Vol 78 Issue 13

Rev. VanOverloop is pastor of Georgetown Protestant Reformed Church in Hudsonville, Michigan. Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.  He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded….  So after he had washed...

Mr. Wigger is an elder in the Protestant Reformed Church of Hudsonville, Michigan. Congregation Activities We could not help but note this spring, when our family received its yearly church directory, how much these have changed over the years. Directories still have all the important information like name, address, and phone number, but some of our churches have gone way beyond that by including, in addition to that, vital information, any cell phone numbers the family may have, fax numbers, as well as any e-mail addresses. It seems there is now no excuse for not being able to reach someone...

Looking into the Future: Evangelical Studies in Eschatology, ed. David W. Baker. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2001. 383 pp. $29.99 (paper). [Reviewed by the editor.] The worth of this volume on eschatology is not at all the astigmatic look into the future, but the penetrating glimpse it provides into the present condition of “evangelicalism.” Evangelicalism is shot. The best of the evangelicals are the bizarre premillennial dispensationalists. The worst are the “open theists.” Much of the book is taken up with Clark Pinnock’s defense of a god who does not even know the future, much less ordain it and direct...

Reprinted from When Thou Sittest In Thine House, by Abraham Kuiper, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids, Michigan. 1929. (Pp. 9-15.) Used by permission of Eerdmans Publishing Co. The “house” is no invention of man, but a creation of God in our behalf. The question whether, had Paradise remained, we would have had houses need not trouble us. It is enough to call to mind that our Savior speaks of a Father-house in the heavens; of one mighty, all-embracing Father-house; the “Father-house with its many mansions.” In Israel our Lord Himself dwelt in a house on Zion, the house...

Mr. Kalsbeek is a teacher in Covenant Christian High School and a member of Hope Protestant Reformed Church, Walker, Michigan. “And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their commandment.” I Chronicles 12:32 “God is dead!” If German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche was right when he said that, God has been dead now for over one hundred years. Nietzsche saw the death of God as necessary if man is to arrive at his potential for...

Prof. Engelsma is professor of Dogmatics and Old Testament in the Protestant Reformed Seminary. The abounding errors concerning the last things are by no means the only reason why eschatology must have a prominent place in the teaching of the church today. The truths of eschatology are a vitally important aspect of the content of Holy Scripture. It is a complete misunderstanding to suppose that the doctrine of the last things is merely a body of truth added at the end of a treatment of all the other doctrines of Scripture. Still worse was the omission of any separate treatment...

Protestant Reformed Seminary 4949 Ivanrest Avenue Grandville, Michigan 49418 February 25, 2002 To: The Protestant Reformed Churches and friends and supporters of the Protestant Reformed Seminary Dear brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus, Greetings in the love of Christ! Under the indispensable blessing of God, the seminary is enjoying a good and profitable year. We reported last fall that we have seven full-time students in school this year. The two senior students, Mr. Rodney Kleyn and Mr. David Overway, completed their internships in Faith PRC and Hull PRC, respectively. Both men were enthusiastic about their internships, affirming that they...

Rev. Key is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Hull, Iowa. As we proceed in our consideration of what has been called “The Golden Chain of Salvation,” we come to the activity of saving faith. We have seen that faith must first be understood as the bond by which God through the Holy Spirit grafts us into Christ. Nobody is saved without that bond, without being grafted into Christ. That includes infants. For all, the Bible teaches, are conceived and born in sin. But in the doctrine of salvation, it is the activity of faith that is on the...

Rev. VanBaren is a minister emeritus in the Protestant Reformed Churches. “Theologically Correct?” An article in the Grand Rapids Press, February 27, 2002, reports on “Implanting an I.D.” A short lead-in statement is made: “The makers of VeriChip say they have checked to make sure it doesn’t match the biblical ‘mark of the beast.’ ” The subhead states further, “New biochip holds implications for security, privacy.” The news report states: A Florida technology company is preparing to seek government approval for a computer ID chip that would be implanted inside the body and could be used to store everything from...

Extreme and Unrealistic I read the article on dating (Standard Bearer, Dec. 15, 2001) and felt compelled to respond. The sarcastic manner in which this was treated was not necessary nor befitting an article to be published in the Standard Bearer. More importantly, I don’t agree with the content of the article. How do you propose our young people get to know each other? People have dated for a long time and prayerfully came to the conclusion that being together for the rest of their lives would not be right. Yes, there is hurt in this but that is all...