January 1984
“If ecclesiastical assemblies make decisions which are contrary to the Word of God or the Church Order and still consider such decisions settled and binding, they become dictatorships! This may never be allowed in the Church of Christ.
Settled and Binding Henry Vander Kam
February 1984
“What the church needs today is a profound understanding of the doctrines contained in Scripture and a fearless proclamation of them.”
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“Preaching, in the Reformed tradition, is never a brief essay by a minister or on some religious topic. Preaching is the exposition and application of the Word of God. It is the chief means in the congregation for accomplishing the building up of the saints and the conversion of sinners. For that reason there can be no compromise with modern replacements and alternatives to the Word of God preached.”
What Is Reformed Ministry Today? Anthony R. Dallison
April 1984
“Recently, a young man who is a graduate of a Reformed seminary on the East Coast conducted our morning worship service. As the vice-president of our consistory escorted the guest exhorter to the pulpit he said to him, “Our congregation is not accustomed to being greeted with a good morning.” The recent graduate replied, “Of course not, the greeting must come from God, not from man.”
Whose Greeting? Arthur Besteman
June 1984
“When ministers are trained in sound doctrine the effect of their ministry will be felt in the land. Eternal vigilance is the price of sound orthodoxy and of wholesome Scripture proclamations.”
How to Choose a Seminary Professor Marten H. Woudstra
July/August 1984
“In Reformed theology we correctly make much of the balanced triad: sin, salvation, and service, and we believe there should be a balance in the presentation of these great truths of salvation. However, today there seems to be an overstress on service, with only whispers about sin.”
As to Preaching John H. Sietsema
“What makes these days terrible is the fact that men want to belong to the church but will not listen obediently to the Word of God.”
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“One of the saddest aspects of church life today is the decline in the study of God’s Word and with it a decline in the reading of upbuilding Christian books and papers.”
NOT Enough Malcontents Cecil W. Tuininga
September 1984
“Apostasy within a denomination does not happen overnight but rather, slowly, a little thing here, another decision there, more gradual tolerance of sin, until there are very few persons left who remain faithful to Scripture.”
Fight or Switch Roger Key
October 1984
“Children at the Lord’s Supper. If it isn’t an issue at present, it will become one…”
Children at the Lord’s Supper Jelle Tuininga
“The modern world clamors for, and, sorry to say, has been offered a Jesus that seems to conform to their demands.”
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“Jesus IS Lord. He has been made Lord by God the Father. We were not consulted as to the propriety of such an exaltation nor can we alter it, protest as we might. It is humanity’s task to submit to the King, not redefine Him according to prevailing vagaries or preferences, as if the Holy One of Israel were one of Rorschach’s inkblots!”
Jesus and Rorschach Steve M. Schlissel
“Isn’t it quite significant that this ‘Women in Office’ issue should occur at a time when America is suffering severely from the effects of broken homes?”
Letter to the Editor Nellie Barehead
November 1984
“The successful effort to override the Biblical prohibitions of women in church office may now be followed by a comparable effort to break down the churches’ traditional and Biblical opposition to homosexuality.”
The Next Crusade? Peter De Jong
December 1984
“The Bible never speaks of ‘open minds’ or ‘closed minds’. When the gospel goes forth it does not go forth as a plea to keep an ‘open, ‘ or uncommitted mind about certain truths or teachings. Rather, it calls us to have a changed and different mind.”
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“The mind of Christ is neither an open or closed mind, but an obedient mind.”
An Open Mind About the Bible Richard J. Blauw
“For many today, to question everything in the Word of God is equated with reformation, and so they question instead of preach and defend the Scriptures. The signs of the ‘falling away’ and the apostate church appear in all denominations, including the CRC. Man of God, rise up.”
Women in Office Peter J. Sluys