Episode 132: Reflections on Synod 2023 with Ryan Braam (Part 2)
“When you’re saying that homosexuality is not in and of itself sin, you’re robbing a person who struggles with that as an idol of their own identity. You’re robbing them an opportunity to be confronted with the reality that their true identity is actually anchored in Christ. And there [are] things that Christ wants to pull away from them so they can see and find true joy and true hope and peace in him.” -Ryan Braam
Summary of This Episode
This week, Jason and Willy continue their conversation with Rev. Ryan Braam. Picking back up on the topic of discouragement over how Synod ended, Ryan shares there is a sense in which he felt his view and voice were dishonored. If he wasn’t willing to change his mind to what others believe or think, he’s “not even worthy of being in a conversation with…anymore.” Jason highlights how Rev. Adrian de Lange’s protest comment supports that. “‘I no longer trust this body’s ability to discern the will of the Holy Spirit…That really is a charge against all of us who are voting that way…A really massive accusation to be thrown out there against a whole bunch of people.” It’s difficult to know how this body can get back to a place of harmony.
Ryan shares a bit about an experience he had at Classis Quinte’s spring meeting where he invited the delegates to pray for the Holy Spirit to speak and did so as much as possible without an agenda. He felt confronted as the Holy Spirit led him to vote in a way that would require him to trust him. Ryan found himself hearing if he couldn’t or wouldn’t trust the Spirit with his vote, how could he trust the Holy Spirit to work in a greater way in larger bodies? Things turned out as he hoped they would, but he learned the need to submit to the Holy Spirit.
This comes up later in Ryan’s final words as he reminds us of Romans 12:1-2. Yes, there’s a lot of sin in the world that we aren’t to conform our minds to, but there are many ways of seeing things that we’ve simply accepted through cultural understandings. Are we willing to allow the Holy Spirit to transform us and to submit to him? Pertaining to Synod 2023, there’s agreement, even in the difficulty of how things went, we still must trust God is sovereign and the Holy Spirit was at work. Jason reminds us, “God has bigger plans for all of this…He’s still in control. This is still his church. He’s gonna build his church. And he’s gonna use that in some way.”
The conversation turns to Canada and that perhaps there are more difficult battles north of the border than in the United States. Ryan sheds some light that Canada as a whole seems like a 50/50 battle. While rural areas have tended to be more conservative, it’s not an absolute. Part of that is the expensiveness of major cities, and so retired folks move out from cities and their churches to rural areas and their churches. It’s not clear what the future holds. One possibility is that there will be a major shift to the Reformed Church in America (RCA), which currently has one classis for all of Canada. That seems like an integrity move, but it may not be so simple. There are many strong personalities who have decided this is the hill to fight and die on.
Ryan brings up a topic which the Messy Reformation hasn’t touched on much to this point: why does the progressive side want the fight? Jason shares his opinion that just like on our side, they see themselves as “reformers.” “I see them standing there because they think that’s what’s good and right to do, and to leave means to lose in a sense…The really loud voices…they’re coming in to lead the whole denomination in [their] direction…They’ve been pretty surprised that we’re not willing to go there, and when that happens, then the anger…ramps up.” Willy builds on the term “Dutch club” that’s been shared before. “People are willing to go down swinging…so hard…because of their historic roots here that are rooted in their history and not really in the theology and confession of our church…They are conflating their legacy in the CRC only in terms of their historical familial structure. But if they’re actually paying attention to the denomination and [its pulse], they would see [how out of step they are] with where the ideology and theology of the denomination is not moving.”
Ryan agrees and adds the perspective that some folks may take on a mindset similar to the Civil Rights’ movement. In pursuit of justice, people like Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr. would not comply. While progressive CRCers may have “noble hearts” they are “really disconnected from our historic theology [which] has really had us anchored in the need for regeneration to impact every sphere of our lives.” He paints a beautiful picture of salvation—not just as justification, but also conviction and sanctification by the work of the Holy Spirit. “When you’re saying that homosexuality is not in and of itself sin, you’re robbing a person who struggles with that as an idol of their own identity. You’re robbing them an opportunity to be confronted with the reality that their true identity is actually anchored in Christ. And there [are] things that Christ wants to pull away from them so they can see and find true joy and true hope and peace in him.”
As the episode heads toward its close, Ryan addresses things he learned about the CRC and himself, offering an especially humble approach of being reminded of how much he doesn’t know about what he doesn’t know. That continues to conversation around the priesthood of believers. Ryan and Jason talk about their ministry experiences with baptisms of teenagers and adults—people who came to faith after childhood or not having grown up in the church. The priesthood of believers factors in that we want to use and celebrate the way God uses all his people for the furthering of his kingdom. It’s an important reminder that the work the CRC is called to and the hope of this messy Reformation, is not just work for pastors and clergy, but there’s an opportunity for all of us to be engaged, to work together, and use our specific gifts for the glory of God.
