Faithfully Engaging Our Present Moment

As many of the first churches left the Reformed Church in America (RCA) to start the Alliance of Reformed Churches, they noticed a distinct addition to the Reformed Standards of Unity. Along with the rest of orthodox Christianity, we affirmed the Creeds and Councils (Nicea, Apostles’ and Athanasian). Along with the Christian Reformed Church (CRCNA) and the RCA, we affirmed the Belgic Confession, Canons of Dordt, and the Heidelberg Catechism. Acknowledging the value of the Belhar Confession in a world that seeks to divide us, we affirmed its claims that the gospel calls for unity, reconciliation and God’s justice. But what about this new addition? This so-called “appendix” to the Heidelberg Catechism?

It’s a bold claim, but one that I believe is well merited. The Great Lakes Catechism acknowledges that many of the questions that Christians are asking today were not in the purview of the authors of Heidelberg. Therefore, it seeks to address those questions in the same pastoral-theological spirit as Heidelberg. And far from this being a “position paper” on marriage or human sexuality, the Great Lakes Catechism (authored by one of our own Alliance pastors) pastorally answers many of the questions those in our churches are asking—not just about same-sex relationships, but marriage in general, singleness, celibacy, same-sex attraction, sexuality as a created good from God, and much more. 

For those of you who have been around for a while, you know that this isn’t a new document. For years, it had been recommended at General Synods and year after year it was shot down. As a uniquely Alliance catechism, we would do well to value and use this for what a gift it is to our churches—especially if we are to faithfully engage this present moment.