Vol 53 Issue 17

Rev. David Engelsma, pastor of our church in South Holland, Illinois, declined the call extended to him by our new congregation in Houston, Texas. 

Foundations of Christian Scholarship, Essays in the Van Til Perspective,Edited by Gary North; Ross House Books, 1976; 355 pp., hard cover. (Reviewed by H. Hanko)  This book is a Chalcedon Study; i.e., it is sponsored by Chalcedon, Inc., a group of conservative Christian scholars of which Rousas Rushdoony is the President. 

This month the Synod of the Christian Reformed Church meets. Many reoccurring problems will be considered. It will be a matter of interest what is done with each. Judging from past decisions, it might be safe to surmise that the Synod will “waffle,” if one may use that term oft repeated in the last presidential campaign. What will the Synod face this year? 

Dear Timothy,  While we were discussing some practical aspects of the minister’s life, we were concentrating more specifically on what Paul has to say to Timothy in I Tim. 4:7, 8: “But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.” 

How easy it is for us to envy the wicked!  But our estimate of the wicked depends upon our standard of comparison.  Follow the standard of our flesh; the wicked carry the balance.  Use the scale of faith, and the balance swings in our favor. 

(The following is the substance of a speech given at an officebearer’s conference on April 5, 1977.) 

PAUL’S VINDICATION OF THE TRUTH OF THE GOSPEL—Continued (Gal. 2:15-18) Paul now asks a very telling and arresting question. He asks “Is Christ of sin a minister?” It would seem that seeking to be justified by faith in Christ would need to lead to that conclusion. If there were absolutely no need to keep the law in order to be justified, then the law could be set aside and men could live lawless lives.

(In the previous installment we learned about another conference, urged by WiIlem Lodewijk, Count of Nassau and Governor of Friesland, between three representatives of the Remonstrants, led by Johannes Uitenbogaard, and three representatives of the Reformed, led by Festus Hommius. The Remonstrants sought toleration for their views—no strings attached. The Reformed sought a limited toleration pending the convening of a National Synod. The conference was held at Delft, but it was fruitless.

As we promised during our series of articles on the subject of Baptism On The Mission Field, and as we stated in the previous issue in reply to Rev. Lubbers, we now turn to the matter of the decision by the Synod of 1956 concerning administration of the sacraments on the mission field. 

“And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;  For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:  Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto the perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. ”