| | Yesterday at Synod Legana of the Free Reformed Churches of Australia (FRCA), a decision was finally reached about the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands (RCN). The synod decided "to continue sister church relations with the RCN under the adopted rules." However, that does not mean that everything is now smooth sailing. There remain very significant concerns about the direction of the RCN -- in fact, this relationship is now described as being in tension. Some of the specific issues are identified in decision 4:
Exhort the RCN with love and care to be faithful in their approach to hermeneutics and combating the influence of a post-modern 'spirit of the age' (Ground 3). As specific examples, we mention the following: - Our ongoing concerns about the position of our Dutch sister Churches on connecting the fourth commandment to the Lord's Day as a day of rest, as we confess in Q/A 103 of the HC.
- Our concerns that the public comments of Dr. Harinck have not been retracted, even though he remains a professor in Kampen.
- Our ongoing concerns regarding the administration of both sacraments for military personnel (refer art. 94, Acts of Synod West Kelmscott).
The matter of George Harinck is worth noting. Ground 9 goes into more detail:
Although our deputies discussed the concerns regarding the public statements of Dr Harinck with deputies BBK and in their address to Synod Zwolle-Zuid, the responses from Synod Zwolle Zuid and Deputies BBK were not satisfactory (see pp. 60, 115 of Deputies Report to Synod Legana 2009; see Synod Zwolle Zuid 16-5-2008 Besluit 3).
[BBK = Committee for Relations with Foreign Churches]
Regular readers of Yinkahdinay might remember that I posted an English translation of his interview with Nederlands Dagblad. Shortly afterwards, the board of the Theological University in Kampen issued a statement and I also provided an English translation of that. The FRCA synod didn't buy it, nor were they convinced by subsequent explanations. However, I am wondering why the matter of Stefan Paas wasn't mentioned, either at Synod or in the reports. See here and here for some background on that issue.
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| | Posted 6/24/2009 9:09 AM - 32 Views - 0 eProps - 0 comments
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