“But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.” James 1:22 We cannot possibly please Christ unless He dwells within our hearts. We cannot act Christ-like unless we have become children of God through faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross. James does not advocate only doing […]

The Reformed tradition has exhibited a range of thinking and practice regarding the use of patriotic music in corporate worship. Does the practice of free speech warrant the State’s advocacy of civil religion? Conversely, does this social freedom justify the Church’s promotion of the state as a quasi-confessional institution. The state, as a minister of […]

The eighteenth commencement service of Mid-America Reformed Seminary was held on May 16, with graduates Christian McShaffrey and Lawrens Slagter receiving Masters of Divinity degrees. The service was held in the new facility of Community URC in Schererville, Indiana, the church Mr. Slagter attended during his years at Mid-America. Mr. McShaffrey’s pastor, Rev. Bruce Hollister, […]

“For we know Him that hath said, ‘Vengeance belongeth unto Me, I will recompense,’ said the Lord. And again, ‘The Lord shall judge His people.’” Hebrews 10:30 Lord’s Day 4 addresses a number of questions about God. The first question concerns whether or not God is fair. It is a question that is still asked […]

The twelfth meeting of Classis Michigan of the United Reformed Churches in North America took place on June 3, 2003 at the Cornerstone United Reformed Church in Hudsonville, Michigan. Cornerstone had called this special meeting for the purpose of examining Mr. Gene Crow who had accepted a call to the church plant in Muskegon. Rev. […]

The 257th annual Synod of the Reformed Church in the United States (RCUS) met at Eureka, South Dakota, from May 19 through May 22, 2003. The first Synod of what later was named the RCUS met at Philadelphia on September 29, 1747. The RCUS has had a continuous existence ever since, and in the good […]

Increasingly, Reformed education resembles an affinity to evangelical Christianity, and in some ways, to the secular world. The spirit of independence, autonomy, power, and pragmatic ethical integrity are ripping into the soul of the Reformed educational community. I believe that Reformed educators need to address whether they really wish to be different and distinct anymore. […]

Article 2 of the Belgic Confession is divided into two short and simple parts: the knowledge of God in the “book” of creation, and the knowledge of God in the “book” of Scripture. The Confession uses the literary feature of a simile here to compare creation to a book when it says it “is before […]

Part 1 So far our evaluation of the new perspective on Paul has addressed several general matters of method and the understanding of Second Temple Judaism associated with the work of E. P. Sanders. The most important test, however, of the new perspective is whether it adequately treats the writings of the apostle Paul. Does […]

Over the past several months there has been a continual debate over what the Christian Reformed Church should do with the actions of First Toronto CRC. First Toronto, you may recall, has come out of the closet with a statement declaring that they will nominate openly homosexual members for elders and deacons. Many churches and […]