 957-7104 Rev. Scott Hoezee, Pastor, Calvin Christian Reformed Church 1634 Fisk Rd. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506-6544 * O: (616) 451-8467 * H: (616) 247-6720 Dr. Mel Hugen, Professor of Pastoral Care, Calvin Theological Seminary 2211 Ridgewood SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 * O: (616) 957-6025 * H: (616) 942-0001 * FAX: (616) 957-8621 Rev. Carl Kammeraad, Pastor, Neland Avenue Christian Reformed Church 1600 Seminole Rd. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506 * O: (616) 452-0501 * H: (616) 243-5100 Earvie Klungel, Manager, Metanoia Ministries P.O. Box 33039, Seattle, WA 98133 * (206) 783-3500 Rev. Jim Lucas, Chaplain, As We ARE Note to Editors: This information will be provided should you wish to contact Rev. Lucas for an interview. We request that it not be published to protect his privacy. Dr. Philip R. Lucasse, Stated Clerk, Classis Grand Rapids East 3096 Old Kent Rd. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49512 * O: (616) 957-6000 * H: (616) 942-1219 Rev. Al Luke, Pastor, Boston Square Christian Reformed Church 1875 Kalamazoo SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49507 * H: (616) 241-4281 * O: (616) 241-1245 Elder Bill Schuyler, Madison Square Christian Reformed Church 1434 Madison Ave. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49507 * (616) 245-7791 Rev. William Vanden Bosch, Pastor, Oakdale Park Christian Reformed Church 1000 Hancock SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49507 * O: (616) 241-5798 * H: (616) 245-5514 Rev. Roger Van Harn, Pastor, Grace Christian Reformed Church 1717 Morningside Dr. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506 * H: (616) 949-2993 * O: (616) 452-8920 ------------------------------------------------ file: /pub/resources/text/reformed: nr95-043.txt .