GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — On Tuesday, during the evangelical denomination’s annual Synod at Calvin University, the Christian Reformed Church voted to codify homosexual sex as a sin and thus, intolerable within the church. It’s left many faculty members and students at Calvin – the CRC’s flagship academic institution – considering their place at the university and within the church itself.
After two days of debate at Synod, the vote was 131-45 to approve a list of sins the denomination deems intolerable, including “adultery, premarital sex, extra-marital sex, polyamory, pornography and homosexual sex.”
“While there was easy agreement about some topics such as pornography, LGBTQ+ issues were much more divisive,” Kristen Vanderberg, a spokesperson for the CRC, said in a statement to FOX 17 on Tuesday. “Today, Synod voted to strengthen its position on human sexuality by acknowledging that this position is taught in its confessional statements of faith. The implications for what this means for pastors, university professors, staff and other members who disagree with the position needs to be discerned.”
The decision was something the church started considering years ago. In 2016, the CRC commissioned a Human Sexuality Report to seek out where the church should fall on the controversial issue based on Biblical teachings. But many in the church say the report, authored by a group of Synod members, is deeply flawed and will divide the denomination even more.
The report was the genesis for the decision and was deemed a “useful summary of biblical teaching regarding human sexuality” by the Synod.
“This survey of relevant biblical texts has shown that Scripture teaches in a clear, consistent, and compelling way that homosexual acts of any kind are sinful and not in agreement with God’s will for his covenant people,” reads a portion of the study. “This does not mean that people who are attracted to the same sex will lose their same-sex orientation this side of Christ’s return. Nor does it mean they will cease being tempted, even as Jesus himself was tempted.”
LGBTQ+ issues have been a recent flashpoint at Calvin, the CRC’s flagship academic institution and host to the 2022 Synod. In March, Calvin essentially fired a professor for officiating an LGBTQ wedding. Issues over LGBTQ affirmation have also plagued other denominations. The Reformed Church of America and the Methodist Church recently fractured over the same topic.
“What was shared by everyone is a desire to love and care for people in the LGBTQ community,” said Vanderberg. “We want them to know that God loves them, and the church loves them. We want to care for them and walk alongside them. What was also shared by everyone is a commitment to scripture and our shared confessions. We want to do God’s will and live godly lives. Where delegates differed was in how they found the balance between these two things.”
Despite the decision, Calvin allows the student group Sexuality and Gender Alliance on campus and did not challenge the pick of an openly gay student body president in 2021. The last time the CRC ruled on homosexuality was in 1973. In that ruling, the church decided same-sex attraction wasn’t necessarily an issue, but acting on it was. That led to more LGBTQ members joining, and now to an exodus some fear may be coming.
“I know of people who have already left over this, a number of people who’ve already left over this. I know students who have left over this,” said Elisha Marr an associate professor of sociology at Calvin and the university’s head of gender and sexuality studies. “I feel like at a Christian institution, I shouldn’t have to choose about how to fully and wholeheartedly care for other people.”
Marr, who graduated from Calvin and has worked there for thirteen years, is one of many now thrust into a terrible choice. As head of the school’s gender and sexuality studies, she’s staunchly on the side of affirmation of LGBTQ lifestyles – she also has a daughter who identifies as non-binary.
“I love bringing my faith into the classroom, and I love that I can talk about it, and I love that I can share it. This is the place for me,” she said. “I’m devastated that I feel like I have to make a choice now.”
Marr noted that upon hiring, Calvin faculty have to sign an agreement stating they’ll teach by the churches’ values. But when she signed it over a decade ago, the portions covering marriage and sexuality weren’t as specific as the decision reached Tuesday, so she’s fearful of how this will affect her classes and her students.
“In this case, I’m worried that we’re not going to be preparing our students to be able to compete in the world because we’re withholding information from them that is accurate science,” she said.
She also worries about their mental health. Marr says several of her students have approached her with concerns about what the non-affirming decision means for them, and some have even expressed thoughts of suicide.
“I can’t continue to be a part of that, and so I really, I’m just going to go back this summer and this fall and just advocate for the ability to continue to care for students,” said Marr. “Because regardless of whatever happens, we have to put their interests first.”
Here is the Christian Reformed Church’s full statement:
“The Christian Reformed Church in North America is committed to the task that God has given us as the church: to proclaim the good news of God’s kingdom that transforms lives and communities worldwide.
“In today’s culture and society, in order to fulfill this call and live our gospel witness, it is necessary for the church to respond to questions related to the LGBTQ+ community.
“Yesterday and today, synod – the annual decision-making meeting of the denomination – had a long discussion about matters related to human sexuality. We all agree that these are matters that we’ve neglected to talk about often enough and are prominent enough in our society that the church needs to address them. While there was easy agreement about some topics such as pornography, LGBTQ+ issues were much more divisive.
“The official position of the CRCNA on homosexuality, established by Synod 1973 and affirmed by several subsequent synods, can be found on our website. It is made up of definitions and pastoral advice.
“Since 1973, and especially in recent years, CRC congregations have been striving to figure out how to live into the pastoral advice that has been offered. This has led different congregations to different places depending on their own interpretations and deliberations.
“A study committee was tasked with articulating a foundation-laying biblical theology of human sexuality. That report was approved yesterday as providing a useful summary of biblical teaching regarding human sexuality. And yet, delegates wavered and debated on how to move forward on making a stance on homosexuality something that is confessional or binding to all those who hold ordained offices in the denomination.
“What was shared by everyone is a desire to love and car for people in the LGBTQ community. We want them to know that God loves them and the church loves them. We want to care for them and walk alongside them. What was also shared by everyone is a commitment to scripture and our shared confessions. We want to do God’s will and live godly lives. Where delegates differed was in how they found the balance between these two things.
“Today, synod voted to strengthen its position on human sexuality by acknowledging that this position is taught in its confessional statements of faith. The implications for what this means for pastors, university professors, staff and other members who disagree with the position needs to be discerned. We anticipate sharing more information with churches and members in the coming weeks.”
