또한 정의 항목을 보십시오
For full reports and exact statements of the CRCNA position on a particular issue, see references provided below.
우리의 입장
하나님께서는 세상을 매우 다양하게 그렇지만 자신 안에서 하나되게 창조하셨습니다. 죄로 인해 일시적으로 깨어졌을지라도, 세상을 위한 하나님의 사명은 만물을 화해시키고 하나되게 하는 것입니다. 그 사명은 항상 인종적으로나 민족적으로 포괄적입니다. 성령을 통하여, 하나님께서는 분리의 벽을 무너뜨리고 인종, 민족, 그리고 문화의 경계를 초월하는 공동체를 창조할 능력을 교회에 부어주십니다. 교회는 이 세상 모든 사회의 측면들에 새 창조의 하나됨과 다양성을 구현하고, 선포하고, 증진시키는 하나님의 전략적 대사입니다. 기독교인에게, 그리스도 안에 존재하는 것은 인종적으로 그리고 민족적으로 다양한 사람들의 한 공동체로서 원칙적으로 화해되는 것입니다. 하나님의 말씀과 개혁주의 고백에 따르면 이런 원칙을 실행하라는 부르심을 무시하는 것은 죄입니다.
전체 교회는 소수 민족의 사람들을 위해 기도하고 포용할뿐 아니라 공평한 대표성을 보장하고, 지도력 수준에 의미 있는 참여와 교단의 모든 활동에서 영향을 미치도록 부르심을 받았습니다. 회중들은 인종적으로 그리고 민족적으로 다양하면서도 하나된 하나님의 가족에 대한 성경적 비전을 천명하고, 그 비전과 관련해서 그 활동과 사역을 평가하고, 각종 적절한 모델과 전략으로 다양성을 계발하며, 하나님 형상으로서 모든 사람에 대한 보호로서 인종차별주의를 공식적으로 반대하며, 다른 인종간 그리고 교차문화적인 관계들을 증진시키도록 부름받았습니다.
북미주 개혁교회의 인종관계 사역부는 모든 형태의 인종차별주의를 해체할 목적으로 “효과적이며 공동협력적인 훈련을 개시하고 제공”하도록 위임받았습니다 (2004총회회의록, 558쪽). 청소년 집회, 장학금, 목회자들을 위한 다민족 컨퍼런스, 소수민족 여성 이벤트, 다민족 주일을 후원하면서, 인종관계 사역부는 북미와 전세계에서 사용할 반인종차별주의 훈련 커리큘럼을 개발해 왔습니다.
History
The CRC began to deal with the matter of race relations in 1957 in connection with the issue of segregation. Two years later it adopted a set of declarations from the Reformed Ecumenical Synod (RES), which became its stand on race relations. These declarations were affirmed and others were added in 1968, 1969, and 1977. The Christian Reformed Board of Home Missions began to design and implement programs regarding racism through a new Race Commission.
During the 1960s and 1970s the church dealt with the issue at home as it struggled through a race-related case regarding Timothy Christian School in Cicero, Illinois, and abroad as it held discussions with the Reformed Churches in South Africa regarding its policy of apartheid. Building on the work of the Home Missions Board, Synod 1971 established the Synodical Committee on Race Relations (SCORR). It became a standing committee in 1981, appointed its first director in 1986, and in 1995 became known as the Office of Race Relations.
Synod 1992 formed a Committee to Study a Racially and Ethnically Diverse Family of God at the request of the Multiethnic Conference, a biennial meeting of multiethnic church leaders which developed in the 1980s out of Calvin Seminary's orientation program for such leaders. Synod adopted the recommendations of that report, "God's Diverse and Unified Family," in 1996, and it serves as the current position of the CRC on race relations. In response to joint meetings with the Multiethnic Conference in 1998, synod appointed a committee to develop strategies that will continue to move the church toward becoming a more diverse and unified family of God. The agencies and institutions of the CRC have begun an intensive initiative in antiracism and have committed to involving all staff in antiracism efforts.
