All Articles For Vol 96 Issue 09 2/1/2020

Trivia question Can you name the four churches in the Protestant Reformed Churches in the Philippines? Can you name the pastor of each? Answers later in this column. Minister activities At her congregational meeting on December 18, Unity PRC voted to call Rev. R. VanOverloop (Grace PRC). From her bulletin we learn this: “Due to the busyness of the holiday season, the Council has extended the time frame in which Rev. VanOverloop has to respond to our call to January 19, 2020.” Rev. Erik Guichelaar (Randolph PRC) was consid­ering the call to Kalamazoo PRC. On January 5 he declined this...

In recent articles on what it means to be a godly man I’ve written about male sexuality (especially as it relates to single men) and how a godly man behaves in a dating relationship. This article addresses the next logical subject: the Christian man as husband. Ordinarily it is the will of God for believing men that they seek a wife and get married. Obviously, this is not the case for all men, some by choice and others because God never leads them to a spouse. The fact that they are not married does not make them less of a...

As we stand near the beginning of a new year, the year of our Lord 2020, it is appropriate to consider the church universal, and, along with that, our denomination’s contact with small but greatly varied manifestations of it. Be they ever so small, they are ever so important. An important element of our prayers during this coming year (as it ought to have been in past years) should be for the church universal, of which the PRCA are only a small part. I still remember visiting an old saint in her mid-90s in a rest home in Artesia, California,...

In this installment of “All Around Us,” I would like to consider the progression of sin in this present evil age. We clearly see the development of depravity in all spheres of society and culture in the world today. Where it is particularly deep is in all matters relating to sexual immorality. This we know all too well from simply a cursory observation of present-day news and culture. What follows are three recent stories that demonstrate this development. In the first place, Answers magazine (the publication of the organization Answers in Genesis) reported on a recent piece written for Teen...

I submit this letter reflecting on the discussions taking place in the “Letters to the Editor” section of the SB. I do not take writing this lightly, but do so out of love for Christ and His church. My intention is not to hold myself above anyone else. These words that I write are to be applied to me and my shortcomings in this life, as much as or more than anyone. I fear that we are being influenced greatly by the world’s ways of discussing an issue. Respect is not be­ing shown to those with whom there is a...

Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways. For the froward is abomination to the Lord: but his secret is with the righteous. Proverbs 3:31–32 Have you ever envied the ungodly? They have little concern to keep the Sabbath day, to be honest in business, to keep their word, or to care for the needy. This opens the door for riches and a lifestyle that many of us would like to have but are denied as we strive faithfully to serve the Lord. This envy is addressed in the proverb before us. There are several elements found...

The following was supplied by Mr. Ben Wigger. We thank him for the interesting information! The Hudsonville, MI PRC was organized on July 26, 1926 at a meeting in Cornelius Spoelman’s barn. A classical committee consisting of Revs. H. Danhof, H. Hoeksema and G. Ophoff led the organizational meeting. At that meeting a group of 22 families and several individuals presented their membership papers and were organized into one of the first PR congregations besides the three already in existence through the deposition of their pastors in 1924. Hull, Iowa had been first to organize; Hudsonville followed about a year...

The New Testament Canon, by Michael Kruger. Sanford, FL: Ligonier Ministries, 2019. DVD, 138 minutes. $30.00. Reviewed by Douglas J. Kuiper. How do we know that God intended the New Testament to have only 27 books? Did God intend the church to have these 27 books, or did men foist them on the church? Might these books be forgeries? Should other books that are not currently in the New Testament be added? If these questions serve to remind us that God’s revelation is complete and that God has providential­ly preserved His revelation for the church of all ages, we can...

One of the aspects of mission work in cross-cultural settings is the day-to-day differences that a missionary must face and to which then he must respond appropriately and wisely. This day-to-day reality of cultural differences is true for all missionaries and their families, who are sent across cultural and linguistic boundaries, no matter their originating background, birth-nationality, and home-culture. Although the degree of differences can vary between the culture in which the missionary labors and the culture in which he was born and raised, yet they are an unavoidable part of his daily and weekly work. In this article, we...

Tiny. Unseen. Hidden in darkness and safety. An intricate wonder. A display of the creative and glorious power of God. Precious. Loved—by family and even more by God. Each little baby in the womb of a godly mother is a life, with a soul, and a specially determined, God-given purpose. This purpose may be carried out in a long life with many years on the earth and many visible works accomplished. Or this purpose may be carried out entirely in the mother’s womb, ending after a few brief months, weeks, days, or even hours. The inscrutable wisdom of a loving...