Ben Wigger is an elder in the Protestant Reformed Church of Hudsonville, Michigan. First Church in Grand Rapids has formed a new trio consisting of Rev. B. Gritters, Rev. K. Hanko, and Rev. K. Koole. The congregation was to meet Monday, Sept. 28, to select one to receive a call as a second missionary to Jamaica. Prof. R. Decker has declined the call extended to him by our congregation in Holland, Michigan. Rev. R. Miersma preached his “farewell” sermon at Holland the evening of August 30. His sermon was based on I Cor. 15:58: “Persevering in the Lord’s Work”. He stressed...

Romans, The Gospel Of God, by D. Martyn-Lloyd Jones; Zondervan Publishing House, 1985; 394 pp. (Reviewed by Prof. H. Hanko.) From 1955 to 1968 Martyn Lloyd-Jones went through the entire epistle of Romans in his mid-week services at Westminster Chapel in London. This volume covers chapter 1 of the sermons he preached. (Six volumes, treating chapters 3-8, are already in print.) For those who enjoy reading Lloyd-Jones’ sermons, this will be a welcome and enjoyable purchase. It is full of fine devotional reading and deals in Lloyd-Jones’ own interesting way with the beginning of this important Biblical book. We highly...

Ronald L. Cammenga is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Loveland, Colorado. For the maintenance of good order in the church of Christ it is necessary that there should be: offices; assemblies; supervision of doctrine, sacraments and ceremonies; and Christian discipline; of which the following articles treat in due order. Church Order, Article 1. The Church Order’s View of Church Government The Church Order is based on a specific view of the proper form of church government. There are especially four prevalent forms of church government. There is, first of all, the Hierarchical or Episcopal form of Church government. This is the...

Jason L. Kortering is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Grandville, Michigan. The first five books of the Bible are joined together into what is called the Pentateuch (five books). The thread of history runs through each one and joins them together into a bond of unity. Genesis marks the beginnings of creation, the patriarchs, and the nation of Israel. Exodus follows this nation out of Egypt to Sinai, where they receive the laws of God, the spiritual basis for the theocracy, God’s rule among them. Leviticus gives additional details of the laws God gave at Sinai, uniting them...

Arie den Hartog is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Randolph, Wisconsin. As another season of school and church activities have started, it is well for us to remember the profound truth set forth by the inspired King Solomon in the book of Proverbs; “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction,” Proverbs 1:7. Great opportunities are once again before us: to increase in knowledge and understanding. In our modern-day world one needs a good education. More and more almost every available occupation requires this. Even after a man has started his...

Robert D. Decker is professor of New Testament and Practical Theology in the Protestant Reformed Seminary. A convocation is an assembly called together by official summons to perform a specific task. The assembly in this instance is the professors and students of our seminary. God, we believe, has summoned us through our churches. God has called us together to perform a specific task. The professors have a divinely ordained task to perform and so do the students God in His mercy has given to our seminary and churches. The text upon which we base our address this evening speaks of...

At the close of volume year #63, the board reports on the activities of the past year. God has again been faithful, as is evidenced by the continued publication of the Standard Bearer. Our new business manager will be Mr. Donald Doezema. He has consented to take on the responsibilities, in the near future. Mr. Vander Wal will assist during this transition period. The board again thanks Mr. Vander Wal for his many, many years of dedicated and careful labor. We look forward to working with Mr. Doezema in the coming years. Our mailing equipment, which we purchased last year, has...

Steven R. Key is pastor of Southeast Protestant Reformed Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan. (An Address Delivered At The Annual Meeting Of The R.F.P.A., September, 1987) The subject I have chosen to consider with you this evening is “The Standard Bearer and Our Future;” or, if you wish, “The Standard Bearer and Our Youth,” for the youth are our future. You can gather from my choice of topics, that I consider The Standard Bearerto occupy an important place and to be in a position to play a significant role in the future well-being of our Protestant Reformed Churches in particular. In our...

Gise J. Van Baren is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Hudsonville, Michigan. “Christian” Rock The young people of the church are often attracted to “rock music”. If these seek not the worldly sort, at least they would clamor for the “Christian” variation of this. The paper, World, August 31, 1987, reports on the decisions of the Assemblies of God churches: Christian rock singers whose performances are viewed as out of tune with the gospel were the target of criticism in this month’s national convention of the Assemblies of God here, . . .  “The church of Jesus Christ has...

Herman C. Hanko is professor of Church History and New Testament in the Protestant Reformed Seminary. Genetic Engineering In our last article we began to call attention to some of the truths of Scripture which have to be considered as we approach this whole question from a Biblical point of view. We mentioned three items: 1) That just because science is able to do something, this does not mean that per se what science does is morally permissible. Man must rule science, not science man. 2) That the whole theory lying behind genetic experimentation and engineering is evolutionistic and humanistic. 3) That...