PASTOR SUSPENDED FOR 'CASTING DOUBT' ON STORY OF EVE & THE SERPENT
Amsterdam, Netherlands (JFK+50) On March 13, 1926, Associated Press reports that The Rev. J. H. Geelkerken was "suspended today for three months" following a heresy* trial conducted by the General Synod of the Reformed Churches.
The pastor had given a recent sermon in which he "cast doubt," according to AP, on the account of Eve and the Serpent** as given in the Book of Genesis in the Holy Bible.
Rev. Geelkerken also refused to sign an agreement to interpret Genesis literally.
JFK+50 NOTE
Rev. Wes Bredenhof, a pastor in Tasmania, says Rev. Geelkerken was later deposed by the Synod. He argues that this was the "correct" action but "set a precedent" for the suspension & deposition of Dr. K. Schilder in 1944. On his posting, WB idenifies Geelkerken as "Dr. J.G."
*heresy is the formal denial of a core belief of a church by a baptized member. During the Inquisition it was considered to be a capital offense punishable by death.
**According to Genesis 3, a crafty serpent convinces Eve to eat forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge violating God's commandment. Her action leads to expulsion from the Garden of Eden & introduces sin & shame to mankind.
SOURCES
"Eve and Serpent Story Doubt Costs Pastor His Post," The Evening Star, Washington, D.C., March 13, 1926, Chronicling America, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/
"Inerrancy-Lessons from History," by Wes Bredenhof, October 14, 2009, www.bredenhof.ca/
