                      The
                   Standard
A Reformed            Bearer
Semi-Monthly
Magazine




                      As  we  love  our  children,  cat-
                      echize  them!    It  is  vitally  im-
                      portant  for  the  covenant  of
                      God  with  His  people,  a  very
                      means  by  which  He  realizes,
                      maintains, and perfects it.  Let
                      us  make  this  more  concrete,
                      more  personal:    Catechism  is
                      one  of  the  main  means  by
                      which  God  enters  into  friend-
                      ship with our children and gets
                      their friendship for Himself.


                                     See "Catechism!"--p. 485

Vol. 73, No. 21
September 15, 1997


CONTENTS:                                                              September 15, 1997                                                            The
                                                                                                                                              Standard
Meditation -- Herman Hoeksema                                                                                                                      Bearer
      The Vain Boast of Self-Righteousness ......................................... 483                               ISSN 0362-4692
Editorial -- Prof. David J. Engelsma
      Catechism! ......................................................................................... 485         Semi-monthly, except monthly during June, July, and August.
                                                                                                                       Published by the Reformed Free Publishing Association, Inc.,
Letters........................................................................................................ 488    4949 Ivanrest Ave., Grandville, MI  49418.  Periodical Postage
Bring the Parchments -- Herman Hoeksema                                                                                 Paid at Grandville, Michigan.
      That Wretched Truant ...................................................................... 490                  Postmaster:  Send address changes to the Standard Bearer,
                                                                                                                       P.O. Box 603, Grandville, MI  49468-0603.
Church and State -- Mr. James Lanting
      U.S. Supreme Court Strikes Down                                                                                  EDITORIAL COMMITTEE
                                                                                                                       Editor:  Prof. David J. Engelsma (e-mail:  dje@iserv.net)
          the Religious Freedom Restoration Act .................................... 492                               Secretary:  Prof. Robert D. Decker
Search the Scriptures -- Rev. Mitchell C. Dick                                                                          Managing Editor:  Mr. Don Doezema
      "The Good Shepherd, His Shepherds, and His Sheep" (2) ....... 494                                                DEPARTMENT EDITORS
                                                                                                                       Rev. W. Bruinsma, Rev. A. Brummel, Rev. R. Cammenga,
News From Our Churches -- Mr. Benjamin Wigger ............................... 497
                                                                                                                       Prof. R. Decker, Rev. A. denHartog, Rev. M. Dick, Prof. H.
Index to Volume 73 ................................................................................... 498             Hanko, Rev. R. Hanko, Rev. S. Key, Rev. K. Koole, Rev. J.
                                                                                                                       Kortering, Rev. D. H. Kuiper, Mr. J. Lanting, Mrs. M. Lubbers,
                                                                                                                       Rev. T. Miersma, Mr. G. Schipper, Rev. G. VanBaren, Rev. R.
                                                                                                                       VanOverloop, Mr. B. Wigger, Rev. B. Woudenberg.
   In This Issue ...
                                                                                                                       EDITORIAL OFFICE              CHURCH NEWS EDITOR
                                                                                                                       The Standard Bearer           Mr. Ben Wigger
      Skipping catechism is not a great problem among us.  Adopt-                                                      4949 Ivanrest                 6597  40th Ave.
                                                                                                                       Grandville, MI  49418         Hudsonville, MI  49426
ing  special  measures  to  enforce  attendance  by  the  children  and
                                                                                                                       BUSINESS OFFICE               NEW ZEALAND OFFICE
young people, therefore, is not a matter of high priority with us.                                                     The Standard Bearer           The Standard Bearer
                                                                                                                       Don Doezema                   c/o B. VanHerk
In fact, it is never discussed.  Our parents see to it that the chil-                                                  P.O. Box 603                  66 Fraser St.
                                                                                                                       Grandville, MI                Wainuiomata, New Zealand
dren  attend  catechism.    With  rare  exceptions,  our  young  people                                                    49468-0603
                                                                                                                       PH:  (616) 531-1490           UNITED KINGDOM OFFICE
faithfully  attend  catechism  until  they  make  public  confession  of                                                        (616) 538-1778       c/o Mr. Jonathan McAuley
                                                                                                                       FAX:  (616) 531-3033          164 Church Rd., Glenwherry
faith.                                                                                                                                               Ballymena, Co. Antrim BT42 3EL
                                                                                                                                                     Northern Ireland
      This is as it should be.
                                                                                                                       EDITORIAL POLICY
      It has not always been so.  While the Remonstrants were stall-                                                   Every editor is solely responsible for the contents of his own
                                                                                                                       articles.  Contributions of general interest from our readers and
ing  in  obeying  the  demand  of the  Synod  of  Dordt  that  they  ap-                                               questions for The Reader Asks department are welcome.
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pear,  the  delegates  at  the  Synod  discussed  ways  to  compel  the
                                                                                                                       must be neatly written or typewritten, and must be signed.
young people to attend catechism classes.  In his fascinating let-                                                     Copy deadlines are the first and fifteenth of the month.  All
                                                                                                                       communications relative to the contents should be sent to the
ters from the synod, John Hales reported that one delegation pro-                                                      editorial office.
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                                                                                                                       Permission is hereby granted for the reprinting of articles in our
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482/Standard Bearer/September 15, 1997


  Meditation                                                                                            Herman Hoeksema



                                The Vain Boast of
                              Self-Righteousness

    Behold, thou art called a Jew, and         sis  of  all  other  principles,  is  that    ture.  You and I are just what the
restest  in  the  law,  and  makest  thy       God will judge every man accord-              apostle says here of the Jew.  I am
boast of God, And  knowest his will,           ing  to  his  works.    From  this  fol-      the  worst  Jew;  next,  the  elders;
and approvest the things that are more         lows that not the hearers of the law          then, the deacons; then, the teach-
excellent, being instructed out of the         are just before God, but the doers            ers and leaders; then, the common
law; And art confident that thou thy-          of the law shall be justified.  Doing         members.  But I am the worst Jew.
self art a guide of the blind, a light of      the  law  means  nothing  less  than          I am not joking.  I mean it.  It is
them  which  are  in  darkness,  An  in-       that by patient continuance in well-          the mystery of the ministry of the
structor  of  the  foolish,  a  teacher  of    doing we seek for glory, honor, and           Word that God chooses such a Jew
babes, which hast the form of knowl-           immortality every moment of our               as I am, who preaches but does not
edge and of the truth in the law.  Thou        life.  There is no respect of persons         do as I preach.
therefore  which  teachest  another,           with God.  Jew and Gentile, both                  Do  you  not  see  that  we  can
teachest thou not thyself?                     shall be judged according to their            read the text this way?  "Behold,
                      Romans 2:17-21a          works.                                        thou  art  called  a  Christian,  and
                                                   This  general  rule  the  apostle         thou restest in Reformed doctrine,
                                               had applied to the Gentiles when              and makest thy boast of God, and
                                               he  said  that  the  Gentiles  which
In the words of this text, the
     apostle takes away a religion.                                                          knowest  His  will,  and  approvest
     He takes away a religion as the           have not the law do by nature the             the things that are more excellent,
basis  of  our  righteousness  before          things of the law.  Therefore they            being instructed in Reformed doc-
God.  It is his purpose in the first           are a law unto themselves, having             trine.  Thou trustest that thou hast
part of his epistle to the Romans to           the work of the law written in their          the purest  form of  the truth, and
take away all that we have, from               hearts.  For this reason we can say           that  thou  art  an  instructor  of  the
the point of view of the question,             of the Gentiles that they who sin             foolish, a teacher of babes, a guide
"How can one be righteous before               without  the  law  shall  also  perish        of  the  blind,  and  a  light  of  them
God  in  the  day  when  God  shall            without law.                                  who  are  in  darkness.    Thou  hast
judge the secrets of men?"  From                   Now  the  apostle  applies  this          not only the form of the truth, but
this point of view the apostle re-             same  principle  to  the  Jews.    He         thou  hast  the  truth  itself.    Thou,
moves  everything  from  us,  even             takes away their religion.  He takes          therefore,  who  teachest  another,
our piety, our religion, our Chris-            away  their  religion  as  a  basis  of       teachest  thou  not  thyself?    Thou
tianity.  This is the essential mean-          righteousness before God.  He also            who teachest that we must glorify
ing of the text.                               takes  away  all  their  privileges.          God above all, glorifiest thou not
    In  the  preceding  verses,  the           Then  he  takes  hold  of  their  con-        God  thyself?    Thou  who  teachest
apostle had laid down the general              science  and  says,  "Thou  that              that we must not seek the things
basis  for  the  address  with  which          teachest another, teachest thou not           below but the things above, seekest
he  now  approaches  the  Jew.    He           thyself?"                                     thou the things below?"
had  addressed  man  and  had  laid                I  must  be  careful  in  speaking            Your religion; your piety; your
down a general principle, which he             about these words of the apostle,             baptism;  your  doctrine;  your  Re-
now applies to the Jews.  This gen-            and  you  in  listening,  lest  we  be-       formed convictions; still more, your
eral principle, which lies at the ba-          come filled with indignation at the           repentance; your faith; your hope--
                                               self-righteous  Jew.    If  we  do,  we       all these are taken away as a basis
                                               are  more  self-righteous  than  that         of  your  righteousness  in  the  day
Herman Hoeksema was the first edi-             Jew.  For this self-righteous Jew is          when God shall judge the secrets
tor of the Standard Bearer.                    a  picture  of  what  we  are  by  na-        of men.

