All Articles For Heys John A

The largest body of waiter up this globe of ours has been misnamed “The Pacific Ocean’’. It received this name from the explorer, Magellan, to describe its quiet, peaceful nature; for its surface was very calm and peaceful when for the first time he looked out over its surface. Comparing with the stormy Atlantic he and his men had crossed, the name Pacific, which means peaceful, seemed very appropriate for this body of water. However, had he remained there any length of time or sailed homeward across it, we might be calling this vast expanse of water by another name...

An expression one frequently hears today is this: “Behind every news item there is a story.” This undoubtedly is true. We may, however, also revise the expression somewhat and say “behind every historical event there is a story”. There certainly is. Thus it is that Luther’s quest for Justification is one of the stories behind that great event of church history which we call, “The Reformation”. Shall we consider this story behind The Reformation from an angle seldom considered? Usually Luther’s quest for Justification is treated from a purely historical viewpoint and often from an Arminian viewpoint. Shall we approach...

In the last two months our country has proven again that it has no right to be called a Christian Nation. Indeed there are many Christians in this country of ours. There are thousands upon thousands of them to be found in these United States. But the behavior of the nation as a whole, on the home front, has been decidedly unchristian. I have reference to the hoarding spree that preceded the rationing of canned goods and of meats which forced the Government to freeze these products so that the store shelves might not be drained of them before the...

The events of the past two months have once more reminded the child of God of his utter dependence upon God. The world rushes madly on and says, “There is no God.” But call it fate or nature or providence or whatever you will, even the world must admit that it is helpless and is coping with a power against which it cannot succeed. Call it what you will, the ungodly cannot plant their seed or till their ground any sooner than the child of God. The storms and floods of the past two months have very seriously endangered this...

*Speech delivered by the Rev. John A. Heys at the 18th Annual Field Day of the Protestant Reformed Churches, July 4, 1943 at Ideal Park, Grand Rapids, Michigan. As you have noticed from your programs, this is our eighteenth Annual Field Day. It is therefore, in the first place, a day upon which we owe God our deepest gratitude for what He has done for us as a denomination in the past year. Today is a day of celebration, of rejoicing, of relaxation, but first of all it is a day that demands thanksgiving. Since we as Protestant Reformed Churches...

The two spies have returned and brought in their report. In the light of their experience they felt as­sured that the Lord had given into the hands of their people all the land. Immediately Joshua sends the officers of the people through the host to charge the people to prepare them victuals, as within three days they were to pass over the Jordan to go in to possess the land. The next day Joshua and the people rose up early in the morning, loaded up, on the backs of the beasts of burden. Removing from Shittim they came to the...

Should there appear in one of the editions of the Standard Bearer an article or two concerning the happenings in the world of sport we would be shocked. Should there be a detailed report of the progress and outcome of the World’s Series in the baseball realm, we would shake our heads and say, “What is this world coming to?” Should one of our daily newspapers publish upon its sport page, items of news concerning one of our churches we would feel highly insulted. The reason for this is that we all feel keenly that the church has nothing to...

At this present moment the most outstanding event of recent date still is the complete capitulation of Italy to the Allies. It is still too early to see this complete surrender in the right perspective. In the first place we have no way of telling how strong the German army is in Italy. From recent developments it has appeared that Germany has sufficient forces there to cause great delay in the occupation not only of the entire country but even of the southern and central parts of Italy. Further we know not definitely whether Germany chooses to defend any more...

The subject assigned to the undersigned is far more interesting than the title might suggest. As a rule an article which contains comparisons of two or more things does not make pleasant reading. Yet a comparison of the two versions of our English Bible is both interesting and profitable. It is interesting because of the history back of these two versions but also and above all because it deals with different versions of the Word of God. As Reformed people we are interested in pure doctrine and are zealous to know the real meaning of Scripture. Therefore we are also...

AFFIRMATIVE: RESOLVED: That Discipline of Members that Belong to Worldly Organizations should be Left to the Ministry of the Word. The undersigned feels constrained to make a few preliminary remarks before writing affirmatively concerning the above proposal. First of all let it be stated that he does not believe that the discipline of those that belong to worldly organizations should be left to the ministry of the Word. In fact, he does not consider a debate on this subject advisable, with the membership in worldly organizations by church members as prevalent as it is at present, without first emphasizing that he...