To better represent ethnic minority communities in the CRC, Synod 1995 approved the position of ethnic adviser to synod, and in 1996 synod welcomed its first ethnic advisers to participate in synodical deliberations. Synod 2000 reaffirmed the position, and Synod 2005 adopted a recommendation to “continue the position of ethnic adviser as long as the number of ethnic minority delegates is fewer than twenty-five, after which time it shall be discontinued” (Acts of Synod 2005, p. 756). At Synod 2014, because the number of ethnic minority delegates was twenty-eight, the position of ethnic adviser was discontinued; but then before synod adjourned, it also adopted a motion to “reinstate the practice of including ethnic advisers at synod” in case the number of ethnic minority delegates might drop below twenty-five in future years (Acts of Synod 2014, p. 576). As stated in guidelines approved two days earlier with a report about synodical advisers, ethnic advisers “are representative voices of ethnic minority communities in the membership of the CRC that are not adequately represented in the delegations by the classes” (Acts of Synod 2014, p. 537).
Synod 2004 received and approved a statement of vision and a revised mandate for the Office of Race Relations, paving the way for Race Relations to "initiate and provide effective and collaborative training" for the purpose of dismantling racism in all its forms (Acts of Synod 2004, p. 558). In addition to sponsoring a first-time Women of the Nations event in 2005 and an urban conference for senior high teens in spring 2006, Race Relations developed a curriculum for antiracism training, Dance of Racial Reconciliation (DORR), piloted in September 2006 and receiving highly positive feedback. In 2008 the Office of Race Relations planned to expand DORR training into Latin and South America, the Caribbean, and Africa. In Canada the training is known as Widening the Circle.
Synod 2009 called for “an ethnically inclusive group to develop a statement of vision and strategy for increasing multiethnic representation within the leadership of the denomination and to report to Synod 2010” (Acts of Synod 2009, 589). While a group was formed and work had begun, the group did not have a report ready for Synod 2010. In response, Synod 2010 adopted motions to “re-affirm its commitment to ethnic diversity in the CRC” and to call for a yearly report “on the status of denominational efforts to address issues of ethnic diversity and racial justice” (Acts of Synod 2010, p. 884). Synod 2011 received a report from the Diversity in Leadership Planning Group, affirmed its direction, adopted several of its recommendations, and appointed an expanded task force to review the original group’s work and address additional concerns, requesting a revised report by September 30, 2012 (Acts of Synod 2011, pp. 858-61, 866-68).
In response to an overture from Classis Lake Erie, Synod 2012 called the denomination to “continued repentance” of “personal and institutional racism and other forms of discrimination” and to review “material raising our understanding of racism,” including the Facing Racism video (distributed to all churches in 2011) available through the Office of Race Relations for education and small group programs. Synod also reiterated its 2010 instruction to the Board of Trustees to submit a yearly report on the denomination’s progress in attaining goals for diversity in line with those stated in “God’s Diverse and Unified Family” (Acts of Synod 2012, pp. 757-58).
Synod 2013 received the report of the Diversity in Leadership Planning Group II, adopting significant recommendations for recruitment, training, equal opportunity action, job descriptions, the nomination process for denominational leadership, and the role of the Office of Race Relations. To implement these decisions, synod approved a two-year budget allocation from existing funds and instructed the executive director “to develop a comprehensive strategy and organizational alignment that addresses all of the multicultural and ethnic minority concerns that need to be considered” in order to bring us closer to the goal of “more closely reflecting the diverse communities we inhabit and the visions expressed in the book of Revelation” (Acts of Synod 2013, p. 632). A Diversity in Leadership Planning implementation team assembled by the executive director provided a status update on its work in the Agenda for Synod 2014 (pp. 45-52). In 2014 a Diversity and Inclusion Working Group (DIWG) was created to implement the DLPG directives of Synod 2013, and the DIWG submitted a progress report to Synod 2015 and a final report of its work to Synod 2016. In response, Synod 2016 adopted the DIWG’s various recommendations to ensure that all CRC diversity and related initiatives continue. These include ongoing “training and communications on the issues of race and diversity” throughout the CRC, annual diversity reports from each agency and ministry, “procedures to ensure diversity in hiring and promoting” employees, and other measures. A team called “the Collaborative for Diversity and Inclusion (CDI) will continue the work completed by the DIWG and meet as needed to monitor overall progress toward achieving the plan and concepts” outlined in the final report (Acts of Synod 2016, pp. 828-29).
In 2018, in response to concerns about descriptive terms that identify people groups and how such terms “change with time and geographical context,” synod called on the Office of Race Relations to search out appropriate current language to use “when referring to ethnic and gender diversity in denominational reports” (Acts of Synod 2018, p. 450). In 2019, after a review of the CRCNA Editorial Style Guide and subsequent interviews with staff at Calvin College, two universities, and ethnic ministry leaders and organizations, the Office of Race Relations reported that it found the CRC’s current terminology sufficient with regard to both ethnic and gender diversity, and synod concurred (see Agenda for Synod 2019, pp. 54-59; Acts of Synod 2019, p. 794).
