From Reformed to secularized churches? (7, concluding article)


In this installment we will round off the discussion of the book of Prof. Dr. G. Dekker: The ongoing revolution of the Reformed Churches in perspective.

Following the synodicals

The final two chapters of Prof. Dekker’s book give the conclusion and the criticism of the observed developments. There the most important question was whether the changes within the RCNlib resemble the changes that were previously evident within the synodical-Reformed Churches. It will not surprise the reader of this series of articles that, in relation to many of these changes, Prof Dekker provides an affirmative answer. Moreover, the totality of the changes reflect the same direction the synodicals took at the time, even though Dekker sometimes noticed differences in speed and intensity of the changes. He also adds that it is possible that the RCNlib- members, in their daily lives on certain points (for example, Sunday observance ) distinguish themselves more strongly from the rest of the population. But this is questioned within the RCNlib, as Dr. K. van Bekkum did at the presentation of the book on 1st March 2013 when he said:

in the areas of Sunday observance and loss of the church awareness, changes are occurring more rapidly than Dekker thinks.

 

In the conclusions drawn by Prof. Dekker we further miss any reference to the influence of postmodernism on the developments he outlined. A postmodernist is more open for ‘pluralism’, whereby truth is smothered by the acceptance of a variety of opinions. In addition, one works more with his feelings than his mind. The post-modern man no longer wants absolute ‘fixed’’ truths. That is precisely what creates room for all sorts of evangelical influences. The words of the former chief editor of Nederlands Dagblad, P. Bergwerf, in an interview with Reformatorisch Dagblad on the 16th March 2013, confirm this:

The resemblance with the Gereformeerde Kerken (synodical, SdM) lies in the increasing validity given to a subjective understanding of truth. But the difference is that with the reformed (synodical, SdM) people the mind stands central. Professor Kuitert states that everything from above comes from below. With the liberated people, on the other hand, feelings are being elevated to a central position. What I feel is true.

 

Nevertheless, that does not alter the fact that the direction the RCNlib developments have gone is indeed comparable to that of the synodicals. According to us the changes outlined by Prof. Dekker therefore form an intensely sad story of ongoing revolution within the RCNlib. It is an ongoing revolution against God’s Word by continually adjusting doctrine and life to a watered down Christianity and thereby an increasing adjustment to the world. And that happened despite all the recent warnings!

Valuation of the revolution.

But after giving his conclusions Prof. Dekker has still not finished. His closing chapter provides a personal review, a ‘valuation’ of the developments he has outlined. If you place the book’s preface, written by Prof. Dr. G. Harinck, head of the RCNlib’s Archives and Documentation Centrum, next to this valuation in the closing chapter, you cannot escape from the impression that this book has a specific agenda. In his preface Prof. Harinck gives the example of cohabiting as being on the increase in the churches. But he does not just want to see this as sign of decline. Dekker’s book is published by his ‘Centrum’ and should, according to him, serve to ‘broaden horizons’. What this includes becomes evident in the last chapter. From that it also appears that Prof. Dekker does not want to use his findings to illustrate that the RCNlib have deviated from Scripture and to call it back from its errors. It seems more like he wrote the book to promote a particular ideology about being church in the world.

Prof. Dekker does not include maintaining God’s laws and maintaining the Scriptural antithesis in his evaluation as matters that affect the essence of the church. And so it is that he quietly bypasses the letting go of the 4th commandment. The toleration of Scripture criticism through the unity with the CGK and NGK are not mentioned by him. Neither does he pay attention to the acceptance of Scripture criticism and ‘new hermeneutics’ in own ranks at Kampen. The sympathy shown there in Kampen towards the false doctrine of theologians such as K. Barth and D. Bonhoeffer is not mentioned either. Is that then not to be classed as revolution?

Prof Dekker’s own position finally becomes clear in the last chapter. His assessment of the developments in respectively the synodical and the liberated churches , is that they have both adjusted themselves to the world. But by doing so they had to let go of what they in earlier days still proclaimed as the truth of God. In this way however both churches have lost all credibility in this world (page 130). Therein lies his real criticism on the course of events. In his valuation Prof Dekker does not test the issues on basis of Scripture, Confession and Church Order. He does not test the changes by using the marks of the true church. No he is concerned that the world may distrust such a church in which there is so much shifting of positions. Therefore, as Dekker states, his findings ask for a re-consideration of what it means to be church in the world.

Church and world

There he points to three possible approaches to be considered in relation to the position of the church (named ‘churches’, by him) towards the world.

 

The first approach is that of the secularization, the world-conformity. That approach sees the world increasingly divorced from God. This creates problems for the church’s life in this world (antithesis). But at the same time there is danger within the church of accommodating itself to the world. However, the church will seek to protect itself against this process of secularization by protecting itself against the influence of the world. With this approach the developments described in Dekker’s book will be referred to as ‘backsliding’ (page 133). Although Prof. Dekker gives no examples, ‘conservative church federations’ would identify with this approach.

