The Christian Reformed Church voted to send back the proposed Covenant For Officebearers that all ministers, elders and deacons must sign. The Form of Subscription Revision Coommittee will now have one more year to consult with professors of Calvin College as well as the Seminary to address the concerns raised during the Synod discussion the night before.

The issue began in 2003, when a congregation in British Columbia asked Synod 2004 to study the Form because some had difficulty signing it and it was falling into disuse. This sparked a process leading to the formation of a committee mandated to draft a new Form. Synod 2008 sent back the proposed Covenant because it lacked clarity and called for a new version to be proposed in 2011.

The recommendation to adopt the new Covenant was brought before the assembly on Wednesday evening and was expected to be approved, until the President of Calvin College and a theology professor from Calvin Theological Seminary stood up and spoke about the usefulness of the current Form and the large loopholes they saw in the new Covenant.

Between the late session Wednesday night and the early session Thursday morning, the advisory committee quickly made a list of concerns generally related to strengthening the document’s binding nature and accountability. The list was related to the loopholes mentioned by Calvin Seminary Professor John Cooper the night before, and included a need for “positive, declarative commitments to teach, defend and actively promote the confessions and Reformed doctrine,” as well as “strengthen the scope and the binding nature of the commitment.”

The night before Cooper had quoted a line from the new Covenant, which stated that the Bible “proclaims the gospel of God’s grace in Jesus Christ and the reconciliation of all things in him.”

“This is false,” Cooper objected during Wednesday night’s session, raising the question if “all things” included Satan or demons. He also asked if this phrase ruled out a doctrine of reprobation or hell, making a passing reference to Rob Bell, a pastor in the nearby city of Grandville who’s recent book, Love Wins, makes claims that hell does not last forever.

Cooper’s objection led to another concern number four about the Covenant: “the need to reword the description of the gospel in a way that avoids the impression of universalism.”

A motion was made by First Clerk of Synod, Rev. Bert Slofstra, to delete number four on the grounds that it was “unnecessary.” Slofstra declared that the objectionable phrase in the new Covenant “is a direct quote from Scripture,” reading from Colossians 1:20, where it states God through Christ will “reconcile to himself all things.”

Cooper responded by reminding the delegates of the importance of keeping Scripture verses in context. “Taking Colossians 1:15-20 and making it the central text in which all other texts need to be relativized is the standard rationalization for universalism.”

The motion to remove number four failed by voice vote, but the debate was not over.

“The mandate seems to move back to the more restrictive, fear-based approach,” said Rev. Ed Laarman from Classis Central Plains. “Churches are ignoring the Form Of Subscription. Being more restrictive will bring it more into disuse.”

Others spoke in favor of the new mandate.

“I came out of a Baptist tradition where they are battling to arrive at what we already have,” said Steve Hasper, minister delegate from Classis Georgetown. “I’m not here in spite of creeds and confessions. I’m here because of them.”

When the discussion came to a close, the new recommendation passed by a voice vote with only a handful of negative voices. The Covenant For Officebearers will be sent back to the task force to address the concerns raised by Synod 2011 and will come before Synod 2012. Synod 2012 will also ratify Synod 2009’s proposal to adopt the Belhar Confession as the fourth confession of the CRC.

Rev. Aaron Vriesman is the Pastor of the North Blendon Christian Reformed Church in Hudsonville, Michigan and is reporting on the CRC Synod for The Aquila Report