                                                                                               September 15, 1997/Standard Bearer/483


A Rich Heritage                                 The apostle does not mean to            we are a guide of the blind and a
    A rich heritage, the Jews had.          say  that  we  should  despise  these       light of them who are in darkness.
The Jews had the law.  They had             things.  But he means to say that           But we also instruct our children.
the form of knowledge and of the            the  Jews  had  a  rich  heritage  in       With  right,  we  claim  that  we  are
truth,  as  taught  in  the  law.    The    these  things.    So  have  we.    The      the only ones who instruct our chil-
law here is not the decalogue, but          riches of this heritage the apostle         dren.    The  apostle  approves  of
the  Old  Testament  law  in  its  en-      brings  out  when  he  says,  "Thou         these things.  They are a blessing.
tirety.  The entire form of Old Tes-        knowest the will of God."  The Jew          They are a tremendous heritage.
tament doctrine is meant here.  It          knew the will of God as manifested              But from the point of view of
is the Old Testament form  of the           in the law.  We know the will of            the question, "How can I be righ-
truth,  as  given  to  the  people  by      God as manifested in Christ.  That          teous before God?" all these things
Moses.  It includes the entire rela-        is,  theoretically we know the will of      are  worthless,  and  that,  for  more
tion of God concerning the Old Tes-         God.                                        than one reason.  These things can-
tament form of righteousness, not                                                       not possibly be the righteousness
only the way in which the people            A Great Zeal                                with which, in the day when God
must walk, but also all the shad-               Knowing the will of God, the            shall judge the secrets of men, you
ows and types of Christ.                    Jews (and we) are pictured as be-           and I can appear before God and
    The apostle says, "Behold, thou         ing full of zeal.  This zeal becomes        be justified.
art  called  a  Jew."    "Jew"  means       manifest in that the Jews approve               When that day comes, and we
"glorifier  of  God."    Behold,  thou      the things that are more excellent.         shall be judged by our works, we
art called a glorifier of God.  Thou        The  meaning  is  this.    The  Jews        cannot  say,  I  have  been  a  Chris-
hast the law.  Because of this law,         knew the law.  They systematized            tian.  For then the Lord will say,
thou hast a form of the truth and           the  truth  of  that  law.    With  that    that was a privilege, but it is not a
of knowledge.                               system of doctrine, they compared           work.
    The apostle does not say that           all other forms of philosophy.                  In  that  day  you  cannot  say,  I
the Jews had the truth and knowl-               We do the same.  We know the            went  to  church  and  was  a  mem-
edge.  But they had a  form of the          truth  in  distinction  from  all  false    ber.  The Lord will say, that was a
truth  and  knowledge.    This  does        doctrine.    Not  only  do  we  make        privilege, but it is not a work that
not mean that the Jews merely had           this distinction, but, as a result, we      can be the basis of your righteous-
an appearance of truth and knowl-           approve  of  the  truth.    When  an        ness before Me.
edge.  But the apostle has in mind          Arminian  comes  along,  we  con-               You  cannot  say,  I  was  Re-
the old dispensation.  Truth must           demn that Arminian and approve              formed and knew the truth.  The
be understood in the sense of the           of the Reformed doctrine.  That is,         Lord will say, that was a privilege,
apostle John, when he says:  "For           as the apostle means it, theoretically      but it cannot be the basis of your
the law was given by Moses, but             we do this.                                 righteousness.
grace  and  truth  came  by  Jesus              The apostle adds:   "approving              You cannot say, I have rejected
Christ" (John 1:17).  What the Jews         of the things that are more excel-          every  heresy  repugnant  to  the
had  was  the  form  of  the  river         lent,  they  are  confident  that  they     truth, and I have fought Arminian-
through which the water of salva-           are a guide of the blind."  The Jews        ism and Pelagianism and all false
tion was presently to flow.  They           had  a  right  to  be  thus  confident.     teaching.  The Lord will say, that
had  the  form,  the  mold,  the  pat-      They  had  the  form  of  truth  and        was  alright,  but  it  cannot  be  the
tern  of  the  truth.    The  form  was     knowledge.  They were a light of            basis of your righteousness.
waiting for the truth.  They had the        them who were in darkness and an                You  cannot  even  say  this,  I
form of  the truth and knowledge            instructor of the foolish.  That is,        have repented, I have repented of
of God in the law.                          they were a light to them who were          my sin.  Because I have repented
    We  have  more.    Truth  and           outside of the light of the truth, as       of my sin, I expect to be justified.
grace have been revealed.  We have          revealed in the law.  Because they          For the Lord will say, did you?  Did
the reality.  We can, therefore, ap-        had the form of knowledge and of            you  always  repent?    Patient  con-
ply  this  word  far  more  emphati-        truth, they were teachers of babes.         tinuance in well-doing, did you al-
cally to ourselves.  We can read it         The Jews were the only ones to in-          ways do that?  All your life?  Then
this way:  Thou hast the truth and          struct their children.                      you will have to say, no, I repented
knowledge.  We have a system of                 The same is true of us.  Any-           once in a while.  And our impeni-
that  truth.    We  have  a  system  of     one  who  stands  outside  of  the          tence will be so great that we will
the truth in our doctrine and con-          church does  not instruct  his chil-        be worthy to go to hell with all our
fessions.    We  have  the  reality  of     dren.  But we instruct our children.        repentance.
the truth in such a form that it is         We need not be ashamed of it.  We               You cannot say, I have sought
ready-made.                                 say that we have the truth and that         the kingdom of God.  For the Lord

