Why did Mormons leave the Reformed churches to form their own church After all, you believe God predestined you to say it all and to make all the attacks, and if it turns out that all your attacks are destroying souls, well thats predestined too! Originally, all of the Reformation churches used this name (or the name Evangelical) to distinguish themselves from the "unreformed," or unchanged, Roman Catholic church. You are correct. Somehow the sincere search for deeper doctrine has led to arrogance, inhouse fighting, a ridiculously isolated blogosphere, and 20 year olds condescending to everyone. Boy, you sure do know how to describe people in your church who disagree with you. I had to remind him that the Puritans and Pilgrims were our Reformed spiritual ancestors. So even though its not any kind of grand announcement, Im disassociating myself from the Reformed camp. Answer (1 of 4): Critics of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are often quick to jump forward with any and all criticisms that they believe might prove the undoing of the testimony of our members. Im happy to be on the same journey with you to catch up with Jesus!. If Donald Trump revealed the heart of white evangelicalism, he also altered the brain-chemistry of the Christian Reformed Church. The love of Christ is actually possible for believers who live and think differently. I havent gotten over it. It seems that it goes hand in hand with academic rigor to have it fuel your pride and result in arrogance, at the expense of holding the cognitive dissonant position of I am saved by grace with I am better than you because of my better theology. Meanwhile, the CRC (ECC) was taking a jaggedly different attitude, with Machiavellian vigor and punitive intent. Oh hell, I love everybody.. Josiah's idea of a heart and life commitment to God's Word is required throughout the Bible. Your email address will not be published. Looking back on it now, I couldve been more measured in my response. It maintained that the church's beliefs are "very much in line" with those of Southern Baptists and has no intention of changing that. If only you had used good hermeneutics & biblical exegesis in the Calvinist reformed tradition to form your theology. It anguished my heart to see, especially, that many of my suicidal patients had been abandoned, cast out, and rejected by harsh, authoritarian, and law-based religions of all sorts. As we came to the realization on what Calvinism is about we could no longer support a man made doctrine that goes back as far as Augustine of Hippo, when all of this really took hold. they were sincere seekers after salvation who looked to the church for succor, and, not finding it there, turned against the traditional religion and its representatives with all the anger of disillusioned love. (Williston Walker, The History of the Christian Church, Fourth Edition, p. 421). My hands, my heart, promptly offered up, and touching the flesh of humanity. Thanks Keith. JS, even I have succumbed to jerky-ness at times in an attempt to defend a doctrinal point. Thank you for this long but insightful story of your journey. Meanwhile, the CRC was taking a jaggedly different attitude, with Machiavellian vigor and punitive intent. In our human misery, suffering, and searching, Jesus is our friend. I am very encouraged whenever I visit your site! Thanks Keith, Thanks for the link to Dan Dietrichs song. This piece reflects a journey many of us have taken. This means that nobody /deserves/ to be saved, because /all/ have sinned against a holy God. Thank you Raphael, that makes sense. Well, I received an email to this response but have yet to see the actual postmaybe its on delay. I just left a reformed church : r/Reformed - Reddit on which side are you? of one doorand only one, And the end of all our exploring Your doctrine does not work in the trenches. Why I'm No Longer a United Methodist - The Gospel Coalition If we just take the words of the Bible, you can only come to a Reformed understanding of soteriology. Thanks for sharing. This isnt a debate. When I read YouTube comments and Christian blog comments, there really isnt that much difference. She clung to one thing only. If you want to make it a debate thats on you. Thank you for sharing and opening the conversation .that some of us even have within the UCC as we try to invite our members into Jesus Call of liberation and love and forgiveness and compassion. I refuse to see anyone as a barnacle. Let go of the angry God of Calvinism, and know the true love of your heavenly Father. Decisions at the 2023 SBC annual meeting in . Well now, I thought, after the panel discussion, look at that! Sean travels throughout the United States and abroad, speaking at . As there is a high degree of disagreement among the deformed faith, I will choose to continue to come against it. I am 62 years old. I think Ill go for a ride on my donkey. In contrast, the inspect the walls for breaches and require conformity approach seemed small and pathetic. As a recovering CRC infidel, this article punched me in the gut with its honesty. As a fellow chaplain and friend, I choked back tears when you shared the comment from the patient who said I started believing in Jesus ten minutes ago, as you were leaving his room. Everything Calvinist. I first read these words 37 years ago during my ministerial studies at Calvin Seminary. It is appropriate for you to join the UCC, since you embrace its views. Why