They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”   Revelation 6:16,17 It is not a pretty picture that these […]

The goal of these articles thus far has been to expand our understanding of Christian unity. I also hope that they have challenged our own practice of Christian unity. Of course, it is possible that we have been so stretched and tested that we might doubt whether such a lofty ideal is attainable. Sometimes when we […]

Introduction   At times within the Christian community, a practice can become so common that one begins to lose sight of its basis. The danger of this is that as time passes individuals grow ignorant of why they do what they do. From this ignorant position, it is a small step to cease doing what one […]

In Genesis 17 God identified Himself as the God Almighty (El Shaddai) for the first time. The name appears thirty-one times in the book of Job and seventeen times in the rest of Scripture. Each time it appears, God’s children are going through very difficult times. They are in need of some special reassurance from […]

The promises that God gave to Abram were for future generations. The promises God gives, however, are not only for some eventual fulfillment; they are for the present as well. After changing Abram’s name to Abraham, God addressed the rest of the patriarch’s family. As for Sarai The member of the covenant family God mentioned […]

The following is a summary of the proceedings of Synod and its related meetings, which took place on April 14 –16, 2010, in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey. An Office-bearers’ Conference took place on Wednesday afternoon. Del Deur from Grand Rapids spoke on the topic, “God’s Character— Reflected in My Walk and Talk.” The address was a timely […]

I had the privilege of being a delegate to the 2010 URCNA Synod in London, Ontario. Cornerstone URC is to be commended for providing synod with facilities that were very accommodating to the needs of the delegates and with volunteers that kept the gears of synod moving. So often overlooked are the men and women […]

Often in the world of inter-church relations, the metaphor of courtship and marriage is used. Churches are said to be “getting to know each other,” “courting,” etc., with a view to an eventual union. In our relation with the United Reformed Churches in North America, such terms have also arisen. While metaphors of this sort […]

Synod London 2010 made for long days and short nights. Synod began Monday evening with a worship service and prayer for Synod, which was over by 9:30. Breakfast began at 6:45 each morning and the morning sessions at 8:00. On Monday and Tuesday evenings we convened until 10:00 p.m., on Thursday evening until 11:30, and […]

This is the second half of a chapter in Sing a New Song, a new book that covers the topics of psalm singing in history, psalm singing in Scripture, and psalm singing and the twenty-first-century church. Among the contributors are W. Robert Godfrey (foreword), Joel R. Beeke, Terry Johnson, D. G. Hart, Derek Thomas, and […]