Why bother to write about it?
After all, what’s in a name? Mr. Bright may be a dumbbell, Mr. Wiseman an idiot, Mr. Straight a crook, or Mr. White a black man. Call them what you will, an orchid is an orchid and an onion an onion. So, why bother to explain?
But we owe it to the reader to do just that. For twenty years now, TORCH AND TRUMPET has been carrying on with the support of its loyal readers. The Reformed Fellowship family and other subscribers, during the past two decades, have looked to TORCH AND TRUMPET to be a voice for those who are minded to be enthusiastically and militantly Reformed. And now, as this publication they have nurtured comes to be of age at twenty-one and decides to adopt a different name, they are entitled to ask the question why.
To suddenly have to call an old friend by a new name is not easy. Business is so well aware of this that when a thriving establishment changes hands, the new owners are often willing to pay a fabulous sum to secure the right to retain an old, familiar name.
Please be assured that all of the above was carefully considered when the Editorial Board recommended and the Reformed Fellowship Board of Trustees decided to adopt our new name, THE CHRISTIAN REFORMED OUTLOOK. Following are considerations among those that led to the action taken.
A Broader Scope – Although the new name may somewhat curtail the stated purpose our publication has always envisioned and therefore give the appearance of retrenchment, upon second thought it may also he said that the change has the merit of challenging those who write with a broader scope and vision, and of promising all who read a wider range of interest than the present name suggests.
TORCH AND TRUMPET is a name taken from the account of Gideon”s conquest of the Midianites, and has therefore a military or controversial connotation. Let the reader be fully assured that it is not the intention of those presently associated with our publication to abandon this purpose at such a time as this. To do so would be surrender if not treason.
We need make no apology for our avowed intention to continue to engage in controversial writing as the need arises. The church on earth, in as far as it is a true church, is militant and not yet triumphant, always in tension, and constantly not yet able to be at ease in Zion. Controversy merely for controversy’s sake is reprehensible to be sure, but compromise and hush-hush when the truth is attacked and the church is in jeopardy is cowardice or even treachery.
However, as members in Christ’s church and as Christians in the world, we are to build as well as to engage in battle, to act as well as react, to be positive as well as negative, to promote the kingdom of God as well as to destroy the kingdom of evil. Success in the Lord’s service surely demands more than merely to deplore that which has been that which is. With vigor and vision we are also to pursue and promote that which ought to be. Simply to attack that which is wrong in others and to engage rearguard action is not enough; it is of the essence that, with a forward look, we also have a positive program of our own.
It is for this reason that the more inclusive and comprehensive term Outlook has found favor as a new name for our publication. There are interesting and challenging facets to the meaning of this word that have been spelled out as follows: “outlook – 1. the view or prospect from a place. 2. mental view; one’s outlook on life. 3. prospect of the future; the political outlook. 4. the place from which an observer looks out; lookout. 5. the act or state of looking out. 6. watch kept; vigilance; lookout…” (The Random House Dictionary of the English Language).
CR Constituency – Without resorting to a rundown of the membership of the Reformed Fellowship that owns and publishes our periodical, it is safe to assume that its constituency is predominantly Christian Reformed. Concerning those of other churches affiliated with the Reformed Fellowship, it may also be safely assumed that they largely will not be uncongenial to having “CHRISTIAN REFORMED” appear in the new name of our publication.
But will the adoption of this new name not cramp our style in seeking to achieve the stated purpose of this publication? Perhaps somewhat at first, but hopefully not in the long run. To get this clearly before us, we quote the purpose as it appears in the masthead of every issue:
“This periodical is owned and published by Reformed Fellowship, Inc., a religious and strictly nonprofit organization composed of a group of Christian believers who hold to the Reformed Faith. Its purpose is to give sharpened expression to this Faith, to stimulate the doctrinal sensitivities of those who profess this Faith, to promote the spiritual welfare and the purity of Reformed Churches everywhere, and to further the interests of all Christian institutions of Reformed caliber.”
