All Articles For Editorial

No, not the Grand River in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where some of our spiritual relatives gathered after immigrating from the Netherlands in order to establish Reformed churches.1 But the Tiber River in Rome, Italy, where some of our ecclesiastical relatives are gathering today, there to destroy Reformed churches. They are there, ready to forsake Reformed tradition and join the Roman Catholic Church. “Crossing the Tiber” is an old expression describing what a Protestant does when he leaves the Reformation faith for the Roman Catholic fold. The Tiber River ran alongside old Rome; to get to Rome, one crossed it. Thus,...

At the last meeting of the editors of the Standard Bearer it was decided to continue the publication of the Standard Bearer, as far as its contents are con­cerned, according to the same plan as that which was followed the last two years. The editor was appoint­ed to assign different subjects for the ensuing year to the different writers. To this one exception was made: the Rev. G.M. Ophoff was granted the right to select his own subjects. Undersigned will continue to write the medita­tions, the editorials, and the dogmatic articles, the Lord willing. And the Rev. G. Vos is...

Naturally, after reading Van Til’s criticism of my position over against Prof. Heyns, as set forth in my “The Gospel,” I once more turned to that booklet to discover whether I really wrote anything that might suggest such a fatalistic conception of man as a moral agent as Van Til attributes to me. And I must confess that I not only failed to find anything that might reasonably explain Van Til’s criticism, but that it seems to me that what I actually wrote should have been sufficient to convince him that my views are the very opposite from what he...

It may be interesting to compare the conclusions adopted by the Synod of the Christian Reformed Churches in regard to the union question this year, with those that were adopted a few years ago. The comparison may show in what direction the Synod is moving, or whether it is merely marking time. We quote these former conclusions, as they appeared in The Banner of April 7, 1938: “Now it is perfectly clear that the Church can accomplish whatever it may be able to do in this sphere, only with the means entrusted to her, that is the faithful preaching of...

The United States of America is in steep decline. She is so because of God’s righteous judgment upon her. What she has so passionately wanted—sin—the righteous Judge of heaven and earth judges her with: sin and more sin. According to Romans 1, God “gives her over to a reprobate mind,” so that she does “those things which are not convenient.” “Not convenient” is “not suitable” or “not appropriate,” somewhat of an understatement to point out that even common sense would not allow one to behave as our society does! Our society asked for sexual liberty in the name of avoiding...

*The Christian Laborer in the Industrial Struggle, p. 29. Let us consider the first point of the principles adopted by the last synod of the Christian Reformed Churches on the Unions. We quote it here again: “Church membership and membership in a so-called natural labor union (CIO and AFL) are compatible as long as such union gives no constitutional warrant to sin, nor shows in its regular activities that it champions sin.” Now we may pass in silence, or at least just mention in passing, some of the minor objections that may be raised against this “principle.” The Synod here...

Permit me to continue my quotation from “The Gospel,” to demonstrate how little ground Van Til has for his indictment that I really make God the subject of man’s obedience or disobedience: “What then is the fallacy of Heyns’ reasoning? When, on our part, we deny the doctrine of the two wills, we deny the theory that God can will two exact opposites in the same sense and with respect to the same objects. This is what Heyns teaches. He claims: 1. God wills that all men shall be saved. 2. God does not will that all men shall be...

Let us take a little closer look at what the Synod had to say on the question of corporate responsibility, and its application to union membership. We find this in “principles” 2 and 3: “1. The Biblical doctrine of corporate responsibility and the Biblical teaching of the Christian’s separation from the world make it imperative for members of neutral labor organizations to discontinue membership of such unions whose common practices are clearly in conflict with the principles of the Word of God. “2. The doctrine of corporate responsibility does not imply that membership in unions which have engaged in sinful...

That Van Til has no ground whatever for the accusation that we present God as the real Subject of man’s actions, and that, on the contrary, he had plenty of material in his possession to convince him exactly of the opposite, may become still more evident from the following quotation from my The Gospel: “Of a similar nature is the objection of Heyns’ that our view presents men as being passive. Man, Heyns teaches, must do something to be saved. It simply will not do just to tell him: you have to do absolutely nothing! No, he must believe and...

From K. Heersema of Redlands, Calif. I received the following communication: “I am coming to you with a question for the Standard Bearer that has to be answered sooner or later in our circles here. Therefore, I bring it to you as a thing that is preached in your churches. For me it is an issue as I see it now. So, kindly receive it, and if you think it worthwhile, please, place it as it is timely for Redlands. “Many a time I heard this taught and practiced: pray not for the world; based on John 17:9. “Chapter 17...