The Christian Reformed Church voted this week at its annual meeting to officially adopt a stance in opposition to homosexual sex.
According to Christianity Today, the vote of 123-53 comes after a previous synod voted to form a study committee to bring a report on the “biblical theology” of sexuality.
Under the new stance, the Christian Reformed Church says it will not tolerate “adultery, premarital sex, extra-marital sex, polyamory, pornography, and homosexual sex.”
“The church must warn its members that those who refuse to repent of these sins—as well as of idolatry, greed, and other such sins—will not inherit the kingdom of God,” the report says. “It must discipline those who refuse to repent of such sins for the sake of their souls.”
Critics of the new faith statement say the change will effectively keep LGBTQ people and younger generations out of the church.
“This motion harms LGBTQ people, harms the church’s witness, and naming this as confession will have disastrous consequences for people and institutions,” one delegate to the synod who voted against the motion said.
The annual meeting was held at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Calvin University, which is affiliated with the CRC, already requires faculty to sign a document noting that they agree with the historical creeds and confessions of the CRC.
In December 2021, one-third of the school’s faculty signed a letter saying they were concerned about the Human Sexuality Report.
“Many people are polishing their CVs, starting to look at what else is out there and preparing themselves to leave,” said Kristin Kobes Du Mez, a professor of history at Calvin University and one of its star faculty.
Among its students, the university does allow a student group, the Sexuality and Gender Alliance, to operate on campus, and previously, the university did not challenge the election of an openly gay student body president.
The CRC has long taught that sex is reserved for one man and one woman in marriage.
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Amanda Casanova is a writer living in Dallas, Texas. She has covered news for ChristianHeadlines.com since 2014. She has also contributed to The Houston Chronicle, U.S. News and World Report and IBelieve.com. She blogs at The Migraine Runner.
