A Wholesome Concern

The concerns of Calvin Theological Seminary have been before the church in recent years more frequently than in the past. Only a few years ago there were several overtures before the Christian Reformed Synod to ensure the adherence of the Seminary professors to the teachings of both Bible and Creed. At the Synod of 1982 no less than five overtures out of the 25 submitted to that synod dealt with this matter.

Whatever one may say of the merits of some of the overtures then submitted, the concern which they expressed for the doctrinal purity of the denominational seminary was wholesome. They were evidence of the fact that the Christian Reformed Church still desires to be a confessionally and biblically sound church. Everyone who has the true wellbeing of the church of Christ at heart should rejoice in that fact. Let us keep it this way, and let us strengthen and encourage any and all attempts to keep the church from error and faithful to the biblical and Reformed teachings which, we believe are applicable also to this age of high technology and space exploration.

Just the other day, in preparing a lecture on Genesis 2 and 3, the present writer re-read what John Calvin says about the duty of man and woman to “dress and keep” the garden. Calvin’s comments have a modern ring about them. They stress the need to conserve the soil and to hand it down to posterity in the same if not better condition than it was received. These are statements that could have come recently out of the office of the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington, except that Calvin gives to man’s duty in this regard a Godward direction, something one does not find in current deliverances of most ecologists.

There is therefore every reason to let the confessions and the writings of the early Reformers be known to our present generations of students. To this should be added a constant dialogue with, and, if need be, a clear opposition to the current theological discussion. An almost super-human skill is required to be both confessionally loyal and abreast of current trends, benefiting from them, sifting them as to their truth value, accepting what is good and rejecting what is erroneous and contrary to divine revelation. Much prayer along with loving concern on the part of the church is needed for those who hold the office of theological professor at the denominational seminary.

Especially Urgent Now: 10 Professors Retire

The coming half-dozen years will be crucial for the future development of Reformed theology at Calvin Seminary. Within that short time span more than half of the Seminary faculty will retire from active duty. This will affect most if not all departments oftheological education at the Seminary. There will be a wholesale exodus of no less than ten professors all of whom will need to be replaced by capable successors, men who are experienced in their respective fields, abreast of modem developments, and committed to the truths of the Reformation creeds, ready to defend such truths against attack and to apply them to the modern situation.

Obviously, the Christian Reformed Church has a big stake in what will happen at the Seminary within the next six years. The purpose of the present article is to alert the church to the challenge it faces and to prepare her for a meaningful role in this significant change at the school where most of her ministers are being trained. At this time I have no special words of wisdom to impart as to how the church’s role can best be expressed. I am thinking of something beyond the usual steps that are laid down in the rules for appointment especially because of the magnitude of the change ahead. Shall we approach this matter wholly piecemeal?

The Changing Rules

The usual rules for denominational participation are well-known. When a vacancy occurs the church is apprised of this event and is invited to submit names of candidates deemed capable of filling the vacant chair. The response to this invitation has been gratifying thus far. The names submitted are carefully screened by the Faculty and by the “Division” most closely involved. The most prominent candidates are then invited to appear before the Faculty for an oral interview.

While this process is being followed the Faculty continues to be open to the possibility of new names being submitted that may have been overlooked. At the recent appointment procedure whereby Dr. David Holwerda was appointed to succeed Dr. B. Van Elderen, there appeared a “dark horse” upon the horizon who, upon due reflection, turned out to have many things in his favor. He was a committed scholar, adhering to the faith of the Reformation, a publicist and teacher, and one with a Korean background. The latter factor, all other things being equal, was considered a point in his favor. As is well known, the Christian Reformed Church now is beginning to have a significant Korean “connection.” Apart from this, a Korean component in the Seminary Faculty might also give us a more “minority” oriented stance and this, in tum, might help the outreach of the Seminary into other minorities, to reach these with Reformed teaching.

A significant change has recently occurred in the appointment procedures at Calvin Seminary. Previously the Faculty, having done its work, submitted one or more names to the Board of Trustees. The Board would then proceed to make a nomination for the coming synod. Under the new rules, however, the Board makes the appointment, in light of a nomination received from the Faculty. But the appointment made by the Board still is subject to the approval of the coming synod. The synod is to interview the appointee before voting on the appointment. If synod does not approve, the board shall be asked to submit a new appointment.

Away from Synod Control

The appointment of Professor D. Holwerda is the first one to be processed under the new rules. It appears to this observer that the last step in the appointment procedure, that of synodical approval (or disapproval) based on synodical interview , has been rendered more or less of no effect by the appointee’s declaration that he will accept the appoinment. This has also been the tenor of the publicity in the church papers. The synodical involvement in this appointment is by no means negligible. It should not be shortchanged by premature declarations.

The church’s role in the appointment of Seminary professors is a significant one. The Church should have the desire to make the most of its involvement. Still, it cannot be denied that much of the most important work of selection and processing of a nomination is not directly in the hands of the church. This is what may be expected. The field of theological studies is getting increasingly complex. Many in the church will not be able to judge the qualifications of one who is to teach in the theological seminary of our church. But the church continues to have a vital stake in each and every new appointment.

On the level of the synodical interview, with its implied right of veto of the Board’s action , the church will have a major role to play. Even so, questions of popularity and personality should not have the final word in what synod does and decides. Such factors are likely to influence the vote in a synodical assembly to some extent. But they should not have the decisive significance they could easily assume. Commitment to the creeds of the Reformation, the ability to tell true from false in current trends, scholarly equipment, and the readiness to promote Reformed theological learning without compromise, these and other factors similar to them, should determine how a synod votes on an appointee of the Board.

With the oft quoted words of the founders of Harvard College, the Christian Reformed Church, as well as all other true churches of Christ, has a tremendous stake in having “a literate ministry when our present ministry shall lie in the dust.” Ministers come and ministers go. The same applies to Seminary professors. Soon we will all lie in the dust. Let the church of Jesus Christ with the means at its disposal be diligent in perpetuating sound theological learning at the seminaries of the land. When the ministers are trained in sound doctrine the effect of their ministry will also be felt in the land. Eternal vigilance is the price of sound orthodoxy and of wholesome Scripture proclamation. Seminaries exist in order to promote sound preaching by means of teaching sound learning . Ten professors of Calvin Seminary will retire within the next six years. Let the church which loves God‘s truth take notice , and let it take whatever steps it can to ensure the continuity of sound learning among us.

Marten H. Woudstra is a Professor of Old Testament at Calvin Theological Seminary.