Vol 71 Issue 10

Mr. Wigger is a member of the Protestant Reformed Church of Hudsonville, Michigan. School News In their monthly newsletter the School Board of the Covenant Christian School in Lynden, WA informed their supporting families that the teachers and students of Covenant wanted to do something special for someone—a sort of children’s valentine, if you will. Students and parents alike were asked to begin saving their loose change, dollars, or whatever they could, this time not as a gift to their school, but rather as a gift from their school. We suppose that, since the time of that note, Covenant has been doing just that,...

January 11, 1995 Southwest Protestant Reformed Church Classis East met in regular session on Wednesday, January 11, 1995 at the Southwest Protestant Reformed Church. The church history class of Covenant Christian High. School was present for about an hour of the morning’s session. Rev. R. Cammenga chaired the meeting. Each church was represented by two delegates. Classis heard the reports of the Stated Clerk, the Classical Committee, and the church visitors. There was one matter relating to the church visitors’ report that was dealt with in closed session. Overtures to synod were sent by First Church, Grand Rapids, and Grandville....

Order in the Offices, Mark R. Brown, ed. Duncansville, PA: Classic Presbyterian Government Resources, 1993. 304 pp. N.p. (paper). [Reviewed by Prof. Herman Hanko.] Although I knew that the question of two offices or three offices in the church was often debated among Presbyterians, I had no idea of the extent of the disagreement and the divisive character of it. Presbyterians take it with great seriousness. The debate was more extensive in the last century, and involved basic disagreements between Charles Hodge on the one side and Thornwell and Dabney favoring the two-office idea. One of the great debates of...

Rev. Cammenga is pastor of Southwest Protestant Reformed Church in Granville, Michigan. (Every year [or if need be oftener] four or five or more neighboring classes shall meet as a particular synod, to which each classis shall delegate two ministers and two elders. At the close of both the particular and the general synod, some church shall be empowered to determine with advice of classis, the time and place of the next synod.)  Church Order, Article 47.  (Each synod shall be at liberty to solicit and hold correspondence with its neighboring synod or synods in such manner as they shall...

Rev. VanOverloop is pastor of Georgetown Protestant Reformed Church in Bauer, Michigan. What motivates a parent in the training of a child? Why do we want our children to behave? What motives should a godly parent have for rearing a child? And what should be the goal in godly child-rearing? Or is talk about motives and goals too abstract? Is it not true that motives and goals are the farthest thing from the parents’ mind at the moment they are disciplining a child who has just embarrassed them? You want your young child to behave in the grocery store—why? You...

Rev. Haak is pastor of Bethel Protestant Reformed Church in Elk Grove, Illinios. In these verses we have the final and beautiful testimony of John the Baptist to the excellency of Christ as the Son of God and true Messiah. It is marked by self-effacing humility, faithful clarity, and great weightiness. John declares that Jesus is the Son of God sent down from heaven and that to believe in Him is to have everlasting life. The first thing called to our attention is the setting in which John’s tribute to Christ was given. In general, we are informed that after the Passover...

Rev. Kortering is a Protestant Reformed minister-on-loan to Singapore. Obviously, this is a big subject and needs refinement. We have been asked to focus on this part of the world because of our ministry in Singapore. The Evangelical Reformed Churches, among whom we labor as minister on loan, rejoice in that they also have contacts in Malaysia, Indonesia, India, and Myanmar: We will focus on Singapore for this series and begin in part one to consider a general picture of the society and culture, and then say a few words about its religious makeup. In part two we will consider...

Prof. Hanko is professor of Church History and New Testament in the Protestant Reformed Seminary. Controversy With Arminius It may surprise our readers somewhat that Gomarus fought hard against the appointment of Arminius as professor in theology. But this surprise will evaporate when we realize that Arminius was under strong suspicion for his views before he was considered for a professorship. After he completed his studies, Arminius became minister in the church of Amsterdam. It was not long after the beginning of his ministry that he began a series of sermons on the book of Romans. In connection with his...

Prof. Decker is professor of Practical Theology in the Protestant Reformed Seminary. Concerned Presbyterians Back in the early 1970s a new denomination emerged in the southern United States. This denomination came out of the Southern Presbyterian Church which has since merged with the Northern Presbyterian Church (healing a breach that existed since the Civil War) to form the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. The new church in the South, calling itself the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), began with only a few congregations but has grown rapidly. It now numbers over one thousand congregations, with about a quarter of a million members,...

Rev. Kuiper is pastor of Southeast Protestant Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. As partaker of Christ’s anointing, and in the office of believer, the child of God speaks on three different levels. In general conversation he is called to speak the truth in love, avoiding all lying as the proper work of the Devil. At certain times he makes vows: confession of faith, marriage, baptism, and installation into church office. When we speak a vow unto the Lord we must not defer to pay it (Eccl. 5:4). Occasionally, the child of God is required to sware an oath. The...