Denominational Activities Classis West was scheduled to meet Wednesday, September 30 in Edgerton, MN with the examination of Pastor-elect Ryan Barnhill taking place. An officebearers’ conference centering on “The Local Church and Missions” was planned there on September 29. Classis East convened Wednesday, September 9 at Byron Center, MI PRC. The meeting was brief, consisting mostly of routine items. School Activities Heritage Christian School provided a full-service restaurant at the Hudsonville, MI fairgrounds from August 24-29. Expanded and improved menu options included breakfast, lunch, supper, dessert, and snacks in the white building just inside the north pedestrian gates of the...

Songs of a Suffering King, J. V. Fesko. Grand Rapids, MI: Reformation Heritage Books, 2014. Paperback, 123 pp. [Reviewed by Rev. Martyn McGeown.] For one who loves to preach, read, and sing the Psalms, this is a delightful little book. However, this book is not only—or even mainly—for scholars and preachers. In fact, it is written for the ordinary believer who loves to read and sing the Psalms. The greatest value of this book is the clear teaching that the Psalms—all of them—are Christocentric, that is, all of them center on Christ. Fesko explains his approach in the introduction: Each...

Previous article in this series: May 15, 2015, p. 375. The Fall “And he did eat.” “…she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat,” (Gen. 3:6). “And he did eat.” With that very brief and unadorned statement, the Bible recounts a literal, historical, creationchanging event. A man named Adam ate. Adam’s eating is what we, in catechism class, call “the Fall.” We say “fall” because Adam sinned, and by sinning he fell away from God—his loving Maker and Friend—and into darkness and death. We say “the Fall,”...

Previous article in this series: April 15, 2015, p. 323.    Introduction Premillennialism explains Revelation 20:1-10 as predicting a “golden age” of a thousand years of earthly power, prosperity, and peace for the nation of Israel. Reigning over this earthly kingdom will be the risen, glorified Jesus Christ in the body on a throne in Jerusalem. This earthly glorification of and dominion by the restored Old Testament nation of Israel is the millennium of Revelation 20 in the theology of premillennialism. The age, or dispensation, of the millennium, with its glory for Israel, is supposed to be the goal of...

Previous article in this series: August 2015, p. 441.   Only Believers Profit God’s everlasting covenant is first of all with Christ. Whenever we read in Scripture of God’s everlasting covenant, we must remember this. The promises to Abraham were promises to Christ. The same is true of the promises to Noah. What God promised Noah, He promised to Christ and thus only to those who are in Him. Many, however, maintain that God’s covenant with Noah and His covenant with Abraham are not the same. They insist that God’s covenant with Noah was a covenant not only with the...

Dr. Decker submits this article at the request of the editors. The public press and other religious magazines have covered this topic. We believed it would be helpful to have a professional in the medical field submit his judgment on the matter for our magazine. You may have seen the pictures from the 1950s of families lined up waiting to receive the polio vaccine. Maybe you even remember waiting in that line. If so, you probably also remember the relief that came with knowing the dreaded disease of polio could be prevented. Finally something could be done about a disease...

The Decision On June 26, 2015 the Supreme Court of the United States redefined marriage and effectively legalized homosexual marriages in all 50 states. The next day Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr. explained the decision: Everything has changed and nothing has changed. The Supreme Court’s decision yesterday is a central assault upon marriage as the conjugal union of a man and a woman and in a five to four decision the nation’s highest court has now imposed its mandate redefining marriage on all fifty states. As Chief Justice Roberts said in his dissent, “The majority’s decision is an act of...

I agree with Prof. Dykstra’s editorial on the importance and value of visiting mission fields and the smaller, isolated churches and groups. Everything he said, both about the joys and sorrows of mission work, rings true for us here in Ireland also. Let me add to it by extending a welcome to the saints of the PRCA to visit your sister churches. The CPRC and LRF love to have visitors, and Ireland is a beautiful place to visit. I include a special word for the young people: study abroad programmes are possible. You can study for part of your course,...

Previous article in this series: May 15, 2015, p. 365. Introduction For some Christians these days it’s almost trendy to claim a Reformed identity. But being Reformed takes more than claiming “I am Reformed,” just as being a Christian does not come from saying “I am Christian.” Being trendy is not what we are about. All of us who have “Reformed” in the name of our church need to be concerned that we are indeed Reformed. In these editorials1 I have suggested that to summarize accurately what it means to be a Reformed Christian, we must emphasize and be committed...

At the PR seminary this past June, as takes place every year, the Standard Bearer Staff (all the writers) met to plan the next volume year, which begins with this issue—October 1. There are very few changes for the upcoming year. A few (younger) ministers have been asked to write guest articles. One writer, Rev. C. Griess, has asked for a year off. Otherwise, the writers and rubrics remain the same. Welcome back! The SB staff approved two special issues. First, our annual Reformation issue, coming soon. This year, 2015, the writers will treat the history leading up to the...