catapult magazine

*cino’s mission statement reads: “culture is not optional seeks to help Christians practically apply their faith to all aspects of their lives by learning and serving as a community of believers.” The worlds “CRC” or “Calvinism” are nowhere to be found but this identity seems to be implicitly understood by most involved.

Is *cino intended to be a forum for the Dutch Reformed community? At the moment it seems to be so. Obviously there are advantages such as insider vocabulary, worldview similarities, and possibility of funding from Calvinist foundations and such. In its current function the site acts as a catalyst for CRC dialogue and community. Is this the goal?

If so, might the word “Christian” in the mission statement need to be qualified? Or is the goal to eventually expand the community to include Catholics, Lutherans, and Pentecostals?

I hate white flight. It’s so ridiculously idiotic. It was beautifully ironic however when a few people who left South Holland (because they were afraid the crime rate would go up because of the new “different” people moving in) had a particularly nasty crime commited within a block of their new house.

Obviously crime isn’t good wherever it is, but I hope that opened their eyes a bit.

I’ve been following this whole Is*cino Dutch? discussion with some interest. To be very precise in the application of citizenship or cultural backgrounds, *cino is not Dutch at all. It is the product Calvinist (Reformed) views and the work of some people who probably have surnames that can be traced back to somewhere in the Netherlands. I think we in the Reformed tradition and specifically the Christian Reformed Church has held on to this Dutch thing way way too long. It holds us back. We have been blest with a rich view of how we are to live and work in this world and by binding that view too closely to our ethnic background, we make it difficult to share with those who may be nonDutch.
I have been involved in teaching in a Christian school for many years. (I am the mother of one of the *cino gang) In the US, Christian schools are often (not always) a pretty homogenous group of people. But now I live and work in multicultural Canada and the principal of the school I teach in is Mennonite. Our staff members come from various denominations: Christian Reformed , Mennonite, Evengelical, and Alliance just to name a few. The students come from over 40 denominations. The chair of the school board attends a independent megachurch Several years ago my husband (VP at the same school) and I were challenged by a friend my dads that this was not a good thing because we would lose our Refomed distinction. Interestingly this has not happened at all. WE may have lost some of our “Dutchness” and we may not always use the words and catch phrases used at Dordt but our Reformed heritage as been affirmed over and over by many members of our Society. We make a special effort to educate our new parents about our beginnings and the reasons for the school to be organized and that has always been valued. Several families have joined the CRC after becoming familiar with the Reformed way of thinking through the school.

Sorry to ramble on, but *cino does not need to ignore or hide its beginnings even if the word Dutch is a misnomer. But it does have to be open to welcoming others without jargon or condescension. I think I am part of a living example that a site like *cino can work. Not just “Dutchies” are interested in living a life of worship. In a inter-denominational school, I have learned a lot of important lessons from my other brothers and sisters in Christ. It goes both ways. We are all parts of one body.

One last word to wscott, don’t leave!!! I’m not sure why knowing this site was originated by a group of like minded people bothers you. If you enjoyed it and felt like you had things to add, why not add them. We can all grow together. We all worship the same Lord and Christ.

(Whew, there! Made my first posting!)

Amen! That’s what I was trying to say!
Thanks, cvk!

Yeah, thanks for that post. The past several weeks, I attended two CRC churches on the south side of Chicago that are made up mostly of African-Americans. These churches have successfully combined the strengths of reformed thinking with the hospitality of African-American culture. During the times of prayer, it became evident that a reformational perspective can be very empowering for people outside of a Dutch tradition. It was great to hear the 1st question and answer of the Heidelberg Catechism read with such fervor followed by a string of “Amen!”s and a few “Praise God! Hallelujah!”s.

Great posts, everyone. It’s neat to hear what God’s doing in different parts of the continent.

It’s only natural for a group like *cino to form out of people with similar backgrounds and experiences. Any spiritual organization needs the financial and spiritual support of a community of believers. Right now that group seems to be reformed minded Dutch folk.

But one of the reason’s I’m excited about *cino is that the organization does see the big picture. They see the need for Christ in the world around us. The people in *cino understand that the world around us does not need to be more like the Dutch, but more like Christ.

God made me Dutch for a reason. I don’t apologize for it. The challenge will be to let the Holy Spirit unite the increasingly diverse people in the *cino community in God’s purpose.

and we should have laurencer delete this thread before anybody else gets scared off :)

Almost any kind of organization is started by like-minded people, and grows from there. Let’s get over it. *cino is not going to extend itself if it stews about its origins.

I prefer not knowing everything about everyone (including background) on a forum like this. As we’ve seen, it turns people off; and discussion is always better when there’s a healthy amount unfamiliarity involved. No offense to the originator, as this was a good topic to get off the shelf, but . . in the interest of avoiding bias and exclusivity, can I cast my vote for letting this thread die?