A Postscript to Synod of Yesterday Afternoon

A gentleman spoke from the floor trying to make sense of our two reports, pointing out that both Mariano and I came to the CRC from the outside, and that the 4 members of the majority committee are all Dutch insiders. True. And that is certainly worth pondering. Those of us from the outside have faced many obstacles in the CRC (and I believe beyond a doubt that my career ministry at Calvin Seminary would not have been derailed had I been an insider). But this gentleman seriously misspoke when he said both members of the minority came from Pentecostal backgrounds. He was on the advisory committee and he heard my interview. I very distinctly stated that I grew up in a tradition that was very anti-pentecostal. So, I felt a bit more than frustrated when he was going on with false information and all I could do was to sit and listen. But my greater frustration was that both Mariano and I were silenced. The majority committee was called back to the advisory committee and was able to influence the their report. We had absolutely no representation on the floor of Synod.

This morning Mariano and I were sent an email from a member of the majority committee. It was a kind gesture and it captures what happened in the advisory committee and on the floor of Synod yesterday:

"I just wanted to say how sorry I am for the way things transpired today on the floor of Synod and during this past week. It was an unfortunate mishandling of the situation that really did not do justice to you and the work you have put into this."