Web Links
Links to Resources & Interesting Reads on LGBTQ+ Inclusion
Room for All (RfA), our sibling organization in the Reformed Church in America (RCA) has an amazing collection of resources available at no cost. These include a Roadmap for becoming an Open and Affirming Congregation, and much more. Check out their other resources here.
Rev. Al Mulder in The Reformed Journal, May 20, 2024
The Pillars of Caste, Same Sex Marriage, and the Christian Reformed Church
“It puzzles me when CRC congregations firmly committed to racial and ethnic diversity, equity, and inclusion at the same time officially embrace discrimination and oppression of sexual minority populations. This inconsistency characterizes many majority white and multi-racial congregations, as well as many racial and ethnic minority congregations.”
Car Chat with Joey and Dana. Joey and Dana Hulst are committed Christians who love the Lord and His Church. They grew up in a Christian Reformed Church (CRC), are both graduates of Calvin University and are members of the LGBTQ+ community. They created Car Chats as a resource to help LGBTQ+ persons and their allies better navigate their Christian faith and life inside and/or outside of the CRC.
Here’s how they describe the intent of their YouTube channel: “We’re sisters making videos to talk about how our faith and who we are have informed the way that we think about the world. We hope these videos encourage thoughtful dialogue about topics that matter. Many of our conversations will focus on the intersection of Christianity and sexuality, but you’ll also find videos where we discuss social justice topics that we’re passionate about.”
Check them out on YouTube at Car Chat.. Here is a link directly to a very pertinent video, Our Response to Synod (messy church drama).
Rev Paul Verhoef, a CRC minister, recently authored an article articulating some critical concerns he has with the Synodical Human Sexuality Report His article was published in the Canadian journal Christian Courier. Paul has worked at the University of Calgary as a Christian Reformed Chaplain since 2004. With the intention of remaining in conversation with CRC theology, he recently started a Doctorate of Ministry at Calvin Theological Seminar
Five major concerns | Christian Courier
Dr. Mel White from Soulforce
LIKE YOU, I TAKE THE BIBLE SERIOUSLY! Many good people build their case against homosexuality almost entirely on the Bible. These folks value Scripture, and are serious about seeking its guidance in their lives. Unfortunately, many of them have never really studied what the Bible does and doesn’t say about homosexuality.
We gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Christians take the Bible seriously, too. Personally, I’ve spent more than 50 years reading, studying, memorizing, preaching, and teaching from the sacred texts. I earned my master’s and doctoral degrees at a conservative biblical seminary to better equip myself to “rightly divide the word of truth.” I learned Hebrew and Greek to gain a better understanding of the original words of the biblical texts. I studied the lives and times of the biblical authors to help me know what they were saying in their day so I could better apply it to my own….click the link to read more.
Link to a story in The Banner about All One Body
An excellent article by retired Hope College professor David G. Myers