Thirty years ago a pastor in southern California wrote what has become a Christian best-seller: Satan is Alive and Well on Planet Earth. Pastor Hal Lindsey’s main point was that Satan is exercising his rule over our planet and his influence is growing by leaps and bounds. In a later book, Planet Earth, 2000 A. […]
Some years ago one of the elderly members of our congregation shared with me the fact that he and his wife had been married for over 50 years and had never had a single argument. Although I am rather gullible and really quite naïve, I could still hardly believe what he had said! So, I […]
A few words about preaching and praying within the worship service. There has been in the past, and still is today, a notion that sermons have to be long in order to be good. A long sermon is a mark of orthodoxy. This idea is especially found in more “conservative” churches, including the URCs and […]
“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” Mark 8:36 The Emperor Constantine, being informed of Maxentius’ tyranny, set himself to free the Romans from their slavery under him, and began immediately to consider by what means he might overthrow the tyrant. Now, while […]
The most noteworthy difficulties with the historic, literal, six day interpretation of the creation account cited by those who hold opposing views can be summarized as follows: The sun was not created until Day Four (Gen. 1:14–19). Since the sun is the instrument used for measuring “days” there was no way to measure the first […]
You’re on your way to make an elder’s visit with a young man who was in your Sunday School class ten years ago. He was a bit of a discipline problem then, but you always were able to talk honestly with him. You warned him a couple of months ago about dating that girl who, […]
The first Protestant missionaries ever to come to Japan were mostly from the U.S.A. When they came to this strange land of Buddhists and sun-worshippers they found no Christians. Today, 100 years after their arrival, one out of every 200 persons is a Christian. I agree, one half of one per cent is a small […]
The Apostle Paul’s Concern for His Countrymen One biblical argument that relates to the question of the well-meant offer of the gospel is often neglected or overlooked: the apostle Paul’s testimony at two key points in the argument of Romans (9:1–5; 10:1) that his heart’s desire and prayer to God was for the salvation of […]
January 1962 “It may be argued that legal divorce is more honest than hidden separation. However, that does not justify divorce. It is not the proper solution to ‘unbearable’ situations. The proper solution is a return to God and the righteousness of His precepts.” Ichabod! Nicholas J. Monsma “Our first concern has been and must […]