Half a Million Germans Left the Catholic Church in 2022 And What It is the epitome of arrogance to question God in this. My pastorally gifted wife chose not to fight the CRC attitudes in the 1970s and 80s, finding a home for her fruitful ministry in the UCC. He takes everyone in, and doesnt put up with preferential treatment, entitlement, or power games. The problem is that this doctrine is far from right. I am learning more and more that without love, I am just a sounding brass. His feast, his people. If it were not for the small, local, and affirming CRC congregation I attend, which practices a UCC-like faith, I would have left the CRC by now. Required fields are marked *. Mr. Beaver said to the other children, "The moment I set eyes on that brother of yours, I said to myself, 'Treacherous.'" During Trump's presidency, the evangelical church began to show his dangerous look, disregarding Trump's racism and turning a blind eye to his moral degradation, misogyny, and shaming of immigrants. Dont blame the CRC for not changing to suit you. Hmmm, seems legit. Third, I witnessed a panel discussion with three UCC pastors: an older white male from the conservative/traditional wing of the denomination; an African American male; and a Queer woman who is married to another woman. Death has been abolished, including the second death, and universal salvation is fulfilled. Thank you for your ability to verbalize this well. I know the Lord is using this to show me what to do. Because of my theology shift, I have been accused of heresy by almost every camp. As I read your story, Keith, and remember our connections from days at Calvin, I very much appreciate the reflections on wilderness, barnacles, Trumpism, and chaplaincy. That is more than enough. We deeply disagree on our views, and we are deep friends in Christ. The other two panelists warmly affirmed his words. I have never seen someone use a quotation from one of the driest textbooks ever crafted to begin a powerful and well crafted article. I later was ordained to ministry in the Presbyterian Church (USA). Another time, I was present with a Hindu family during the death-process of their elderly mother. Im a committed Never Trumper. Who cares if you win the internet? Your life might actually start to look like Jesus. YES. They had come from two slightly differing factions of the same Reformed faith in the Netherlands. Here, the saltine cracker, and the grape juice: the gifts of God for the people of Godfor any humble, suffering, desirous soul. Why I left Anglicanism and became a Presbyterian : r/Reformed - Reddit What if we all just need to think a lot harder about what it looks like for God to wear skin and interact with us face-to-face? I dont wish to enter an unwieldy debate in the comments section here, but I do think it important to mention that Reformed doctrine (also called the Doctrines of Grace) does not in any way, shape or form lead to a tyrannical God who creates sin and punishes people for not choosing Him. In observation, your Christ exalting humility shows well. He is a gifted communicator with a passion for equipping the Church, and in particular young people, to make the case for the Christian faith. In 1834, many ministers and congregations left the state church because it taught the popular enlightenment principles of reason and individualism instead of Jesus Christ and the gospel. Gods people are as numerous as the stars in the heavens. "The Catholic church is dying a painful death in full view of the public," he told German media. Keith and his wife Alicia are members of the Holland United Church of Christ in Holland, Michigan. At age 75, Im the last remaining CRC member in my immediate family that represents four generations of loyal, faithful commitment and service. Ive had the opposite experience. It had two branchesthe first being founded by Dutch settlers in 1628 (Dutch Reformed branch) and the second being formed by German immigrants in the early 1700s (German Reformed branch). Thank you for being a kingdom lover, a Jesus lover who I can still follow. His name is more precious than your inflated brain. There are many in the CRCpastors, elders, deacons, and congregantsincluding dear friends and mentors of minewho are giving their best intellectual and spiritual gifts to help the CRC find a more Jesus-like way. If your theology does not allow you to rejoice, cry out, smile, sing, and have fun, that really sucks. Does he approve of those who part ways for serious doctrinal disagreements, as he did, or does he not? My parents were Dutch immigrants to Canada in 1951. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Thank you! Trump unveiled that political idolatry is rampant on both sides! I did not consciously reject The CRC (we moved to an area where there was not one) but I found in the Congregational Church a sense of welcome, openness, and room for questioning that I had never before known. Dont stop identifying as Reformed because of the fallible Christians who use the term for themselves too though, just firmly and gently call them out on their hypocrisy. Nobody here is boasting as you say, about being savedthat would be absurd and is a common charge leveled by many Calvinists upon those who would dare question DOG. The more than 10,000-member Elevation Church in North Carolina, led by celebrity preacher Steven Furtick, has withdrawn its affiliation with the Southern Baptist Convention after more than 20 years of cooperation with the nation's largest Protestant denomination. Copyright 2021 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. In a hospital room one day, I met a retired banker who welcomed me but told me upfront that he had given up on God long ago. I can hardly breathe from the truth of this. Im sorry it took a rise in fascism for so many to see the truth that many have been feeling and preaching for decades. Jesus said to the pharisees they couldnt believe /because/ they didnt belong to God, Jesus said He was the one to choose His disciples, Paul talked endlessly about election and predestination. Thank you for your ministry in the CRC, from church planting in Orlando to established congregations in farming communities in Michigan. 