Protestant Reformed Churches in America
Encyclopedia
The Protestant Reformed Churches in America (PRC) or (PRCA) is a Protestant
denomination
of 29 churches and over 7,000 members.
in the Christian Reformed Church
. At that time the Christian Reformed Church adopted three doctrinal points on the subject of common grace. Reverends Herman Hoeksema
, George Ophoff, and Henry Danhof rejected these three points and maintained them to be contrary to the Reformed confessions of faith. Soon thereafter, when these men said they could not abide by these three points, they were disciplined through suspension or deposition from the ministry by their respective Classes. The CRC maintained that the position of these three men was inconsistent with the Bible's teachings. The men objected to this deposition also from a church political point of view, arguing that only the Consistory
has the right to depose their minister, not a Classis. The CRC disagreed and these ministers, as well as their followers, left the CRC and organized into a new denomination, taking the name of Protesting Christian Reformed Churches. When it became apparent that any reconciliation with the CRC was impossible, the denomination renamed itself the Protestant Reformed Churches in America.
The PRC today continues to reject common grace as a variant of Arminian theology and believes that God's grace is always particular and never general or common. The rejection of common grace and the free offer of the gospel is often understood to be Hyper-Calvinism. Since the PRC hold these positions to be contrary to the Reformed Confessions and do not reject the necessity of gospel preaching, they therefore also maintain that the rejection of these positions should not be referred to as Hyper-Calvinism
(see David Engelsma's Hyper-Calvinism and the Call of the Gospel). The position of the PRC regarding common grace and the free offer of the gospel
is rejected by the majority of modern day reformed denominations and scholars, and the PRC maintains that these denominations and scholars do not fully hold to the Reformed confessions.
In the early 1950s, the churches endured a severe, internal, doctrinal controversy regarding the unconditionality of the covenant of grace. Membership in the denomination declined by over one half and half of the ministers left the PRC during this period. The denomination today continues to teach that God unconditionally establishes and maintains His covenant with His elect people alone.
is the infallible and inerrantly
inspired
word of God and that the message therein is well summarized in the Three Forms of Unity
: the Heidelberg Catechism
, the Belgic Confession
, and the Canons of Dordt. While the PRC approves of most of the Westminster Confession of Faith
, it does not endorse it. This is partly due to a different understanding of marriage and divorce and the covenant of works.
The PRC believes that marriage is a lifelong bond and that, although an individual may divorce his or her spouse for continued infidelity, the marriage bond is not dissolved apart from death. Hence, neither party is permitted to remarry while the other person is still living. Those who do divorce and remarry while their first spouse is still alive are considered adulterers, regardless of the circumstances of the divorce (Gritters, The Family: Foundations are Shaking).
The PRC holds that God's covenant is only with His elect and that it is unconditional (meaning that there are no conditions that people must fulfill to enter into the covenant or to stay in the covenant). The PRC rejects Antinomianism
, believing instead that God calls the people of the covenant to believe and obey and that He personally and entirely produces in them the required faith and works.
In public worship services, the PRC mostly sings the Psalms
with organ accompaniment, but in contrast to exclusive psalmody
, it does permit the singing of certain hymns. Article 69 of the church order adopted by the Synod of Dordt states that: "In the churches only the 150 Psalms of David, the Ten Commandments, the Lord's Prayer, the Twelve Articles of Faith, the Songs of Mary, Zacharias, and Simeon, the Morning and Evening Hymns, and the Hymn of Prayer before the sermon shall be sung." It is a common practice within PRC services to open with the singing of the "Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow" doxology
and some end the service with the singing of "May the Grace of Christ the Savior" doxology. Outside of the official church service, members are free to sing hymns and carols. Also, the PRC uses the King James Version of the Bible, although they do not endorse the King James Only movement and members are free to use other Bible versions.
The PRC also advocates amillennialism
in Christian eschatology
and holds exclusively to young Earth creationism
.
The PRC is firmly against the Federal Vision theology (Universal Covenantalism - Conditional Covenant Theology) held by other Reformed and Presbyterian churches. The PRC positively defends and confesses Unconditional Covenant Theology which the Lord alone establishes, maintains, and sustains with His elect in Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
is the boundary between the two), which meet two or three times a year and in an annual Synod.
The name of the denomination is not the Protestant Reformed Church (singular) but the Protestant Reformed Churches (plural). The PRC maintain that a denomination is not a church but a federation of churches, and that each of these churches is self-governing by a body of elders chosen out of the congregation. The PRC holds that God has given the "keys of the kingdom of heaven" (Mat 16:18, which is understood as granting authority for the preaching the gospel, and the exercise of church discipline) to the instituted church, not the denomination. Thus in the PRC only an instituted church can place an individual or a church officer under discipline. The PRC denies that a meeting of Classis or Synod has the authority to do this, though they may advise a congregation to do so.
