Rev. Clarence G. Werkema is pastor of the Walker Christian Reformed Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan. In writing about “Here‘s Life America,” Rev. Werkema states that the movement “has found its way into the Christian Reformed Church, and that it “has been embraced by those who have signed the Form of Subscription whereby they promised to uphold and propagate the truths of the Reformed Faith as interpreted by the Reformed Standards.”

Who found whom? That‘s a question the Reformed community in the world must continually be asking itself. It is a question that must be asked and emphatically answered today in the light of what is being pressured on us.

We in the Grand Rapids and Western Michigan area have been told we can expect a media blitz which will almost overpower the entire community. The blitz will come by way of bumper stickers, lapel buttons, T.V. commercials, radio spots, billboards, signs on buses and taxis, and more. The media calls it saturation. 1t is all designed to be a teaser. The blitz will consist of a sentence or two, such as – “I Found It– You can Tool Call phone number 000-0000.”

The media blitz will go on for about ten days. The question is supposedly designed to raise the question, “What did you find?” It is calculated to get people to wondering what this is all about. In fact, you may have asked by this time: “What is this all about? What did you find?”

After the initial blizzard of publicity the media will saturate the area with a blizzard of testimonies from leading people who are supposed to have found it. They will be telling what they found. Following the media blizzard of testimonies, there will be a blitz by telephone. Teams of people will ring every telephone; in our case in Western Michigan, to ask the question “Have you found it?”

This great program with all its media magic is under the direction of Campus Crusade for Christ whose director is the Rev. Mr. Bill Bright. The aim of Bill Bright and Campus Crusade is to evangelize the entire U.S.A. by the end of 1976 and the entire world by 1980.

By this time you are likely saying, “what about it ?” Maybe you have even said, “It sounds good.” Or you may ask, why bring the matter into print? Simply because the entire program is built on a basic error from the Reformed point of view, and, of course, from the paint of view of Scripture.

Here’s Life America, that’s the title of the entire program. It tells its listeners that they can find peace with God and fellowship with Jesus Christ if they only want it and if they will only reach out for it. Just like I reach out to take my dish of ice cream.  “I found it—you can too—call number so and so.”

Another glaring error about “Here’s Life America” is that it sets itself up as a parachurch, a church alongside the church; I believe almost as a super church speaking down on these little helpless churches out there that really don’t know how to go about this business of evangelizing. “Follow us, we will show you.”

But even more importantly it is fitting that we look to see what the Word of Goo has to say to us on this score. A brief look into the Book of Romans will help to give us a proper setting for looking at “Here’s Life America.”

Before looking at Scripture we should make a couple of observations. First, Scripture speaks clearly of universal sin. Second, Scripture speaks emphatically of universal guilt. Third, Scripture never speaks of salvation for all men; there is to be no universal salvation. Here the Canons of Dart come into play for the Reformed believer. In particular, we believe in limited atonement.

Beginning with Romans 3:18 we note that the heart of man is totally depraved. “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” Now note, this is the unimpeachable verdict of God’s own Word; not mine, but God‘s, Every human heart in its natural state is totally depraved.

That means that there is no native motive power in those people to whom the media blitz is aimed. There is no reverence for God’s law within their spirit. They have no fear of offending the Judge of all the earth. The conscience and heart of the natural man is seared and blunted.

John Murray in his commentary on Romans (Vol. 1, p. 105) says, “The absence of this fear (vs. 18) means that God is excluded not only from the center of thought and calculation but from the whole horizon of our reckoning: God is not in all our thoughts. Figuratively, He is not before our eyes, and this is unqualified godlessness.” When you remove the fear of God from heart and conscience then what influence remains to check evil passions and to resist temptations or to respond to “I Found it”?

Paul also reminds us in the eleventh verse of Romans 3 that the mind of man has no understanding. In the soul of the unbeliever there is no theological and spiritual understanding. No, there is not even any movement in the direction of God. The reason is that these people are spiritually blind–worse, they are dead. Dead objects don‘t move. Dead objects don‘t respond.

