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  Where
did we come from?
Historically, we came from the Netherlands. But today, although a majority of
our members are still from Dutch backgrounds, we can't honestly be called a
Dutch church - unless we're also called a Korean church, a Navajo church, a
Southeast Asian church, a French-Canadian church, a Hispanic-American church,
an African-American church, a melting pot church.
More important to us than such ethnic badges is our place as one branch of the
tree that started growing on Pentecost, almost twenty centuries ago.
The early Christian church was like the single trunk of that tree. After about
1,000 years of growth, the trunk divided into two major branches - the Eastern
and the Western churches. In 1517 the Protestant Reformation divided the
Western (or Roman) church into several new branches. One of these Reformation
branches, formed under Martin Luther's influence, was called the Lutheran
church. Another branch developed under the influence of Ulrich Zwingli and
later John Calvin. These churches were called "Presbyterian" in Scotland and
"Reformed" in continental Europe. The Reformed churches flourished in the
Netherlands. In the middle 1800s, some of these Dutch Reformed people moved to
the United States, and in 1857 they started the Christian Reformed Church in
North America.
John Calvin
What sets the Christian Reformed Church off from many other denominations is
its embrace of key teachings of John Calvin. In a nutshell, these all center on
the sovereignty of God. The biblical teachings of predestination and election
give us comfort because they assure us that no one and nothing, not even our
own bad choices, can snatch us out of God's hand. And the realization that God
owns all of creation and continues to assert his rule over it gives us a sure
hope for the future.
John Calvin's teachings blossomed in many countries, including the Netherlands.
While much of the Netherlands remained Roman Catholic, the Reformed faith
established itself as the state church. As is often the case, politics and
church make a bad mix. The Reformed Church in the Netherlands began to show its
share of moral decay and of theological liberalism - the latter largely spurred
on by the Enlightenment, an intellectual movement that idolized human reason at
the expense of Bible-based faith.
In response to this trend, a grassroots movement developed among the
less-educated lower-income folk, who clung to a simple, practical faith based
on traditional Calvinist doctrines. Because the churches did not nurture such
faith, those who joined this movement worshiped in small groups called
"conventicles."
When the Reformed Church began to actively persecute the leaders of this
movement, a number of groups, under the leadership of Rev. Hendrik de Cock and
others, seceded from the church. This branch of Dutch Calvinism ultimately gave
rise to the Christian Reformed Church.
Coming to North America
The next key event that led to the formation of the CRC was the decision of
secessionist pastor Albertus Van Raalte to flee from the specter of religious
persecution and famine in the Netherlands. Together with his wife, his family,
and some forty others, Van Raalte immigrated to the United States. In 1848,
they settled in and around what is now Holland, Michigan, establishing a
"colony" on American soil that fervently held onto Calvinist doctrine,
practical piety, and a strong commitment to living all of life to the glory of
God.
It wasn't easy. Inexperienced and crippled by disease, the settlers faltered
under the grueling task of extracting a living from the untamed ground. Only
the steady trickle of new immigrants kept their ranks replenished and even
allowed for some modest growth in their numbers. Through these first terribly
difficult and painful years, the settlers tenaciously clung to their most
prized possessions: their faith and the freedom to live out that faith in their
daily life.
The Sixties
The flood of changes in values, lifestyles, and social interactions
precipitated in the 1960s profoundly affected the CRC. Tidier patterns of
church life gave way to a rising disenchantment and disagreement over how
believers should respond to the social chaos around them. While the CRC never
overtly held racist teachings, members debated long and hard over the ways the
church should combat racism - if at all. Even among Kuyperians there was strong
disagreement over the extent to which the institutional church should become
involved in significant social issues.
The role of women in church leadership also became a hotly contested conflict
during the sixties. Changing roles for women in the larger society forced the
CRC to ask whether women should be allowed to serve in ecclesiastical office.
While both sides in this struggle sincerely sought to be biblically obedient
and Reformed in their interpretation of the Scriptures, neither side was able
to convince the other. The impasse has led to a compromise decision that allows
individual churches to ordain women as elders and classes (if they so choose)
to allow their constituent congregations to ordain women as ministers of the
Word as well. That decision spurred the departure of more than forty thousand
members from the CRC.
Called to serve
Despite the deeply divisive spirit that has caused such pain in the CRC, there
have been many evidences of God's grace as well. People on both sides have
reached out in forgiveness and love. While some have left the CRC over their
disagreements, many others have stayed. And they continue to be committed to
living together and working together in this part of the Body of Christ.
Despite the variety of different positions and viewpoints held by members of
the CRC, the denomination is still bound together by a deep commitment to
respond to the good news that our world belongs to - and is being redeemed by -
our faithful God. In the unity and empowerment of that conviction, CRC members
join together in an amazing variety and scope of ministries.
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