Vol 92 Issue 10

Congregational Activities The congregation at Byron Center, MI PRC held a sledding party on Saturday, February 6. Sledding began at 3 p.m. at Byron Christian School east campus with supper at Adams Christian School. In case of no snow, the gym at Adams was open. Families and friends of Southeast PRC in Grand Rapids, MI enjoyed an afternoon of sledding at the Mines Golf Course on Saturday, January 23. Brats and hot dogs were on the menu. All were requested to bring their sleds and snacks to share, with hot chocolate being provided. Trinity PRC in Hudsonville, MI opted for...

January 13, 2016 Trinity Protestant Reformed Church Classis East met in regular session on Wednesday, January 13, 2016 at the Trinity PRC. Rev. M. DeVries was the chairman for this session. Each church was represented by two delegates. Three pastors were absent; one was in Northern Ireland, one in Australia, and one in the Philippines. As is usual for the January classis, voting for delegates to synod and other functionaries was done. Elected as delegates to Synod 2016: MINISTERS: Primi: G. Eriks, C. Haak, K. Koole, C. Spronk, R. VanOverloop; Secundi: A. denHartog, M. DeVries, W. Langerak, R. Smit, A....

Mr. Leep is a member of Grace Protestant Reformed Church in Standale, Michigan. Spiritual Warfare: A Biblical & Balanced Perspective, by Brian Borgman & Rob Ventura (Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books, 2014).[Reviewed by Bill Leep, Jr.] We are in a war of the most serious nature. As Reformed Christians, we have a tendency to ignore or downplay this reality, probably due to fear. Not the fear of being caught up in a war—far from it. More often it is the fear of the opposite extreme. That is to say, we may be guilty of the error of ignoring the power...

Previous article in this series: June 2015, p. 398. Introduction In our most recent articles we have been considering Scripture’s self-authentication, that is, Scripture’s own testimony to its divine inspiration and infallibility. For centuries the self-witness of Scripture has been the linchpin in the church’s argument for Scripture’s inspiration and authority. If Scripture disavowed all claim to authority or made no claim at all, Christians would have no basis for their contention that Scripture is the Word of God. But since Scripture does make this claim—makes it clearly, pervasively, and forcefully, the Christian church has echoed the claim. Scripture is...

Previous article in this series: December 15, 2015, p. 130. This is the second article presented by the Domestic Mission Committee (DMC) encouraging local churches to be more involved in mission work in the area of their congregations. I was asked by the DMC to write because I have been involved personally in this type of work in our outreach in the Pittsburgh area. In this article I intend to set forth a few suggestions regarding the method of local mission work. Of course, what is suggested is not meant to be the sole way of performing this work. There...

Previous article in this series: February 1, 2016, p. 203. We ended our last article with the convening of the Council of Jerusalem, which had been called at the request of the church in Antioch, specifically to decide the place of the Levitical rites in the calling of the Gentiles. The question had not originated in that church but had, rather, been foisted upon it by Judaizers from Jerusalem, who insisted that “except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved” (Acts 15:1). To the calling church for the work of ‘foreign missions,’ that was a...

Gender Confusion In Mark 10:16 Jesus says, “But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female.” Because our society rejects the authority of Scripture, it is utterly confused about how to identify people. World magazine reports on the consequences of this confusion: At the end of 2015, two human rights commissions over 2,800 miles apart enacted new rules that could be precedent-setting for the gender battle across the nation, including giving people the right to use whichever locker rooms and bathrooms they choose. The New York City Commission on Human Rights issued guidelines Dec. 21 to...

In your article on Domestic missions [in the] December 15 issue of the SB you stated that “The unchurched are those who in their generations belonged to the church but have fallen out of the covenant.” Can you please explain exactly how one “falls out of the covenant”? In my years in the PRC this has never been a phrase embraced by the church. It is, in my mind, a direct contradiction of 1953. Words have meaning. Jeff Andringa, Hull Iowa RESPONSE: I appreciate your question. It is important that we give accurate expression to the truth. It is obvious...

Previous article in this series: December 1, 2015, p. 101. As we now pass the 90th anniversary of the Protestant Reformed Churches, I remind us that these editorials began as a call to be faithful to our name and our roots. I have been explaining that to be Reformed, a church must be Covenantal, Calvinistic, Confessional, and have a proper view of both the Church and of the Christian life. For the sake of memory, these five essential elements begin with the letter “C.” Elders and ministers (who rule) as well as all the members of churches who identify as...

Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise. Proverbs 20:1 Drunkenness has been a problem of major proportion throughout history. It was a problem in Bible times both in the pagan community and in the church. The first recorded incident of drunkenness involved Noah, who walked with God. Drunkenness abounds in our own society and is a terrible scourge. It is a major contributor to failed marriages, broken homes, ruined lives, and early death. The sin of drunkenness is also a problem in today’s church. That brings us to the proverb we...