As second approach referred to by Dekker is the process of connecting with an altered world, an approach that he remarkably enough calls ‘reformation’. In relation to this he refers to A. Kuyper who, he claims, was out to link the church with the world. The result of such an active progressive approach is that the church loses members who prefer to stay ‘with the old’ (page 134). Dekker recognizes this variant in the RCNlib, which he then characterizes as Kuyperian churches.

As third approach Dekker finally mentions the ideology which he himself supports. It is based on the teachings of Bonhoeffer, which he supports, as is evident from his other books on church and world. It is a doctrine that takes its starting point from the socalled empowerment of the world through secularization. That empowerment means that as autonomous world it no longer acknowledges God. But, like Bonhoeffer, Dekker still likes to qualify this autonomy, this empowerment as being positive.

That does not need to be seen as conflicting with God and with God’s authority over man and world; it can also be seen as being in line with the purpose of God with man and the world (page 135).

 

According to Prof. Dekker the church should not be averse to such a world (first approach). Neither should she continually adjust herself to it by just following the world without actively being involved in the process in the world (second approach). No, says Dekker, the church is to take an active part in the innovations of the world. Dekker’s opinion:

The churches, also the RCNlib, in this view have never been up with the times; they have failed to recognize God’s work in this world. They struggle against themselves. And in spite of their ‘innovations’ many drop out, because without being able to articulate it or consciously experience it they no longer recognize themselves in that church and in the struggle of that church (page 136).

Bonhoeffer and God’s plan with this world

These ideas, however, are far from the Reformed doctrine regarding church, faith and world. Without background information it is difficult to place them. But as we already wrote, Dekker largely follows the views of D. Bonhoeffer (1906-1945), about which he himself has written more books *). Meanwhile, however, we have become fairly well acquainted with his views. In short, it boils down to this : the church is there for the world. The church should not direct itself upwards, neither turn inward to attend to itself. The church is to direct itself downward and outward. The church is not so much there for the salvation of the believers, to prepare them for eternal salvation. Nor should she occupy herself so much with religion (the worship of God) but she is to exert herself for the world. Hence the church is not to see to win the world through the gospel, and so to win it for Christ, but it is just to be there for the world. In order ‘to be there for the world’ as ‘following Christ’s example’ the congregation takes on ‘the stature of Christ’.

How is this teaching and this view about the church to be consistent with Scripture? We need to remember that the teaching of Bonhoeffer has as starting point that the reconciliation of Christ extends to both church and world (universal reconciliation). Thereby this teaching does too little justice to God’s holiness, and is in conflict with the Scriptural doctrine of election and reprobation. It acknowledges insufficiently the enmity and antithesis set by God. In this way it relativizes the destructive influence of Satan through the world and fails to recognize the final judgment on the last day.

The plan that, according to Dekker and Bonhoeffer, God would have with this world is, in our view, not according to Scripture. This teaching does not properly see the fact that Christ came to save His people, also from the darkness of this world. He brought her on earth into the desert in order to save her and to bring her to eternal glory (Rev. 12). At the same time, she has her cultural mandate as a holy priesthood in this world, in order to be a lighting light and a city on a mountain. But the church is not from and of the world, and is not to become a friend of the world (1 John 2:12-17), for she is to seek the things that are above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God, not the things that are of the earth (Col. 3:1, 2). For here we have no lasting city, but seek the city which is to come (Hebr. 13:14).

 

This is how the teaching supported by Dekker is narrowed down to a social gospel of neighbourly love, however much reference is made to Christ combined with the need to follow His example. A ‘gospel’ that had already been embraced earlier by the World Council of Churches and its world-diaconate. It is a different gospel that is no gospel (Gal. 1:6,7).

 

We receive increasingly more indications that this teaching of Bonhoeffer is, in the meantime, conquering the theological universities at Kampen (RCNlib) and Apeldoorn (CGK). He is praised there as the ‘prophet of the twenty-first century’. This perhaps explains also the way in which the book of Dekker was received in Kampen. The revolutionary developments outlined by Prof. Dekker were not seen as a reason for humiliation, but instead were seen as new opportunities for the church to become secular (Dekker would say with Bonhoeffer: ‘emancipated’) church in order to be busily at work within the world.

 

May many within the RCNlib still gain insight into the true nature of the ongoing revolution, outlined in this book, and see it for what it is: revolution against God’s Word. And may they come to see that over against the approach advocated by Prof Dekker and Kampen, there is but one Scriptural way, namely that of humiliation and reformation.

 

Let us too be warned again by the continuing developments that are the result of openness and interdenominationalism. In the past they formed the necessity for our own Liberation. But thereby the danger of it for today and for the future has not been averted.

 

*) a.o. G. Dekker: Het zout der aarde; Bonhoeffers visie op de kerk, Ten Have, Baarn, 2002; G. Dekker: De kerk lost niets op; Bonhoeffer over de relatie tussen kerk en wereld, Ten Have, Kampen, 2006