To be sure, there is a wide and ambitious sweep to this purpose, and surely it must never be lost out of sight or abandoned. However, unless reformational action is first instigated and achieved right where we are, it is hardly realistic to suppose that we can do very much to effect it somewhere else. Honesty, as well as modesty, should convince us first to draw a circle around ourselves and to say that reformation must begin inside that circle before we are going to be taken seriously by others when we go out to kindle the fires of reformation among them. Like charity, reformation also must begin at home.
Common Basic Issues – Anyone familiar with other churches must know that the basic issues that have been agitating and causing controversy in the Christian Reformed Church are known to many of them also. In our time of unprecedented means of communication, no church can live in a vacuum or on an island. Constantly all churches are being assailed by every novelty in the theological hodgepodge that becomes increasingly bizarre. It is not strange therefore that the root causes or basic issues giving rise to ecclesiastical unrest and apostasy in one church or another arc pretty much the same, however greatly the symptoms on the surface may appear to differ.
Heading all the rest of these basic issues or areas of concern is the downgrading of the Bible as the authoritative, inspired, infallible, and inerrant Word of God. To get off the track at the outset of Scripture means that one should not be surprised to become hopelessly derailed throughout the rest of the Book as well.
The domino theory with respect to the downfall of nations to Communism may be debatable but who· ever is willing, because of the demands of man’s reason or science, to surrender the authenticity of any part of Scripture, will ultimately learn concerning the rest of it that the domino theory is incontrovertible as a relentless fact. It is precisely at the point of what a man believes or disbelieves about the Bible that conservatives and liberals always come to a parting of the ways.
Other common basic issues by which the fires of controversy in churches arc stirred today include the following: bona fide or counterfeit ecumenism, including the question of whether membership in the World Council of Churches is to be or not to be; priority in the mission of the church (kerygmatic or social involvement); complete honesty or mental reservations in one’s confessional commitment; the liturgical trend (poetry, drama, and dialogue usurping the place of the sermon); compromise rather than conviction becoming the dominant mood when ecclesiastical bodies fail to uphold warranted protests with firm and clear-cut decisions: agitation to have the church reconsider its stand excluding Lodge members from church affiliation; the acceptance of evolution at the cost of the Genesis account of creation by divine fiat.
With good reason there are those who believe that the foundations are being shaken when discussion is prolonged and issues like these continue to remain unresolved.
Now it is possible to exercise ourselves and others about such issues either in the abstract or concretely as these may arise in the particular church to which most of the members of the Reformed Fellowship belong. It is our conviction that, in this case also, judgment must begin right where we are. In our reformational pursuits and program we will serve others best if first we are willing frankly and fearlessly to serve ourselves.
Coming Closer to Home – Let it also be admitted frankly that an added reason for changing our name to THE CHRISTIAN REFORMED OUTLOOK is the intention to come closer to the target which members of this denomination want to keep in view, thus to increase their interest, and also to increase the circulation and readership of our magazine. It is our hope and prayer in following this course, that the concerned and conservative clement in the Christian Reformed Church may readily identify themselves with our publication, that they may also avail themselves of the opportunity to express themselves in it, and also that others may be led to make common cause with us.
Moreover, attention may be called to the fact that the concerned and conservative elements in other denominations also have their own publications. Those in the Presbyterian Church in the United States (Southern Presbyterian) have The Presbyterian Journal; those in the Reformed Church in America are now publishing The Conservative Reform ed Record; and the Veronlrusten (those concerned) in the Gereformeerde Kerken in The Netherlands are expressing themselves in Waarheid en Eenheid (Truth and Unity). It is in keeping with these developments that our publication intends increasingly to zero in on matters of special interest to the Christian Reformed constituency.
In an effort to step up the circulation of THE CHRISTIAN REFORMED OUTLOOK, attractive offers for new and gift subscriptions are explained in ads to be found elsewhere in this issue. Next to the Lord’s indispensable blessing, we are counting heavily on loyal subscribers and members of the Reformed Fellowship for their assistance in an effort to increase our readership to what it ought to be.
