The RCUS Did It Before It Was Cool

I'm hearing a lot these days about the Patriarchy movement and the Family Integrated Church movements. People, even some from denominations within the Reformed family, are discovering these revolutionary ideas. I have friends who are making names for themselves touting the crazy ideas that men ought to be heads of their homes, their wives ought to be in submission and parents ought to take responsibility for the education of their children. I am hearing them decry the modern day church's practice of separating children and age groups from one another, with a group for every need: Singles groups, Young Couples groups, Young Couples with Children groups, etc.

While these people are finding excitement in associating with these revolutionary groups, I have been privileged to be in a denomination whose taught these ideas before it was cool. The RCUS has always been a champion of men being loving, sacrificial heads of their homes. The pastors of the RCUS taught me years ago that God intended children to learn to worship God corporately by the example of their parents, and that they were important, legitimate members of the congregation. They taught that the younger people need to be with the older members of the church, and we impoverish our fellowship by removing the elderly to their own separate group. But they didn't make a great show of it. They didn't call themselves part of the XY and Z movement. They simply presented the Biblical doctrines and conformed to them. They have been about the business of shepherding the flock God has given them and striving for faithfulness to the Word.

I'm thankful biblical ideas are getting greater attention. I rejoice that God is opening hearts to see the importance of a more God-centered worship. But the one thing that concerns me in some of these movements is when one defines themselves by their movement instead of by the fellowship of Jesus Christ. The temptation can easily become to judge others Christianity and worthiness of fellowship on whether they practice courtship, or homeschool, etc. Our fellowship can become defined no longer by the cross-centered Table which we share, but our movement.

To give them due honor, I have been a member in two different OPC churches when I lived in communities without RCUS churches, and they too were committed to biblical, God centered worship. I can't speak too highly of the two OPC congregations which nurtured me.