Vol 84 Issue 19

Mr. Wigger is a member of the Protestant Reformed Church of Hudsonville, Michigan.   Mission Activities Mission Awareness Day was held at the Georgetown PRC in Hudsonville, MI Saturday, June 14. AIM (Active in Missions) organized the day, where members of our congregations were able to meet our domestic missionaries, learn of recent mission developments, share ideas, and hear presentations from different Evangelism Societies, the Reformed Witness Hour, Philippine Missions, and others, about the spread of the gospel. Devotions started the day around 9:30 and then 12 sectionals were available to choose from in different time slots, with coffee midway...

Rev. Smit is pastor of Immanuel Protestant Reformed Church in Lacombe, Alberta, Canada. Previous article in this series: April 1, 2008, p. 300. Following love and joy, the next aspect of the fruit of the Spirit, according to Galatians 5:22, is peace. Like love and joy, peace is also a significant part of the believer’s life. In fact, I believe that it would be fair to conclude that peace is very precious to you, dear reader. We would be most miserable, wouldn’t we, without the peace that passes all understanding (Phil. 4:7) and without the blessed enjoyment of that peace with...

* Not Anabaptist but Reformed was a pamphlet written by Danhof and Hoeksema in 1923 as a “Provisional Response to Rev. Jan Karel Van Baalen Concerning the Denial of Common Grace.” Translated here from the Dutch by seminarian Daniel Holstege. Previous article in this series: July 2008, p. 427. [In the first part of this chapter, Herman Hoeksema and Henry Danhof have rejected Van Baalen’s assertion that they misuse the Reformed confessions. Jan Karel Van Baalen, they wrote, accused them of removing from the confession what they did not want, namely, the doctrine of common grace. On the contrary, the...

Rev. Laning is pastor of Hope Protestant Reformed Church in Walker, Michigan. Previous article in this series: June 2008, p. 391. The first four articles in this series were to give an overview of certain aspects of dispensationalism, by summarizing what they predict is going to happen in the near future, demonstrating how they have capitalized on recent world events to promote their system, pointing out some of the folly to which dispensationalism ultimately leads, and showing how their central distinction between Israel and the church ends up effectively dividing the Scriptures into two different books to two different groups...

Rev. VanderWal is pastor of Hope Protestant Reformed Church in Redlands, California. With the enemy at its borders preparing to invade, a country sounds a call to arms. Who will answer that call? Not the elderly. Not the fathers and the mothers. Not the children. Those expected to respond to that call to arms and those who will be drafted in time of war are the young men. The young men can leave their stations of life, their jobs, and their homes to take up the cause of defending their country. Their strength of youth is great for this warfare,...

Rev. Lanning is pastor of Faith Protestant Reformed Church in Jenison, Michigan. Previous article in this series: April 1, 2008, p. 295. After nearly four years of labor in Sully, Iowa, Henry Danhof accepted a call to Dennis Avenue Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan.¹ At the time, the Dennis Avenue congregation was in mourning. Early in the year of 1914, God had taken Dennis Avenue’s pastor, Rev. J. A. Kett, by death. The consistory decided not to call a new minister right away, in order to give the congregation a proper interval to grieve. The congregation waited nearly...

Rev. Kortering is a minister emeritus in the Protestant Reformed Churches. Annual church assemblies give rise to public discussion on controversial issues. As the readers of the Standard Bearerknow well, women in office is such an issue. This year is no exception. Turning to the annual synod of the Christian Reformed Church, we learn that this issue has probably reached its climax with the inclusion of women delegates to synod and the election of one of these women delegates to serve as the vice-president of synod. True, they still await a woman president, and that seems likely to come in its...

In his preview of Synod 2008 in the June issue Prof. Dykstra gave a one sentence review of a number of appeals. This review was sandwiched by what amounted to two full paragraphs of his opinion of the appeals. In the first place I am not quite sure it is appropriate that a preview of Synod contain colorful editorial commentary concerning appeals that will subsequently be treated by the Synod.

Normally we do not use editorials for the purpose of reviewing and promoting a book. In this case we gladly make an exception, not only because of who authored the book, Prof. David J. Engelsma, who was granted emeritus status at this year’s synod following 45 years in the active ministry, the last 20 years of which were devoted to our seminary in the Dogmatics department, but especially because of the book’s subject matter, namely, God as God triune, and that in connection with the truth of the covenant. What is more basic to the unique identity of the Christian...

Rev. VanOverloop is pastor of Byron Center Protestant Reformed Church in Byron Center, Michigan. “Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”  II Peter 1:10, 11 These young Christians needed to be steadfast (II Peter 3:17), that is, established in the truth. They were troubled by false teachers and scoffers. God’s promise concerning Christ’s return was being fiercely challenged. As a result they were...