484/Standard Bearer/September 15, 1997


will say, did you?  And the times           you rest in your church-going and            things  above,  I  do  seek  first  the
when we sought not the kingdom              other  external  acts.    Rather,  you       kingdom of God.
of God, when we sought the world            and I say, "I am pious, I believe in             But the word of God does not
and ourselves, will be so great, that       Christ,  and  on  the  basis  of  this  I    let us go so easy.  The question is
we  will  be  worthy  of  condemna-         will be justified."  This, the apostle       not,  what  do  we  do  now?    The
tion.                                       takes  away.    This  was  the  Jews'        question is, what will we say in the
    In  the  day  when  God  shall          false reliance.                              day of  the righteous judgment of
judge  the  secrets  of  men,  every-                                                    God?    God  will  say,  didst  thou
thing will be taken away from us.           A Vain Boast                                 steal?  We will have to say, yes, in
                                                   It became their vain boast.  The      my heart I did.  Did you commit
A False Reliance                            apostle takes it all away.  Remem-           adultery?    You  will  have  to  say,
    This,  the  apostle  does  here.        ber,  the  apostle  is  preparing  the       yes,  I  did  in  my  heart.    Did  you
"Thou  restest  in  the  law,"  the         way for the gospel.  If the way is           really  always  repent?    Were  you
apostle says.  That was a false reli-       to be prepared for the gospel, then          never impenitent?
ance.    "Thou  restest  in  the  law."     all must be taken away which is of               The  more  we  shall  be  ques-
What does this mean?  It does not           us.                                          tioned, the more we will say, where
mean  that  the  Jews  did  not  care              Why?                                  is  my  religion?    If  I  come  before
about the law, but that they would                 "Thou  boastest  in  God,"  the       God with my religion as the basis
merely hear it.  No, they rested in         apostle says.  "Thou restest in the          of my righteousness, I will be con-
the  law.    They  looked  upon  the        law, and makest thy boast of God."           demned.  Therefore, away with all
keeping of the law as the basis of          In  other  words,  the  Jew  boasted         my religion as a basis of righteous-
their righteousness before God.  All        that God was his God.  The apostle           ness.  Then there is nothing left but
the sacrifices told them differently,       goes on to say:  Thou dishonorest            a  poor,  miserable  sinner  before
but  they  looked  upon  the  law  as       God.  Thou that preachest a man              God.
the way to righteousness.  Looking          should not  steal, dost thou steal?              If  this  is  understood  and  ac-
upon the law as the basis of righ-          Thou that sayest a man should not            knowledged,  and  we  see  and  be-
teousness,  they  kept  it  painstak-       commit  adultery,  dost  thou  com-          lieve  as  a  matter  of  living  faith,
ingly.                                      mit adultery?  Thou that abhorrest           then we have room for the gospel.
    The Jew did not have to be cut          idols, robbest thou temples?                 In the day when God shall judge
off from the church because he ne-                 The Jews would say, no, I do          the secrets of men, we will say:  I
glected his religious duties.  Rather,      not.  I do not steal; I do not com-          plead  not  on  my  own  righteous-
keeping the law as a basis of righ-         mit adultery; I do not rob temples.          ness, but on Thy righteousness in
teousness, he rested in it.  He said,       I keep the law.                              Christ.    This  is  a  righteousness
"On the basis of keeping the law, I                Putting the question to us, the       which is perfect, because God has
am righteous before God."                   apostle  says:    Thou  that  teachest       prepared it.  He has prepared it in
    Do we not do the same thing?            that a man should repent, repentest          Christ.  He has revealed it in the
We  do.    If  you  will  but  candidly     thou not thyself?  Thou that sayest          gospel.
examine your heart and mind, you            that a man should seek the things                I am not ashamed of the gos-
will find there that self-righteous-        above  and  not  the  things  below,         pel.  For there is no other righteous-
ness by which you rest in your re-          seekest thou the things below?               ness than the righteousness of God
ligion.  I do not mean merely that                 We say no.  We are Reformed.          which is by faith in Christ Jesus.
                                            We say, I do repent, I do seek the                                                 u

  Editorial


                                            Catechism!
Familiar word in Protestant Re- It makes up a big part of the catechism classes, each of which is
          formed families in the fall of    work-load of every Protestant Re-            50  minutes  to  an  hour  in  length.
          the year.  As in, "Learn your     formed minister from the fall of the         Some of the classes require him to
catechism";  "Do  you  know  your           year through the spring of the fol-          grade written work afterward.
catechism?";  and, "Let me ask you          lowing year.  Every week he pre-                 Catechism is part of the weekly
your catechism."                            pares  for  and  teaches  five  or  six      routine of every child in the church

                                                                                           September 15, 1997/Standard Bearer/485


from five or six years of age to the           The  only  objection  to  this  in-     echism?"  Take the opportunity to
late teenage years.  He or she at-         doctrination could be that what the         tell the children who they are by
tends  a  catechism  class.    To  pre-    church  teaches  is  not  in  fact  the     the mercy of God in the covenant.
pare for the class, the child must         Word of God.                                Remind them of their baptism.  Ex-
memorize an assigned lesson and                Implied,  of  course,  is  that  a      plain  what  their  baptism  means.
often do some written work.                church has the truth and is abso-           The  ministers  might  profitably
    As an activity, catechism is the       lutely sure that she has the truth.         make  this  explanation  the  begin-
church's official instruction of the       A  reason  why  many  Protestant            ning of every catechism class at the
children of the congregation, sons         churches have left off catechizing          start  of  the  season.    "Children,
and daughters of believing parents,        is that they have become doubtful           young people, the church has cat-
in the Word of God.  She does this         whether they possess the truth and          echism classes for you, because of
also in the preaching on the Lord's        even whether there is truth at all.         who you are.  This is who you are."
Day inasmuch as the children are               The  reason  for  catechism  is             The reference is not to all the
members of the congregation with           God's covenant with believers and           physical  children  of  believers.
their parents.  But catechism is the       their children.  Catechism rests on         When  the  Reformed  confessions
church's teaching specifically of the      and serves the covenant.  The cov-          and Scripture speak of the children
children in classes devoted exclu-         enant demands catechism.  As re-            of believers as elect, redeemed, and
sively  to  them.    The  teaching  is     vealed by the promise of the gos-           holy,  they  refer  to  the  true  spiri-
adapted to the children's capacity         pel (Gen 17:7; Acts 2:39) and as sig-       tual children of believers.  "They
and level of spiritual and intellec-       nified  by  their  baptism,  the  chil-     are not all Israel, which are of Is-
tual development.                          dren  of  believers  are  God's  elect,     rael ... but the children of the prom-
    Whether  the  method  is  ques-        redeemed,  and  regenerated  chil-          ise are counted for the seed" (Rom.
tion-and-(prescribed)  answer  or          dren.    They  are  God's  elect,  re-      9:6, 8).  The real covenant children
straightforward  explanation  of  a        deemed, and regenerated children            are  those  in  Christ  according  to
lesson, catechism is indoctrination        already as children.  They are God's        eternal  election  (Gal.  3:16,  29).
of the  children in the truth.   The       elect  and  redeemed  children  al-         They show themselves by hearing
church knows the truth by divine           ready as  little children, as  infants,     and  heeding  the  Word  that  is
revelation in Holy Scripture and by        before their baptism.  Question 74          taught in catechism.
the internal testimony and enlight-        of  the  Heidelberg  Catechism                  There are others.  These show
enment  of  the  Holy  Spirit.    She      teaches  that  the  infants  are  to  be    themselves  profane  by  despising
teaches  the  truth  to  her  children.    baptized because they already are,          the Word that is taught them in cat-
The children learn what is taught.         before  baptism,  included  in  the         echism,  whether  at  the  time  that
    The word "catechism" itself ex-        covenant and church of God.  The            they  are  being  taught  or  later  in
presses the nature of the teaching         prayer  after  baptism  in  the  Re-        life.  They thus wickedly reject the
as  indoctrination.    The  church         formed  form  for  baptism  thanks          Word  in  accordance  with  God's
"sounds down" upon the children            God that He "hast forgiven us and           reprobation of them in eternity (cp.
the  Word  of  God.    She  does  not      our  children  all  our  sins  through      Heb. 12:16, 17 and Rom. 9:10-13).
share religious insights and values        the  blood  of  (His)  beloved  Son         Our  children  should  also  know
with  the  children,  leaving  to  the     Jesus Christ."                              about this.  The Bible story of Jacob
children to choose for themselves              As a rule, they are born again          and  Esau,  very  early  in  the  cat-
among  all  the  possibilities.    She     already as infant children.  The first      echism program, teaches this to the
does not lay before the children all       question to parents at the baptism          youngest children.
kinds of social and personal issues        of their children, in the Reformed              God's sanctification of the chil-
of  right  and  wrong  for  the            form, is, whether they acknowledge          dren in the covenant makes instruc-
children's consideration.  She does        that our children are "sanctified in        tion of them possible.  The church
not merely make the children, es-          Christ."  Earlier, the form declares        cannot  instruct  boys  and  girls  in
pecially the youth, aware of what          that just as our young children "are        the things of God  who are spiritu-
the church of the past has believed,       without their knowledge partakers           ally dead.  Unregenerated children
or even what she herself now be-           of the condemnation in Adam, so             cannot  know  the  things  of  God.
lieves.  But in catechism the church       are they again (understand:  with-          These things would be foolishness
binds  the  Word  of  God  that  she       out their knowledge) received unto          to them (I Cor. 2:14).
teaches  upon  the  children.    She       grace in Christ."                               The church may (and must!) ap-
calls them to know these teachings             This must be the joyful answer          proach the children at catechism as
as  the  truth  with  their  minds,  to    of parents to a question about cat-         elect, redeemed, and holy by vir-
embrace  them  with  believing             echism that is not unknown in Re-           tue of the covenant.  This must be
hearts, and to live them with soul         formed households at this time of           her approach to all of the children.
and body.                                  the year:  "Why must we go to cat-          She brings the same Word of sal-