At the same time the PRC maintains the binding authority of the decisions of the broader assemblies. Individuals and congregations must submit to these decisions if they are going to remain in the denomination, and if an individual congregation refuses to do so, the broader assembly has the authority to declare that congregation to be outside the federation of churches.
Only male members who have made a public confession of faith and are in good standing may vote for church officers or be ordained
.
but there are also churches in the midwestern and western United States. The PRC has few formal relationships with most reformed denominations and organizations. The PRC contributed greatly to the development of two churches in Singapore
the First Evangelical Reformed Church in Singapore and Covenant Evangelical Reformed Church. The PRC also has relationships with a small fellowship in New Zealand
; the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Australia; a small sister church in Northern Ireland which was founded with the help of the PRC and; the Protestant Reformed Churches in Myanmar
.
The PRC has also developed contacts in India, Germany, Uzbekestan, Croatia and Namibia. Currently, the PRC is engaged in missions in a few locations in the United States, and they have recently organized a church in the Philippines
. In 2005, the Synod of the PRC closed the denomination's missionary field work in Ghana
, due to a lack of membership.
Home schooling in the PRC is strongly discouraged when a Protestant Reformed school is available. The 2009 PRC Synod forbad office bearers from using home education for their children in most situations, stating that an office bearer is 'expected to send his children to those (PRC) schools unless there are special circumstances judged by his consistory to be valid.' David Engelsma, Professor Emeritus of the Protestant Reformed Seminary writes that "Even though home-schooling of their children might be possible for a few, specially gifted parents whose circumstances provide the time that is needed, home-schooling is still not an option" (Engelsma, "Reformed Education").
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
denomination
Religious denomination
A religious denomination is a subgroup within a religion that operates under a common name, tradition, and identity.The term describes various Christian denominations...
of 29 churches and over 7,000 members.
History
The PRC was founded in 1924 as a result of a controversy regarding common graceCommon grace
Common Grace is a theological concept in Protestant Christianity, primarily in Reformed and Calvinistic circles, referring to the grace of God that is either common to all humankind, or common to everyone within a particular sphere of influence...
in the Christian Reformed Church
Christian Reformed Church in North America
The Christian Reformed Church in North America is a Protestant Christian denomination in the United States and Canada. Having roots in the Dutch Reformed churches of the Netherlands, the Christian Reformed Church was founded by Gijsbert Haan and Dutch immigrants who left the Reformed Church in...
. At that time the Christian Reformed Church adopted three doctrinal points on the subject of common grace. Reverends Herman Hoeksema
Herman Hoeksema
Herman Hoeksema was a Dutch Reformed theologian.Hoeksema was born on 1886-03-12 at Hoogezand, in the province of Groningen in the Netherlands and immigrated to the USA in 1904...
, George Ophoff, and Henry Danhof rejected these three points and maintained them to be contrary to the Reformed confessions of faith. Soon thereafter, when these men said they could not abide by these three points, they were disciplined through suspension or deposition from the ministry by their respective Classes. The CRC maintained that the position of these three men was inconsistent with the Bible's teachings. The men objected to this deposition also from a church political point of view, arguing that only the Consistory
Consistory
-Antiquity:Originally, the Latin word consistorium meant simply 'sitting together', just as the Greek synedrion ....
has the right to depose their minister, not a Classis. The CRC disagreed and these ministers, as well as their followers, left the CRC and organized into a new denomination, taking the name of Protesting Christian Reformed Churches. When it became apparent that any reconciliation with the CRC was impossible, the denomination renamed itself the Protestant Reformed Churches in America.
The PRC today continues to reject common grace as a variant of Arminian theology and believes that God's grace is always particular and never general or common. The rejection of common grace and the free offer of the gospel is often understood to be Hyper-Calvinism. Since the PRC hold these positions to be contrary to the Reformed Confessions and do not reject the necessity of gospel preaching, they therefore also maintain that the rejection of these positions should not be referred to as Hyper-Calvinism
Hyper-Calvinism
Hyper-Calvinism is a pejorative term referring to a denial of the free offer of the gospel and duty-faith. The term "Hyper-Calvinism" is used in the writings of Iain Murray, Curt Daniel, Peter Toon and others who seek to defend the free offer of the gospel as well as duty faith.The controversy over...