Synod 2019 received an overture from two classes requesting that Kinism be declared a heresy because it teaches, against biblical truth, that interracial marriage is sinful and that Christians should be separated according to race. Synod agreed, stating that “Kinist theology is neither biblical nor Reformed” and admonishing councils and classes to promote confessional fidelity and to administer discipline where applicable. For the purpose of clarity and precision, synod also tasked the Council of Delegates with a mandate to research and improve the denomination’s definition of the term heresy (Acts of Synod 2019, pp. 818-20).
Systemic racism became internationally recognized in 2020 as compounding the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and after “a time of prayer and lament for our nations and world” the Special Meeting of the Council of Delegates 2020, convened on behalf of synod, adopted a resolution declaring “its abhorrence regarding the sin of systemic racism; its support of our denominational leaders who signed the statement about the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor; and its hope that in the midst of our struggle against racism the power of the gospel of justice and grace in Jesus Christ can be displayed” (Minutes of the Special Meeting of the Council of Delegates 2020, p. 457). Note: The “Statement about the Deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor” is posted on The Network.
References to Agendas and Acts of Synod
Acts of Synod 1957, pp. 20, 126-28
Acts of Synod 1959, pp. 82-84, 258-60
Acts of Synod 1964, p. 74
Acts of Synod 1966, pp. 19, 51-53, 106-10
Acts of Synod 1968, pp. 18-20, 561-63, 584, 588-92
Acts of Synod 1969, pp. 50-52, 210-11
Acts of Synod 1970, pp. 61-65, 99-101, 121-22, 306-12, 315-18, 524, 539, 543-44, 546, 563-65
Acts of Synod 1971, pp. 113-17, 302-14, 343-44
Acts of Synod 1972, pp. 50-51, 316-22
Acts of Synod 1973, pp. 50, 337-40
Acts of Synod 1974, pp. 32, 70-72, 375-85, 480-81
Acts of Synod 1977, pp. 34, 76-78
Acts of Synod 1981, pp. 94, 113, 353-58
Acts of Synod 1983, pp. 216, 652-53
Agenda for Synod 1986, pp. 224-31
Acts of Synod 1986, pp. 672-74
Acts of Synod 1992, pp. 720-21
Agenda for Synod 1993, pp. 23
Acts of Synod 1993, pp. 333, 577
Acts of Synod 1995, pp. 694-95
Agenda for Synod 1996, pp. 215-38, 294-95
Acts of Synod 1996, pp. 446, 510-15, 595-619
Acts of Synod 1998, pp. 262, 264-70, 353, 408, 444
Agenda for Synod 2000, pp. 27-28, 522, 529-35
Acts of Synod 2000, p. 634
Agenda for Synod 2003, pp. 30-31
Acts of Synod 2003, pp. 622, 681
Agenda for Synod 2004, pp. 67, 459
Acts of Synod 2004, p. 558
Agenda for Synod 2005, pp. 333-51
Acts of Synod 2005, p. 748, 755-56
Agenda for Synod 2006, pp. 83-84
Agenda for Synod 2007, pp. 34, 144-45
Acts of Synod 2007, p. 650
Agenda for Synod 2008, pp. 60-61
Acts of Synod 2009, p. 589
Acts of Synod 2010, p. 884
Agenda for Synod 2011, pp. 30-31, 37, 55-62
Acts of Synod 2011, pp. 858-61, 866-68
Agenda for Synod 2012, pp. 469-77
Acts of Synod 2012, pp. 757-58
Agenda for Synod 2013, pp. 32, 299-317
Acts of Synod 2013, pp. 438-39, 446, 628-32
Agenda for Synod 2014, pp. 28, 45-52
Acts of Synod 2014, pp. 537-39, 576
Agenda for Synod 2015, pp. 28, 81-104
Agenda for Synod 2016, pp. 30, 42-43, 58-63
Acts of Synod 2016, pp. 828-29
Acts of Synod 2018, p. 450
Agenda for Synod 2019, pp. 54-59, 489-505
Acts of Synod 2019, p. 794, 818-20
Minutes of the Special Meeting of the Council of Delegates 2020, p. 457