Biblical Response to the OCUC Statement

A group of West Michigan Calvinistic Protestant ministers from a cross section of denominations has composed a statement responding to and countering the public statement (https://www.unifyingchristians.com/statement ) composed by the Ottawa Coalition for Unifying Christians [OCUC] . This OCUC statement reflects the doctrinal views of area liberal mainline Protestantism, and it has been important that conservative Calvinistic Protestant church leaders publicly address what it says in order to provide Biblical guidance to local government leaders and voting citizens on the topic. It is also important that all Christians in West Michigan testify of Christ and Biblical truth.

West Michigan citizens may affirm our agreement with the statement authored by this group of Calvinistic Protestant ministers. If you reside in Ottawa County, Michigan or one of its adjacent counties (Kent, Allegan, Muskegon) and would like to add your name to those affirming agreement, please send an email to the administrator of this project, Joseph Parnell McCarter, at BiblicalResponseToOCUC@gmail.com, and he will seek to make sure your name gets added to the list. Please include your full name and town of residence. If you are a currently serving teaching or ruling church elder, please also provide your church affiliation so that it may be publicly indicated.

Statement by West Michigan ministers:

As Christians saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone (Eph. 2:8), we are compelled to respond to the recent statement published by the Ottawa Coalition of Unifying Christians (OCUC).  Its blasphemous intentions are hidden away in the slippery language of the spirit of this age (2 Tim. 3:13; Rom. 1:22-24).  But unlike the authors of the OCUC, our consciences are held captive by the Word of God and not the approval of men (2 Tim. 3:16-17).  It’s our intention to make our affirmations and rejections clear.

●  We affirm that every human being is created in the image of God and must be afforded common dignity (Gen. 1:26; 9:6).

●  We reject that a term like “sacred dignity” should be used to describe or mask over perverse and disordered expressions of human sexuality.

●  We affirm our commitment that the chief end of man is the glory of God and the ultimate goal for Christian engagement with the broader culture (1 Cor. 10:31; Rom. 11:36).

●  We reject the idea that the so-called “greater common good” ought to be a primary motivator for God’s people.  God’s moral law defines the highest common good, not the ideologies of the lost (John 14:15).

●  We affirm an appropriate, Biblical separation between the church and the state as distinct institutions ordained by God and both being under God’s authority (Rom. 13:1-7; Ps. 2:10-12).

●  We reject the notion that Christian morality is superseded by civil immorality. We obey God and not man (Acts 5:29).

●  We affirm our nation was founded to provide freedom of religion within a Christian framework.  It is the task of our civil leaders to ensure that “the Word of God may have free course; the kingdom of Jesus Christ may make progress; and every anti-Christian power may be resisted” (Belgic Confession – Article 36).

●  We reject any perspective that suggests a robust Christian morality and worldview should be set aside under the rubric of “historic injustices.” (1 Cor. 1:18-21)

●  We affirm God’s biblical design for the family as the necessary building block for a stable and flourishing society (Gen. 1:27; Mk. 10:6; Eph. 5:22-25). 

●  We reject the idea that the state should have more authority than parents when it comes to medical decisions, and that deviant sexual behaviors should be platformed, or promoted in our public schools.

●  We affirm the role of the civil authorities to ensure that all people have lawful, equal opportunities and to punish evil and promote good (Rom. 13:1-4). 

●  We reject Cultural Marxism and the false religion of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.  This enshrines envy and theft as a cultural virtue, makes victimhood the highest virtue, and is contrary to the gospel principle that unites all kinds of people (Ex. 20:15-17; Acts 5:4; Gal. 3:28).

●  We affirm the natural sciences and medicine as good gifts of God to be used for His glory and in accordance with His Biblical precepts. 

●  We reject scientism and the view that fallen medical professionals have authority to impose anti human policies, i.e., abortion, gender transitioning, forcing untested vaccines, etc.

It has been one hundred years since J Gresham Machen published Christianity and Liberalism.  He made a helpful distinction that liberal modernist Christianity was not Christianity at all.  The same can be said of those promoting progressive postmodernist ideas within the church—it is not Christianity at all.  The authors of the OCUC statement use ambiguous language to mask their anti-gospel intentions.  We urge them to repent of their people-pleasing and virtue signaling and to flee to Christ in repentance for the forgiveness of their sins.  Their deceptive conduct is not befitting of ministers of the gospel (Is. 5:20).