(see David Engelsma's Hyper-Calvinism and the Call of the Gospel). The position of the PRC regarding common grace and the free offer of the gospel
Free offer of the gospel
The free offer of the Gospel refers to the offer of salvation in Jesus Christ to all people. It is generally accepted by Calvinists, but rejected by a few small Reformed denominations, such as the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Australia and the Protestant Reformed Churches in America, and also...
is rejected by the majority of modern day reformed denominations and scholars, and the PRC maintains that these denominations and scholars do not fully hold to the Reformed confessions.
In the early 1950s, the churches endured a severe, internal, doctrinal controversy regarding the unconditionality of the covenant of grace. Membership in the denomination declined by over one half and half of the ministers left the PRC during this period. The denomination today continues to teach that God unconditionally establishes and maintains His covenant with His elect people alone.
Distinctive doctrine
The PRC believes that the BibleBible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
is the infallible and inerrantly
Biblical inerrancy
Biblical inerrancy is the doctrinal position that the Bible is accurate and totally free of error, that "Scripture in the original manuscripts does not affirm anything that is contrary to fact." Some equate inerrancy with infallibility; others do not.Conservative Christians generally believe that...
inspired
Biblical inspiration
Biblical inspiration is the doctrine in Christian theology that the authors and editors of the Bible were led or influenced by God with the result that their writings many be designated in some sense the word of God.- Etymology :...
word of God and that the message therein is well summarized in the Three Forms of Unity
Three Forms of Unity
The Three Forms of Unity is a collective name for the Belgic Confession, the Canons of Dort, and the Heidelberg Catechism, which reflect the doctrinal concerns of Continental Calvinism and are accepted as official statements of doctrine by many of the Reformed churches.-History:From 1618 to 1619...
: the Heidelberg Catechism
Heidelberg Catechism
The Heidelberg Catechism is a Protestant confessional document taking the form of a series of questions and answers, for use in teaching Reformed Christian doctrine...
, the Belgic Confession
Belgic Confession
The Confession of Faith, popularly known as the Belgic Confession, is a doctrinal standard document to which many of the Reformed churches subscribe. The Confession forms part of the Reformed Three Forms of Unity...
, and the Canons of Dordt. While the PRC approves of most of the Westminster Confession of Faith
Westminster Confession of Faith
The Westminster Confession of Faith is a Reformed confession of faith, in the Calvinist theological tradition. Although drawn up by the 1646 Westminster Assembly, largely of the Church of England, it became and remains the 'subordinate standard' of doctrine in the Church of Scotland, and has been...
, it does not endorse it. This is partly due to a different understanding of marriage and divorce and the covenant of works.
The PRC believes that marriage is a lifelong bond and that, although an individual may divorce his or her spouse for continued infidelity, the marriage bond is not dissolved apart from death. Hence, neither party is permitted to remarry while the other person is still living. Those who do divorce and remarry while their first spouse is still alive are considered adulterers, regardless of the circumstances of the divorce (Gritters, The Family: Foundations are Shaking).
The PRC holds that God's covenant is only with His elect and that it is unconditional (meaning that there are no conditions that people must fulfill to enter into the covenant or to stay in the covenant). The PRC rejects Antinomianism
Antinomianism
Antinomianism is defined as holding that, under the gospel dispensation of grace, moral law is of no use or obligation because faith alone is necessary to salvation....
, believing instead that God calls the people of the covenant to believe and obey and that He personally and entirely produces in them the required faith and works.
In public worship services, the PRC mostly sings the Psalms
Psalms
The Book of Psalms , commonly referred to simply as Psalms, is a book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Bible...
with organ accompaniment, but in contrast to exclusive psalmody
Exclusive psalmody
Exclusive psalmody is the particular worship practice of several small Protestant denominations worldwide which use a metrical version of the Book of Psalms from the Bible as the only manual of songs that may be sung in their services...
, it does permit the singing of certain hymns. Article 69 of the church order adopted by the Synod of Dordt states that: "In the churches only the 150 Psalms of David, the Ten Commandments, the Lord's Prayer, the Twelve Articles of Faith, the Songs of Mary, Zacharias, and Simeon, the Morning and Evening Hymns, and the Hymn of Prayer before the sermon shall be sung." It is a common practice within PRC services to open with the singing of the "Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow" doxology
Doxology
A doxology is a short hymn of praises to God in various Christian worship services, often added to the end of canticles, psalms, and hymns...
and some end the service with the singing of "May the Grace of Christ the Savior" doxology. Outside of the official church service, members are free to sing hymns and carols. Also, the PRC uses the King James Version of the Bible, although they do not endorse the King James Only movement and members are free to use other Bible versions.
