THE BIBLE‘S INSPIRATION

It ought to be said and said plainly: Some of our professors at Calvin College & Seminary hold to views of the Bible’s inspiration which are questionable. to say the least, and not in harmony with a biblical view of inspiration, to say a bit more. And it is misunderstanding of the nature of inspiration that lies behind many of the problems we are facing in our church today: regarding marriage and divorce. homosexuality, women in office, etc. That’s not just a matter of exegesis or hermeneutics as such. It has to do with the much more fundamental question of inspiration itself. Do we really believe without any doubt all things contained in the Holy Scriptures? That’s the real question.

Let me illustrate. In the book, Exploring the Heritage of John Calvin, Prof. Willis DeBoer, in writing about John Calvin’s interpretation of Paul regarding the role of women, asks the question whether Paul, in reflecting on Genesis is “reflecting the interpretation of the material be had learned through his training in the Jewish Community and among the rabbis.”

Prof. R.O. Zorn, in a book review in Vox Reformata (Prof. Zorn is principal of and teaches in the Ref. Theol. College of Geelong, Australia) says about this: “When one begins to question the apostolic interpretation of Scripture, as DeBoer seems to do, one is paying too dear a price for alleged exegetical insights thus gained. For one cannot undermine the unity of Scripture in an effort thus to gain a better understanding of it. In the long run this simply breaks down the basic Reformed hermeneutical rule that ‘Sacred Scripture is its own interpreter.’”

I fully agree with Prof. Zorn.

In the same vein, the Rev. P .J. Jonker, in his Minority Report to the 1973 Synod regarding Women in Office, wrote that “the hermeneutic principle by which we have to approach the Scriptures, as I understand it, forbids us to make this conclusion” (namely “that Paul was influenced by a rabbinistic view of the woman”).

We were told more than once in Calvin Seminary too that one could only understand Paul ifbe took into consideration his rabbinic upbringing and background.

To my mind, this is not a proper approach to Scripture. For, as the Rev. Jonker points out, not only did Paul clearly violate and overthrow Rabbinic regulations on more than one occasion, but more important, Paul was not only giving his own human interpretation. For men of old wrote “as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21). So that “Paul says” and “the Holy Spirit” says are interchangeable, as the Bible itself indicates in various places.

Unless we clear up our view of inspiration, and once again become like children in our approach to the Scriptures, we are not going to solve the problems facing us today, but will instead be faced with more such problems in the days to come.

J . TUININGA Lethbridge, Alberta

EVALUATION OF “OUR TESTIMONY”

From the very outset, I wish to state, that I can agree whole-heartedly with about 95% of what has been written in this excellent treatise. Generally speaking, I would say that it is an exhortation to greater faithfulness to the Word of God and the Creeds. Exhortations do not accomplish very much unless they are carried out by those who are exhorted. Furthermore, Our Testimony does not present a program of action to remedy the passivity, the spiritual lethargy, and doctrinal deviations found in our denomination.

ln the past, I have taught Reformed Doc

trine in two of our Christian High Schools, fourteen years at Dordt College, and catechism classes in four of our local churches. My greatest disappointment in teaching the youth of our churches in these institutions was to discover that they knew very little about the basic truths of our creeds. Several of our ministers intimated to me that the most frustrating experience in  their ministry was attempting to teach doctrine to high-school catechumens. This situation is deplorable. Today, our denomination is reaping the bitter fruits of a constituency uninformed about the creeds of our church. lf this situation of doctrinal illiteracy among our constituents is not changed, the Christian Reformed Church will eventually go the way of many other churches.

Since the “little foxes” are beginning to enter the Christian Reformed vineyard, we must mend our fences and take a new look at the educational program of our churches. We as ministers and consistories  should adopt a program of actions, in which we determine to indoctrinate the youth in all the basic truths of the Heidelberg Catechism. Our young people should have these doctrines on their finger tips. They should know what it means to be Reformed and why they should be Reformed in their thinking and living. They should be able to detect any deviation from the Reformed faith. Beyond catechism, every church should have a class in Reformed doctrine for young adults, using Berkhofs Manual of Reformed Doctrine, as a textbook. Consistories should see to it that such a catechetical program is carried out by their pastors and supported wholeheartedly by parents.

