In a move, we’d like to see more churches and denominations adopt, as it is a primary gospel issue, the 200,000-member Christian Reformed Church denomination voted during their annual synod two days ago to elevate their opposition to homosexuality into becoming part of their confession; their very declaration of faith. The motion passed 131-45.
The move is a clawing back by conservatives within the church concerned about liberalism creeping into their colleges and congregations, where most of the battles are being fought and lost. In 2016, a previous synod voted to form a “study committee” designed to report on all things related to biblical sexuality.
Called the Human Sexuality Report, it ended up listing all the aberrations that the church will not stand for and for which they find intolerable, such as “adultery, premarital sex, extra-marital sex, polyamory, pornography, and homosexual sex” and the drawing structures around that. It declares:
“The church must warn its members that those who refuse to repent of these sins—as well as of idolatry, greed, and other such sins—will not inherit the kingdom of God. It must discipline those who refuse to repent of such sins for the sake of their souls.”
Now the law of the land, some are furious with the statement, resulting in the pure, white-hot rage of several students and teachers attending their flagship academic institution: Calvin University. The school has been the epicenter of tension and dissent for years, having already given itself to an incredible level of wokeness and grifters. Of chief example is this school promo which has students and profs declaring how racist they are and how much they need to repent of it or the fact that they allowed an openly loud and proud gay Student Body President last year.
Much like the conservative resurgence within the SBC of the 1980s, this move will likely serve to expel the vast majorities of liberals, who will like refuse to bend to this supposed “anti-gay” agenda, and will fight tooth and nail to remain on, setting the school up for a civil war.
One such teacher who is against the new amendment is Elisha Marr, an associate professor of sociology at Calvin who’s been teaching there for 13 years. She’s the gay-affirming Head of the University’s Gender and Sexuality Studies and has a non-binary daughter. In an interview with Fox17 she reveals:
“I know of people who have already left over this, a number of people who’ve already left over this. I know students who have left over this. I feel like at a Christian institution, I shouldn’t have to choose about how to fully and wholeheartedly care for other people.”
I love bringing my faith into the classroom, and I love that I can talk about it, and I love that I can share it. This is the place for me. I’m devastated that I feel like I have to make a choice now.
I can’t continue to be a part of that, and so I really, I’m just going to go back this summer and this fall and just advocate for the ability to continue to care for students, because regardless of whatever happens, we have to put their interests first.”