486/Standard Bearer/September 15, 1997


vation  to  them  all,  and  she  ear-         Churches, in an excellent program,           Christ died for all, please let Jesus
nestly calls all of them to believe            teach the children the history of the        come into your heart, and now let's
it.  She leaves the outcome to God,            entire  Bible  in  three,  increasingly      be nice to everybody," it is all over
confident that by her instruction in           more advanced stages over seven              with  the  covenant  in  that  church
catechism all her children will be             years.  When the children are about          and among those families.  If I can
taught of the LORD (Is. 54:13).                13, they receive instruction in doc-         understand why men and women
    The  purpose  with  catechism,             trine,  beginning  with  the  Heidel-        who profess to be Reformed stay
then,  is  the  growth  of  spiritually        berg  Catechism  for  two  or  three         in such churches, I cannot under-
immature citizens of the kingdom               years, going on to the study of Re-          stand  that  they  allow  their  very
of heaven into full, spiritual man-            formed  doctrine  in  a  systematic          own  children,  not  only  to  be  de-
hood and womanhood.  With this,                way, and concluding with a study             prived of sound instruction in the
the  church  aims  at  preparing  her          of the Belgic Confession or the Can-         Word but also to be infected with
children  for  public  confession  of          ons of Dordt, or both.                       drivel and false doctrine.  They do
faith, so that they may partake of                 I  urge  our  ministers  and             not love their children.  They hold
the Lord's Supper.                             consistories  to  require  the  young        the covenant of God in contempt.
    These purposes in no way rule              people to memorize the Heidelberg            They will pay the price.  In their
out,  but  rather  include,  that  the         Catechism as part of their instruc-          children!
children  are  converted  under  the           tion in that precious statement of               Catechism is vitally important.
teaching at catechism.  Only, this             the faith.  This will fix the truth in       It  is  vitally  important  for  the
conversion is not the cheap accep-             their  minds  in  exactly  the  words        church.  Catechism is in her own
tance  of  Christ  of  modern  child-          and  phrases  used  in  that  memo-          best  interests.    By  it  she  grows
evangelism, which is the false gos-            rable  catechism.    This  will  help        spiritually and numerically.  It is
pel of salvation by man's will.  Nor           them to understand the doctrines             vitally important for the children.
is it a matter of the teacher's un-            taught in the creed.  This will en-          As we love our children, catechize
scrupulous  manipulation  of  the              able them to recall the comfort of           them!    It  is  vitally  important  for
child's emotions, which is the false           the Heidelberg in times of need to           the  covenant  of  God  with  His
gospel of salvation by man's feel-             the  very  end  of  their  lives.    This    people, a very means by which He
ings.    But  it  is  the  daily,  lifelong    was the intention of the authors of          realizes, maintains, and perfects it.
conversion of Lord's Day 33 of the             the Catechism, as it was the inten-          Let  us  make  this  more  concrete,
Heidelberg  Catechism,  which  be-             tion  of  the  Synod  of  Dordt  that        more personal:  Catechism is one
gins  in  the  covenant  already  in           adopted  it  for  the  Reformed              of the main means by which God
youngest  childhood.    The  child             churches.  It can be done.  It can           enters into friendship with our chil-
turns  from  sin  to  God  in  Jesus           be  done  by  almost  all  the  young        dren and gets their friendship for
Christ.    She  experiences  sorrow            people.  During my 25 years as a             Himself.
over her sins.  He is conscious of             pastor in the churches, I required               This importance is indicated in
joy  in  the  God  who  gave  Jesus            this of all the catechism students.          the documents and life of the Re-
Christ  for  the  forgiveness  of  his         They all did it, although the stum-          formed churches.  The call-letter to
sins.    They  desire,  in  a  childish        bling  efforts  of  a  few  had  to  be      every minister includes among his
way,  to  please  God  by  a  life  of         borne with patiently.                        duties (the second mentioned, im-
good works.                                        Whatever the materials may be,           mediately  following  the  duty  of
    At  the  same  time  that  the             the content of the classes must be           preaching on the Lord's Day) "at-
church  is  working  at  these  goals          the knowledge of God in Christ as            tending to catechetical instruction."
with the children, she  is handing             made known in Scripture and sys-             Three times at the annual visit of
over to the coming generation the              tematically  expressed  in  the  Re-         the consistories (or, councils) of all
great, grand deposit of the Chris-             formed  confessions.    The  Holy            the  churches,  the  question  is  put
tian, Reformed, and, more particu-             Spirit, great Power of the covenant,         by the church visitors concerning
larly, Protestant Reformed faith.              works  by  and  with  the  Word  of          catechism and its supervision.
    These  purposes  of  catechism             God, and no otherwise.                           Minister and church must take
are realized by the teaching of the                When the "educational minis-             it seriously.  The minister must do
Word of God.  The Word of God                  try" of a Reformed church consists           the teaching.  He must prepare for
must  be  the  content  of  the  cat-          of weekly fun and games in a gym,            the classes.  He must put his heart
echism class.  In the classes for the          or of raising the social conscious-          into the teaching.  Words fail to ex-
younger children, the Word is es-              ness of young people by confront-            press  outrage  over  the  preacher
pecially the history of the Bible.  In         ing  them  with  all  the  politically       who gives catechism a lick-and-a-
the classes for the older children,            correct views on current issues in           promise, who comes to class totally
the  Word  is  the  doctrine  of  the          society,  or  of  teaching  them  the        unprepared,  whose disinterest in
Bible.    The  Protestant  Reformed            heresy that "God loves everybody,            this "drudgery" is plain for all the

