NEW TESTAMENT COMMENTARY: EXPOSITlON OF THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW by William Hendriksen, Bakcr Book House, Grand Rapids, Mich., 1973. 1015 pp. $14.95. Reviewed by Rev, Jerome Julien, pastor of the Faith Christian Reformed Church of Grand Rapids, Michigan.
The set is growing. After an interval, another in the NEW TESTAMENT COMMENTARY series can be added to our shelves. Typical of Hendriksen’s works it is characterized by careful scholarship, clear explanation, and definite insight into the text. What makes these commentaries such happy additions is that they are scholarly enough to help the minister as he prepares to preach God’s Word and yet simply enough explained so that the believer without seminary or Bible School training can benefit from the rich insights in the Word. And if the price were not so high (there is good reason for this, I am told) more families could add this volume to their home libraries.
In addition to the comments on the Matthew text (thorough, popular, and fervently spiritual) there is an introduction to the Gospel. Since this is the first volume in a projected set on the complete New Testament (of which several have already appeared) and also the first of the Synoptic Gospels, there is a 75 page introduction to the Gospels. A thorough hut clear discussion of the synoptic problem is presented, The various attacks on the reliability of the Gospels are lucidly explained and firmly evaluated. No one can fail to see Dr. Hendriksen’s commitment to the authority and infallibility of the Word.
My personal hope—and I know it belongs to others, too—is that the Lord may providentially give Dr. Hendriksen strength and mental alertness along with the years necessary to complete this excellent and readable set of commentaries.
APOSTLES OF DENIAL, an examination and expose of the history, doctrines and claims of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, by Edmond Charles Gruss. Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., Box 185, Nutley, N.J. 07110, 1970, 324 pages, $4.50 (paper), $6.50 (cloth). Reviewed by Rev. Louis Kerkstra, pastor of Lee St. CRC, Wyoming Mich.
This book is exactly what its subtitle designates it to be (see heading above). It is very thoroughly documented and gives evidence of careful research. In its present form it constitutes an expansion and revision of a master’s thesis submitted several years before by the author.
The book begins by systematically presenting the history of the Jehovah’s Witnesses under its successive leaders Russel, Rutherford, and Knorr. It shows how the characteristics of each of these men influenced the movement. This section of the book also shows that this cult is a combination of old heresies which were accepted and new ones which were developed.
The next sizeable portion of the book summarizes and refutes the doctrines of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. The refutation is especially telling in that the author uses the Witnesses’ own New World Translation of the Bible wherever possible. It effectively points out the devious and inconsistent methods of this sect.
This book is useful for the study and evaluation of the Jehovah’s Witnesses movement. It brings a person up-to-date on the sect and also gives information on some of the main factions which have broken from or been purged from the parent cult.
There is a minor element of repetition in the book. Most of it seems to stem from the fact that the author has departmentalized his material. Consequently the same material is sometimes taken lip in the “refutation” section which has already been treated under “history.”
This is not a book for anyone who wishes a quick condensed survey of this sect. Nor is it for the reader who does not care for a treatise interwoven with documentary evidence. But for the per. son who has an elementary knowledge of what the Jehovah’s Witnesses teach, this is a useful means toward expanding on that knowledge and learning more of how this sect functions.
The author of this book is professor of history and apologetics at Los Angeles Baptist College and Theological Seminary. As brought out in his personal testimony in Appendix E , he was baptized into the Jehovah’s Witnesses faith at the age of ten and remained a loving member until accepting Christ as his Savior at the age of seventeen. For that reason he has personal knowledge of this cult and also the struggle which a person undergoes when he seeks to throw off the yoke of this man-made religion. This element flavors the entire book and lightens its reading in contrast to many technical treatises. As a result of his personal association with the movement, the author’s pointers in Chapter XIII on how to deal with individual Witnesses are worthy of careful study. This is especially so for all who desire to communicate the true gospel to those in bondage to this sect.
To sum it up, it is the 0pinion of this reviewer that Professor Gruss has accomplished in this book what he set out to do—to prove that the Jehovah’s Witnesses are more interested in the denial of orthodox Christian doctrines than they are in leading people to salv11tion through the study of Scripture. To deal with them effectively, Christians must prepare themselves by diligent Bible study and prayer and acquaintance with the sect’s doctrinal system. This is pertinent advice for all who take the Christian faith seriously, especially in the light of the rapid growth of the Jehovah’s Witness’s movement in our present day.