After all, what’s in a name? Mr. Bright may be a dumbbell, Mr. Wiseman an idiot, Mr. Straight a crook, or Mr. White a black man. Call them what you will, an orchid is an orchid and an onion an onion. So, why bother to explain?
But we owe it to the reader to do just that. For twenty years now, TORCH AND TRUMPET has been carrying on with the support of its loyal readers. The Reformed Fellowship family and other subscribers, during the past two decades, have looked to TORCH AND TRUMPET to be a voice for those who are minded to be enthusiastically and militantly Reformed. And now, as this publication they have nurtured comes to be of age at twenty-one and decides to adopt a different name, they are entitled to ask the question why.
To suddenly have to call an old friend by a new name is not easy. Business is so well aware of this that when a thriving establishment changes hands, the new owners are often willing to pay a fabulous sum to secure the right to retain an old, familiar name.
Please be assured that all of the above was carefully considered when the Editorial Board recommended and the Reformed Fellowship Board of Trustees decided to adopt our new name, THE CHRISTIAN REFORMED OUTLOOK. Following are considerations among those that led to the action taken.
A Broader Scope – Although the new name may somewhat curtail the stated purpose our publication has always envisioned and therefore give the appearance of retrenchment, upon second thought it may also he said that the change has the merit of challenging those who write with a broader scope and vision, and of promising all who read a wider range of interest than the present name suggests.
TORCH AND TRUMPET is a name taken from the account of Gideon”s conquest of the Midianites, and has therefore a military or controversial connotation. Let the reader be fully assured that it is not the intention of those presently associated with our publication to abandon this purpose at such a time as this. To do so would be surrender if not treason.
We need make no apology for our avowed intention to continue to engage in controversial writing as the need arises. The church on earth, in as far as it is a true church, is militant and not yet triumphant, always in tension, and constantly not yet able to be at ease in Zion. Controversy merely for controversy’s sake is reprehensible to be sure, but compromise and hush-hush when the truth is attacked and the church is in jeopardy is cowardice or even treachery.
However, as members in Christ’s church and as Christians in the world, we are to build as well as to engage in battle, to act as well as react, to be positive as well as negative, to promote the kingdom of God as well as to destroy the kingdom of evil. Success in the Lord’s service surely demands more than merely to deplore that which has been that which is. With vigor and vision we are also to pursue and promote that which ought to be. Simply to attack that which is wrong in others and to engage rearguard action is not enough; it is of the essence that, with a forward look, we also have a positive program of our own.
It is for this reason that the more inclusive and comprehensive term Outlook has found favor as a new name for our publication. There are interesting and challenging facets to the meaning of this word that have been spelled out as follows: “outlook – 1. the view or prospect from a place. 2. mental view; one’s outlook on life. 3. prospect of the future; the political outlook. 4. the place from which an observer looks out; lookout. 5. the act or state of looking out. 6. watch kept; vigilance; lookout…” (The Random House Dictionary of the English Language).
CR Constituency – Without resorting to a rundown of the membership of the Reformed Fellowship that owns and publishes our periodical, it is safe to assume that its constituency is predominantly Christian Reformed. Concerning those of other churches affiliated with the Reformed Fellowship, it may also be safely assumed that they largely will not be uncongenial to having “CHRISTIAN REFORMED” appear in the new name of our publication.
But will the adoption of this new name not cramp our style in seeking to achieve the stated purpose of this publication? Perhaps somewhat at first, but hopefully not in the long run. To get this clearly before us, we quote the purpose as it appears in the masthead of every issue:
“This periodical is owned and published by Reformed Fellowship, Inc., a religious and strictly nonprofit organization composed of a group of Christian believers who hold to the Reformed Faith. Its purpose is to give sharpened expression to this Faith, to stimulate the doctrinal sensitivities of those who profess this Faith, to promote the spiritual welfare and the purity of Reformed Churches everywhere, and to further the interests of all Christian institutions of Reformed caliber.”
