Vol 80 Issue 13

Mr. Wigger is an elder in the Protestant Reformed Church of Hudsonville, Michigan. Congregation Activities The Cornerstone PRC in St. John, IN hosted a conference on “Depression” Friday and Saturday, February 27 and 28, at the Spring House Inn in Porter, IN. Rev. Jai Mahtani, our churches’ missionary to Pittsburgh, PA; Mr. Steve Hoekstra, a Christian counselor; and Mrs. Ellen Bruinooge, a counselor at Pine Rest Hospital in Grand Rapids, MI, either spoke or led sectionals at this conference. Preceding the spring meeting of Classis West on March 3 in the Hope PRC in Redlands, CA, there was an officebearers’...

March 3, 2004 Classis West met for its regular March meeting in Hope Protestant Reformed Church in Redlands, California on Wednesday, March 3. An officebearers’ conference was held on Tuesday, the day before classis. The theme of the conference was “The Divine Work of Sanctification.” The keynote address was given by Rev. Doug Kuiper. Papers were then presented on various related topics by Rev. G. Eriks, Rev. D. Kleyn, and Rev. M. VanderWal. Many members of Hope (Redlands) PRC also attended the conference. In the evening, all were invited back to church for a time of fellowship—an enjoyable way to...

Prof. Dykstra is professor of Church History and New Testament in the Protestant Reformed Seminary. God’s covenant of grace not only determines how God deals with His people, but by it God forms a real relationship with His people. This same covenant determines the place of children in the church and in the homes of believers. It is evident, then, that the particular view of the covenant held by parents and teachers will regulate the instruction, yes, even the character of the Christian school. The theology of the conditional covenant is that God establishes His covenant with every baptized child...

Rev. Bruinsma is pastor of the Protestant Reformed Church of Kalamazoo, Michigan. “She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens. She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms. She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.” Proverbs 31:15-18 The term “working mothers” is really a misnomer. Every wife and mother with a household to care for is a working mother. She probably puts...

Slabbert Le Cornu is married to Dorothea, and they have three daughters: Joanette (6), Hannelie (3), and Doret (1). He is a fourth-year theological student at the Reformed Churches of South Africa’s Theological School, in Potchefstroom. They are members of the Reformed Church, Potchefstroom-South. Slabbert is the founder and director of Die Esra Instituut (‘The Esra Institute’), which is a teaching ministry to advance the biblical-reformed faith and worldview in the world today. He is also the editor of the magazine Die Esra Verslag (‘The Ezra Report’). For further information, he can be contacted at: esra@netlab.co.za 1. The Current Crisis...

Rev. Kortering addressed the issue of vernacular language in prayer and Bible translation in his response to Rev. Stewart’s letter in the February 1, 2004, Standard Bearer. Rev. Kortering suggested that, in the context of its evangelical mission, the PRC should accept the use of vernacular language by “seeking souls.” I agree, but maintain the use of vernacular language should not be limited only to “seeking souls.” It is time for the Protestant Reformed Churches to embrace fully the implications of its Reformed heritage as they pertain to the issue of vernacular language in Bible translation and prayer. Luther and...

Delight over Assurance As one who receives the Standard Bearer via overseas mail to the United Kingdom, I am always the victim of deliveries that are either belated or not in sequence. Therefore, I have to hand only numbers 7 and 9 of volume 80 containing your editorials on assurance. Nevertheless, I feel constrained to express my delight at reading these two editorials on assurance. As the assurance of which you write is not ours, but a product of Almighty God’s gracious gift, it is a just and inevitable consequence to claim that “it forms an integral part of salvation itself.” In...

The speech given to the students and faculty of Covenant Christian High School, Grand Rapids, MI the morning of February 25, 2004. The movie opened to the general public that evening. Galatians 3:1: O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? Galatians 3:13: Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree. Galatians 6:14: But God forbid that I should glory, save...

In this issue of the Standard Bearer, we begin a three-part series on the history and present doctrinal and spiritual condition of the Dutch Reformed church in South Africa. The articles feature the Gereformeerde Kerken van Suid-Africa (Reformed Churches of South Africa), known popularly as the “Dopper” churches. In the past, this has been the soundest of the Reformed churches in South Africa. Most readers of the Standard Bearer have little knowledge of the Reformed church in South Africa and its present struggles. The only mention of the Reformed churches in South Africa by the religious press in North America...

Rev. VanderWal is pastor of Hope Protestant Reformed Church in Redlands, California. “And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.” Matthew 28:5, 6 The women feared indeed! They came with fear to the grave early that morning on the first day of the week. They had witnessed the horrible death of their beloved Lord upon the tree of the cross. They grieved at the shame He endured...