All Articles For Gritters M

We said in our previous article that Christian instruction must be God-centered and covenant-directed, that is, the teaching must be of such quality that it serves to prepare our children to take the place which the Covenant assigns to them. We would call that then the Center of all instruction, the hub where all the spokes make contact, the point around which everything revolves. Let this out and you get a disintegrated curriculum, an unorganized series of subjects in our schools, but have that center and all the subjects are integrated into one grand unity. To keep that center is...

In our last article in this column we called your attention to an unscriptural tendency in the present Christian School system, the tendency, namely, of a “social gospel”. There are other errors. We believe that the mixing of numerous denominations into a Christian School constituency is also an error. (Cf. Pamphlet by M. Fakkema, entitled, “New Christian Schools on the Pacific Coast”). It must lead to generalization of principles and finally to colorless instruction. There is more over the danger of opening the doors of our schools to the unchurches, against which also the last held Union Meeting raised its...

In His fear. That excludes no part of life. We know that God is ONE and we have ONE Lord, therefore the life of the saint must also be ONE in fearing and serving God, not only here and there, now and then, but everywhere, always. That includes also what we call social life, our life in the married state, labor, industry, business, economics, politics, etc. We intend to apply this idea of the fear of God to this aspect of life, and thus attempt to bring to the surface somewhat the Sociology of Scripture. Social Gospel? Is that what...

The Gospel, we have seen, touches on the whole of our social life, not with the purpose of supplying the world with a social science, but with the purpose of supplying the redeemed with grace to reveal themselves as God’s party in this world. The reason why Scripture touches on social things is not in the social things themselves, but lies in the purpose of sanctification of the redeemed. Hence the Gospel is socially spiritual, and spiritually social. That is, the Gospel is ever spiritual and of spiritual content, also when it speaks of social things. For that very reason...

Reformed Sociology. Sociology is the science which deals with the laws and principles that control our relation to the neighbor. The Bible is no text book on sociology, but Scripture certainly enunciates the laws and principles according to which we must conduct ourselves towards the neighbor, whether in the sphere of marriage, economics, politics or labor and industry. I would first like to emphasize again that Scripture addresses itself, not to a mankind in general, but to the saints, as they are principally redeemed in Christ and now walk in sanctification. Then there are principles which underlie this sanctification-process in...

Scripture’s Sociology Scripture’s primary interest is spiritual. Scripture insists that we shall deal righteously with our fellowman, treat him with respect and in the fear of God. In short, we shall love our neighbor. I believe it may truly be said that Scripture is not much interested in how well you fare economically or financially. With us this is often the primary thing, and no wonder, because we are of the earth, earthy and carnal. In I Cor. 7:20-22 we find Paul saying: “Let every man abide in the same calling wherein he is called. Art thou called, being a...

Reformed Sociology Applied I do not believe that the social evils of this world can be cured. Instead I believe that Scripture teaches us that the world socially and in every way involves itself ever more deeply in the curse of the righteous God. While we contemplate our social calling in this world we must not overlook what God’s Word teaches us, especially in the Book of Ecclesiastes, more particularly about the crooked which cannot be made straight. If we look back over history we get a picture as follows: A series of evils arise; there comes a clash, a...

John and Mary are keeping company. The relation between these two young people is for no small part a sexual relationship. God has created us thus. This relationship must also come under the sphere of Covenant living and be conducted “in His fear”. Perhaps these are things which are less often discussed, but this does not remove the fact that they ought to be considered. Shall There be Sex-Information?

Praying For Them In Authority. “I never hear our dominee pray for our government^, some person is likely to say now and then. Or one might come directly to the minister and say to him, “Paul tells us to pray for them that are in authority, but I never hear you pray that”. The minister could perhaps retaliate and say: Do you ever do it?

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