The Reformed Church in America is closer to officially adopting a document that confronts the sin of racism and affirms unity and reconciliation among Christians. The denomination announced on Monday that a two-thirds majority of the 46 classes, or regional groups of churches, voted to approve the adoption of the Belhar Confession.

The confession would be added as a fourth standard of unity to the Book of Church Order. The last time the church adopted a new standard was more than two centuries ago.

Drafted in 1982, the confession partly declares that unity must become visible "so that the world may believe that separation, enmity and hatred between people and groups is sin" and it rejects any doctrine maintaining that "descent or any other human or social factor should be a consideration in determining membership of the church."

It also rejects, among other things, ideology which would "legitimate forms of injustice and any doctrine which is unwilling to resist such an ideology in the name of the gospel."

Some have called the PC(USA) to reject it. The Sacramento Presbytery says the document is confusing and could be used to press issues other than racial equality, such as "same-sex causes."