To be sure, there is a wide and ambitious sweep to this purpose, and surely it must never be lost out of sight or abandoned. However, unless reformational action is first instigated and achieved right where we are, it is hardly realistic to suppose that we can do very much to effect it somewhere else. Honesty, as well as modesty, should convince us first to draw a circle around ourselves and to say that reformation must begin inside that circle before we are going to be taken seriously by others when we go out to kindle the fires of reformation among them. Like charity, reformation also must begin at home.
Common Basic Issues – Anyone familiar with other churches must know that the basic issues that have been agitating and causing controversy in the Christian Reformed Church are known to many of them also. In our time of unprecedented means of communication, no church can live in a vacuum or on an island. Constantly all churches are being assailed by every novelty in the theological hodgepodge that becomes increasingly bizarre. It is not strange therefore that the root causes or basic issues giving rise to ecclesiastical unrest and apostasy in one church or another arc pretty much the same, however greatly the symptoms on the surface may appear to differ.
Heading all the rest of these basic issues or areas of concern is the downgrading of the Bible as the authoritative, inspired, infallible, and inerrant Word of God. To get off the track at the outset of Scripture means that one should not be surprised to become hopelessly derailed throughout the rest of the Book as well.
The domino theory with respect to the downfall of nations to Communism may be debatable but who· ever is willing, because of the demands of man’s reason or science, to surrender the authenticity of any part of Scripture, will ultimately learn concerning the rest of it that the domino theory is incontrovertible as a relentless fact. It is precisely at the point of what a man believes or disbelieves about the Bible that conservatives and liberals always come to a parting of the ways.
Other common basic issues by which the fires of controversy in churches arc stirred today include the following: bona fide or counterfeit ecumenism, including the question of whether membership in the World Council of Churches is to be or not to be; priority in the mission of the church (kerygmatic or social involvement); complete honesty or mental reservations in one’s confessional commitment; the liturgical trend (poetry, drama, and dialogue usurping the place of the sermon); compromise rather than conviction becoming the dominant mood when ecclesiastical bodies fail to uphold warranted protests with firm and clear-cut decisions: agitation to have the church reconsider its stand excluding Lodge members from church affiliation; the acceptance of evolution at the cost of the Genesis account of creation by divine fiat.
With good reason there are those who believe that the foundations are being shaken when discussion is prolonged and issues like these continue to remain unresolved.
Now it is possible to exercise ourselves and others about such issues either in the abstract or concretely as these may arise in the particular church to which most of the members of the Reformed Fellowship belong. It is our conviction that, in this case also, judgment must begin right where we are. In our reformational pursuits and program we will serve others best if first we are willing frankly and fearlessly to serve ourselves.
Coming Closer to Home – Let it also be admitted frankly that an added reason for changing our name to THE CHRISTIAN REFORMED OUTLOOK is the intention to come closer to the target which members of this denomination want to keep in view, thus to increase their interest, and also to increase the circulation and readership of our magazine. It is our hope and prayer in following this course, that the concerned and conservative clement in the Christian Reformed Church may readily identify themselves with our publication, that they may also avail themselves of the opportunity to express themselves in it, and also that others may be led to make common cause with us.
Moreover, attention may be called to the fact that the concerned and conservative elements in other denominations also have their own publications. Those in the Presbyterian Church in the United States (Southern Presbyterian) have The Presbyterian Journal; those in the Reformed Church in America are now publishing The Conservative Reform ed Record; and the Veronlrusten (those concerned) in the Gereformeerde Kerken in The Netherlands are expressing themselves in Waarheid en Eenheid (Truth and Unity). It is in keeping with these developments that our publication intends increasingly to zero in on matters of special interest to the Christian Reformed constituency.
In an effort to step up the circulation of THE CHRISTIAN REFORMED OUTLOOK, attractive offers for new and gift subscriptions are explained in ads to be found elsewhere in this issue. Next to the Lord’s indispensable blessing, we are counting heavily on loyal subscribers and members of the Reformed Fellowship for their assistance in an effort to increase our readership to what it ought to be.