One of our members recently passed on to me the December, 1987 issue of the Outlook containing the letter by Glenn P. Palmer entitled, “Why are you dropping your middle name?” This was an open letter to the Christian Reformed Church. The man who gave me your magazine was raised in that church and continues to pray for it, but he was grieved by the caricature of Reformed Baptist churches in the letter.

I do not attribute any deliberate malice or falsehood to the son of the late and esteemed E.H. Palmer. Although what he says of the “Reformed Baptist Church” with which he has had contact may be true, the impressions left by this letter regarding the Reformed Baptist churches as a whole are false and misleading.

I am writing as one of the pastors of the Reformed Baptist Church of Grand Rapids and at the request of its overseers, as a former member of a Reformed Baptist Church which has for one of its pastors Pastor A.N. Martin, whose name was mentioned in the letter, and as an instructor in the Trinity Ministerial Academy, a seminary under that church’s oversight. I can, therefore, say with confidence that Mr. Palmer (unintentionally, as we believe) gives a distorted impression of Reformed Baptist churches like the two just mentioned.

The following statements made and impressions given in the letter require correction and clarification.

First, we are said to “deny the covenant.” I suppose it is the “Covenant of Grace” which is meant. If by it is meant that God’s salvation, His people, and His Law are basically one in all ages, then we do not deny the “Covenant.” We affirm it.

Second, we “deny infant baptism.” We do. That does not mean, however, that we deny the “Covenant of Grace.” We deny the application made of it to justify infant baptism. We deny that the Abrahamic Covenant is the definitive revelation of it. We maintain that in reality a true view of the “Covenant” as definitively revealed in the New Covenant (Jer. 31:31–34, Heb. 8, 10) requires the rejection of infant baptism.

Third, we are “hostile to the idea of Christian schools.” Is this why the vast majority of our congregation refuse to send their children to public schools? Does this also explain why Pastor Martin is a vocal advocate of Christian schools? And why that congregation and a number of other such groups of believers have recently inaugurated Christian schools?

Fourth, we have “no concept of family worship.” This would really surprise our people, who are regularly questioned by the pastor as to their faithfulness in this Biblical responsibility.

Fifth, “the children’s church is a little church trying to win souls to Christ.” We do not even have a children’s church, nor docs any other Reformed Baptist Church that I know of. (We do have nurseries for ages 0-3.) We certainly want nothing to do with the “decisionism” and “easy-believism” frequently associated with such childrens’ programs.

Sixth, we do not “claim all of life for Christ.” This is not true theologically or practically. We have preached frequently on Biblical government, the Biblical family, and even Biblical economic responsibilities. I would not be ashamed to compare the prayers, concerns, and activity of our people for political and social righteousness with any church in the Grand Rapids area. Our people have been in the fore front of the public demonstrations against abortion in our city.

Seventh, it is implied that we do not have an evening service. As firm believers in the Christian Sabbath, we view evening services as an important aid in observing the Lord’s Day.

Eighth, it is clearly implied that we are anti-confessional and anti-catechism in our perspectives. Our children are regularly catechized as a part of our Sunday School instruction from age 2.

As to confessions, we certainly respect the Heidelberg Catechism, the Belgic Confession, The Westminster Confession, and other such Reformed documents, though for obvious reasons we do not hold them. We do hold a revision of the Westminster Confession of Faith known as the London Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689, as well as to the Canons of Dort. We are just now completing the second exposition of our Confession in the 16year history of our local congregation.

Ninth, Mr. Palmer implies that there is a low view of theological education among us. Our seminary requires for graduation 10 hours of Hebrew and 12 hours of Greek. Each of the pastors of our Church has studied both languages and labors in the Word out of the original languages. Although we do not require that every elder-pastor know Greek and Hebrew, we believe that such knowledge is ordinarily crucial to the church and its preaching.

Tenth, the hymnal used in the church with which Mr. Palmer was affiliated was “a man-centered hymnal with many repetitions.” Many, if not most, Reformed Baptist churches use the Trinity Hymnal, of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church . No one doubts its God-centeredness and through its very fine collection of Psalms our people are no strangers to the Psalms. We detest as heartily as yourselves the man-centered slush that passes for hymnody in many evangelical churches.

Eleventh, we “do not say the 10 commandments or the Apostles’ Creed.” We do not. Though our worship is, we believe, God-Honoring, it is not “liturgical.” Though we do not say the Ten Commandments, we certainly do believe them. One of our pastors is about to preach through them for the third time in our 16-year history.

With Christian Love and Respect,

Pastor Sam Waldron

Grand Rapids, Michigan