15 Reasons I Left Church - Rachel Held Evans Anything love = nothing. I used to think, as a Christian, that I had something unbelievers didnt. The Christian Presbyterian Church was founded in 1992 when a group of Korean members of the Christian Reformed Church in North America under the leadership of Dr. John E. Kim left the denomination over the issue of woman's ordination, which the Koreans strongly opposed. Thanks Tom, US conservative churches leave RCA over liberal theology issues Thank you for capturing what is on my heart. More By Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra. Been there and done that (left the CRC, that is), years ago. Thats the trouble with growing up in Mr Rogers Neighborhood. Not everything is about Trump. What you described about an alarmingly large percent of Christians embracing Trumpism is what has kept me away from church free for a very long time. Glad to note that you too receive daily inspiration(s) from the RJ Blog! inside and outside This post is to explain why I decided to remove my family from The Village Church, hereby referred to as TVC. I deny it! Passing him by. 12. There is arrogance in the certainty that we dont need to change. His will not ours be done! Saul of Tarsus was a murderer, indeed, yet after conversion, he repented and his exploits are well documented, but so are Calvins. but true enough, My wife and I have experienced Calvinism first hand, which forced us to leave the church we were attending for about 9 years. Thank you. Why Germany's Catholics are turning their back on the church Ringes barnacle story helped me imagine how female pastors in the CRC may feel. 4741 N Glen Arden Ave., Covina, CA 91724. Why Reformed Churches Need Contextualization. Thanks for this well crafted reminder that Gods common grace is alive and well. Yet at frequent and startling moments, as I met with all sorts of people, I regularly saw flickering images of Jesus in them. This is why God must be the one to step in and intervene to save. Why I left the Village Church. Amen. Especially as a pastor, I had some eternal truth people needed to hear, something I needed to press upon them. I love my donkey. They ended up telling my husband to renounce his own beliefs and convictions, and swear allegiance to the WCOF. Thank you for naming Religious Trumpism. These words: there is only one captain of my soul. I live in Grand Rapids these days and would gladly drive in to Holland to buy you breakfast or lunch! Please let me know if youd be willing to get together! Why I left the Village Church - Why I left the Village Church The CRC has changed. Grateful that along this journey youve decided to leave some breadcrumbs for those of us still locked into toxic and abusive systems and looking for a pathway to freedom. Glad to be free of their chains, but I will continue to warn, as you do, of their influence. God does love us all. I felt that way and I wasnt a pastor. Thank you so much for your post on Reformed theology! If your theology does not encourage you, but condemns you and puts you on eggshells and makes you constantly anxious about having right doctrine, thats pretty lame. Elton Bruins & Robert Swierenga's book, Family Quarrels, details the causes and developments of the 1834 secession. Park: Hospital Chaplain, Skeptical Christian, From Devout Atheist to Skeptical Pastor: A Blog For Busted-Up, Beat-Down People (Like Me). This gives a. Thank you. the thoughtful comments have been a great encouragement! Why the Reformed Church? | Salem Ebenezer Reformed Church RCUS For forty years and more, Ive contributed to the life of the CRCessays, devotionals, history, stories and plays. Your words help us to be brave. J.S. I have been a chaplain my whole career after having served a congregation. Thanks so much for this article. Im sorry my theological leanings so anger you, but dont we have better things to do than name-calling and verbal volleys? Though the CRC still has a firm grip on me, it is my tribe of birth and formation, I grew in the UCC along with Glenda. If its a really big split, thats pretty rare. Both branches represent churches that separated from the Roman Catholic Church as part of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. Reformed pastors love the Reformationthe nailing of 95 theses to the door, the "Here I stand" moment, the wonder of one man facing down the corrupt power of a Pharisaical empire. The reason why I left was due to the reformed theology I was exposed to through the local cc school in LA mirada ca. A church secretary read the emails and letters addressed to a pastor friend who had attempted a gentle word of biblical critique and implored him, Pleaseyou should step down and leave. This means I need