Synod 2013 approved the appointment of a study committee to advise the denomination on how to respond to religious persecution and religious liberty.
“All of our brothers and sisters around the world are dealing with matters of religious freedom, and we in North America are dealing with it as well,” said Rev. Henk Bruinsma of Classis Toronto, the classis that requested the study committee. “We are becoming more open to widespread secular attack in North America.”
The committee’s purpose is “to provide a biblical and theological framework regarding religious persecution and religious liberty” and to direct the church to “walk alongside and intercede on behalf of those who are . . . denied religious liberty” globally and locally.
Study committees typically do research and report to a future synod.
Synod 2013 is meeting at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich. from June 7-14. For continuous Banner coverage of Synod 2013, please follow The Banner on Facebook or @crcbanner on Twitter. You can find more tweeting by following hashtag #crcsynod. News stories will be posted at www.thebanner.org several times daily. For CRC Communications releases, webcast, and live blogging, please visit www.crcna.org/synod. Unless noted otherwise, all photographs are by Karen Huttenga.