Volu 101 Issue 06

pastor of Peace PRC in Dyer, Indiana   Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord. Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways. Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently. O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes! Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments. I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments. I will keep...

professor of Practical Theology in the Protestant Reformed Theological Seminary, and member of First PRC in Grand Rapids, Michigan   INTRODUCTION Beginning in August and running through the October 2024 issue, Rev. J. Engelsma, one of the co-editors of the Standard Bearer, ably explained the doctrinal decisions of Synod 2024 of the PRCA regarding three controversial statements made in articles found in the same magazine. I join many others in thanking Rev. Engelsma for his careful, clear, and helpful explanation. In the introduction to his fourth installment of that explanation (vol. 100, #1, p. 6) Rev. Engelsma stated that he...

RESPONSE TO “A REACTIONARY BODY” I would like to respond to Professor Cory Griess’ articles, “A Reactionary Body” in the Standard Bearer (December 2024, p. 105). The editor does not specifically identify the cause of the reactionary state found in the PRC, so that if I am mistaken in my response I would apologize in advance. I would like to model the editor’s approach by comparing this state to a person who receives the diagnosis of cancer. There is evidence of cancer in the body that must be addressed. Compared to the whole body, the cancerous parts are relatively small:...

professor of Dogmatics and Old Testament in the Protestant Reformed Theological Seminary, and member of Grandville PRC in Grandville, Michigan   With the recent retirement of Prof. B. Gritters as one of the co-editors of the Standard Bearer (SB), we thought the readers would appreciate reading an interview with him. Such an interview has been done in the past and brings out a wealth of knowledge, history, and experience. As to the recent history of the position of SB editor, recall that Prof. D. Engelsma served as the sole editor of the SB for 16 years, writing his final editorial...

pastor of the Wingham PRC in Wingham, Ontario, Canada FRACTURING OF THE CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH “At least two dozen churches in the Christian Reformed Church of North America are in the process of severing their ties with the denomination over their disagreements with its increasingly rigid stance on sexuality.”1 Four of those churches are located in Classis Grand Rapids East: Calvin Church, Grace Church, Church of the Servant, and Sherman Street, churches with many professors, staff, and students of Calvin University. On the Canadian side of the border, a new group that I have mentioned before, called “Toward CRC Canada,”...

minister emeritus in the Protestant Reformed Churches, and member of Covenant of Grace PR Fellowship in Spokane, Washington Previous article in this series: December 2024, p. 109.   He that dasheth in pieces is come up before thy face: keep the munition, watch the way, make thy loins strong, fortify thy power mightily. For the Lord hath turned away the excellency of Jacob, as the excellency of Israel: for the emptiers have emptied them out, and marred their vine branches—Nahum 2:1-2 Nahum 2:1 is an announcement of the coming of the Babylonian and Median armies and a call to arms...

pastor of First PRC in Grand Rapids, Michigan   Laughter is a sound we usually hope to hear as we make our way to gatherings of family or friends over the holidays. The table set with saucers and plates, the full glasses, the piles of food, and the light hearts are all designed with this very purpose in mind. “A feast,” the wise preacher tells us, “is made for laughter” (Eccl. 10:19). Living in a fallen world, seeing lined and weary faces on the people around us, we need little reminding that life will be marked by times of weeping...

former editor of the Standard Bearer, professor of Practical Theology in the Protestant Reformed Theological Seminary, and member of Hudsonville PRC Previous article in this series: December 2024, p. 124.   Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto...

wife, mother, and grandmother in Hope PRC in Walker, Michigan   But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up—Acts 9:40 After reading the title of this article along with the passage from which the above quote is taken (Acts 9:36-43), it would be understandable if you were to think the contents of this article would hold the details and importance of Peter raising Tabitha from the dead. But, as relevant as that event may be...

home missionary in the Protestant Reformed Churches, and member of Zion PRC in Jenison, Michigan   In his 1851 classic, Moby Dick, Herman Melville had this to say about the whale: In his System of Nature, A.D. 1776, Linnaeus declares, “I hereby separate the whales from the fish.” But of my own knowledge, I know that down to the year 1850, sharks and shad, alewives and herring, against Linnaeus’s express edict, were still found dividing the possession of the same seas with the Leviathan.… Be it known that, waiving all argument, I take the good old fashioned ground that the...