The PRC also advocates amillennialism
Amillennialism
Amillennialism is a view in Christian end-times theology named for its rejection of the theory that Jesus Christ will have a thousand-year long, physical reign on the earth...
in Christian eschatology
Christian eschatology
Christian eschatology is a major branch of study within Christian theology. Eschatology, from two Greek words meaning last and study , is the study of the end of things, whether the end of an individual life, the end of the age, or the end of the world...
and holds exclusively to young Earth creationism
Young Earth creationism
Young Earth creationism is the religious belief that Heavens, Earth, and all life on Earth were created by direct acts of the Abrahamic God during a relatively short period, sometime between 5,700 and 10,000 years ago...
.
The PRC is firmly against the Federal Vision theology (Universal Covenantalism - Conditional Covenant Theology) held by other Reformed and Presbyterian churches. The PRC positively defends and confesses Unconditional Covenant Theology which the Lord alone establishes, maintains, and sustains with His elect in Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
Church government
The denomination holds to the presbyterian form of church government and is organized in two classes, Classis East and Classis West (the eastern border of IllinoisIllinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
is the boundary between the two), which meet two or three times a year and in an annual Synod.
The name of the denomination is not the Protestant Reformed Church (singular) but the Protestant Reformed Churches (plural). The PRC maintain that a denomination is not a church but a federation of churches, and that each of these churches is self-governing by a body of elders chosen out of the congregation. The PRC holds that God has given the "keys of the kingdom of heaven" (Mat 16:18, which is understood as granting authority for the preaching the gospel, and the exercise of church discipline) to the instituted church, not the denomination. Thus in the PRC only an instituted church can place an individual or a church officer under discipline. The PRC denies that a meeting of Classis or Synod has the authority to do this, though they may advise a congregation to do so.
At the same time the PRC maintains the binding authority of the decisions of the broader assemblies. Individuals and congregations must submit to these decisions if they are going to remain in the denomination, and if an individual congregation refuses to do so, the broader assembly has the authority to declare that congregation to be outside the federation of churches.
Only male members who have made a public confession of faith and are in good standing may vote for church officers or be ordained
Ordination
In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
.
Churches and missions
The PRC has around thirty member churches scattered throughout the United States and in Canada. A majority of the churches in the United States are located in western MichiganMichigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
but there are also churches in the midwestern and western United States. The PRC has few formal relationships with most reformed denominations and organizations. The PRC contributed greatly to the development of two churches in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
the First Evangelical Reformed Church in Singapore and Covenant Evangelical Reformed Church. The PRC also has relationships with a small fellowship in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
; the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Australia; a small sister church in Northern Ireland which was founded with the help of the PRC and; the Protestant Reformed Churches in Myanmar
Myanmar
Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
.
The PRC has also developed contacts in India, Germany, Uzbekestan, Croatia and Namibia. Currently, the PRC is engaged in missions in a few locations in the United States, and they have recently organized a church in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. In 2005, the Synod of the PRC closed the denomination's missionary field work in Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
, due to a lack of membership.
Christian Education
The PRC holds that "it is necessary for them to maintain good, Christian schools in which their children are educated" (Gritters, "The Antichrist"). To this end, Protestant Reformed parents maintain twelve primary and two high schools for the education of approximately 1500 children.Home schooling in the PRC is strongly discouraged when a Protestant Reformed school is available. The 2009 PRC Synod forbad office bearers from using home education for their children in most situations, stating that an office bearer is 'expected to send his children to those (PRC) schools unless there are special circumstances judged by his consistory to be valid.' David Engelsma, Professor Emeritus of the Protestant Reformed Seminary writes that "Even though home-schooling of their children might be possible for a few, specially gifted parents whose circumstances provide the time that is needed, home-schooling is still not an option" (Engelsma, "Reformed Education").
Organizations
- Protestant Reformed Theological School - the seminarySeminaryA seminary, theological college, or divinity school is an institution of secondary or post-secondary education for educating students in theology, generally to prepare them for ordination as clergy or for other ministry...
of the PRC, located in Grandville, MichiganGrandville, MichiganGrandville is a city in Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 16,263 at the 2000 census. Grandville is one of the oldest suburbs of Grand Rapids, and was incorporated as a city in 1933....
. - Reformed Free Publishing Association - publisher of theological and other Christian books by PRC authors and of a semi-monthly magazine The Standard Bearer, located in Jenison, MichiganJenison, MichiganJenison is an unincorporated community in Ottawa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a census-designated place for statistical purposes, but has no legal status as an incorporated municipality. The community is governed by Georgetown Charter Township. The population of the CDP was 17,211...
- The Reformed Witness Hour - a radio broadcast sponspored by the PRC.