We must work at the foundations of the church. Foundations will be restored when the youth of our church know the doctrines and love them. In this way, we will eventually have a constituency, which will be zealous for the truth and the purity of the church. And the many problems of spiritual laxness and indifference to doctrinal deviations will be solved.

Besides this, we as ministers and consistories, must be deeply concerned about our Christian schools. There must be a much greater working together of consistories and Christian school boards in maintaining the Reformed character of our Christian schools. Christian character development is more important than academic standards. In hiring teachers, our boards must be certain that those hired to teach are well versed in Reformed doctrine and love it. If we lose our Christian schools, we will eventually lose everything, as far as the spiritual well-being of the church is concerned.

When the church is fighting for its very existence, why speak about claiming every area of life for Christ through organizations? If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do? The Christian church and the Christian home constitute the indispensable foundation upon which every institution in society rests. Consequently, all our energies and efforts must be centered in making the church a powerful institution—a mighty fortress for truth and righteousness. It is only through the preaching of the Gospel that sinners are converted. And when that happens, our greatest impact upon society is realized. Organizations will not do it. The Bible says, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts” (Zech. 4:6). And the Spirit operates only when and where the Word is preached.

C. VAN SCHOUWEN Sioux Center, Iowa

Dear Editor:

On reading Jonathan Chao’s interview with Joel Belz on China in the February issue of Outlook, I found it interesting and informative, though possibly a bit overoptimistic.

I am well acquainted with Jonathan Chao. Some years back he was a student in my classes, and he graduated at Geneva College.

He speaks of the China Graduate School of Theology but nowhere mentions the fact that this is not located in China but in the British Crown Colony of Hong Kong, a 400-square mile piece of territory adjacent to southern China. The security and freedom which the China Graduate School of Theology enjoys, it owes to the protection of the British flag under which it exists.

I doubt if one American in a hundred knows that Hong Kong is not a part of China. I would not know it myself if I had not lived in China for several years. Your readers are likely to jump to the conclusion that this worthy institution is tolerated by the Red Chinese.

Mr. Chao’s father is in Taiwan where he is secretary of the Reformation Translation Fellowship. There he has full freedom to publish Reformed literature.

JOHANNES G. VOS, China missionary 1930–1941

Dear Editor,

Having read a favorable review of E. L. Hebden Taylor’s Economics, Money and Banking (Craig Press, 1978) in the February 1979 issue of the Outlook, I recently purchased a copy of this book. I find that Hebden Taylor’s thinking in this area is strongly influenced by such writers as Gary North (Introduction to Christian Economics) and R. J. Rushdoony.

Since some Outlook readers might be inclined to think that these writers represent the only truly Reformed approach to economic questions, mention should be made of the excellent book of Douglas Vickers entitled Economics and Man (The Craig Press, 1976). Dr. Vickers takes issue with t he line of thinking of North and Rushdoony, and indicates that it can lay no special claim to being either Biblical or Reformed. Dr. Vickers himself is well-qualified to author such a critique. He is Professor of Economics at the University of Western Australia, is a Presbyterian who fully adheres to the Westminster standards, and is a close student of the writings of Dr. Cornelius Van Til.

Economics and Man is also valuable as a positive contribution of Christian thinking in the field of economics. The nature of the  economic order is described, and economic objectives and policies are carefully and lucidly discussed from a Christian perspective.

TIMOTHY J. BROWN Pastor , CRC, Lucas, Mich.

Dear Brother in Christ:

Having been absent from North America for the last year and a half, I am a late comer in adding my voice of protest to Synod’s decision (1978) admitting women to the office of deacon. Subject decision is contrary to the Word of God II Tim. 2:12, I Cor. 11:10, I Cor. 11:3), the Church Order (Art. 47, 95) and the Belgic Confession (Art. 30). Further, our office bearers at one time or the other have signed the form of subscription, which has a fourfold significance: 1) It is a declaration of agreement, 2) a promise to teach and to defend, 3) a promise to reject and refute all errors, 4) a promise to report doubts or changes of mind and of subjection to examination.

