Christian Reformed Church Closer to Adopting Apartheid-Era Confession

By Audrey Barrick, Christian Post Reporter Thursday, June 18, 2009

Christian Reformed Church delegates overwhelmingly voted to propose the adoption of an apartheid-era confession to their governing body in 2012.

They voted 127-40 on Wednesday in favor of the Belhar Confession, which is being proposed as a fourth confession of the church.

If approved later, the confession would join the Belgic Confession, the Heidelberg Catechism, and the Canons of Dort which comprise the doctrinal standards of the Christian Reformed Church.

Delegates debated for nearly three hours, with some raising concerns about placing the Belhar Confession – which confronts the sin of racism and emphasizes unity, reconciliation and justice – on par with the other three confessions.

Questioning whether the document is truly biblical, Jose Rayas, an elder from Arizona, said, "The Belhar has done a good job of making us aware of the problem with apartheid. But it does not formally affirm salvation in Jesus as do our other confessions," according to CRC Communications.

"I do not believe that it is best to raise the Belhar Confession to the same standard of our other confessions," Rayas added.

Despite some concerns, most delegates openly received the document.

"Apartheid happened with a Reformed Church," said the Rev. David Kromminga, a delegate from Grand Rapids East, according to CRC Communications. "This (the Belhar) provides an admirable antidote to such a heresy."

The Belhar, he added, also could help the CRC "address the problems of this age."

"It would help us get out of the box."

In 2007, the Synod – the highest governing body of the denomination – mandated the CRC's Interchurch Relations Committee to study and assess the Belhar Confession and to present recommendations concerning it to Synod 2009.

While a few in the committee suggested that it would be adequate for the CRC to receive the Belhar Confession "as information and with appreciation," many recommended that it be adopted as the fourth confession of the CRC.

The committee also stated in its report that "there are no overriding theological issues in the Belhar Confession that would prevent the CRC from adopting or strongly endorsing it."

The Belhar Confession was recently adopted by leaders of another Reformed denomination – the Reformed Church in America – as part of their confessions. The proposal must be approved by RCA's regional groups of churches.

The RCA and CRC are both members of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches.

Reformed churches around the world have been asked by the Uniting Reformed Church in Southern Africa to consider adopting the Belhar Confession so as to make it a part of the global Reformed confessional basis.