Vol 64 Issue 13

Ben Wigger is an elder in the Protestant Reformed Church of Hudsonville, Michigan. (Editor’s Note: For some inexplicable reason the Postal Service took several days to deliver the March 15 news column the few miles from Hudsonville to Grandville, with the result that there was no news column in the March 15 issue. With the News Editor’s permission, I here present a condensation of his March 15 and April 1 columns. HCH) Ministers, Trios, Calls Trio: First P.R.C., Holland, Michigan: Revs. J. Kortering, R. Van Overloop, B. Woudenberg. Call declined: Hope P.R.C., Isabel, S.D., by Rev. D.J. Engelsma. Rev. Steven...

March 8, 1988 For the first time in its history, the Hope Protestant Reformed Church of Redlands, California was host to a meeting of Classis West. The Spring, 1988 meeting of Classis was held in the beautiful, new church building of the Redlands Church on March 2. The delegates enjoyed the warm hospitality of the Redlands Congregation. For many, it was the first opportunity to see the impressive buildings—church, Christian school, and parsonage—and grounds of the Protestant Reformed saints in Redlands. Twelve ministers and thirteen elders represented the thirteen churches of Classis West at this one-day meeting of the Classis....

Lori, Gertrude Hoeksema; Reformed Free Publishing Association, Grand Rapids, MI, 153 pp. (paper) $6.95. [Reviewed by Prof. H.C. Hoeksema] Truth is stranger than fiction, it is sometimes said. This true story of the conversion of a deaf-mute and mentally impaired girl is certainly a confirmation of that maxim. If some of the details of this story were found in a novel, they would probably be characterized as unbelievable and non-realistic. But this deeply moving account of the instruction and conversion of a dear child of God is truth, not fiction. You probably think that as the husband of the author...

Arie den Hartog is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Randolph, Wisconsin. The Word of God often exhorts us to live in godliness. Sometimes this term is used to describe a specific virtue along with a number of other Christian virtues, such as in II Peter 1:5-7: “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.” Other times this term is used alone to describe the sum of all Christian virtues. In...

Jason L. Kortering is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Grandville, Michigan. In the book of Deuteronomy, we do not have additional laws given by Moses. Rather we have a review of the instructions which God gave the people at Mt. Sinai, for the people who were about to enter the land of Canaan. The book is divided into four parts: the first discourse of Moses (Deut. 1:1-4:43), the second discourse of Moses (Deut. 4:44-26:19), the third discourse of Moses (Deut. 27:1-30:20), and the last words of Moses, including the record of his death (Deut. 31:1-34:12). With our outlining,...

Thomas C. Miersma is pastor of the First Protestant Reformed Church, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Modern philosophy begins as we have seen with man, man’s reason, and man’s experience. As such, in its very starting point, it has no place for divine revelation or the need of the Scriptures. The claim of the Word of God therefore to be divine revelation is one which philosophy opposes and against which it strives. Throughout the eighteenth century and the era which preceded it, the drive of worldly philosophy was to set man’s wisdom and experience upon the throne as the sole standard of...

Gise J. Van Baren is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Hudsonville, Michigan. Troubling times are in store for the faithful child of God. We all know that. One of the problems that many already face is: will I lose my job if I refuse to work on Sunday? Or the question might well be: will I be able to get a good job if I refuse to work on Sunday? One observes that in the religious community there is seen little objection anymore to the breaking of the fourth commandment. Many, apparently with clear conscience, can eat out...

Barrett L. Gritters is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Byron Center, Michigan. Before you turn the page, because you know you are not nearly close enough to marriage even to think about preparing for it, stick around a bit. This iswritten for you. It is not written for those close to marriage. In fact, if you are engaged, and marriage is around the corner, it is almost too late to think about preparing for marriage in the sense that I am speaking of it. This article is written for all of you who would like to be married some...

Ronald H. Hanko is pastor of Trinity Protestant Reformed Church, Houston, Texas. 2. The characteristics of Christ’s human nature (continued). e. A central human nature. This last aspect of Christ’s humanity is little appreciated and seldom mentioned, even by those theologians who have written extensively on the subject of Christ’s two natures. This is probably due to the fact that it is the most difficult aspect of Christ’s humanity, at least as far as its significance is concerned. In referring to the centrality of Christ’s human nature, we mean that He was not born at random out of the human...

In our March 1 issue we reported on the basis of articles in the Grand Rapids Press that the Board of Trustees of Calvin College and Seminary cleared the three Calvin College professors (Profs. Clarence Menninga, Howard Van Till, and Davis Young) whose teachings were being investigated by the Board of Trustees. Since that time we have obtained a copy of the “Prepared Statement” released by the Board of Trustees and of the “Report of the Ad HocCommittee” appointed by the Board. From the latter it is clear that the reports in the Press were substantially correct. It is also clear that what I stated...