To change: adapt or return?


A new book

A new book with the title Zie hoe alles hier verandert. Het verloop van de gereformeerden (‘See how everything changes here. The course of the Reformed people’), was recently published, written by Prof. Dr. G. Dekker, emeritus sociologist of religion at VU University Amsterdam (Kok, Utrecht, 2016). In this book he describes how Reformed and experiential-Reformed churches have changed in recent years. On the book jacket we read ‘Is there a future for the liberated Reformed Churches (‘Gereformeerde Kerken vrijgemaakt’), Netherlands Reformed Churches (‘Nederlands-Gereformeerde Kerken’) and the Christian Reformed Churches (Christelijke Gereformeerde Kerken)? These churches have long resisted all cultural changes, but presently the life of faith in the orthodox and experiential groups is radically changing.’

In Reformed Continua we have previously paid full attention to Dekker’s book which specifically dealt with the GKv, titled De doorgaande revolutie (‘The ongoing revolution’, see vol. 12, May 2013, From Reformed to secularized churches? 1-7). In that book Dekker has demonstrated, with many documented examples, how the GKv has adapted to the world, to the thinking and lifestyle of the man of these times.

In this new book Dekker wants to delve deeper into the changes. In it he includes his reflections across the board of what he calls ‘the reformed world’ of ‘orthodox-reformed’ and ‘experiential reformed’.

Dekker presents himself as someone who, due to his scientific background, can evaluate things from a distance. From his book ‘De doorgaande revolutie’ we know that he is certainly not negative about the changes that he perceives! Unfortunately, Dekker does not use Scripture for a correct judgment. He looks approvingly at it, based on a sociological assessment. Yet his previous book testified of a sharp analysis of the developments in the GKv and the underlying causes.

That alone makes it worthwhile to see which changes Dekker sums up in his new book, which causes he points out for these, and which assessment he gives on this. After all, we are exposed to many of these same influences that have led to changes that have occurred and still occur in the aforementioned churches. We will now briefly mention his findings.

Which changes?

After two introductory chapters, an account follows about the developments within the Reformed Churches (synodical) after the Second World War. First about the progressive magazine Voorlopig that first appeared in 1969, and according to Dekker played a pioneering role. The developments that they already had in mind largely became reality later on. It is striking that Dekker himself was one of the editors of this magazine, along with people such as H.M. Kuitert, G.H. ter Schegget and H. Wiersinga.

Subsequently in the fourth chapter he outlines the nature of the changes that in the course of time in religious and church life have occurred and still occur.

Firstly there is the shift of attention from doctrine to life. It is not about what is truth, but about how you live. That does not only apply ecclesiastically, but also personally. The importance of the confessions for today is seen less and less. Even if mutually there are differing insights regarding doctrine, these are preferably passed over rather quickly. People are not affected by much anymore, such as the doctrine of election. Or causes them to be embarrassed, such as the doctrine of providence. ‘Churches no longer threaten to break up over questions about baptism, Lord’s supper, redemption or election, but about questions on how one must view homosexuality and whether abortion and euthanasia are justified.’

As a second important change, Dekker mentions the role of personal experience in faith. In faith it is less and less about truths that apply to everyone, and that ask only faithful acceptance. Personal experience and own feeling eventually became decisive. One no longer therefore wants to be ‘saddled up’ with a Scriptural doctrine.

Related to this is a third change that can be mentioned: that, according to Dekker, ‘Reformed people’ became increasingly open to the convictions of others and so started to put into perspective their own manner of faith.
Together this led to the fourth change: a growing uncertainty and doubt with regard to faith. In this way one came to the proposition that faith is not a sure knowledge, but a searching, a longing for. Doubt and uncertainty certainly fit in with this. This can go so far that one sees faith as a projection, or that one doubts the existence of God.

As a fifth shift Dekker mentions that one focuses more on the here and now, and less on the hereafter. According to him, the certainty of the existence of a heaven and hell is decreasing and one concentrates more and more on earthly life. In this way even the supernatural loses its place. According to Dekker, this is also the cause that society comes in sight much more and one focuses more on the world and its culture.

