Date: Tue, 01 Jun 1999 06:40:12 -0400 From: Darrell Todd Maurina Organization: Christian Renewal/United Reformed News Service Subject: NR 99042: GKN Conservatives Disappointed by Synodical Delegate Selections NR #1999-042: Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland Conservatives Disappointed by Synodical Delegate Selections The delegates of the new general synod of the Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland are not a clear representation of the different movements within the GKN, according to the Rev. A. W. W. De Ruiter, president of the Confessional Gereformeerd Conference (CGB - Confessioneel Gereformeerd Beraad), and his secretary the Rev. A. S. Rienstra. The CGB is the conservative organization within the 688,000-member GKN, founded by Dutch church leader Dr. Abraham Kuyper and the "mother church" of the Christian Reformed Church in North America. NR #1999-042: For Immediate Release: Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland Conservatives Disappointed by Synodical Delegate Selections Copyright (C)1999 Nederlands Dagblad Translated by Simone Kennedy Distributed by United Reformed News Service GENDEREN, THE NETHERLANDS (May 1, 1999) URNS - The delegates to the new general synod of the Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland are not a clear representation of the different movements within the GKN, according to the Rev. A. W. W. De Ruiter, president of the Confessional Gereformeerd Conference (CGB - Confessioneel Gereformeerd Beraad), and his secretary the Rev. A. S. Rienstra. The CGB is the conservative organization within the 688,000-member GKN, the "mother church" of the Christian Reformed Church in North America. Although founded by Dutch church leader Dr. Abraham Kuyper due to liberalism in the Dutch state church, the GKN in more recent years has accepted theologically liberal views and is in the process of merging with the 2.3-million member Nederlands Hervormde Kerk, the former Dutch state church, and a small 24,000 member Dutch Lutheran denomination. Forty percent (27 out of 68) of the synod members are newly chosen. "We are disappointed that, again, none of the CGB member pastors became a delegate," remarked De Ruiter and Rienstra. They had no information about the elders and deacons. There is no lack of interest among their members, they say. "Our members are certainly willing to be active in a positive way within the synod. It has been made known to us that some of them tried to be chosen by lower synods." Rienstra and De Ruiter emphasize that the CGB is not trying to act as a pressure group, but aims to be recognized and respected as a movement within all of the church. In the last few years, CGB-leaders have bewailed the fact that the confessional-evangelical movement has not had a voice at synod meetings. "We suspect, no, we are sure that the confessional-evangelicals are not chosen because they are considered to be too troublesome," said the Rev. A. S. Rienstra last year in the journal Koers. Approximately one-third of all ministers within the church are conservative and members of organizations like the CGB or the Evangelical Coalition (Evangelisch Werkverband). In the last two years the CGB grew rapidly, in part because of the consternation surrounding the book published by Prof. C. J. den Heyer. After he stated that the conventional teaching of the Atonement cannot be found in the New Testament, the CGB's membership grew with ten percent. Almost one hundred ministers associated with the CGB demanded that action be taken against this professor, but with a great majority the synod decided there was no reason to do so, giving the CGB the impression that they were excluded. Many petitions have been filed at the synod objecting to this decision, and this coming synod of Enkhuizen will have to deal with them. "We will do our best to be a critical discussion partner with the synod," according to De Ruiter and Rienstra, "because we are convinced that the Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland should be a confessional denomination." Cross-References to Related Articles: [No related articles on file] Contact List: Gereformeerde Kerken in Nederland Burg. de Beaufortweg 18, 3833 AG Leusden, Postbus 202, 3830 AE Leusden O: [31] (033) 496 03 60 * F: [31] (033) 494 87 07 ---------------------------------------------------------- file: /pub/resources/text/reformed/archive99: nr99-042.txt .