so, what’s with our name?
Four words. Hopefully the first and last are self-explanatory. But it still might be helpful to hear our reflections on each of them anyway.
Berea
Berea is a town in central Kentucky about 40 miles south of Lexington whose name has a wonderful Biblical pedigree (Acts 17). It has a very well-regarded liberal arts college (Berea College), is a regional center of arts and culture, and is growing at a fairly brisk clip in that way that towns in southern states near large cities tend to do. It is right off the interstate, is within a short drive of three other college/university towns, and is situated in the middle of some beautiful natural scenery at the foothills of the Appalachian mountains. It really is a lovely place. But like all places it needs to find peace with God through the good news that Jesus is King and He has made all things new. He reigns forever and ever, and all the principalities and powers are being brought under his feet. If this comes through repentance and submission to Him as the one true King, then sitting at His feet is the best place to be. We pray therefore for the life of the city of Berea, for the surrounding country, for the city of Lexington, for the state of Kentucky, for the entire United States, and for all the peoples and nations of the world. May God renew His people, teach us to worship Him again in Spirit and truth, and bring renewal to our land and to all the lands until the whole earth is full of His glory!
Reformed
We are Reformed because, in the large family that is the Christian faith, we are in the tradition that got its start (as a particular tradition, though most of the beliefs are much older) during the great Protestant Reformation of the 16th century and that is heavily influenced by John Calvin. Yes, Calvin the Infamous. Jean Cauvin, Ioannes Calvinus, Johnyboy. The two major groups of classical Protestants that arose during the Reformation are the Lutherans and the Reformed (the Calvinists). And, by the way, they BOTH believed in predestination. In fact, just for the record, so have most of the major thinkers in the western Christian tradition. But if you’re still freaking out, then just consider the upside: predestination means that all the glory for everything goes to God. He saves you based on nothing that is “good” or worthy in yourself, but for His good purpose that is unknown to us. Why did God choose me? I don’t know, but I’m so glad He doesn’t make His choice based on anything that I have to do, because I know me and I know that I would mess it up if given the chance. So, see, it’s not so bad when you think of it that way, is it?
But Reformed theology is not just about predestination. There are a whole bunch of other things. Most of it is good old Biblical religion, but it is put together in a certain way that has a distinct flavor. Having said that, though, you do not have to believe in Reformed theology to be a member of Berea Reformed Evangelical Church. We welcome one and all to worship God with us on Sundays, to partake of the Table with us, and to fellowship with us at the meal after the service and throughout the week. We are all one in Christ: there is one faith, one Lord, and one baptism. There are certain beliefs that we require all our members to share, but those are found in the classic creeds (Apostle’s, Nicean, Calcedonian; see the links at the right). If you don’t believe that Jesus is God, then we have to protect the integrity and purity of the faith once for all delivered to the saints. But if you think we’re all nuts for believing in predestination, then we say “Come one and join us!” The world is full of nuts people, after all, and we’re not that bad as such things go.
But look. What “Reformed” also means is that we believe that the Church is always in need of reformation (semper reformata et reformanda, look it up!). We are not trying to “go back” to some Golden Age in history when everything was “just right” (like Goldilocks!), because the world back then was still full of fallen human beings and if you’ve run across any of those lately (look in the mirror if you’re really struggling with this one; actually, look in the mirror if you aren’t struggling with it, too) then you know that they have ways of making Golden Ages pick up some serious tarnish. Some people want to go back to the early Church right after the time the New Testament was written; but the truth is that the early Church had some strengths and also had some problems. Others want to go back to the 17th century, or to 1957. It doesn’t matter; it’s all the same: some good things, some bad things. We are where we are historically because the Lord has put us here, and our job is to hold on to the things that are good and reject the things that are bad. Every people at every time and every place stands in need of being reformed. May the Lord reform us by His Word here in Berea and everywhere.
Evangelical
We are evangelical in the sense that we hold to a “conservative” theology (i.e., traditional, orthodox, historical) and we take the Bible as our infallible and sole final authority in all matters of faith and life (and we try our best to genuinely listen to what it says to us and not explain away things that we don’t like). It also means that we stress the need for every individual to come to faith in Christ for salvation. We believe that this need for individuals is realized more and more as the larger society is won over to the Kingdom of God. The message of Christ’s salvation is Good News (GreeK word is “evangel”) that is to go out into all the nations. We are not just trying to convert individuals, but rather we pray for reformation of all of society in accordance with God’s Word. For instance, remember what we said above about how all times and places have their good things and their bad things? Well, that’s true, but it’s also true that Christ has crushed the serpent Satan and has conquered sin and death by His glorious resurrection. So, that means that things are, over time, getting better and better in that God is reclaiming this world for Himself. Sin and death are on the retreat. This is a done deal. God has not abandoned this world to go to “Hell in a handbasket” until Jesus comes back suddenly and takes all the believers away. Rather, God sent His Son to die so that the entire world can be redeemed. And this is going to happen. It isn’t just some wish that God has, that will never be fulfilled (we believe in predestination, remember? Sounds better by the minuted, doesn’t it?) This world, this physical place that God created in the beginning, is going to be transformed into a glorious eternal home. It is the final chapter of the story that we are all living out. And this happens gradually, as along the way the whole world fills up little by little with God’s glory. So, the world will come into God’s Kingdom. The nations will come and lay their crowns down at King Jesus’s feet.
But reformation of society and conversion of nations means that lots and lots of individuals within the society and within the nations are coming to Jesus. If you are one of those individuals who needs to do so, then there is no time like the present. God is doing a great thing in the world; Jesus is conquering. Be a part of it. Come to Jesus, all you who are weary and heavily burdened. For His yoke is easy and His load is light.
Church
A church is not a building. It is a people, a household (Greek ekklesia) of God. Berea Reformed Evangelical Church is a church (small ‘c’) within the larger worldwide Church: we are a group of believers gathered together in one particular time and place. But all who have come to Christ for salvation are baptized into the Church, and we are all united together. The Church is all the believers in Christ on Earth. It is the Kingdom of God marching forward, conquering the old world and making it new by the power of the Gospel message and through living in unity with one another. And so speaking of unity, we are a family. We are here to build one another up, to support each other and to encourage each other in the faith. We are all called to assist the rest of our church family in living a life that is pleasing to God by clearly proclaiming the Word of God as it comes to bear on our famliies, on our careers, on our schools, on our hobbies, on our virtues, on our temptations, and on our vices. Sometimes this encouragement is a gentle nudge, sometimes it is a happy roar, and sometimes it is a direct confrontation. We are all in this together, and love commands us to bear one another’s burdens. If we do this: if we as the Church go back to living faithful lives of mutual encouragement and if we go back to worshipping God in Spirit and in truth, proclaiming His glorious name and Kingdom throughout all the land, then God will be with us. Things can change. With God all things are possible.
