Presbyterians and Reformed Christians, membership and active involvement is part of a congregation’s DNA

Although white evangelicals receive most of the press coverage, below the surface of American Protestantism are believers who defy the red state–blue state analysis of faith and politics. One indication of this non-conformity: the annual denominational meetings where church leaders review finances, propose new strategies for evangelism, and hear reports on the state of the greater Church.

In June, three Reformed denominations —the Christian Reformed Church (CRC), the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC), and the Presbyterian Church of America (PCA) — held meetings to assess and plan for another year of church business. At each of these three gatherings, these descendants of John Calvin and John Knox surprised anyone who thought they have white evangelicals figured out.

Up for grabs were hot-button issues — homosexuality, racism, and climate.

The CRC toughened its commitment to heterosexual marriage as the only legitimate outlet for sex. The OPC condemned racism even without the topic on its agenda. And the PCA abandoned membership in the National Association of Evangelicals because this umbrella organization for conservative Protestants is trending progressive. For anyone trying to locate these decisions on a map of the white Protestant electorate, the existing guides offered little help.

A largely ethnic communion (Dutch-American), the CRC used to be one of the most progressive denominations in the world of American evangelicalism.
In 1973, the denomination adopted a report that distinguished homosexual practice from orientation in a way that avoided condemning same-sex attractions as sinful. Then, in the early 1990s, the CRC began to ordain women as ministers.

Then last month at its annual synod, seemingly out of nowhere, the CRC decided to elevate its teaching on sex to the status of a formal position.

By a vote of 125 to 53, Synod 2022 made prohibitions against “adultery, premarital sex, extra-marital sex, polyamory, pornography, and homosexual sex” binding for members, officers, and agencies.

Read more about it:  Presbyterian Politics by D. G. Hart

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For Kristin Du Mez, a prominent historian at Calvin, the decision could split the Church and cause faculty to resign. The synod’s action, she said, is out of step with many congregations where LGBTQ members worship side by side with “members who hold to traditional views of sexuality.”