BUNGLERS AND VISIONARIES – Christian Labor at the Crossroads, by James H, Olthuis and Gerald Vandezande. Published by Wedge Publishing Foundation, 229 College 51., Toronto 2B, Ontario, Canada. 38 pages, price $1.50. Reviewed by Rev. C. W. Tuininga of Winnipeg, Manitoba.
This booklet contains two essays delivered on the occasion of the Twentieth anniversary of the Christian Labor Association of Canada. The writer~ address themselves primarily to the future role of the CLAC, emphasizing the important calling it has to fulfill in our time of crisis in the labor world. These essays are well written, meaty, giving much ailment for reflection. Both writers emphasize the necessity for the CLAC to press on in the Name of the Lord and the directive of His Word. The very existence of the CLAC, so both aver, depends on its being Biblically prophetic, always busy pressing the claims of Christ in labor.
Dr. James Olthuis writes the first essay, “Past and Future of the CUC,” in which he recounts the good work the CLAC has done to date, but his concern is to put forth a clarion call for action in the future. “We are to hold forth the Word of life. The present disorder cries for the order of the Word.” He contends that “Right work is righteous work, that is, work which is an on-going effort to bring more and more of life under the jurisdiction of the Master.” Besides this, we must identify and throw out the demons of modern science and technology which are busy dehumanizing man, bringing him into bondage. How can we do this? By knowing God’s Word and its directives for reforming life, in particular the laboring man’s world and life.
If we lire to reform economic life we must “rediscover” the Word of God “as the ordering principle” of life in its every detail. To rediscover the Word of God we must not limit it to the Scriptures, for if we do we ignore “The scriptural confession that the Word creates, upholds and structures creation to this day.” Since many conservatives limited the Word to the Scriptures they have not been able to “talk of an internal Christian approach to economics.” Since neither the capitalist nor Marxist orders are “viaible alternatives” for God’s people “the CLAC must testify to the need of a new economic order.”
Many questions are left unanswered in this short essay. More must he said if it is to be helpful to the CLAC members and others. If the Word of God inscripturated is not complete and clear as a directive, Dr. Olthuis owes it to us to tell us where it falls short. What special light does Dr. Olthuis have beside the Word written that we do not have? And concerning a new order, just what is it? And how do we begin to usher it in, by, action, or by proclamation. Seems to me Dr. Olthuis is cutting faith’s anchor line and setting it adrift.
Mr. Gerald Vandezande deals with the topic, “Choices for Tomorrow.” This essay gives a very clear in-depth analysis of the crisis in our present-day socioeconomic world. The writer struggles to come to concrete solutions, calling on the CLAC to “. . . help all men to work out their socio-economic salvation with fear and trembling by communally doing the Word of God.” This is not a small or easy undertaking. It requires that all Christians come to know the Lord’s will for their role in the laboring man’s world, and strive to be a “liberating power in Christ.” In this great task that will tax severely “our talents, energies, and finances” we need help. That help will have to come from leading scholars who must develop “a comprehensive view of economics, industry, stewardship and human relations” which shows that there is an answer to the problems we now face in these areas of life. Mr. Vandezande, executive secretary of the CLAC, recommends that it must articulate long-range views “in terms of a scripturally-normed view of life, of man and of his labor.” Besides, the CLAC will have to communicate “more situationally-conscious proposals to the industrialists, unionists, politicians and the public-at-large.” The CLAC will also have to demonstrate its willingness to be of total service to all, and to translate all its ideas into action. The CLAC, “Because of the new direction in Christ,” should become “the radically Christian catalyst for . . . a new society.”
Although one must admire the spirit and ambitious vision of Mr. Vandezande, he too leaves one with many Questions. How shall we “overthrow the existing order” and usher in a “new society”? Does Scripture really allow us to think in terms of totally changing the sinful structures developed by the world? Are we getting at the root problem if we “become the vanguard to insist on those socio-economic directional and structural changes which do not worsen the human oppression of human personality but breathe the liberating power of Christ”? Is this a “socio-economic” salvation we must work for? Or is it rather to proclaim the only Savior Christ Jesus? For only when men forsake their open rebellion against Christ the Lord will they come to see their calling before Him for all of life.
Although this booklet leaves many questions, it is in my judgment, very worth reading, if for no other reason thl1n to stimulate discussions on how to live in 0ur modern world as men of God. Neither writer claims to know the full answer. Both struggle with viable answers to our modern problems. Credit where it is due, but I believe both miss the right perspective. This needs rethinking. This booklet should give that impetus.
