Vol 72 Issue 19

Letters to a Young Pastor: Letters to Rev. R Harbach by A. W. Pink. Grandville, MI: The Evangelism Committee of Grandville Protestant Reformed Church, 1993. 40 pages (paper). N. p. [Reviewed by the Editor.] The Evangelism Committee of the Grandville, MI PRC has published a 40-page booklet containing letters written by well known Bible expositor A. W. Pink to Rev. Robert C. Harbach. Pink wrote the letters during the years 1943-1949. The letters contain little explanation of Scripture; some advice to a young pastor concerning the ministry; and repeated expressions of concern that Pink’s magazine had relatively few subscribers. One...

Mr. Wigger is a member of the Protestant Reformed Church of Hudsonville, Michigan. Evangelism Activities The Evangelism Committee of the Southwest PRC in Grandville, MI is sponsoring a summer seminar on “The Writing, Compilation, and Translation of the Bible.” Plans call for Rev. R. Cammenga, pastor at Southwest, to trace the very interesting history of Bible translation down to the King James Version of 1661. These seminar meetings are scheduled for the four Wednesday evenings in August, and are to conclude with a visit to the Scriptorium in Grand Haven, MI. In its on-going evangelism effort in the Houston, TX...

Rev. denHartog is pastor of Hope Protestant Reformed Church in Redlands, California. What a scene is painted for us in Psalm 2! Millions and millions of wicked men are arrayed in a tumult against the Lord of heaven and earth. This is a description of the history of the world since the time of the Fall. The whole world of fallen men is arrayed against the Lord and against His anointed. The nations of the earth are joined together. They are enthusiastically united in their evil purpose against the Lord. They take counsel together against Him. The wisdom and intelligence...

Rev. Woudenberg is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Kalamazoo, Michigan. Very shortly after hearing from Dr. DeJong of the Clarion magazine (which letter appeared in the April 1 issue of the SB), there appeared a letter in the Christian Renewal reflecting on the same matters, namely, the problems between the Protestant Reformed and Liberated Churches. And accordingly my answer reflected on much of the same material we considered in recent articles; but my feeling is that it warrants reprinting. Many times through the years efforts have been made to make the Declaration of Principles appear to have been...

Prof. Hanko is professor of Church History and New Testament in the Protestant Reformed Seminary. * Transcript of speech delivered at the graduation of Richard Smit and Cheah Fook Meng, on June 17, 1996. “For we preach Christ crucified…. “  I Cor. 1:23 A discussion (one would hardly call it a controversy) is being carried on in at least a part of the Reformed church world concerning the relative merits of what is called redemptive-historical preaching over against exem-plaristic preaching. The reference is to preaching on historical passages in Scripture, whether in the New or in the Old Testament. Those...

Prof. Decker is professor of Practical Theology in the Protestant Reformed Seminary. Having discussed in previous articles the gifts and qualifications which the elders must possess, we turn our attention to the congregation entrusted by God to the care of the elders. Two questions need answers: With whom is the elder dealing? and, How must the elder care for them? The congregation is not a mere “bunch” of people. Never does Scripture present the congregation as a mere crowd of individuals. Rather, the congregation is a part of “the flock of God” (I Pet. 5:2). And, it must never be...

Family Structure and Missions I very much appreciated Rev. Allen Brummel’s article in the May 15 issue of the Standard Bearer entitled “The Foreign Mission Calling of the Church.” The true church always rejoices when the call of the gospel goes out to the remote regions of the earth and brings the lost sheep into the fold. In particular I appreciated the wise advice to individuals and evangelism societies, and the willingness of the FMC to help individuals with their contacts. I would like to see more articles on the mission work of our churches. I have one difficulty, however,...

It is those glorious prospects in Old Testament prophecy that are the real basis in Scripture for the postmillennial dream. The postmillennialists make a half-hearted appeal to Revelation 20 (see the editorial in the Standard Bearer, April 15, 1995). They refer to a stray text, here and there, in the New Testament. But their theory of the last things rests, in the end, on Old Testament prophecy, specifically, Old Testament prophecy of the coming, victorious, glorious Messianic kingdom. Here, in the Old Testament prophecies that hold out grand prospects for the future, is the bulwark of postmillennialism. Messiah’s rule over...

Rev. Slopsema is pastor of First Protestant Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Children’s children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers. Proverbs 17:6 It is possible for a person to bring honor and glory to his family. It is also possible for a person to bring shame and humiliation to his family. There are fathers and mothers who have brought shame and disgrace to their children through sinful living. There are fathers and mothers who have brought honor to their children by being examples of godliness. There are children who have brought...