Date: Tue, 15 Jun 1999 05:34:20 +0000 From: Darrell Todd Maurina Reply-To: Darrell128@aol.com Organization: Christian Renewal/United Reformed News Service Subject: NR 99081: CRC Synod Rules First Toronto Homosexuality Overture Out of Order NR #1999-081: Christian Reformed Synod Rules First Toronto CRC Homosexuality Overture Out of Order With no discussion, debate, or public announcement, Synod 1999 ruled this morning that an overture from First Toronto Christian Reformed Church was not legally before synod, but did send it as a communication to a synodical advisory committee. The overture stems from the work of two CRC members - Dr. Henk Hart of the Institute for Christian Studies in Toronto and former CRC minister Jim Lucas, chaplain of the "As We Are" gay support group in Grand Rapids - who circulated a petition calling for a "safe place" for discussion of homosexuality. The petition, signed by over three hundred CRC members including nearly three dozen ordained CRC ministers and numerous professors at Christian Reformed-related colleges, was placed on the agenda for synod by First CRC of Toronto in response to a synodical study committee report on homosexuality which urges the church to re-evaluate the effectiveness of its ministry to homosexuals but calls for no change in the 1973 denominational position that gay sexual activity is sin. None of that, or even the contents of the First Toronto overture, came out on the floor of synod. CRC General Secretary Dr. David Engelhard simply announced that the synodical officers were recommending that no new materials would be added to the synodical agenda without specifying what those materials might be. NR #1999-081: For Immediate Release: Christian Reformed Synod Rules First Toronto CRC Homosexuality Overture Out of Order by Darrell Todd Maurina, Press Officer United Reformed News Service ANCASTER, ONTARIO (June 12, 1999) URNS - With no discussion, debate, or public announcement, Synod 1999 ruled this morning that an overture from First Toronto Christian Reformed Church was not legally before synod, but did send it as a communication to a synodical advisory committee. The overture stems from the work of two CRC members - Dr. Henk Hart of the Institute for Christian Studies in Toronto and former CRC minister Jim Lucas, chaplain of the "As We Are" gay support group in Grand Rapids - who circulated a petition calling for a "safe place" for discussion of homosexuality. The petition, signed by over three hundred CRC members including nearly three dozen ordained CRC ministers and numerous professors at Christian Reformed-related colleges, was placed on the agenda for synod by First CRC of Toronto in response to a synodical study committee report on homosexuality which urges the church to re-evaluate the effectiveness of its ministry to homosexuals but calls for no change in the 1973 denominational position that gay sexual activity is sin. The overture notes that the report references retired Fuller Theological Seminary professor Dr. Lewis Smedes' belief that "God prefers homosexual people to live in committed and faithful monogamous relationships" and that the report's recommendations "ask the churches to consider whether same-sex partners should take communion, as well as to consider how to respond to members whose views differ from 1973." The First Toronto overture also notes that "very recent history in our denomination provides evidence that people who discuss views that deviate from 1973 can expect censorship in one form or another." Hart lost his license to exhort - the CRC term for preaching by laymen - when Classis Toronto objected to his views. Lucas officially lost his ministerial credentials because he had received no call to a position of denominational ministry, but lost his ordination only after his local church declined to endorse his continued ministerial status following a decision by Lucas and the board of his ministry to publicly endorse committed same-sex monogamous gay relationships. None of that, or even the contents of the First Toronto overture, came out on the floor of synod. CRC General Secretary Dr. David Engelhard simply announced that the synodical officers were recommending that no new materials would be added to the synodical agenda without specifying what those materials might be. "The judgment of the officers was there were no new matters that were appropriately before synod, so you will not be seeing a flood of new materials on your table," said Engelhard. "It was judged that certain materials were appropriate to be given to the committee reporters so they may be dealt with within the committees." In a later interview, Engelhard confirmed that the First Toronto overture had been given to the reporter of the advisory committee addressing the report of a denominational study committee on homosexuality. "We're treating the report as a council communication, not one that's gone through proper procedures," said Engelhard. "None of the names will be attached to the letter; all of the content will be there, but we have a standing commitment that we don't do synodical work by means of pressure groups." Neither Lucas nor Hart were present at the Monday morning session of synod, but three synodical delegates are signers of the petition: Rev. Albert Helder, reporter for the synodical advisory committee on publications, Pastor George Vander Weit of Classis Lake Erie, and synodical second clerk Dr. George Vandervelde. Vander Weit, who circulated the petition within his classis and gained a number of signatures from ministers in Classis Lake Erie, said he was not surprised by the synodical vote to send the matter only to the advisory committee. "I told the people who were soliciting signatures that if an overture didn't ask for 'safe space,' this letter would be nothing more than a media event," said Vander Weit. "Unfortunately, the overture finally adopted only asked synod to consider the letter rather than asking for what the letter asked for." "Thus, I understand why the officers decided not to distribute the letter to the entire synod and am pleased that the letter was distributed to the advisory committee even though the names of those who signed it were deleted," said Vander Weit. "I do think it's unfortunate that the effort to ensure 'safe space' is identified as a pressure tactic." Cross-References to Related Articles: #1998-102: Homosexuality Study Committee to Call Christian Reformed Synod to Repent of Lack of Ministry to Homosexuals #1999-080: Christian Reformed Synod Convenes for First-Ever Assembly in Canada; Elects Wayne Brouwer as President Contact List: Rev. Wayne Brouwer, President, Synod 1999 of the Christian Reformed Church 1627 West Lakewood Blvd., Holland, MI 49424 O: (616) 399-9190 * H: (616) 399-4645 * FAX: (616) 399-8808 * E-mail: brouwer@triton.net Dr. David Engelhard, General Secretary, Christian Reformed Church in North America 2850 Kalamazoo Ave. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49560 O: (616) 224-0744 * H: (616) 243-2418 * FAX: (616) 224-5895 * E-mail: engelhad@crcna.org Dr. Hendrik Hart, Professor of Philosophy, Institute for Christian Studies 229 College St., Toronto, ON M5T 1R4 O: (416) 979-2331 * hhart@icscanada.edu Rev. Albert Helder, Pastor, First Christian Reformed Church 1245 Quayside Dr. #1704, New Westminster, BC V3M 6J6 O: (604) 521-0111 * H: (604) 517-8814 * FAX: (604) 520-0344 * E-mail: 102035.3672@compuserve.com Rev. Jim Lucas, Chaplain, As We ARE PO Box 7824, Grand Rapids, MI 49510 O: (616) 456-6174 * E-mail: JimLucas12@aol.com Dr. George Vandervelde, First Clerk, Synod 1999 of the Christian Reformed Church 229 College St., Toronto, ON M5T 1R4 O: (416) 979-2331 * E-mail: vanderve@chass.utoronto.ca Pastor George Vander Weit, Stated Clerk, Classis Lake Erie 2901 Waterloo Dr., Troy, MI 48084 O: (810) 645-1990 * H: (810) 649-5388 * E-mail: northhills@juno.com ---------------------------------------------------------- file: /pub/resources/text/reformed/archive99: nr99-081.txt .