The role of the church has also changed (sixth). One chooses a church himself, or no longer participates in a church anymore.

The seventh change Dekker considers as the most important: the attitude towards, and the dealing with the Bible. This has greatly changed and still is changing.

Summarizing all seven points, Dekker posits that a shift can be seen from a focus on God towards a focus on man and the world. Connected with this is a shift from a focus on the doctrine and confessing to a focus on life and conduct.

Which backgrounds?

Dekker mentions three important backgrounds for these changes.

1. The giving up of the isolation of Reformed people in society and a greater openness towards, and cooperation with, the world. By this, the influence of all kinds of ideas that live in the world increased. Initially there was resistance against this. Dekker: One has always tried as much as possible to fence himself from the influences of the world. One tried to keep alive the awareness that one does live in this world but is not of this world. One has tried as long as possible to maintain his own (Reformed or Christian) organizations so that Reformed people could, as long as possible, be active together in society, in their own manner, without having to accommodate to the ideas of others.
But this process was eventually breached, although in different degrees, for the various Reformed church federations:
The two extremes are formed by the members of the early Reformed churches on the one hand, and the experiential Reformed people, organized in various Reformed churches, on the other hand. But the trend is unmistakable.

2. The changed culture in society has in this way had its influence on the Reformed people. Dekker mentions two points: the increased assertiveness in the world, and the decreased inquiry into the purpose of life, whereby much more attention is given to what is useful. That would pave the way for a relativistic thinking about God and the supernatural.

3. The changed manner of dealing with the Bible is certainly the most important cause of the shift. Dekker points to the important role of the report God met ons (‘God with us’) from the Reformed Churches (synodical) in 1981. It contains the so-called ‘relational concept of truth’. That is to say that the truth of the words of Scripture depend on the circumstances in which they were written. Scripture has become a human time-bound book. It does not teach us an objective, always valid truth. In changed situations the commandments, for example, must be altered or cancelled.
Dekker gives the example of the position of the woman in 1 Cor. 11. In line with this report, one then posits that Paul merely wanted to respond to the public opinion of days. What is written there has a different effect for today.
Dekker believes that the change in the authority of Scripture is a revolutionary change. Probably all changes that can be seen in the Reformed world are - directly or indirectly - related to the changed vision on the Bible. Therefore, the importance of this last change cannot be overestimated.

There would, in my opinion, be more important backgrounds that could be mentioned, for example postmodern thinking and modern media.

Assessment of the changes

The fifth chapter on the assessment of the changes, unfortunately, just as in the previous book, lacks any Scriptural test. Dekker solely thinks in sociological and psychological terms. He now comes to highly questionable and reprehensible thoughts. Dekker’s idea is that you cannot stop the changes, at least not as long as you want to participate in society. As soon as you want that, you cannot avoid the change.
Among Reformed people there may be apprehension towards changes, but that is ? according to him ? due to a wrong image of the Bible and system of faith. As an example of unjustified resistance, Dekker mentions the defense of the historicity of the first chapters of the Bible, where one says: ‘if we no longer believe this, then later on we will not believe in the resurrection of Christ either’.
Dekker disputes this proposition by pointing to the changes that have always taken place. In the Middle Ages, for example, one believed very differently in a heaven and hell. That depended on the different worldview one had at the time.
Furthermore he points to the present day influence of the doctrine of the free will (Remonstrant ideas repudiated in the Canons of Dort). Nowadays this same doctrine simply enters into the GKv through the evangelical movement.
Dekker sees the resistance to this as ‘unhistorical’; by not going along with change, you are not doing justice to history.
Moreover he finds this ‘unreformed’. He thereby quotes the slogan ‘semper reformanda’: changing, both in ecclesiastical and in religious respect, is therefore an essential feature of the reformed faith.