It is concluded that a) Synod’s decision is a declaration that the Bible is not God’s Word any longer in totality—no longer the sole source of authority; b) The majority of the delegates to Synod have not adhered to at least three out of four points regarding the form of subscription and consequently have promoted and live a lie.

Among engineers it has often been said that we must be truthful, i.e. pursue responsible design lest someone gets hurt. Synod‘s decision seems to lack this responsibility.

Under the circumstances I feel free, even obligated to call on the membership of the CRC, educated or uneducated, young and old, to raise a voice of protest and write to the stated clerk of Synod. Have you never written to Synod before? Neither had I!

JOHN VAN VEEN

POINTED PARAGRAPHS

Dr. Palmer, unable to place this in The Banner, asked us to print it because he feels it is too important to drop. We agree and print it.

Leonard Verduin writes in The Banner that there are errors in the Bible (Feb. 9). The example he gives concerns the temptations of Jesus. Matthew, he says, gives the order of the temptations as ABC, whereas Luke says it is ACB. “These two representations cannot both be t ue to fact, cannot both be ‘infallible’ representations as to what happened . One of the ‘autographa,’ the ‘originals’ (probably the one given by Luke), is therefore in error as to the order followed in the temptations.”

I am amazed that The Banner allows such statements to be printed. To say that the Bible is in error is contrary to the Scriptures, our confessions and the Synod of 1959 (“It is inconsonant with the creeds to declare or suggest that there is an area of Scripture in which it is allowable to posit the possibility of historical inaccuracies”; and “Scripture in its whole extent and in all its parts is the infallible and inerrant Word of God”).

As for the order of the temptations of Jesus there is no contradiction at all between Matthew and Luke. Matthew may well be presenting the chronological order, as is indicated by the connectives “then” (v. 5) and “again” of v. 8. But Luke has no such connectives. Luke is simply mentioning the three temptations without regard to the chronological order. It was not his purpose to state them chronologically. There are plenty of places in both the Old and New Testaments where t he written order of events is not the chronological order. It is wrong to say that there “is therefore error as to the order followed in the temptations” when the author did not intend to give us the chronological order.

And it is not wise for The Banner to allow such statements to appear in the official publication of the Christian Reformed Church.

EDWIN H. PALMER

NORTHWEST CHAPTER IN REVIEW

Pursuing its aims and purposes the Northwest Chapter of the Reformed Fellowship in Lynden, Wash., bad an active year in presenting speakers to inform and instruct members and community. On Jan. 23, 1978, Rev. T. Vanden Heuvel from Chino, Calif., spoke on “Does the Church Need Healing?” based on Mal. 4. After the business meeting on April 14, 1978, Jerry van Groningen, youth pastor in Lynden Third C.R.C., introduced his father, Dr. G. van Groningen, professor of Old Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Miss. Dr. van Groningen then spoke on the topic: “The Hermeneutical Crisis in the C.R.C. as it comes to expression in the study of Women in Ecclesiastical Office.

Rev. Peter De Jong, of Dutton, Mich., editor of the Outlook, spoke on Nov. 13, 1978. His subject was “Forming and Reforming the Church.” Since Rev. De Jong formerly served in the northwest and was one of the original group now known as Warm Beach Family Bible Conference, his visit was a special time of fellowship.

The most recent meeting was held on Jan. 15, 1979, with Rev. A. Cammenga speaking on “Women in Church Office in Light of Scripture and the recent decision of Synod.”

At each meeting opportunity was given for questions and discussion, followed by a time of fellowship over a cup of coffee. The Board, under its president Steve Kramer , thanks God for the interest shown by members and community and looks forward to a good year under the new president:

Mr. Jack Appel, 6605 Northwest Ave. Ferndale, Wash. 98248

Some of the messages are on tapes. For more information on this please contact the president.

JOHN A. TIMMER Secretary