Vol 19 Issue 19

Dear Editor, On our last Classis, one Consistory came with a protest against the action of a neighboring Consistory, for admitting to the Lord’s Supper members that came to them from the first mentioned Consistory without the proper testimony of a godly walk. As I understand it, the protesting Consistory did not go in a body to the other, but just sent a cold letter of protest, (for a mere letter to settle difficulties between two parties, who confess the name of Christ is always cold). The neighboring Consistory did not give satisfaction, and so this protest came to Classis....

Dear Mr. Editor, Will you please give me another opportunity to reply to Mr. Ten Elshof? I hope that your patience and that of the readers is not being overtaxed. I am very glad that brother Ten Elshof has struck a better tone, at least toward me if not toward the C.L.A. I noticed also that the arguments I presented’ in my previous article and the questions asked were passed over very lightly and that the main burden of the brother’s last article is a more direct attack upon the organization which I defend. In regard to that being more...

Esteemed Editor: May I once more obtain space in the Standard Bearer? In the April 15 issue of our paper Mr. Gritter, secretary of the C.L.A. complains that he is growing tired of constantly repeating that his organization wants no part of the strike such as used by unchristian organizations. But for that he has only himself to blame since he still fails to make plain that, even though there is a difference of degree, there is also an essential and principle difference between the stand of the C.L.A. and the worldly unions on the matter of strikes. Nor do...

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...

We believe in a personal God. We consider this to be a fundamental tenet of our faith, so fundamental, in fact, that it is basic for all religious life. It is impossible to deny this truth and continue to maintain any exercise of true religion. Whosoever denies that God is personal denies God. And, inseparably connected with this denial, inexorably following from it, he has denied the essence and the possibility of prayer, the reality of sin and guilt, the moral responsibility of man. This is evident in the modern world which is guilty of exactly this abominable heresy. The...

In discussing the above mentioned subject, we shall call your attention first to each of the two parts and shall then attempt to throw some light upon the relation between these two. It will readily be admitted that our main difficulty will be encountered in the attempt to harmonize the two parts of our subject. We do not promise a solution to the problem, nor do we assume for a moment that we shall be able to answer every question which may be raised. However, we are of the opinion that an honest attempt should be made to understand, in...

As we have seen, the first three centuries of our Christian era formed a period of intermittent persecutions for the Christians. As Christ had predicted, all men—men of every class of society and every station of life—hailed and harassed God’s people. For, as was pointed out, in the eyes of men the followers of Christ formed a strange and dangerous community. They chose to live outside the pale of the religion of Rome. They refused to worship as God the emperor and his stature and to take part in any idolatrous ceremonies at public festivals. Their religion—the worship of the...

At the close of the important seventh Lord’s Day the Catechism introduces the object or contents of the Christian’s faith, which then, in subsequent chapters it expounds in detail. In Question and Answer 22 it briefly defines that which “is necessary for a Christian to believe” as “All things promised us in the gospel, which the articles of our catholic undoubted Christian faith briefly teach us.” And in answer to Question 23 it quotes the so-called Apostles’ Creed. It draws our attention that the Catechism defines the object of saving faith, not as “the Word of God,” nor as “all...

As a rule for the believer’s life in this world, Van Til’s “as if” theory is, I think, quite inadequate. The rule, if I understand Van Til correctly, is that the believer must “to a certain extent” assume the attitude toward the unbeliever and live with him “as if” there was something in common between them apart from the “metaphysical situation.” It would seem that this principle as a standard of living for the Christian in the world is rather vague, stretchy, ambiguous. The question arises inevitably: to what extent would Van Til apply this “as if” theory in actual...