                                                                                              September 15, 1997/Standard Bearer/487


children  to  see,  and  whose  chief         virtually  necessary  also  for  the        cannot  be  coordinated  with  the
concern  is  obviously  to  get  away         classes in Bible history.  Otherwise,       classes  in  the  local  Christian
as quickly as possible.  What will            by the time all the children recite         School, the church should seriously
Jesus say to such a man one day,              their answers and memory verses,            consider having catechism on Sat-
the  Jesus  whose  mandate  to  the           the teacher has a scant 20 minutes          urday morning.
apostle and thus to every minister            to tell the story.  The classes should          The  importance  of  catechism
was a solicitous "Feed my lambs"?             run a full 30 weeks.  Consistories          calls the children and their parents
We preachers should pray often for            should  watch  against  shortening          to good, thorough preparation for
the  catechism  classes  in  our  con-        the  season.    A  30-week  season  is      the classes each week.  The respon-
gregational prayers.  Catechism is            barely  over  half  the  year.    Cat-      sibility  falls  on  the  parents.    We
not inferior to the good, Christian           echism is deserving and demand-             teach the little ones; help the older
schools.                                      ing of this much time, surely.              children;  and  make  sure  that  the
      The church must carefully su-               When in the day the classes are         young people have memorized the
pervise  both  the  classes  and  the         held is important.  The worst pos-          lesson by having them recite to us
minister.  She does this by her el-           sible time for the younger children,        before they leave for catechism.
ders.                                         it seems to me, is immediately af-              Afterwards,  the  word  "cat-
      The supervision by the elders           ter  school.    They  are  weary  of        echism" is heard yet again in Prot-
should  extend  to  the  time  of  the        learning.  Their interest, an essen-        estant  Reformed  households.    As
classes.  As much as possible, the            tial component in effective teach-          in,  "How  was  catechism?"  "Did
classes should last a full hour.  This        ing,  understandably  flags.    They        you  know  your  catechism?"  and
is  especially  necessary  for  the           are physically tired.  The little chil-     "What did you learn in catechism?"
classes in doctrine.  If there are a          dren fall asleep.  When catechism                                                 u
goodly number of children, this is                                                                                         --DJE

     Letters


s     The "All" of I Timothy 2:4              men left to their own choice would          truth I perceive that God is no re-
I refer to your editorial, "A Can- refuse salvation, and only but for specter of persons:  But in every
      did Confession of the Character         the grace of God and His foreor-            nation  he  that  feareth  him,  and
of a Conditional Covenant"  (Stan-            dained counsel to choose whom He            worketh righteousness, is accepted
dard Bearer, March 15, 1997).                 will to be saved, no one would en-          with him."
      Laying  aside  all  prejudices,  I      ter into His Kingdom.                           Romans  10:21:    "But  to  Israel
believe that I Timothy 2:3, 4 means               Could you please consider the           he  saith,  All  day  long  I  have
exactly what it says.  "All" means            following Scriptures which indicate         stretched  forth  my  hands  unto  a
all  (cf.  Isaiah  53:6:    "All  we  like    to me God's desire to save all man-         disobedient  and  gainsaying
sheep  have  gone  astray;  we  have          kind?                                       people."
turned  every one to his own way;                 Genesis  4:7a:    "If  thou  doest          In all fairness, however, there
and the LORD hath laid on him the             well,  shalt  thou  not  be  accepted?      is one Scripture which prevents all
iniquity of us all"), and "will" may          and if thou doest not well, sin lieth       men from being saved (as far as I
mean wish or desire.  That all will           at the door."                               know),  and  that  is  Isaiah  53:1,
not be saved is supported by Scrip-               Matthew  22:9:    "Go  ye  there-       quoted in John 12:38.  Otherwise,
ture in many places, but, I believe,          fore into the highways and as many          it is because of the hardness of their
Scripture states that while God de-           as  ye  shall  find,  bid  to  the  mar-    heart, because they will not come
sires the salvation of all, the vast,         riage."                                     to  Christ,  because  they  reject  the
overwhelming  majority  reject.                   Matthew 22:12:  "And he saith           light  that  they  already  have  and
Thus, while we correctly say, "Man            unto him, Friend, how camest thou           plunge  themselves  into  greater
proposes but God disposes," it can            in hither not having a wedding gar-         darkness.  Also in Matthew 25:34
also  be  said,  "God  proposes  but          ment?  And he was speechless."              and  25:41  is  there  not  a  contrast
man disposes."  This in no way de-                John 6:64:  "But there are some         between  "the  kingdom  prepared
tracts  from  the  absolute  sover-           of you that believe not.  For Jesus         for you from the foundation of the
eignty of God, for this is the way            knew from the beginning who they            world" and "everlasting fire, pre-
God has designed man in His own               were  that  believed  not,  and  who        pared for the devil and his angels"?
image  with  the  power  of  choice.          should betray him."                             Clearly,  the  apostle  Paul,
Before I give my supporting Scrip-                Acts  10:34,  35:    "Then  Peter       through whom the Holy Spirit gave
tures, I thoroughly believe that all          opened his mouth, and said, Of a            the words of Ephesians 1:4 and Ro-

488/Standard Bearer/September 15, 1997


mans 8:28-30, said in Romans 9:3:           LORD  laid  on  Christ  "the  iniquity      also  be  said,  `God  proposes  but
"For I could wish that myself were          of us all."  According to you, the          man  disposes.'"    That  is,  man  is
accursed from Christ for my breth-          Messiah bore the iniquity of `every         sovereign in his own salvation, and
ren, my kinsmen according to the            human  without exception.'  Jesus           God is dependent upon sovereign
flesh."                                     the Christ, on your view, suffered          man.  Or, to put it differently, man
    Did  not  our  Lord  preach  in         and  died  to  atone  for  the  sins  of    is God.
Luke 13:24, in answer to the ques-          `every human without exception.'                But  Christianity  damns  idola-
tion, "Lord, are there few that be          This is the necessary implication of        try.  If you call my attention to the
saved?"   "Strive to enter in at the        your view that "all" in I Timothy           fact that you also want to maintain
strait  gate:    for  many  I  say  unto    2:4  means  `every  human  without          that "man proposes but God dis-
you, will seek to enter in, and shall       exception.'    This  is  the  necessary     poses," that is, that God is God, I
not be able."                               implication of your view that God           observe that you have two Gods,
    The word "strive" in the Greek          desires to save `every human with-          man and God.  But the first com-
is  agonizomai   and  according  to         out exception.'                             mandment of the law forbids hav-
Bauer's  Greek-English  Lexicon                 But the doctrine that Jesus died        ing any god in addition to God, as
means  "to  fight,  struggle."    He        for  `every  human  without  excep-         well  as  having  a  god  instead  of
translates it "strain every nerve to        tion,' many of whom perish never-           God.
enter" (p. 15).                             theless, is a denial of the cross of            I do appreciate your forthright-
    I  love  the  great  doctrines  of      Christ and the overthrow of Chris-          ness,  your  honesty.    Many  of
election, predestination, the coun-         tianity.  I remind you that the Re-         greater reputation who fully share
sel of God and place these foremost         formed confession teaches that "it          your explanation of I Timothy 2:4
in my thinking and believing, but I         was the will of God that Christ by          and your view that God desires to
also believe that the venerable John        the blood of the cross, whereby He          save `every human without excep-
Calvin went too far in his doctrine         confirmed  the  new  covenant,              tion'  hedge,  dodge,  twist,  obfus-
in not allowing the Lord to weep            should  effectually  redeem  out  of        cate,  or  take  refuge  in  politic  si-
for sinners who reject the claims of        every people, tribe, nation, and lan-       lence  when  it  comes  to  the  clear,
Christ.                                     guage,  all  those,  and  those  only,      inescapable implications of this ex-
                      Charles B. Gross      who were from eternity chosen to            planation  and  view:    universal
                          Trenton, NJ       salvation and given to Him by the           atonement and the sovereignty of
                                            Father" (Canons of Dordt, II/8).            man in his own salvation.
Response:                                       The second assertion in the edi-            I will be happy to explain the
    Your  comments  are  helpful.           torials that you explicitly corrobo-        texts that you list when you provide
They illustrate the truth of two im-        rate  was  that  the  teaching,  now        your own explanation of them show-
portant  assertions  that  I  made  in      rampant in supposedly Calvinistic           ing  how  they  are  supposed  to  teach
the series of editorials, "A Candid         circles, that God desires to save `ev-      "God's  desire  to  save  all  mankind."
Confession  of  the  Character  of  a       ery  human  without  exception'  is         Not one of the texts  mentions any
Conditional  Covenant"  (Standard           the  denial  of  the  sovereignty  of       desire of God for the salvation of
Bearer,  Jan.  1-April 1,  1997).   The     God.    The  doctrine  that  God  de-       `every  human  without  exception'
first  was  that  everyone  who  ex-        sires  to  save  `every  human  with-       or any grace of God in the preach-
plains  "all"  in  I  Timothy  2:4  as      out  exception'  denies  the  sover-        ing for every hearer.
meaning `every human without ex-            eignty  of  God  in  His  greatest,             As regards your profession of
ception'  is  thereby  committed  to        grandest, most glorious work:  the          love  for  "the  great  doctrines  of
the heresy of universal atonement.          salvation of sinners.  God is frus-         election, predestination, (and) the
I grounded this assertion in the ob-        trated and defeated in multitudes           counsel  of  God,"  God  alone  is
vious fact that two verses later the        of  instances:    many  whom  He            judge  of  the  heart.    But  I  assure
apostle  declares  that  Christ  Jesus      wishes  to  save  go  lost.    By  clear    you of this:  holding and publicly
"gave himself a ransom for all."  If        and  necessary  implication  those          defending  the  doctrine  that  God
"all" in verse 4 means `every hu-           who are saved are not saved by the          desires to save `every human with-
man  without  exception,'  so  also         gracious will of God (for He wishes         out exception,' with its implications
does "all" in verse 6 mean `every           to save all alike), but by what you         of  universal  atonement  and  the
human without exception.'                   call their own "power of choice."           sovereignty  of  man  in  salvation,
    You acknowledge the truth of                You acknowledge the truth of            you are no friend of the great doc-
my  assertion  when  you  quote             my assertion that the teaching of a         trines  of  election  and  predestina-
Isaiah 53:6 in support of your con-         desire of God for the salvation of          tion, but an enemy.
tention that "all" in I Timothy 2:4         `every  human  without  exception'                                            --Ed.
means  `every  human  without  ex-          denies  the  sovereignty  of  God
ception.'  Isaiah 53:6 states that the      when  you  boldly  declare,  "It  can

