DISHEARTENED BY EDITORIAL MENTION OF CRC AND THE RTCN
Among the “disturbing changes” you recently cited as occuring in the CRC, you continue to posit the attitude of the Christian Reformed Board of Foreign Missions with respect to the RTCN, the Reformed Theological College of Nigeria. On the contrary I should think that the change in the stance of the Board of Foreign Missions might have been an item of encouragement to you. When you list changes and suggest that these are all down hill, I believe you mislead our constituency. You well know what the Board once had as its position and you know its position today. Permit me to set the record straight.
You say that “to this day the CRC officially gives only limited support to RTCN.” Since the day the Board recognized the RTCN, I am not aware of any request with respect to this school that has received a negative response from the Board. On the contrary, the Board has done the following:
1. Appointed to the RTCN Board the missionary members invited by the Tiv Church.
2. Posted a missionary to this school as professor together with provision for his salary and transportation.
3. Granted to the students a monetary assistance which covers three-fourths of their school fees.
4. Served as a channel for all funds received as gifts for RTCN.
Furthermore, the Board stands ready at this moment to support an additional professor to the RTCN just as soon as possible.
Now whatever you may feel about the Board’s stance in the past, I should think that you might feel gratified when you look at where we are today.
There is, however, another point that you find disturbing. It is no secret, you say, that Rev. Monsma is not allowed to make a plea for funds for the support of RTCN. But you should know that no missionary is permitted to appeal for items not in his field budget. Rev. Monsma is quite at liberty to appeal for fund s for the grants for students’ fees. He is also quite at liberty to ask that other items for RTCN be budgeted by his field committee and thus come before the Board. That is the right way to go about that business—and that way has been followed by all missionaries long before either, Rev. Monsma or 1 came on the scene.
After all that has been accomplished with so much effort and prayer, it is frankly disheartening to read that the stance of the Board is a ground for polarizing the CRC. For those who backed the establishment of the RTCN there is good ground for hope.
EUGENE RUBINGH
Eugene Rubingh, a former missionary to Africa, is the Africa Secretary for the CRC Board of Foreign Missions.
REPLY
Dr. Rubingh’s letter and also further correspondence with him about the RTCN matter are gratifying for the following reasons:
First, it is evident that the Christian Reformed Board of Foreign Missions is now lending support to the RTCN. Regardless of the measure of this support or what may have induced it, it is only proper that we acknowledge with gratitude this improved stance on the part of the present board and that we thank the Lord for it. Although the unpleasant and discouraging history concerning the introduction of a specifically Reformed theological seminary in Nigeria continues to speak for itself, it is well that we now hope and pray that the Board and the CRC will continue and also increase both financial and moral support for the RTCN.
Next, it is now evident also that Rev. Monsma and the RTCN were not discriminated against in the rule as to asking for funds and I regret having left the impression that this was so.
However, to this I feel constrained to add that, although the Board has participated in the building program of the TCNN (Theological College of Northern Nigeria in which Dr. Harry Boer has been active, with a faculty from different denominations), it does not paJ1icipate in the building program of the RTCN (with its distinctively Reformed ministerial training). I have been informed that “there has been no request from Nigeria for participation in the building program.” I would think, in view of the past negative attitude on the part of the Board toward participation in the entire RTCN project, that a change of heart and mind in the Board with respect to this distinctively Reformed school should by this time have led the Board to offer such participation rather than to wait for a request. Merely to serve “as a channel for all funds received as gifts for RTCN” in its building program does not appear to be very whole-hearted or enthusiastic financial support. It is not exactly to our credit that the Tiv people had to pioneer and lead the way for a distinctively Reformed theological training in Nigeria. The least we can do now is to redouble our efforts to make up for lost time.
Commendation for Dr. Rubingh personally is certainly in order because of the support he has given to the Tiv Church in the desire to have its own seminary. This support he expressed already in his book, Sons of Tiv (1969). We trust that he and others on the Board will now continue to exert their efforts toward further support for this cause.
Financial contributions for the RTCN may he channeled through the Christian Reformed Board of Foreign Missions, 2850 Kalamazoo Avenue, S. E., Grand Rapids, Michigan 49508.
That the RTCN is being prospered of the Lord is evident from photos that we arc placing herewith.