Isn’t this the age-old argument—appeal to the pride of human heart? “You can find it—did!” Mother Eve was told the same thing by the Devil. Didn‘t the Devil say, “You have what it takes” and didn’t she believe him?

We sing a hymn:

‘Tis not that did choose Thee, For, Lord that could not be; This heart would still refuse Thee, Hadst Thou not chosen me.

‘Twas sovereign mercy called me And taught my opening mind; The world had else entralled me, To heavenly glories blind.

   

Paul has more to say to us in that Romans 3 passage. He tells us the heart is depraved, so is the understanding, and so is the will. Listen to him, “there are none that seek after God.” The NIV translates “no one searches for God” and that is rather pointed.

Nowhere is the depravity of human nature more painfully shown than in the exercise of the human will. Look at our society with its emphasis on abortion, its penchant for gambling, and its lust for pornography. A concrete public example comes from the confession of Charles Colson, a former presidential advisor, who became a hatchet man, a dirty tricks artists, and who said he was willing to run over his own grandmother to further the re-election of Richard Nixon. There was no search for the things of God in Colson’s life for the simple reason that there was no need—after all, he had reached the pinnacle of world power by his own efforts—so he thought—what more could he want?

In Romans 1:28ff we read, “Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice . . . they not only continue to do these very things, but also approve of those who practice them.” (NIV)

We are also reminded by the Apostle that the speech of those people is depraved. “With their tongues they have used deceit” and “their throats are open graves” (vs. 13). Every reader ought to remind himself that these are the words of the Apostle given under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Furthermore the Spirit led the Apostle to quote from the Old Testament—Psalm 5, Psalm 139, Isaiah 59. The depraved speech of the unbeliever is characterized by untruthfulness, “their tongues practice deceit” (NIV), “the poison of vipers is on their lips, their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness,” Now, pray tell, can any life come into such lifeless forms.

Isn‘t the situation similar to the vision of Ezekiel—the Valley of Dry Bones? Ezekiel is asked, “Can these bones live?” Eventually it is the Spirit of God Who moves, and the result is an army of living men in the place of dry bones in the valley, But, notice please, in connection with this, there were no catchy phrases, not even a wish, nor any effort on Ezekiel’s part but the leading and moving of the Spirit of the Living God. This is God‘s Way.

God’s way, not our way! Let’s get right back to it. Let’s get back to it quickly. God’s way is not littered with gimmickry or catchy phrases, Madison Avenue techniques, or media saturation, not even a media blitz. No, God’s way is a concentration on God’s ordained methods. What is that, you may ask? Well is that so hard to determine? Scripture is constantly stressing the message—PREACH THE WORD—the whole counsel of God—preach it in season and out of season—but, above all, preach the Word.

Men must stand up and say, “Thus saith the Lord.” In the Old Testament it was, “Turn ye, turn ye, for why will ye die?” Jonah went through Nineveh on his own two feet without any props and clearly proclaimed, “Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be destroyed.” What happened? You know!

Or listen to Isaiah, “Though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow, though they be red as crimson they shall be as wool, if ye be willing and obedient ye shall eat the good of the land, but if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.”

In the New Testament the message comes from the lips of Peter on Pentecost: “you crucified Christ, but God raised Him up.” The result—3000 believed and later 2000 more. God‘s Way! God‘s Word!

Here’s Life America has found its way into the Christian Reformed Church. The movement has been embraced by those who have signed the Form of Subscription whereby they promised to uphold and propagate the truths of the Christian Faith as interpreted by the Reformed Standards.

Long ago the Fathers of the Church fought the battle that climaxed at the Synod of Dort. The great-great-great–grandsons of those saints of old have lost sight of the beauty of the faith unfolded and set forth for us in the Sacred Scriptures and we are ready to sell ourselves for some sentimental drivel.

The call comes ever more loudly and ever more forcefully to ministers, elders, deacons, members of the Christian Reformed Church—demand, demand with all your might a return to the unadulterated preaching and practice of the whole counsel of God!