CRC to Mark 500th Anniversary of Reformation
Robert Arbogast: Will celebration include lament for further fracturing of the church?
Karen Huttenga
Synod 2016, the general assembly of the Christian Reformed Church, encouraged its ministries to prepare to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation.
The Reformation is traditionally dated to 1517, when Martin Luther published a protest against the church as it then existed. The Christian Reformed Church traces its lineage to the Reformation.
Synod placed special emphasis on what are called the “five solas,” five central Reformation affirmations prefaced by the Latin sola, which translate to “by Christ alone,” “by grace alone,” “by faith alone,” “by scripture alone, and “for God’s glory alone.”
Delegate Robert Arbogast from Classis Lake Erie, asked about the divisions that were introduced by the Protestant Reformation, wondering whether the plans being put in place would be “merely celebrative or also have a note of lament for the further fracturing of the church 500 years ago.”
Christopher Schoon, Classis Hamilton, the reporter for the committee presenting the recommendation, said the committee had carefully chosen the word “commemorate” to include both celebration and lament.
For continuous coverage of Synod 2016 including the live webcast, news, video recordings, photos, liveblog, social media links, and more visit www.crcna.org/synod.