West Michigan Calvinistic Protestant ministers signing this statement:

Rev. Sacha Walicord - drafting author (Vanguard)

Rev. Lloyd Hemstreet - drafting author (CRC)

Rev. Chip Byrd - drafting author (PCA)

Prof. David Engelsma - editing author (PRCA)

Rev. Bob Van Manen (OPC)

Rev. Steven Demers - editing author (independent)

Rev. Jeph Nobel - editing author (URC)

Rev. Kyle Sanford - editing author (OPC)

Other West Michigan ministers/teaching elders affirming agreement with this statement:

Dr. Tim Penning (Spring Lake, MI - OPC)

Evangelist Jeremy Brown (Holland, MI - Reformed Baptist)

Edward Hoekstra (Hudsonville, MI - PRCA)

(in process)

West Michigan ruling elders affirming agreement with this statement:

Randy Van Liere (Rockford, MI - OPC)

Bob Langerak (Rockford, MI - OPC)

Scott Baas (Rockford, MI - OPC)

Brandon M. Bassett (Rockford, MI - OPC)

Mark Vander Sloot (Marne, MI - OPC)

Paul J. Sapp (Holland, MI - PCA)

Paul Kent (Wyoming, MI - OPC)

Robert Bruins (Allendale, MI - independent)

(in process)

Individual West Michigan citizens affirming agreement with this statement:

Joseph Parnell McCarter - administrator (Georgetown Township, MI)

Evan Kersten (Grand Rapids, MI)

Ruth Kersten (Grand Rapids, MI)

Charlotte McCarter (Georgetown Township, MI)

Jason Silverthorne (Walker, MI)

Stephen Rockman (Grand Haven Township, MI)

Jared Schuitema (Allendale, MI) 

Mark Robert Smith (Allendale, MI)

Brian Vanderlugt (Leighton Township, MI)

Jeff Modert (Holland, MI)

Lisa Modert (Holland, MI)

Adlai Brown (Nunica, MI)

Cynthia Lohrke (Grand Haven Township, MI)

Andrew Van Manen (Grand Rapids, MI)

Jacob Walicord (Alto, MI)

Nicholas Scott Anderson (Muskegon Charter Township, MI)

Randy Hazenberg (Hopkins, MI)

Fran Brown (Olive Township, MI)

Ryan Anderson (Conklin, MI)

Josh Bishop (Holland, MI)

Ross Brown (Olive Township, MI)

Scotty Sprick (Kent County, MI)

Josh Langerak (Tallmadge Township, MI)

Jenny Langerak (Tallmadge Township, MI)

Ken Langerak (Walker Township, MI)

Barb Langerak (Walker Township, MI)

Hannah Kok (Allendale, MI)

Ashley Van Mannen (Grand Rapids, MI)

Greg Stahl (Ravenna, MI)

Amanda Stahl (Ravenna, MI)

Elaine Keyzer (Hudsonville, MI)

Derek Anderson (Wyoming, MI)

Mark Chambers (Otsego, MI)

Peter Kooshian (Holland, MI)

Elizabeth Kooshian (Holland, MI)

Felix Rosales (Holland, MI)

Leah Rosales (Holland, MI)

Matthew Hossink (Holland, MI)

Andrew Barnard (Tallmadge Township, MI)

Brent Bomers (Hudsonville, MI)

Brenden Boudreau (Kent City, MI)

Sara Westhuis (Hudsonville, MI)

David D'arcy (West Olive, MI)

Travis Brack (Holland, MI)

Jeremiah Kooshian (Zeeland, MI)

Lynette Agnew (Allendale, MI)

P.J. Agnew (Allendale, MI)

Aimee Alban (Spring Lake, MI)

K.C. Juntunen (Holland Township, MI)

Maribeth Bruins (Allendale, MI)

Travis Van Oosten (Kent City, MI)

Kari Van Oosten (Kent City, MI)

Craig Yonker (Holland, MI)

Troy Grasman (Allendale, MI)

Lori Grasman (Allendale, MI)

Haley Grasman (Allendale, MI)

James Clifford Snyder (Allendale, MI)

Michael Hintz (Grand Haven, MI)

Sandy Meekhof (Eastmanville, MI)

Dave Meekhof (Eastmanville, MI)

Karen Meekhof (Eastmanville, MI)

Scott White (West Olive, MI)

Terri White (West Olive, MI)

Allen Dykstra (Allendale, MI)

Gloria Dykstra (Allendale, MI)

Gary Veldink (Hudsonville, MI)

Doug Gentry (Lowell , MI)

Waverly Gentry (Lowell, MI)

Brenda Hoekstra (Hudsonville, MI)

(in process)

Rights to copy and distribute this :

This “Biblical Response to the OCUC Statement”, including its authors and affirming signers, may be freely copied and distributed by all parties, provided such copying is done accurately. The plan is also to distribute it to West Michigan news outlets.

“… choose you this day whom ye will serve…” - Joshua 24:15