In 1990, the General Synod affirmed that: To instruct the Office of Education and Faith Development to provide to local congregations educational materials pertaining to the abuse of alcohol.To encourage RCA members to promote legislation within their communities to ban the “Happy Hour,” i.e., the reduced price of alcoholic drinks during specified periods.To instruct the Office of Social Witness to urge and facilitate local congregations to correspond with television networks and television personalities in order to discourage the endorsement of alcoholic beverages.To request RCA members to urge their state legislatures to adopt 21 years as the legal drinking age.The 1985 General Synod adopted four resolutions pertaining to alcohol abuse: (W 18-3, MGS 2018: 317)Īlcohol and its abuse have been discussed at meetings of the General Synod since the 1940s. To urge every classis to have a sexual harassment training in place by General Synod 2019 and to have a plan for sustained accountability through continued education. To enact denomination-wide education and training to include boards, institutions, agencies, commissions, regional synods, classes, consistories, and congregations, reporting back to General Synod 2019 its progress and details of implementation. To instruct the GSC to develop and implement a sexual harassment policy and procedures for reporting and responding to incidents and furthermore ensure that investigations into such allegations will result in protection and non-retaliatory behaviors toward the reporters and In addition, General Synod adopted two recommendations: To encourage that this statement and the subject of harassment, abuse, and sexual violence be used to inform services of worship to encourage pastors to preach on this topic as well as to care for victims of harassment, abuse, and sexual violence and to encourage congregations to form study groups to explore and reflect upon this topic. In 2018, General Synod approved a recommendation to affirm the RCA’s #wearespeaking statement. (MGS 1990: 101)Ībortion was also discussed briefly in the 1992, 1994, 1996, 1997, and 2005 General Synods the synod voted to uphold its 19 positions. They should not feel pressure to abort an unborn child because they have nowhere to turn for support. Women should not be forced to choose between living in poverty or giving birth, between caring for their newborn or losing their job. One way for the church to respond to the tragedy of abortion is to address those forces to which women are especially vulnerable: poverty, a lack of support services, the demands of the work place upon the family. In 1990, a report by the Commission on Christian Action stated that: In a report from the Commission on Theology, the 1984 General Synod further noted thatĪlthough a society may accept abortion legally, abortion is not thereby morally responsible…Only in theory and in science-fiction can one imagine human life so totally individualistic that child-bearing can be a matter of parental convenience. In light of prior General Synod decisions, the committee believes it is inappropriate for the Reformed Church in America to advocate any kind of governmental support for abortion. In denying the motion, the synod stated that Wade decision, to allow the use of public funds for abortions. In 1984, the General Synod voted to deny an overture to urge federal and state governments, in complying with the Roe v. We call on our members to support efforts for constitutional changes to provide legal protection for the unborn.
We call on our churches to expand their efforts to support agencies providing a ministry of mercy to those seeking alternatives to abortion. We call on all who counsel those with problem pregnancies, especially youth workers, campus pastors and staff members of our church colleges, to uphold the Christian alternatives to abortion. It is our Christian conviction that abortion performed for personal reasons to insure individual convenience ought not to be permitted. However, in this complex society, where many times one form of evil is pitted against another form of evil, there could be exceptions. Therefore, we believe, in principle, that abortion ought not to be practiced at all. are given the precious gift of life from God and are created in the image of God. We believe the Bible teaches the sanctity of human life. In 1973, the General Synod adopted a statement which read: