Vol 72 Issue 09

Mr. Wigger is a member of the Protestant Reformed Church of Hudsonville, Michigan. Evangelism Activities The Evangelism Committee of the Trinity PRC in Houston, TX did some fine-tuning with their two radio broadcasts heard each Sunday over KTEK 1110 AM. Every Sunday at 10 a.m. and again at 1 p.m., Rev. Mahtani, Trinity’s pastor, will introduce the message to be given on the Reformed Witness Hour that same day at 4 p.m. Although these two one-minute messages entitled, “Reaching the Nations with the Gospel of Grace” will continue to bring the simple message of the gospel to the listeners in Houston,...

Secession, Doleantie, and Union: 1834-1892, by Hendrik Bouma. Tr. Theodore Plantinga. Appendixes by Theodore Plantinga and Peter Y. De Jong. Neerlandia, Alberta, Canada/Pella, Iowa, U.S.A.: Inheritance Publications, 1995. 302pp. $13.90 (paper). [Reviewed by the editor.] The availability in English of a reliable account of the union efforts of the Afscheiding (“secession”) and Doleantie (“grieving”) churches from 1886-1892 is noteworthy. This history of the contact and negotiations between the two Reformed bodies in the Netherlands that culminated in the united synod in Amsterdam on June 17, 1892 is informative, instructive, and moving. Yes, moving. For Christian Reformed, Protestant Reformed, Canadian Reformed,...

Rev. Woudenberg is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Kalamazoo, Michigan. A recent issue of Christian Renewal contained a second response of Rev. Jelle Tuininga to my recent articles concerning children in the covenant, which I believe brings out the differences between us and the Liberated Churches better than I alone can describe it. Accordingly, I here present both his letter and my answer. The Rev. Woudenberg has favored me with a gracious response, and I would like one more opportunity to reply to him.  1.History: Just what happened between Schilder and Hoeksema, and what caused what has been...

Rev. Haak is pastor of Bethel Protestant Reformed Church in Itasca, Illinois. Judging on the basis of contemporary evangelism, Jesus was an utter failure in His sermon on the Bread of Life. When He began He had the crowds with Him, but by His preaching, Jesus “turned them off.” Because of the words He spoke about the necessity of eating His flesh and drinking His blood, and especially because of His insistence on the truth of sovereign grace in election and reprobation, many of those who had before followed Him went away. This rejection has continued ever since. Preach a...

The late Homer Hoeksema was professor of Dogmatics and Old Testament in the Protestant Reformed Seminary. The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (1) Concerning the tree of knowledge of good and evil we read, first of all, in Genesis 2:9: “And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.” Further, in Genesis 2:16, 17 we read of the so-called probationary command: “And the Lord...

Rev. denHartog is pastor of Hope Protestant Reformed Church in Redlands, California. We are living in the new dispensation. There is a difference between the old and the new dispensation. By this we do not mean that God has changed in His holy attitude toward the wicked. Neither do we mean that our attitude must be essentially different from David’s attitude in the old dispensation. There is, however, a difference. By the command of God in the old dispensation the cause of the Lord’s kingdom was advanced by the sword. God commanded David to fight the many wars and battles...

Prof. Decker is professor of Practical Theology in the Protestant Reformed Seminary. In the previous article in this series we called attention to the fact that, because Jesus Christ is pleased to minister His Word, rule His flock, and care for the needy through the lawfully called officebearers, the people of God must receive these men as the representatives of Christ Himself. Before proceeding to discuss the qualifications for the office of elder we call the readers attention to an address given by Dr. Samuel Miller to the members of the Presbyterian Church in the United States. Dr. Miller was...

Rev. VanBaren is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Loveland, Colorado. Calvin Seminary Profs.: Classis Went Too Far Classis Grand Rapids East of the Christian Reformed Church in its meeting held on October 19, 1995 adopted a statement which dealt with “Ministry with Persons who are Homosexual.” The statement has created additional unrest in the CRC. The concern of Calvin Seminary professors is indicated in a communication sent to Classis G.R. East and signed by the 14 professors who are also members in churches belonging to that classis. Darrell Todd Maurina of the United Reformed News Service presents this...

An Untapped Resource Your brief editorial, “Retired, Not Dead” (SB, Nov. 1, 1995), led me to conclude that the greatest untapped resource in our churches, in the area of church extension work, is retired men and women in the congregations. (The second greatest untapped resource is our young people, but that’s another matter.) Local evangelism societies or committees receive dozens of letters per month requesting pamphlets and information regarding the Reformed faith. Ought these letters lie in a box for a month until someone finds time to respond to them? Ought not these requests be answered immediately, and then not...

Rev. David Higgs is pastor of the congregation of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Australia at Brisbane. He graduated from the Protestant Reformed Seminary in 1994. I have been asked by the editor of the Standard Bearer to write an article of news concerning myself and the congregation of which I am now pastor. I gladly accede to this request with the desire that it keep us in your memories and prayers. More, that this will be one of many means by which we grow in our knowledge of, and love for, each other. As I begin to write it...