Old Reformed people are like ravers. In the groove with Reverend A. Kort
This weekend, two excesses took place involving hundreds of people. In Krimpen aan de IJssel two hundred Old Gereformeerden gathered under the pulpit. Outside Hilversum, about as many people celebrated a big party on a construction site. At least they did it in the open air.
The approach to this antisocial action was varied. In Hilversum, the police put an end to the festivities. The church council received an invitation from the Mayor of Krimpense, Vroom. He had already strongly urged on Friday not to receive more than thirty people under the pulpit. That was addressed to deaf ears.

We do not need to address the background to this difference in treatment here. This has happened often enough: partygoers are not constitutionally protected from police intervention, believers under the roof of their own church do. More interesting is a striking similarity between the ravers of Hilversum and the Old Gereformeerden in Krimpen: they both seek an immediate and total satisfaction of their feelings, no matter how different at first glance they may look. Nothing should give way to that. Neither is the public interest or public health. At Oud Gereformeerden the emotion is central. They count themselves among thelocating.They come not to God with their heads but with their hearts. The Old Gereformeerden van Krimpen are in the tradition of the glorious clergyman and SGP parliamentarian M.A. Mieras (1915-1981), who himself learned the profession and managed to work on the minds of the pulpit in such a way that recordings of his sermons are still being heard. His fans are most likely to worship him as a saint, however contrary to the teachings of the Reformation. The Oud Reformed House of worship in Krimpen is unofficially called the “Mieraskerk”. On YouTube there is a sermon by his son A. Kort in this Anger Church about the verse: “And may the peace of God, which goes beyond all mind, keep all your hearts and your senses in Christ Jesus.” Notice how he indeed touches the phrases of his flock ( from 41.12 ).The power of perception. Join the cadence of his words. This is of its kind just as compelling as the bonke bonke on the construction site in Hilversum. Even though the Old Reformed girls go to church with a black hat, they are grabbed by the groove just like the ravers in Hilversum. Leave that on Reverend Kort about.

Afterscript: The Old Reformed Municipality of Krimpen aan den IJssel motivates its refusal to respond to the urgent advice of the government and not to allow more than thirty people into the church building at the same time with verse 25 from chapter 10 of Paul's letter to the Hebrews. In the State Translation this reads:

And let us not leave our meeting among ourselves, as some have the custom, but admonish one another; and so much more so when you see that the day is approaching.
Nowhere, however, does the apostle give clues as to what these meetings should look like. The Old Reformed Municipality uses the internet. It is not obvious why the Lord would consider a meeting with Zoom, Jitsi or Teams of less value than a physical gathering under a pulpit. It is even true that the congregations at home can sing as loud as they like. If they keep their microphones on, harmony vocals are created

Han van der Horst: Old Gereformeerden are like ravers


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