The set is growing. After an interval, another in the NEW TESTAMENT COMMENTARY series can be added to our shelves. Typical of Hendriksen’s works it is characterized by careful scholarship, clear explanation, and definite insight into the text. What makes these commentaries such happy additions is that they are scholarly enough to help the minister as he prepares to preach God’s Word and yet simply enough explained so that the believer without seminary or Bible School training can benefit from the rich insights in the Word. And if the price were not so high (there is good reason for this, I am told) more families could add this volume to their home libraries.
In addition to the comments on the Matthew text (thorough, popular, and fervently spiritual) there is an introduction to the Gospel. Since this is the first volume in a projected set on the complete New Testament (of which several have already appeared) and also the first of the Synoptic Gospels, there is a 75 page introduction to the Gospels. A thorough hut clear discussion of the synoptic problem is presented, The various attacks on the reliability of the Gospels are lucidly explained and firmly evaluated. No one can fail to see Dr. Hendriksen’s commitment to the authority and infallibility of the Word.
My personal hope—and I know it belongs to others, too—is that the Lord may providentially give Dr. Hendriksen strength and mental alertness along with the years necessary to complete this excellent and readable set of commentaries.
APOSTLES OF DENIAL, an examination and expose of the history, doctrines and claims of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, by Edmond Charles Gruss. Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., Box 185, Nutley, N.J. 07110, 1970, 324 pages, $4.50 (paper), $6.50 (cloth). Reviewed by Rev. Louis Kerkstra, pastor of Lee St. CRC, Wyoming Mich.
This book is exactly what its subtitle designates it to be (see heading above). It is very thoroughly documented and gives evidence of careful research. In its present form it constitutes an expansion and revision of a master’s thesis submitted several years before by the author.
The book begins by systematically presenting the history of the Jehovah’s Witnesses under its successive leaders Russel, Rutherford, and Knorr. It shows how the characteristics of each of these men influenced the movement. This section of the book also shows that this cult is a combination of old heresies which were accepted and new ones which were developed.
The next sizeable portion of the book summarizes and refutes the doctrines of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. The refutation is especially telling in that the author uses the Witnesses’ own New World Translation of the Bible wherever possible. It effectively points out the devious and inconsistent methods of this sect.
This book is useful for the study and evaluation of the Jehovah’s Witnesses movement. It brings a person up-to-date on the sect and also gives information on some of the main factions which have broken from or been purged from the parent cult.
There is a minor element of repetition in the book. Most of it seems to stem from the fact that the author has departmentalized his material. Consequently the same material is sometimes taken lip in the “refutation” section which has already been treated under “history.”
This is not a book for anyone who wishes a quick condensed survey of this sect. Nor is it for the reader who does not care for a treatise interwoven with documentary evidence. But for the per. son who has an elementary knowledge of what the Jehovah’s Witnesses teach, this is a useful means toward expanding on that knowledge and learning more of how this sect functions.
The author of this book is professor of history and apologetics at Los Angeles Baptist College and Theological Seminary. As brought out in his personal testimony in Appendix E , he was baptized into the Jehovah’s Witnesses faith at the age of ten and remained a loving member until accepting Christ as his Savior at the age of seventeen. For that reason he has personal knowledge of this cult and also the struggle which a person undergoes when he seeks to throw off the yoke of this man-made religion. This element flavors the entire book and lightens its reading in contrast to many technical treatises. As a result of his personal association with the movement, the author’s pointers in Chapter XIII on how to deal with individual Witnesses are worthy of careful study. This is especially so for all who desire to communicate the true gospel to those in bondage to this sect.
To sum it up, it is the 0pinion of this reviewer that Professor Gruss has accomplished in this book what he set out to do—to prove that the Jehovah’s Witnesses are more interested in the denial of orthodox Christian doctrines than they are in leading people to salv11tion through the study of Scripture. To deal with them effectively, Christians must prepare themselves by diligent Bible study and prayer and acquaintance with the sect’s doctrinal system. This is pertinent advice for all who take the Christian faith seriously, especially in the light of the rapid growth of the Jehovah’s Witness’s movement in our present day.