                                                                                          September 15, 1997/Standard Bearer/489


s     "Hypo-Calvinism" vs.                  in  history  were  brought  about         vinism,"  refute  Murray  and  the
the Reformed Faith                          through anti-particular grace "mar-       "marrow men."
I was pleasantly surprised to open row men," who preached the same                        Praise God for the three semi-
      my mailbox recently and see the       message that Murray promulgates           narians  available  for  call  in  the
July,  1997  issue  of  the  Standard       today.                                    Protestant Reformed Churches.  Is
Bearer.  I read it cover to cover im-           Now for some truth.  The Prot-        there  another  seminary  which
mediately.                                  estant  Reformed  Churches,  the          holds  to  sovereign,  particular
      I wish to state an opinion con-       Evangelical Presbyterian Church of        grace?
cerning  the  Protestant  Reformed          Australia, and a few congregations            I  have  been  blessed  for  some
Churches being labeled as "hyper-           in America and elsewhere hold to          time through the tape ministry of
Calvinist"  by  Iain  Murray  of  the       the  true,  orthodox,  confessional,      the Protestant Reformed Church in
Banner of Truth recently.                   Reformed gospel of sovereign, par-        Lynden, Washington.  I also have
      I have read Spurgeon vs. Hyper-       ticular  grace.    Those  who  do  not    been blessed through other Protes-
Calvinism  (The  Banner  of  Truth          hold to sovereign, particular grace       tant Reformed Churches' tapes and
Trust,  1995)  by  Murray.    It  is  so    are not in the truth.  It is surpris-     periodicals.  I believe God has cho-
sad to realize more fully what I had        ing to read Murray's book in which        sen  the  Protestant  Reformed
already known:  that Spurgeon and           he correctly sheds light on the er-       Churches  as  a  denomination  to
many  "Puritans"  were  not  ortho-         ror  of  "hyper-Calvinism"  only          carry forth His truth in these days.
dox Calvinists, but "hypo-Calvin-           falsely to label the Protestant Re-                                Craig Miklosik
ists" ("hypo" meaning below or be-          formed Churches as such!                                    Coos Bay, Oregon
neath).  Anyone who believes that               I  encourage  anyone  to  read
God in the preaching of the gospel          Professor Engelsma's Hyper-Calvin-        Response:
desires  the  salvation  of  all  who       ism & the Call of the Gospel, revised         The issues of Trinity Review re-
hear it or "all men" ("hypo-Calvin-         (RFPA, 1994).  Therein is revealed        ferred to above are available from
ism")  are  closer  to  the  Arminian       the truth about gospel preaching.         Dr.  John  W.  Robbins,  1705  West
camp than the true Calvinist camp.          Read the Trinity Review of May and        Alabama,  Hobbs,  New  Mexico
      I am also sad in realizing that       June,  1997  in  which  two  articles,    88242.   u
many of our "Reformed revivals"             "The Banner of Truth versus Cal-                                           --Ed.

     Bring the Parchments                                                                       Herman Hoeksema



                      That Wretched Truant

                                            during the second morning-service,        his parents that he was in church,
                                            which begins at ten-thirty.               that so and so conducted the ser-
Through the window of my That young man was playing vice, that he preached on such and
        study, one Sunday morning,          truant!                                   such  a  text,  but  that  the  sermon
        I saw a young man aimlessly             He should have been attending         was so dark and deep that he could
walking the street, both hands  in          the service, listening to the preach-     not understand much of it!
the  pockets  of  his  overcoat,  coat      ing of the Word of God.  But, rather          How  true,  thought  I,  is  that
collar  up,  evidently  very  uncom-        than  worship  with  the  people  of      word "truant"!  For, truant means
fortable; for the weather was chilly        God, he would wander miserably            literally:    a  wretch,  a  beggar,  a
and a fine drizzle was falling.  It         and aimlessly about on the street         tramp!  He is one who, for no valid
was  eleven  o'clock.    I  had  con-       in a cold drizzle!                        reason at all, stays away from any
ducted the first (the Dutch) service,           No doubt he peeked in to know         place where it is his business, his
and so happened to be in my study           who was preaching on that particu-        calling to be.  To play truant is to
                                            lar morning; perhaps he will find         stay away without reason from the
                                            out from others what was the text         place of our calling.
Standard Bearer,  Volume 10, Janu-          on  which  the  sermon  was  based.           Truant is the child that makes
ary 15, 1934, pp. 174-176                   If  necessary, then, he will inform       his parents believe that he goes to