Return

While Dekker really knows how to describe many matters of faith in a good manner, even though he does not agree with them, here he completely misses the point. Reformation is not equal to change in the sense of taking over from the world! It is nothing more than returning to Scripture. That this, at the same time, includes a renewal for the believer, does not pertain to the world, but points to the work of the Holy Spirit who together with God’s Word bends the will again to Scripture. Precisely due to the ongoing attraction to the world and its thinking, this return is always needed, time and again: semper reformanda.

A liberation is also a return, namely a return to Scripture and pure religion. The Holy Scripture itself clearly indicates what we have to do with regard to changes in the world that go against God’s Word. It is following the line of the antithesis that God Himself already prescribed in paradise. Where response is given to the call in Rom. 12:2:
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Adapt

Dekker argues that the changes he describes and promotes within the ‘reformed world’ do not contain any adaptations. According to him you must first test the changes in the world. But in my opinion this proposition is difficult to maintain. His examples all speak of an adaptation to worldly thinking that goes against Scripture. Yes, at least if you still want to see Scripture as the infallible Word of God, as absolute truth and not a human word that you can adapt to your own liking.

A final qualification that Dekker applies to the resistance to go with change, is: ‘unwise’. According to him it even brings damage to your faith. A living faith calls for change:
One does not, or not sufficiently, realize that religiousness is a part of our entire culture and that the personal life of faith is a part of our entire way of thinking and way of life. That also all our forms and expressions of faith are time- and culture-bound, and therefore must change with changing times. That therefore our faith must change… if at least one wants to be able to continue speaking... of a personal faith.

Dekker is of the opinion that any tension caused by differences between faith and culture calls for a solution. That would be unavoidable, otherwise one will not be able to get along in society.

Everything that changes in culture (e.g. the position of women) and science (e.g. evolution theory)
imposes itself on the believer, must bring him to adjust what the Bible teaches. Only in this way can the one be brought into conformity with the other (‘harmony’). If one deals with this in a different way then, so Dekker says, this leads to a loss of faith or an impoverished faith. Or with total resistance to change it leads to a fundamentalistic faith.

It is clear that what Dekker advocates emanates from man and affects the essence of Scripture. Unfortunately this is also the path that the GKv is following with regard to the developments in the world, such as can be seen in the new hermeneutics, the changed conception of creation, the position of the woman, homosexuality and other things.

There is but one remedy: reformation through a return to God and His Word!
It is not about whether we can or cannot get along with the world, but whether we still show obedience of faith to our heavenly Father. Whether we truly continue to follow Christ where He goes, even if we cannot buy or sell (Rev. 13:17). Whether we truly keep God’s commandments and have the testimony of Jesus, even if it costs us our life (Rev. 12:7, 20:4). We will have to flee from what is not in agreement with God’s Word (1 John 2:15-17, Rev. 18:4).
It is of utmost importance for us that we continue to see this clearly. Because the plan, the form of this world is passing away (1 Cor. 7:13). This means: everything that the world has to offer, will pass away. Not the church and Scripture must adapt to this world, the opposite is true!

Evangelical movement

We could write more about what is written about the developments within the experiential Reformed churches and the GKv, the predicted dismantling of the reformed world and how Dekker ends up with Bonhoeffer, but we have run out of space here.
We do still want to point to the important influence that Dekker attributes to the evangelical movement. He posits that the life of faith of the liberated people and the ‘orientation of faith’ of many local churches of the GKv has come to display a strong ‘evangelical character’. He finds, with the adaptations one makes, that this connects completely to the ‘culture of emotions’ in which we live:
If namely in religious terms one ‘adaptation’ to the changed culture takes place (a culture in which experience and emotions and personal development take up such an important place), then it would be the ongoing evangelical character of religious life.
Dekker concludes that the ongoing evangelical character does damage to the identity of the liberated Reformed Churches (GKv). Unfortunately, we have to agree with him on this.

In a following editorial we would like to elaborate on this evangelical movement.