Rev. Woudenberg is a minister emeritus in the Protestant Reformed Churches. Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will.  Ephesians 1:5 A few days ago I received from Mr. Roelof Jansen of Inheritance Publications a copy of a new book he has published which includes within it a translation of Dr. Klaas Schilder’s booklet, Extra-Scriptural Binding – A New Danger. This work appeared originally as a series of articles in De Reformatie criticizing the “Brief Declaration of Principles” soon after it was drawn up by the Protestant...

Rev. Woudenberg is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Kalamazoo, Michigan. The following letter was received in response to our recent articles: Dear Editor: I have some questions concerning Rev. Woudenberg’s views on the covenant expressed in the Standard Bearers of Sept. l/95, p. 493 and Oct. l/95, p. 13. It is not at all clear to me how he understands the baptism of children born into a covenant home. Are they baptized as children in the covenant as heirs of the promise? Or does baptism only signify that they are members of God’s church? Can we make such...

Rev. Woudenberg is a minister emeritus in the Protestant Reformed Churches. And be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear. I Peter 3:15 On looking at the Brief Declaration of Principles, which was drawn up by the Protestant Reformed synod in 1950, one might wonder at its claim to be “brief.” In its original form it appeared as a full pamphlet by itself, and one reading it today goes through a full 24 pages of very solid material as it appears in...

Rev. Woudenberg is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Kalamazoo, Michigan. A recent issue of Christian Renewal contained a second response of Rev. Jelle Tuininga to my recent articles concerning children in the covenant, which I believe brings out the differences between us and the Liberated Churches better than I alone can describe it. Accordingly, I here present both his letter and my answer. The Rev. Woudenberg has favored me with a gracious response, and I would like one more opportunity to reply to him.  1.History: Just what happened between Schilder and Hoeksema, and what caused what has been...

Rev. Woudenberg is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Kalamazoo, Michigan. Not as though the word of God hath taken non effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. Romans 9:6-7 To us in the Protestant Reformed Churches, what we read in the pamphlet of Dr. C. Veenhof, called Appel!(in English, “Appeal!”), was amazing and not a little disconcerting. Had it not been that the letter of Prof. Holwerda, and its publication by Rev. Ophoff, had become the...

Rev. Woudenberg is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Kalamazoo, Michigan. Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. John 3:3 God is a logical God. He cannot lie (Numbers 23:19); and therefore He cannot deny or contradict Himself, which is the foundation for the basic principle underlying all true logic. And because of it, God’s revelation to us, the Bible, can be relied upon and understood. We can exegete it, which is to say, we can glean from it truths which can be received with certainty, knowing that...

Rev. Woudenberg is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Kalamazoo, Michigan. We recently received a copy of an article (which has by this time probably appeared in print) written by Dr. J. DeJong, editor of the Clarion magazine of the Canadian Reformed Churches, the Canadian wing of the Liberated Churches. I was happy to receive it; for, if we are to gain a full understanding of this important chapter of our history, it is important that we understand also how those on the Liberated side of these issues perceive the matters with which we have been concerned. His article read...

Rev. Woudenberg is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Kalamazoo, Michigan. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.  Genesis 17:7 We have noted in the past that the Liberated churches appear to be committed to quite a different kind of logic than are we. It has always been our position—and, we believe, the position of the Christian church historically and biblically—that logical consistency in the interpretation of the Scriptures and of the...

Rev. Woudenberg is a minister emeritus in the Protestant Reformed Churches. For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.  Isaiah 53:4 In recent articles we have considered various biblical texts dealing with predestination from two different points of view, those appearing to fit the pattern of what is called Infralapsarianism, and others that of Supralapsarianism. The problem is that, even while both are found in Scripture, they are usually looked upon as mutually...

Rev. Woudenberg is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Kalamazoo, Michigan. As our last article we published an editorial by Dr. J. DeJong from the Clarion magazine of the Canadian Reformed Churches, reflecting on what I had written in the Christian Renewal. In this editorial Dr. DeJong focused on the historical aspect of our studies, and especially on what I had said about the centrally important 1949 letter of Prof. B. Holwerda. This is well; but, if we are to gain a correct perspective on this letter, I believe it is necessary to review the history behind it, which...