All Articles For Letters

I am writing for clarification on Rev. McGeown’s article regarding the theological error of EFS (“Eternal Functional I am writing for clarification on Rev. McGeown’s article regarding the theological error of EFS (“Eternal Functional Subordination”). Rev. McGeown writes, Grudem [Wayne Grudem, Phoenix Seminary], for example, presents the Son’s submission to the Father as “the role-model for a woman’s submission to her husband.” (Of course, the pattern for a woman’s submission to her husband is not the Son’s eternal, functional submission or subordination to the Father, but the church’s submission to Christ!) While I would not use the term “role-model” as...

Just to let you know how pleased I am to get your magazine, the Standard Bearer. I am greatly blessed by reading articles in them. This month’s article [January 1, 2017] by Rev. Rodney Kleyn in “Believing and Confessing: The Normal Christian Life,” I have read over and over again. A real blessing to me in my Christian walk. Thank you all. Sam Fluke, Northern Ireland

In his article titled “Good Works” in the October 1, 2016 issue of the SB, Rev. R. Kleyn wrote in the section “The Place of Good Works:” Although the Bible teaches good works, there is always an order: first salvation, then good works. Salvation is not based upon works, but rather salvation is the sovereign work of God by His grace and Spirit and it produces good works. Good works are a part of the salvation that God works in us. Then later in that same section, after writing of “salvation from God’s point of view,” he writes in the...

When I read Prof. Engelsma’s article [“Conditionality, Not Responsibility” in the September 15, 2016 Standard Bearer, p. 487], it reminds me of his book Covenant and Election in the Reformed Tradition [RFPA, 2011]. If I understand correctly, the Reformed Baptism Form is set up with only elect children in mind. Your book deals with the question what it means to be “sanctified in Christ.” According to a footnote on page 121, VanVelzen was amazed, indignant, and horrified with a weak interpretation of being sanctified in Christ, and insisted that, as certainly as our children have been washed with water, they...

In the September 15 issue of the Standard Bearer, the editorial that reported on the visit to Namibia of the PRC’s Committee for Contact occasioned a handful of letters wondering about and commenting on what the delegation said to the saints about the PRC’s position on divorce and remarriage. The paragraph of interest said: Then we explained further the PRCA’s view on remarriage of divorced persons. Further, because some had heard us in 2010, and some had read PRCA literature. But others heard for the first time, listening with great interest to our exposition of Matthew 19 and related passages....

Marriage and Singleness While I did not expect that the special edition of the SB (April 15, 2016) on “Reformed Marriage” would address singleness, I was somewhat perplexed by Rev. Slopsema’s meditation “Two Become One.” Rev. Slop­sema makes two statements that, despite my reading of his article multiple times, I still find confusing. I hope that the SB will give him the opportunity to explain what he means. He writes, “Husband and wife complement each other in a most wonderful way so that together they can serve the Lord in a way that neither could achieve alone” (p. 315) and...

In the article in the February 15 issue of the Standard Bearer (p. 226), quite a bit of ink and paper was expended in writing about Donald Trump’s specious religious claims. I have been waiting for a sequel exposé of Senator Rafael Edward (“Ted”) Cruz, but so far in vain. The readers and subscribers of the SB, I believe, are astute enough to recognize that Mr. Trump’s Presbyterian claims are not credible. It is no feat to recognize error when it is so wrong. However, Mr. Cruz’s Christian claims are not so easily discerned. He and his father have connections...

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...

In your “All Around Us” column in the Standard Bearer, 15th September issue, you had a report on the Irish vote for “Same Sex Marriage.” As horrible and repulsive [as] we find this decision, the report missed one very vital aspect: Ireland does not have compulsory voting. It had been reported here in Australia that the vote was passed by 60% of the votes, but what was conveniently left out of the report was that only 37% of those eligible voters actually cast a vote. That means a whopping 63% either didn’t see it as relevant or couldn’t care less....

…While I highly respect Rev. Richard Smit and wholeheartedly endorse what he says about “The Role of Reformed Literature on the Mission Field,” he wrote recently (SB, Nov. 15), ”the work of missions is not advanced by [among other things]…medical missions. All these things are the outwardly attractive ways of modern missions, and are simply erroneous.” I cannot agree for several reasons: 1) The Lord’s and His apostles’ ministry was not only preaching the word but also healing the sick, albeit to authenticate their credentials; but those good works complemented and facilitated the preaching and showed they cared for the...