to be open, curious, and adventurous. Thank you, Keith. Reminds me of Luke 16 where the shrewd manager is commended for wasting the masters possessions. John's Story: Why I Left Eastern Orthodoxy for Evangelicalism That God saves anyone at all is a monument to His amazing, unconditional love and grace. It is the epitome of arrogance to question God in this.. It is unfortunate and it tarnishes the name of Christ, for great shame. What is a Reformed Church - Church.org Disagreements do not mean nuclear war. The Nashville-based Southern Baptist Convention is dealing with turmoil over the terms by which a church affiliates with the denomination. Im glad youre in my big reformed tent. Ive watched it not only mess with my personal views of God, but I see it destroying new believers around me, people who where very excited about Jesus, and seem to have lost their way. Happy too you have found a new spiritual home. My heart is full this Sunday morning, having again read Keiths article & now your comment. German Catholic church 'dying painful death' as 520,000 leave in a year We asked for answers in the Word, and the elders kept redirecting us to the Westminister Confession of Faith. I could never understand the pull of Calvinism. I remember weeping with a Muslim family at the bedside of their deceased loved one, with as deep a sense of fellowship as I had, over so many years, with my most beloved church members. Well written piece; thanks so much for taking the time to write and share it. The pastor who had been there while we were there deliberately hid his actual beliefs until the last five Sundays he preached, and he preached TULIP. They can hide behind a veneer of nice manners for awhile, and look all good and pleasant on the outside but until you get them trying to dictate your every life decision, and witness their endless debating and infighting over every tiny detail of life, only then do you realize the only way to deal with them is to get as far away from them as possible. inside and outside, You said everything I have experienced. We survived. So good to see your response and know you are still alive and kicking. We should find a time to reconnect sometime before we meet in heaven. After the great controversy among these churches over the Lord's Supper (after 1529 . Dan Ackerman, director of spiritual leadership for the newly formed Alliance of Reformed Churches, told FOX 17 that 45 churches have already indicated they will leave the RCA for the ARC. Rhapsodize all you want about belonging, but if the unworthy people I am meeting every day, who are friends of Jesus, are barred from your table, then I would rather go over to their house, and ask if they would allow me at their table. Hi, Keith. Tazelaar told FOX17 the issues were based in differences of opinion about biblical interpretation, polity, and human sexuality and lack of alignment around the RCA's strategic goal of 'transformed and transforming. At the consummation, God fills all in all. ', It feels like were finally coming to the end of a conversation in a way, said Cameron Van Kooten Laughead, executive director with Room For All, a nonprofit that works to advance the acceptance of LGBTQ people in the Reformed Church. . Hes impressed with a panel of pastors who can talk and discuss and disagree without anyone trying to kick anyone else out.. Or, it may be that you are called to a transition to a new journeya re-formation in your own soul, spirit, and practice: Jesus, unlimited. Keith you found the words and the emotions to express what few others can say. Calvinists believe in a little god and jesus who are able to only save a very few, not the true God, who through the Lord Jesus Christ subdues all under His feet, and hands the finished product over to His Father, and is subject to the Father, that God may be all in all. Your insight has given me a better understanding. Zealots for a religion of therapeutic pluralism?? The tipping point for the horrific treatment of the families at the border. I thank them for the healing they provided to help melt some of the ice that encased my heart. There is so much mystery and non-linear learning that we are just beginning to embrace. The thing that is very wrong about DOG is that you say that we dont deserve to be saved. After the denomination cleared the way for churches to amicably part with the RCA at their annual meeting in Arizona, churches around the country are voting on potentially leaving for another denomination altogether. I felt like I was standing on the edge of the Grand Canyonthe book stuff from the UCC study materials was actually being lived out and expressed, with color and majesty, right in front of me. See scripture4all.org and the concordant publishing concern for more on this liberating truth and true gospel. the church split and I left that church at the age of 17 and started attending a Calvary Chapel in . . I can tell you: Disillusionment sucks. The article feels like a double-standard. Calvinism does not matter in third world countries where heads are being cut off. I, too, have found the Spirit of Jesus to be present in my neighbours and in so many whom I have been privileged to have the opportunity to meet in the hospital, from all walks of life and representing different religious backgrounds and countries of origin. Reading this, I was smitten. Do Christian Universities Still Matter? - Think Biblically - Biola
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