490/Standard Bearer/September 15, 1997


school but does not.  In this sphere,       is bad enough, a manifestation of            more  reason  why  he  should  play
however,  the  evil  of  truancy  is        carnal  tendencies,  when  a  young          the truant, this time a reason that
largely  overcome,  since  there  are       man  prefers  to  walk  in  a  cold          apparently justifies him to an ex-
truant-officers and laws compelling         drizzle, rather than attend the ser-         tent, justifies him, alas! also in the
the children to attend school.              vices of the people of God on Sun-           eyes of some parents!
    But  the  evil  of  truancy  is not     day morning.  But the truant does                But there is more.
eradicated  from  church-life.    On        not always walk in the rain when                 In  a  sound  Reformed  church
the contrary it is but too general.         he plays truant.  He prefers many            the  preaching  really  presupposes
    Truant  are  young  men  and            things  to  the  kingdom  of  God.           sound  catechetical instruction.   It
young women, boys and girls (not            Now the ice is just beautiful and            is  expositional  and  doctrinal
to speak of adults), who should at-         the weather favorable and he pre-            preaching,  as  it  should  be.    And
tend the services but are absent for        fers  to  go  skating;  now  it  is  too     the  truant,  in  the  same  way  and
no  good  reason.    Truant  are  sev-      warm to sit in church or to attend           for the same reason that he loses
eral  youths  who  are  supposed  to        catechism and he prefers to take a           hold  of  instruction  in  catechism,
attend catechism class and do not.          ride; or he knows of a good movie,           loses  all  contact  with  the  preach-
Occasionally they come, especially          of  a  nice  program,  of  a  splendid       ing of the Word of God.
when  they  have  just  been  visited       baseball or basketball game; or he               And again, he does not blame
by a committee from the consistory          reads  an  interesting  novel;  or  he       himself.  He blames the preaching.
or when the danger threatens that           hangs over a lunch counter....  A              It is too deep for him.  He puts the
they will so be visited.  But then          thousand and one excuses he can              blame on the preacher.  Why can-
they  stay  away  again  as  soon  as       find  why  on  a  particular  Sunday         not  he  tell  some  stories,  as  other
the "danger" is past.                       he should play the truant, or on a           preachers do?  If only the preacher
    Truant are they who are mem-            certain evening he should not at-            would be more interesting, he, the
bers of the societies that are orga-        tend catechism or society.                   truant, would also reveal more in-
nized within the bosom of the con-              And every one of these reasons           terest in the things of the kingdom
gregation, but who hardly ever at-          is perfectly carnal.  The truant lives       of God!
tend, and who are usually reported          from the principle of the lust of the            His truancy bears evil fruit for
absent when it is their turn to de-         flesh.  He does not seek the king-           himself.  But also for the body to
liver  an  introduction  to  the  Bible     dom of God and His righteousness.            which he belongs, for the church,
discussion, essay, or recitation; and       He  will  not  be  instructed  in  the       for the catechism class, for the so-
the  Sunday  School  teachers  who          truth of the Word of God.  He sells          ciety.
never  or  seldom  attend  teachers'        his birthright for a mess of pottage.            Many  a  program  of  a  society
meetings  and  are  careless  about         He is a fornicator.  In as far as he         the truant spoils, unscrupulously!
teaching their classes, as well as the      is a truant he is closely related to         He is a member.  His name appears
children that are enrolled in those         Esau!                                        on the program.  He must deliver
classes but attend very irregularly,            But  truancy  is  also  an  evil,  a     an essay.  He is absent.  The soci-
though  there  be  no  reason  why          sore evil, from the viewpoint of its         ety has nothing else on its program
they should not attend every week.          effects.  Truancy bears fruit!  Evil         for that evening.  It depended en-
    Yes,  sad  to  say,  there  are  al-    fruit!  First of all for the truant.  For    tirely on the unfaithful truant.  The
ways a number of truants in prac-           he learns little of the truth, if any-       evening is spoiled.
tically every sphere of church-life.        thing.  Occasionally, as was said,               In  catechism  the  instruction
                                            he will attend catechism.  But when          must  more  or  less  adapt  itself  to
       333    333    333                    he does attend, he does not know             the  needs  of  the  truant,  when  he
                                            the lesson.  His stale excuse is usu-        does attend.
    Truancy is a sore evil!                 ally that he did not know what les-              The church will lower its stan-
    First of all it is a great sin!  Sin    son  he  had  to  learn.    Besides,  he     dard of preaching if too many of
because of the fact that, whenever          does not understand what the in-             these  truants  complain  that  they
anyone stays away from that par-            struction  is  all  about,  for  he  lost    cannot understand it!
ticular place where his duty calls          the connection, or rather he never               The  truant  is  the  dead  fly  in
him, he refuses to go and be where          had it.  Catechetical instruction is         the ointment!
God calls him!  It is, therefore, sin       systematic instruction.  One lesson              Truancy is a great evil, indeed!
in  itself,  apart  from  the  question     is based on another.  One cannot
where the truant spends his time            fruitfully attend catechism once in                    333    333    333
while he is playing truant.                 a while.
    But  sin,  too,  because  of  the           And the truant blames it to the              What to do about it?
places he evidently prefers to the          instruction.  It is too deep for him!            Usually very little is effective
things of the kingdom of God.  It           At  the  same  time,  he  found  one         against the truant.

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    The church has no truant-offic-       the rest, for the church's sake.           tually  are,  that  their  children  are
ers, and it cannot put the truant in          And parents must not defend            where they are expected to be.
confinement.                              their truant children, protect them,           The  church  must  not  be
    But  the  consistories  must          and try to justify them in their tru-      tempted to cater to her truant chil-
watch, warn, admonish, and labor          ancy.  Rather they must try to be          dren.    For  their  sake  the  church
patiently  with  these  truants,  for     sure, much more sure than they ac-         may not be allowed to go to ruin!
their own sake and for the sake of                                                                                             u

  Church and State                                                                            Mr. James Lanting


   U.S. Supreme Court Strikes Down the
       Religious Freedom Restoration Act


                   Congress' power extends only to "enforcing" the provisions of the Fourteenth Amend-
               ment.    Legislation  such  as  the  RFRA  which  alters  the  meaning  of  the  Free  Exercise
               Clause cannot be said to be enforcing the Clause.  Congress does not enforce a constitu-
               tional right by changing what that right is.
                   The  courts  retain  the  power  to  determine  if  Congress  has  exceeded  its  authority
               under the Constitution.  Broad as the power of Congress is, the RFRA contradicts vital
               principles necessary to maintain separation of powers and the federal balance.
                                                                                                Boerne v. Flores
                                                                              (Majority Opinion) (June, 1997)



R                                         is no question but that the  Boerne            In deciding the  Smith  case, the
       eligious freedom suffered a        decision is a discouraging blow to         Court declined to apply established
       disappointing  setback  this       religious freedom in this country.         precedent which held that when a
       summer  when  the  U.S.  Su-                                                  law "substantially burdens" a reli-
preme Court by a 6-3 vote in Boerne       RFRA's Short History                       gious practice, the law is constitu-
v.  Flores  declared  the  Religious          Congress  enacted  RFRA  four          tionally deficient unless the result-
Freedom  Restoration  Act  (RFRA)         years ago in direct response to the        ing burden on religious freedom is
unconstitutional.  This judicial re-      Supreme Court's controversial de-          justified by a "compelling govern-
peal  of  the  popular  law  adopted      cision in the earlier case of Employ-      ment interest."  In rejecting the his-
by  Congress  in  1993  caused  con-      ment  Div.  v.  Smith  in  1990.    The    toric test, the Court held in Smith:
sternation  among  those  who  had        Smith  case  was  brought  by  two
strived for and celebrated its pas-       members  of  the  Native American            Government's  ability  to  enforce
sage only a few years before.  Some       Church  who  were  denied  unem-             generally  applicable  prohibitions
evangelical  leaders  described  the      ployment  benefit  when  they  lost          of  socially  harmful  conduct  ...
Boerne opinion as "disastrous" and        their  jobs  for  ingesting  peyote,  a      cannot depend on measuring the
"the  worst  religious  liberty  deci-    hallucinogenic  drug  used  by  Na-          effects of governmental action on
sion in the last 50 years."  Although     tive  Americans  for  sacramental            a religious objector's spiritual de-
it  could  be  argued  that  such  an                                                  velopment.
                                          purposes in their religious ceremo-
analysis  is an  exaggeration,  there     nies.  Smith held that "neutral, gen-          The  Smith  Court's  abandon-
                                          erally  applicable"  laws  may  im-        ment of the "compelling interest"
                                          pinge  upon  religious  practices,         test  for  laws  burdening  religious
Mr. Lanting, a member of South Hol-       even though such laws are not sup-         practices  outraged  religious  lead-
land Protestant Reformed Church, is       ported  by  a  "compelling  govern-        ers  and  many  members  of  Con-
a practicing attorney.                    mental interest."                          gress.  Reacting swiftly to the Smith
492/Standard Bearer/September 15, 1997


