Vol 67 Issue 19

Rev. denHartog is pastor of Hope Protestant Reformed Church in Redlands, California. There cannot be any religion without doctrine. That is especially the case with the true religion. In our day there are many advocates of religion without doctrine or any theological pronouncements. This they claim was the simple religion of Jesus. All the doctrinal pronouncements of the church through history are only human scholastic additions. Doctrine leads us away, they say, from the simplicity of faith in Christ Jesus. Sometimes sincere Christians might also be inclined to imagine that doctrine is not very important. Learning and understanding doctrine is...

Mr. Wigger is a member of the Protestant Reformed Church of Hudsonville, Michigan. Evangelism News The Church Extension Committee of our P.R. Congregation in Lynden, WA sponsored a six-week study class beginning April 30 on the subject of “Origins.” The class, led by their pastor, Rev. Haak, studied the origin of creation, man, sin, etc. All members of the church were welcome, as well as friends and interested people from the community. The Evangelism Committee of our Southwest PRC in Grand Rapids, MI reported to their congregation that they had received over 60 requests for tapes of the lecture they...

Christian Life Classics, Jay P. Green, Sr., Editor. Lafayette, IN: Sovereign Grace Trust Fund, 1990. 758 pages. Hardcover. $24.95. (Reviewed by the Editor.) This is Volume III of a twelve volume set entitled “The Fifty Greatest Christian Classics.” Seven different works on the holy life of the child of God by seven different authors are bound between I attractive gold and green covers. Most are well-known writings by old worthies in the church: “Holiness” by J. C. Ryle; “The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment” by Jeremy Burroughs; “Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices” by Thomas Brooks; “The. Art of Meditation” by...

Rev. Haak is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Lynden, Washington. Boaz had promised Ruth that he would see to her rights as a widow in Israel. Naomi had assured her that Boaz would not rest until he had done it. And so it was; the very same day found Boaz at the gate of Bethlehem, representing the cause of Ruth before the elders of the city. The gate of the city in that day was the near equivalent of our present county court house. Here all business was transacted. There contracts were publicly verified, trials were held, judgment...

Rev. Gritters is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Byron Center, Michigan. Jesus Christ is coming again! I believe that! Every Sunday evening, in our heart or with our mouth, we confess this: “I believe in Jesus Christ . . . he shall come to judge the living and the dead.” This same Jesus who came to planet earth some two thousand years ago, who gave Himself in love for us, will come back in that same love for us. When? The battle of Armageddon (or Gog and Magog) will be the last battle the world experiences. In this...

Rev. Terpstra is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of South Holland, Illinois. “Know then thyself, presume not God to scan;  The proper study of mankind is Man.” These words of the English poet, Alexander Pope, found in his philosophical work, “An Essay on Man” (1733-34), are certainly echoed by our modern-day evolutionists and self-esteem proponents. But in contrast to this view, the Reformed Christian says, “Know then thy God! Presume to scan the Godhead, for the proper study of mankind is God!” It is true, as John Calvin writes in the opening words of hisInstitutes, that all the wisdom...

Mr. Lanting, a member of South Holland Protestant Reformed Church, is a practicing attorney. Therefore, it is entirely irrelevant to inquire, as this Court did, into the question: is it a violation of the Delonges’ beliefs to hire a certified teacher? Certification is a red herring in examining the burden issue. It would be a violation of the DeJonges’ religious beliefs to delegate the education of their children to their pastor, his wife, a school teacher, or anyone else. God requires them to teach their own children. To the DeJonges delegation of their children’s education to anyone else would be...

Rev. Miersma is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of New Zealand. Living in New Zealand one soon learns that the people of that land live close to the sea, both literally and figuratively. Most of the population lives along the coast, making access to the sea a matter of minutes. For those who live in the middle of the country, which are few, a drive of an hour or less will bring them to the coast. As one drives along the coast one sees a favorite activity of both New Zealanders and foreigners, that is, fishing. Some are fishing...

Rev. Key is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Randolph, Wisconsin. Having considered the scriptural principles and responsibilities of church membership, we devoted the last article to the inescapable truth of corporate responsibility. Though many in this age of ecclesiastical departure and apostasy would like to ignore that truth, it is exactly the truth of corporate responsibility and corporate guilt that lies at the basis of the call, “Come out from among them and be ye separate.” We must not continue in conflict with the holiness of God. I pointed out that, for some of you, that may mean...

No Froth The Standard Bearer is an excellent publication, thoughtful in its presentation of the Reformed faith and utterly free of superficial “froth.” I look forward to receiving each issue. Renew my subscription. Donald Granger Garden Grove, CA Unsaved Professing Christians? Enclosed is a check so that I will continue to get The Standard Bearer. I enjoy the magazine. You are right on the mark. I became a Christian six years ago and God led me to a good Reformed church. . . . When I first became a Christian, I was afraid of being deceived. Therefore, I became an avid...