Vol 78 Issue 20

Mr. Wigger is an elder in the Protestant Reformed Church of Hudsonville, Michigan. Young Adult Activities   In late June, the 24th through the 28th to be exact, the young adults of the Immanuel PRC in Lacombe, AB, Canada, along with help from their congregation, hosted a Young Adults Retreat at the Deer Valley Meadows Christian Center. There were forty-six young adults registered to attend this retreat. Many of them arrived the weekend before the retreat officially began, so they were able to visit with and enjoy a picnic supper with church members on Saturday and worship with them as...

Rev. VanderWal is pastor of Hope Protestant Reformed Church in Redlands, California. Said by Them of Old Jesus Christ, the King of the kingdom of heaven, draws out of the Old Testament another law of which He is the fulfillment: “Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.” This law is out of Exodus 21:24. This passage, along with verse 23, gives more examples. “And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life, Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for...

Mr. Lanting, a member of Cornerstone Protestant Reformed Church of Dyer, Indiana, is a practicing attorney. “In sum, the Ohio voucher program is entirely neutral with respect to religion. It provides [tuition aid] directly to a wide spectrum of individuals…. It permits such individuals to exercise genuine choice among options public and private, secular and religious. The program is therefore a program of true private choice. In keeping with an unbroken line of decisions rejecting challenges to similar programs, we hold the program does not offend the Establishment Clause.” Zelman v. Simmons-Harris, U.S. Supreme Court (June 27, 2002) (majority opinion)...

Rev. Laning is pastor of Hope Protestant Reformed Church in Walker, Michigan. To understand salvation by grace alone one needs to understand what God does to the will of man when He saves him. Martin Luther came to see the central importance of this subject in his debate with Desiderius Erasmus. In fact, he was thankful that God had made use of Erasmus to bring the central importance of this truth to his attention. He spoke of this in the conclusion of his work entitled The Bondage of the Will: Moreover, I give you hearty praise and commendation on this...

Rev. Cammenga, pastor of Southwest Protestant Reformed Church in Grandville, Michigan, is the secretary of the Contact Committee of the PRC. From America’s Midwest to its west coast. From Los Angeles across the equator, across the International Date Line, with a stopover in New Zealand, finally to Brisbane International Airport in Queensland, Australia. After some twenty hours of flying time, and thirty hours after they set out from Grand Rapids, Prof. Robert Decker and his wife, Marilyn, and the undersigned and his wife, Rhonda, were greeted by brothers and sisters of the Brisbane Evangelical Presbyterian Church. We had left on...

Rev. Kuiper is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church in Randolph, Wisconsin. In our last article we noted three biblical principles that govern the election and installation of officebearers. First, the church as a whole, not only her rulers, ought to be involved in the selection process. Second, those who are in office must supervise the calling and installation process. Third, officebearers should be installed in a solemn ceremony in the presence of the church. In this article we will expand on the first principle, showing what role the congregation plays in the nomination and election of deacons. What this...

Prof. Hanko is professor emeritus of Church History and New Testament in the Protestant Reformed Seminary. Introduction Anyone interested in the great Reformation of the sixteenth century readily acknowledges that Martin Luther was the outstanding reformer, of all those who engaged in this great work. Followers of John Calvin, while recognizing that Calvin’s theological writings were more thoroughly biblical (in his theological approach to the truth in distinction from Luther’s soteriological emphasis, and in the doctrine of the presence of Christ in the Lord’s Supper), nevertheless recognize that Luther was used by God not only to begin the Reformation, but...

Rev. VanBaren is a minister emeritus in the Protestant Reformed Churches. Zero Tolerance for Sex Abuse   The Roman Catholic Church is troubled by the very bad publicity of a number of its priests who are or have been involved with sexual abuse of children, of women, and of men. All of this makes for titillating reading in the press and for constant repetition on television and radio news. There is no doubt but this is a very bad situation—especially because for years the Roman Catholic Church deliberately sought to cover this up and reassign the priests involved to different...

Common Grace for Culture   Wherever common grace is defended, the main reason is “culture.” Common grace is necessary to account for culture. Common grace is necessary to explain the political, scientific, technological, medical, and artistic developments of the world of the ungodly. Common grace is necessary to justify a Christian’s use of the cultural products of the ungodly world. Common grace is necessary as the power and warrant of the Christian’s earthly life in the world. Culture was the driving force behind Abraham Kuyper’s (and Herman Bavinck’s) elaborate development of and strong emphasis on common grace. In his Lectures...

Rev. Slopsema is pastor of First Protestant Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. John 8:12 The gospel of John records seven times that Jesus said, “I am.” I am the Bread of Life; I am the good Shepherd; I am the way, the truth, and the life; I am the resurrection and the life…. And now here, I am the light of the world. Jesus speaks of following Him as...