JOHN VANDER PLOEG
Among the “disturbing changes” you recently cited as occuring in the CRC, you continue to posit the attitude of the Christian Reformed Board of Foreign Missions with respect to the RTCN, the Reformed Theological College of Nigeria. On the contrary I should think that the change in the stance of the Board of Foreign Missions might have been an item of encouragement to you. When you list changes and suggest that these are all down hill, I believe you mislead our constituency. You well know what the Board once had as its position and you know its position today. Permit me to set the record straight.
You say that “to this day the CRC officially gives only limited support to RTCN.” Since the day the Board recognized the RTCN, I am not aware of any request with respect to this school that has received a negative response from the Board. On the contrary, the Board has done the following:
1. Appointed to the RTCN Board the missionary members invited by the Tiv Church.
2. Posted a missionary to this school as professor together with provision for his salary and transportation.
3. Granted to the students a monetary assistance which covers three-fourths of their school fees.
4. Served as a channel for all funds received as gifts for RTCN.
Furthermore, the Board stands ready at this moment to support an additional professor to the RTCN just as soon as possible.
Now whatever you may feel about the Board’s stance in the past, I should think that you might feel gratified when you look at where we are today.
There is, however, another point that you find disturbing. It is no secret, you say, that Rev. Monsma is not allowed to make a plea for funds for the support of RTCN. But you should know that no missionary is permitted to appeal for items not in his field budget. Rev. Monsma is quite at liberty to appeal for fund s for the grants for students’ fees. He is also quite at liberty to ask that other items for RTCN be budgeted by his field committee and thus come before the Board. That is the right way to go about that business—and that way has been followed by all missionaries long before either, Rev. Monsma or 1 came on the scene.
After all that has been accomplished with so much effort and prayer, it is frankly disheartening to read that the stance of the Board is a ground for polarizing the CRC. For those who backed the establishment of the RTCN there is good ground for hope.
EUGENE RUBINGH
Eugene Rubingh, a former missionary to Africa, is the Africa Secretary for the CRC Board of Foreign Missions.
REPLY
Dr. Rubingh’s letter and also further correspondence with him about the RTCN matter are gratifying for the following reasons:
First, it is evident that the Christian Reformed Board of Foreign Missions is now lending support to the RTCN. Regardless of the measure of this support or what may have induced it, it is only proper that we acknowledge with gratitude this improved stance on the part of the present board and that we thank the Lord for it. Although the unpleasant and discouraging history concerning the introduction of a specifically Reformed theological seminary in Nigeria continues to speak for itself, it is well that we now hope and pray that the Board and the CRC will continue and also increase both financial and moral support for the RTCN.
Next, it is now evident also that Rev. Monsma and the RTCN were not discriminated against in the rule as to asking for funds and I regret having left the impression that this was so.
However, to this I feel constrained to add that, although the Board has participated in the building program of the TCNN (Theological College of Northern Nigeria in which Dr. Harry Boer has been active, with a faculty from different denominations), it does not paJ1icipate in the building program of the RTCN (with its distinctively Reformed ministerial training). I have been informed that “there has been no request from Nigeria for participation in the building program.” I would think, in view of the past negative attitude on the part of the Board toward participation in the entire RTCN project, that a change of heart and mind in the Board with respect to this distinctively Reformed school should by this time have led the Board to offer such participation rather than to wait for a request. Merely to serve “as a channel for all funds received as gifts for RTCN” in its building program does not appear to be very whole-hearted or enthusiastic financial support. It is not exactly to our credit that the Tiv people had to pioneer and lead the way for a distinctively Reformed theological training in Nigeria. The least we can do now is to redouble our efforts to make up for lost time.
Commendation for Dr. Rubingh personally is certainly in order because of the support he has given to the Tiv Church in the desire to have its own seminary. This support he expressed already in his book, Sons of Tiv (1969). We trust that he and others on the Board will now continue to exert their efforts toward further support for this cause.
Financial contributions for the RTCN may he channeled through the Christian Reformed Board of Foreign Missions, 2850 Kalamazoo Avenue, S. E., Grand Rapids, Michigan 49508.
That the RTCN is being prospered of the Lord is evident from photos that we arc placing herewith.
JOHN VANDER PLOEG