Albertus van Raalte in Deutschland - pagina 13

The ORC ministers as Pillars of the CRC Between 1847 and 1900 about 66 ministers of the Christelijke Afgescheidene Kerk and the Doleerende Kerken went to the US. Half of them became Christian Reformed, the other half became Reformed (RCA). At least ten of the 66 had been ministers in the County of Bentheim and in East Friesland, and all of them, except one, became ministers in the CRC.xxii This means, the German direction was different. Did they have theological reasons or were it personal reasons to enter the CRC? Was it probably because everyone knew everyone and was related to everyone? This is probably one reason. Another one is: The Oldreformed in the County of Bentheim had suffered much longer and more severe persecution by church and government than the Dutch people. They were clinched more to the church of the secession. They could not endure people thinking the secession in the Netherlands had not been necessary. The letter of secession of the consistory of Graafschap, Michigan to the Classical meeting of April 8th, 1857 is telling: Graafschap does not want any hymns. They are contrary to the church order. Already in the secession in the German County of Bentheim the church order was very important. Graafschap Michigan consistory is going on: It does not want to invite openly everyone to the Lords Supper. There must be more catechism preaching, catechetical classes and house visitation. New written books have to have a consent of other denominations. All these points are known to the people of Graafschap from what had happened in their old County 1838 to 1848. ”And what grieves our hearts most in all of this is that there are members among you who regard our secession in the Netherlands as not strictly necessary, or think that it was untimely” is one of the main points 1857 in Graafschap, Michigan.xxiii The only Oldreformed exception going to the RCA was Nickolas Martin Steffens (1839-1912)…. The ORC was surprisingly strong in the formation of a theological cadre for the CRC. Before the Theological School at Grand Rapids, today Calvin Seminary, was founded in 1876, the church of Graafschap and her minister D.J. van der Werp trained new pastors from 1865 on.xxiv In 1873 and 1875 the CRC synod called Jan Bavinck, an ORC minister in the north of Bentheim who had moved to (Ruinerwold and later to) Kampen to instruct the students and to preach. After he had declined twice, the synod found the Rev. G.E. Boer available.xxv A few years later, in 1882, a student, son of another minister from the County of Bentheim, Gerhardus Vos (1862-1949), was asked to be the second teacher at the school at Grand Rapids…… The German Oldreformed Iidentity in the US The Oldreformed immigrants not readily merged with their Dutch coreligionists. They had endured religious persecution both by government and church. Their experiences with their Reformed mother church in Germany was much worse than the experiences of their Dutch neighbors. Though they were able to speak and understand Dutch without any problems, their social primary contacts were with each other rather than with the Dutch. Their miniature church made them feel uncomfortable in the big RCA, where decisions were made in far-removed synods…. World War I made it hard for Germans to maintain their identity. Some must have been glad, that ”Dutch” and ”Deutsch” were confused. It was hard for the German people living in America to have their sons fighting, e.g. in France against the Germans, some of whom have been their cousins in the first and second grade. Rev. Jan Robbertxxvi (1857-1922), son in law of the Calvin Seminary professor Dr. Henricus Beuker, for example, became mentally ill as he thought about this fact. The problem existed for all Americans of German descendant fighting in the War. After the First World War, being German and having German roots never again was what it had been earlier. During the War even the use of the German language in some public places in Michigan was forbidden. Many German papers in America ceased publication and German services were discontinued.

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