1973 Was Never Merely Pastoral Advice

Written by Aaron Vriesman

We, [the undersigned], believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the inspired Word of God, which proclaims the good news of God’s creation and redemption through Jesus Christ. Acknowledging the authority of God’s Word, we submit to it in all matters of life and faith. 

Thus reads the opening of the CRC Covenant for Officebearers. Scripture is the inspired Word of God. As such, we in the church are duty-bound to submit to everything it says for our faith and life. 

The Church Order of the CRC likewise begins, “The Christian Reformed Church, confessing its complete subjection to the Word of God…” 

These words have been the beginning of the Church Order since Synod 1965 (see Acts of Synod 1965, pg.57). The entire existence of the CRC is predicated on its submission to the Bible as God’s Word. 

When Synod 2022 declared that the CRC’s teaching on homosexual sex had confessional status (see Acts of Synod 2022, pg. 922), many objected that this contradicted what earlier Synods had intended.  Specifically, it’s been argued that Synod 1973 intended the church’s position on homosexual sex to be “pastoral advice,” thus having more of an advisory but ultimately optional authority.  However, a closer reading makes it clear that when the Committee to Study Homosexuality released its report to Synod 1973, they did not envision the entire report to be mere pastoral advice.  They understood much of their report to be the straightforward teaching of scripture to which we must ‘submit in all matters of life and faith.’

The report’s introduction outlines the nature and purpose of the report:

The first part is a report of our study. We recommend that synod submit this part of the report to our churches as providing guidelines for our understanding of the problem of homosexuality and the formulation of a Christian position.
The second part presents pastoral advice regarding homosexuality in the light of the report which we recommend for synod's adoption as pastoral advice to serve the churches.

The report on homosexuality adopted by Synod 1973 understood only the second part to be pastoral advice. The first part of the report was not pastoral advice. The first part included a description of the mandate, some working definitions and a study of what the Bible teaches on the topic. 

Beginning the Scriptural study were the words, “It is all-important for us as Christians and as a church to learn what the Bible teaches us about the subject of homosexuality.” 

The rest of the report reveals that there was no question that the Bible is the final authority on human sexuality and there was no question about what the Bible taught concerning same-sex relationships. 

Consider the authoritative language used in the 1973 report, all of which occur prior to the designated section of pastoral advice: 

• In summary we conclude that homosexualism is forbidden in the Old Testament. It is forbidden to those who engage in it by mutual consent as is clear from Leviticus 18 and 20.

• All scholars are agreed that the Apostle considered homosexual practice (homosexualism) as sin, a mode of behavior which is on par with adultery and murder.

• We conclude that the New Testament passages which make reference to homosexual behavior are in harmony with the judgment of the Old Testament: homosexual acts are sinful. 

• The choice for the Christian is between marriage and celibacy. Sex relations outside of marriage are forbidden in the Scriptures. 

• It is clear both that the Bible condemns [homosexual practice] and that love can discover no warrant in either necessity or value to make an exception to the prohibition against it. Obedience to the revealed will of God wiIl bring its own reward. 

There is no indication that the writers of the report thought they were giving mere pastoral advice. They considered what Scripture said and drew their conclusions accordingly. 

The most often quoted portion of the 1973 report is probably the following: “Homosexualism – as explicit homosexual practice – must be condemned as incompatible with obedience to the will of God as revealed in Holy Scripture.” This sentence does come from the pastoral advice section of the 1973 report. Nevertheless, this statement is the conclusion from the biblical portion of the report. The committee definitely did not consider the teaching of Scripture to be questionable nor advisory. 

Subsequent generations of CRC members also considered this 1973 report to outline what the Bible teaches. The notion that 1973 was only giving pastoral advice was an invention that emerged much later.

In 2011, Classis Grand Rapids East asked synod to “appoint a study committee to review the biblical teachings regarding homosexual orientation and practice in light of current biblical and theological study of these issues.” The overture did not describe 1973 as pastoral advice. On the contrary, the overture’s first grounds said, “Our latest official statement regarding biblical teachings on this issue is thirty-eight years old.” Synod 2011 did not accede to the overture.

In 2016, Classis Grand Rapids East released a lengthy report on Christian support for same-sex marriage. The 142 pages nowhere label the 1973 report as pastoral advice. On the contrary, the opening sentence of the report summary reads, “The official position of the Christian Reformed Church of North America (CRC) is that any homosexual practice—even within life-long committed relationships—is incompatible with Scripture and in all cases to be considered sin.” 

The first time the 1973 report was wholesale demoted to “pastoral advice” was in 2020, when Neland Avenue wrote their letter on why they ordained someone in a same-sex marriage. Their letter says, "Our understanding is that all synodical reports and decisions related to homosexuality have been pastoral advice [italics theirs] to the churches." They add, "According to Calvin Seminary's Adjunct Professor of Church Polity, Kathy Smith, who spoke with our congregation in several educational sessions, this is of a less binding nature than confessional or church matters." 

Rendering “all synodical reports and decisions” on homosexuality to “pastoral advice” was an innovative tactic to bypass the biblical exegesis in the 1973 report. 

When the Human Sexuality Report was released, Recommendation D was for synod to declare that "the church's teaching on premarital sex, extramarital sex, adultery, polyamory, pornography, and homosexual sex already has confessional status." The “already” is a key word reaffirming what the CRC has always understood to be the clear teaching of the Bible, as explained in Q&A 108 and 109 of the Heidelberg Catechism. 

The CRC understanding of biblical teaching on sexuality has never been “pastoral advice.” Scripture is the CRC’s highest authority and the CRC has long had a clear understanding of what Scripture teaches, only recently to have this teaching characterized and treated by some as optional.