Overture

Renewed Emphasis on the Form of Subscription

Introduction:

As our denomination faces the challenge of post-modernism and other contemporary movements, we believe it important to re-emphasize our confessional unity. We believe the Form of Subscription (FOS) has been neglected and our unity in truth is threatened by a thinning veneer of unity without substance. We believe the Synod would do well to call each church to study the FOS (FOS), require office bearers to sign it and prayerfully hold each other as individuals and congregations accountable to it, thereby re-committing to our confessional unity.

Historical Background:

The FOS was formulated during the Synod of Dortrecht (Dort) in 1618-1619 and thereafter brought into use in the Dutch Reformed churches, a.k.a. Nederlands Hervormde Kerk (NHK). After wrangling over various interpretations of Scripture, particularly with the Remonstrants, it was decided that for a church to maintain a united witness its office-bearers must be united on the basic doctrines of Scripture. The FOS served as an oath that bound the church together around such common interpretation.

The next national synod was convened in 1815-1816, where among many major changes made, the NHK slightly altered the wording of the FOS that had been preserved since Dort. "The new oath allowed candidates to accept the doctrines of the three official creeds 'in so far as' (rather than 'because') they agreed with Scripture."[1] This sounds proper on the surface because it prioritizes Scripture over the confessions, as should be done, but it also left no unifying interpretation of Scripture. In fact, the church was left powerless to counter those who denied even the Trinity or other vital teachings.

It was this open door that led to an increased liberalism in the NHK against which many stood in the conventicles and the Reveil over the subsequent years. There was a great effort to bring reform within the national church, but nevertheless, separation (Afscheiding) resulted in 1834, tearing the church, families and country apart. Subsequently, those in the separated churches, a.k.a. Gereformerde Kerken Nederlands (GKN), returned to the FOS from Dort.

Back in the NHK, the growth of liberalism did not eclipse reformed orthodoxy as “many individual ministers, elders, deacons, consistories and other members continued to hold to the reformed faith and life”[2] A pastor emeritus and elder, Dr. Abraham Kuyper, organized like-minded consistory members into fellowships in 1872 and in 1882. At the meetings he read papers on church reformation.

The NHK situation changed in 1883 when the synod again revised the FOS. Says Frank Vanden Berg:

There had been a time when candidates for gospel ministry had been required to promise that they would preach the Word of God in accordance with, and as in interpreted in the three forms of unity. This pledge had already been altered to read that the candidate pledged himself to maintain the spirit and major content of the Confession. Now, in 1883, the subscription of ministers-to-be was deleted. No mention was made of ‘the full counsel of God as to salvation, particularly his grace in the Lord Jesus Christ’. Aspiring clergymen merely agreed ‘to promote the interests of the Kingdom of God in general and especially those of the state church.’ This radical innovation became effective January 15, 1883.”[3]

This became a watershed for what was known as the 1886 Doleantie movement. Dr. Kuyper and others responded to this change by writing pamphlets describing their “sorrow” (doleantie is from the latin dolere, ‘to mourn’). The Doleantie’s argument went basically as follows: [4]

• We constitute the historic Reformed Church of the Netherlands.
• We have not seceded from the State Church.
• We are not a new church or denomination.
• We have cast off the yoke of 1816 (new organization and FOS).
• We leave the state church provisionally with hopes that the entire state church will cast off the yoke of 1816 and so continue the Reformed Church of Holland.
• We do not waive our rights to the Church’s buildings and all other forms of wealth but, on account of the superior power of the opposition, we abstain for the time being from exercising these rights.
• We mourn and grieve over the state of the Church and over the injustices presently being committed against us.

By 1887 some 200 congregations with a total membership of about 100,000 left the state church. They stressed local churches living in accord with and fraternizing on the basis of the three forms of unity and the Dort Church Order [5]. In all this time, Dr. Kuyper was often attacked. But finally in 1892 the Afscheiding and Doleantie merged to form the Gereformeerde Kereken in Nederland under the auspices of the FOS of Dort. By 1900 this church came to constitute 8 % of the population of the Netherlands.

Conclusion:

Our current FOS also maintains the essence and purpose of the original document from Dort. It serves the churches well in providing a unity of interpretation and belief of what Scripture teaches. As has been seen from our collective history – not to mention other traditions with similar consequences – such a document is vital to maintaining the unity of the church. The recent committee report on the FOS and its subsequent revision highlight the little importance given to confessional unity in the Christian Reformed Church in North America. Certainly, the FOS has no power itself to maintain this unity. We have to call for integrity and mutual accountability in the spirit of love for Christ and His Church.

Overture:

Central Avenue Christian Reformed Church (Classis Holland, if adopted) overtures Synod to re-emphasize our confessional unity by calling churches to openly study the FOS, require office bearers to sign it and prayerfully hold each other as individuals and congregations accountable to it, thereby re-committing to our confessional unity.

Grounds:

1) Our unity in the gospel (as outlined in our confessions) should be re-affirmed against the tendency to unite around less important things (age, race, gender, ethnicity, nationality, worship-style, etc.)

2) This unity should be informed by biblical interpretation which is bigger than our immediate experience and has stood the test of time and church councils.

3) Our unity should be founded on biblical doctrines defended ably in the past, and brought to bear upon the same temptations today.[6]

4) Our forms of unity provide protection from the tyranny of strong personalities, a safe-guard for consistories and local church members.

5) The history of the Dutch Reformed Churches has shown that avoiding use of or altering the FOS can precipitate an exodus by those desiring to remain confessionally united.[7]

6) The unity and vitality of our denomination has faltered as the FOS has fallen into disuse.[8]

7) Our denominational call for Classis Renewal might, in fact, be enhanced by a new consideration of our great commonalities in the Creeds and Confessions

8) Recently renewed emphasis on Calvinism and Reformed theology in the broader evangelical church has breathed new life into the seminaries, preachers, and pews of other denominations[9]. It would seem unwise to move away from a rich heritage being recovered by others[10] when that heritage is ours to give.

Respectfully Submitted by:

The Council of Central Avenue Christian Reformed Church, Holland, MI,

November 26, 2007

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[1] Bruins, Elton and Robert Swierenga. Family Quarrels in the Dutch Reformed Churches in the 19^th Century. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2000, p. 10.

[2] Vanden Berg, Frank. Abraham Kuyper. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1960, p. 116-117.

[3] Vanden Berg p. 117

[4] Vanden Berg p. 135

[5] Vanden Berg p. 136

[6] Heidelberg Catechism Lord’s Day 52, Q&A 127 calls our enemies “the devil, the world and our flesh”

[7] Exhibited by the 1834 Afscheiding and 1886 Doleantie movements as seen by two books: Secession, Doleantie, and Union: 1834-1892, by Hendrik Bouma (esp. pgs 281ff) and Abraham Kuyper; by Frank Vanden Berg (esp. pgs 115-144)

[8] Agenda of Synod 2004, p 435. Overture by Classis British Columbia SE

[9] As noted by the magazine Christianity Today in its September 2006 article “Young Restless, Reformed” p. 32-38. The article especially notes the emphasis on the doctrine of our Canons of Dort, commonly known as TULIP.

[10] See also A Hill on Which to Die by Judge Paul Pressler, 2002 Broadman and Holman Publishers, Nashville TN. Pressler speaks about a Calvinistic renewal in the Southern Baptist Convention. The dramatic growth in numbers of this denomination has been noted by others in recent years.