The CRC Synod of ’77 has something to say to all who still have ears to hear and eyes to see. This year’s Synod is giving out signals—ominous signals—so loud and clear that he who runs may read. Religious dullards, deliberate cop-outs, those whose chief concern is not to rock the boat, and those who […]
John H. Piersma served as a delegate to the CRC Synod of 1977 from Classis Illiana while he was still pastor of the Bethany CRC of South Holland. Illinois. Since then he has been installed as pastor of the First eRe of Sioux Center, Iowa. His willingness to write this day-by-day review of Synod is truly appreciated. […]
Although adopted into our English language, the word desideratum, as used in the title above, is Latin and may be somewhat unfamiliar. Why use it then? Because I can think of no other single word that says it all—that is, all that I wish to try to say about the matter of a United Reformed […]
Beginning in 1857, the Christian Reformed Church is now 120 years old. Throughout all those years, there is no reason to believe that until recently the unqualified allegiance of the CRC to the inerrancy and authority of Scripture in toto has ever called into question. Admittedly there were other faults to which attention may have […]
Our hope is that our readers in Canada may have had a successful Thanksgiving Day recently on October 11 and that we who are south of the border may also have such this month on November 25. Our even greater hope is that all of us, and others too, may be truly grateful not just one […]
When the late President Eisenhower was still General Eisenhower, as he told it, he was one day engaged in an embarrassing conversation with a Soviet general who wanted to know from Eisenhower what the American ideology was. The Russian could spell out very clearly what he regarded the Soviet doctrine and goal to be, while […]
The 1976 Agenda for Synod (CRC Synod meeting June 8 to 18) is a volume of 541 pages. It may seem presumptuous of me to attempt to say what the basic issue at this Synod will be—but I feel conscience-bound to take that risk and to attempt to do so. The basic issue at this […]
Are we finally heading for a showdown in the CRC? Let’s hope so. And also pray so. A showdown that will save our name from becoming Ichabod. A showdown on what issue? The issue is this: What do we as a CRC really believe about the Bible? Increasingly this issue is today being recognized as […]
October is a good time to say this. Why? Because this is the month to celebrate the glorious Protestant Reformation. At least this is what we should be doing as those who still call ourselves Reformed—even Christian Reformed. Or has the glory of that illustrious sixteenth century in church history now grown dim and dull […]
“The church,” Calvin says in his Institutes, “is called ‘catholic’, or ‘universal’, because there could not be two or three churches unless Christ be torn asunder—which cannot happen!” But where is the visible manifestation of this? The lack of this is a cause for deep sorrow. And to be comfortably unconcerned is sin. Of course, this […]