BUNGLERS AND VISIONARIES – Christian Labor at the Crossroads, by James H, Olthuis and Gerald Vandezande. Published by Wedge Publishing Foundation, 229 College 51., Toronto 2B, Ontario, Canada. 38 pages, price $1.50. Reviewed by Rev. C. W. Tuininga of Winnipeg, Manitoba.
This booklet contains two essays delivered on the occasion of the Twentieth anniversary of the Christian Labor Association of Canada. The writer~ address themselves primarily to the future role of the CLAC, emphasizing the important calling it has to fulfill in our time of crisis in the labor world. These essays are well written, meaty, giving much ailment for reflection. Both writers emphasize the necessity for the CLAC to press on in the Name of the Lord and the directive of His Word. The very existence of the CLAC, so both aver, depends on its being Biblically prophetic, always busy pressing the claims of Christ in labor.
Dr. James Olthuis writes the first essay, “Past and Future of the CUC,” in which he recounts the good work the CLAC has done to date, but his concern is to put forth a clarion call for action in the future. “We are to hold forth the Word of life. The present disorder cries for the order of the Word.” He contends that “Right work is righteous work, that is, work which is an on-going effort to bring more and more of life under the jurisdiction of the Master.” Besides this, we must identify and throw out the demons of modern science and technology which are busy dehumanizing man, bringing him into bondage. How can we do this? By knowing God’s Word and its directives for reforming life, in particular the laboring man’s world and life.
If we lire to reform economic life we must “rediscover” the Word of God “as the ordering principle” of life in its every detail. To rediscover the Word of God we must not limit it to the Scriptures, for if we do we ignore “The scriptural confession that the Word creates, upholds and structures creation to this day.” Since many conservatives limited the Word to the Scriptures they have not been able to “talk of an internal Christian approach to economics.” Since neither the capitalist nor Marxist orders are “viaible alternatives” for God’s people “the CLAC must testify to the need of a new economic order.”
Many questions are left unanswered in this short essay. More must he said if it is to be helpful to the CLAC members and others. If the Word of God inscripturated is not complete and clear as a directive, Dr. Olthuis owes it to us to tell us where it falls short. What special light does Dr. Olthuis have beside the Word written that we do not have? And concerning a new order, just what is it? And how do we begin to usher it in, by, action, or by proclamation. Seems to me Dr. Olthuis is cutting faith’s anchor line and setting it adrift.
Mr. Gerald Vandezande deals with the topic, “Choices for Tomorrow.” This essay gives a very clear in-depth analysis of the crisis in our present-day socioeconomic world. The writer struggles to come to concrete solutions, calling on the CLAC to “. . . help all men to work out their socio-economic salvation with fear and trembling by communally doing the Word of God.” This is not a small or easy undertaking. It requires that all Christians come to know the Lord’s will for their role in the laboring man’s world, and strive to be a “liberating power in Christ.” In this great task that will tax severely “our talents, energies, and finances” we need help. That help will have to come from leading scholars who must develop “a comprehensive view of economics, industry, stewardship and human relations” which shows that there is an answer to the problems we now face in these areas of life. Mr. Vandezande, executive secretary of the CLAC, recommends that it must articulate long-range views “in terms of a scripturally-normed view of life, of man and of his labor.” Besides, the CLAC will have to communicate “more situationally-conscious proposals to the industrialists, unionists, politicians and the public-at-large.” The CLAC will also have to demonstrate its willingness to be of total service to all, and to translate all its ideas into action. The CLAC, “Because of the new direction in Christ,” should become “the radically Christian catalyst for . . . a new society.”
Although one must admire the spirit and ambitious vision of Mr. Vandezande, he too leaves one with many Questions. How shall we “overthrow the existing order” and usher in a “new society”? Does Scripture really allow us to think in terms of totally changing the sinful structures developed by the world? Are we getting at the root problem if we “become the vanguard to insist on those socio-economic directional and structural changes which do not worsen the human oppression of human personality but breathe the liberating power of Christ”? Is this a “socio-economic” salvation we must work for? Or is it rather to proclaim the only Savior Christ Jesus? For only when men forsake their open rebellion against Christ the Lord will they come to see their calling before Him for all of life.
Although this booklet leaves many questions, it is in my judgment, very worth reading, if for no other reason thl1n to stimulate discussions on how to live in 0ur modern world as men of God. Neither writer claims to know the full answer. Both struggle with viable answers to our modern problems. Credit where it is due, but I believe both miss the right perspective. This needs rethinking. This booklet should give that impetus.