decision, Congress in 1993 passed
RFRA, a federal law purposely in-                                 Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA)
tended  to  revive  the  "compelling              Angrily responding to the Supreme Court's abandonment in the 1991
interest" test for laws that impact           Smith  decision of the historic "compelling interest" test for laws impacting
the religious practices of U.S. citi-         religious practices, Congress adopted RFRA in 1993.  But RFRA was short-
                                              lived.  This summer the Supreme Court declared RFRA unconstitutional.
zens.  (See box on at right for text          (See text.)
of RFRA.)
    This resulted, of course, in an                                    Free Exercise of Religion Protected
obvious  tension  between  the  Su-             (A) In  General.    Government  shall  not  substantially  burden  a  person's
preme  Court,  which  had  aban-              exercise of religion even if the burden results from a rule of general applica-
doned  the  historic  test  in  Smith,        bility, except as provided in subsection (b).
and Congress' attempt to revive the             (B) Exception.  Government may substantially burden a person's exercise
test by enacting RFRA.  The Boerne            of  religion  only  if  it  demonstrates  that  application  of  the  burden  to  the
case gave the Court an opportunity            person --
                                                  1 is in furtherance of a compelling governmental interest; and
to  resolve  this  tension  between               2 is the least restrictive means of furthering that compelling govern-
Congress and the judiciary, and it            mental interest.
did so by invalidating RFRA.                    (C) Judicial relief.  A person whose religious exercise has been burdened
                                              in violation of this section may assert that violation as a claim or defense in
The Boerne Case                               a judicial proceeding and obtain appropriate relief against a government.
    The  Boerne  case  was  initiated         Standing to assert a claim or defense under this section shall be governed
by a small Catholic parish church             by the general rules of standing under article III of the Constitution.
located  in  Boerne,  Texas.    The
church  building  was  erected  in
                                              The design of the 14th Amendment               prohibiting  official  actions  of  al-
1923 and its architecture replicated          is inconsistent with the suggestion            most  every  description  and  re-
the  mission  style  of  the  region's        that Congress has the power to de-             gardless of subject matter.  RFRA's
earlier history.  Because the edifice         cree  the  substance  of  [religious           restrictions apply to every agency
could no longer accommodate the               freedom].    Legislation  which  al-           and official of the Federal, State,
growing  congregation,  the  parish           ters the meaning of the Free Exer-             and local government.  Any law
applied for a city building permit            cise of Religion Clause cannot be              is subject to challenge at any time
to enlarge the structure.                     said  to  be  enforcing  the  Clause.          by  any  individual  who  alleges  a
    The Boerne city council denied            Congress does not enforce a con-               substantial burden on his or her
                                              stitutional right by changing what             religion.
the  permit  application,  claiming
                                              that right is.
that the building was located in a                                                              Finally,  in  addition  to  its
designated historic district wherein            The Court argued that if Con-              overbreadth,  the  Court  also  com-
alteration of historic landmarks or         gress was given the power to alter             plained that because the "compel-
buildings was forbidden by city or-         the meaning of religious freedom,              ling interest" test is the most "de-
dinance.  The parish then filed suit        Congress could then also define its            manding  test  known  to  constitu-
challenging the building permit de-         own power.  Then the Constitution,             tional  law,"  the  test  would  open
nial,  arguing  the  city's  refusal  of    instead  of  remaining  a  "superior           the prospect of constitutionally re-
its permit application was a viola-         paramount  law,  unchangeable  by              quired  religious exemptions  from
tion of RFRA.  The city responded           ordinary means," would be placed               "civic obligations of every conceiv-
by  arguing  that  RFRA  itself  was        on  a  level  with  other  legislative         able  kind."    The  Court  remarked
unconstitutional.  Although a fed-          acts,  to  be  altered  whenever  the          that the result would be a congres-
eral appellate court ruled in favor         legislature pleased.                           sional intrusion into state and lo-
of  the  church,  the  U.S.  Supreme                                                       cal  prerogatives  to  regulate  the
Court ruled for the city and held           Overbreadth                                    health and welfare of their citizens.
that RFRA was a bold attempt by                 The majority also held that the
Congress to exceed its power and            RFRA  was  so  overly  broad,  its             The Minority Opinion
thwart  the  Court's  decision  in          scope so expansive, and its test so                 The minority opinion, written
Smith.                                      stringent,  that  its  enforcement             by  Justice  Sandra  Day  O'Conner,
                                            would be impracticable if not im-              urged the majority to reexamine its
The Boerne Decision                         possible:                                      holding  in  Smith  and  return  to  a
    The  majority  held  that  Con-                                                        rule which would require govern-
gress' power extends only to "en-             Sweeping  coverage  ensures                  ment to justify any substantial bur-
forcing"  the  religious  freedoms            RFRA's intrusion at every level of           den on religiously motivated con-
guaranteed by the Constitution, not           government, displacing laws and              duct  by  a  compelling  state  inter-
"defining" those freedoms:

                                                                                               September 15, 1997/Standard Bearer/493


est.  Justice O'Conner's dissenting          powers--the  political  power                that precipitated the Court's aban-
opinion reviewed the early Ameri-            struggle  between  the  legislature         donment of the "compelling inter-
can tradition of religious free exer-        and the judiciary.  Although it ap-         est"  test  for  laws  impacting  reli-
cise, and concluded that the origi-          pears the Court won this particu-           gious  practices).    There  is an  old
nal  drafters  and  ratifiers  of  the       lar  battle,  religious  freedom  was       adage  among  lawyers  that  "bad
Constitution  viewed  the  Free  Ex-         the unwilling victim.                       cases make bad laws," and perhaps
ercise  Clause  as  a  guarantee  that           Secondly,  religious  freedom           Smith  is an example.  Peyote is a
government may not unnecessarily             proponents are astonished to learn          powerful drug that alters percep-
hinder believers from freely prac-           that RFRA was struck down by the            tion by producing vivid color hal-
ticing their religion:                       Court  partly  because  of  its  per-       lucinations,  inaccurate  estimation
                                             ceived  overbreadth--because  its            of  time,  and  feelings  of  anxiety.
  As historical evidence shows, the          "restrictions apply to every agency         Large doses can have toxic effects.
  Free  Exercise  Clause  is  properly       and  official  of  the  federal,  state,    Thus, to argue that ingesting this
  understood as an affirmative guar-         and  local  governments."    But            illegal drug for "sacramental" pur-
  antee of the right to participate in       surely this is true of much federal         poses must be recognized as reli-
  religious activities without imper-        legislation enforcing constitutional        gious liberty is dubious indeed.  Of
  missible  governmental  interfer-
  ence, even where a believer's con-         guarantees  (e.g.,  anti-discrimina-        course,  religious  liberty  must  by
  duct  is  in  tension  with  a  law  of    tion  laws,  free  speech  legislation,     definition embrace peculiar, unor-
  general application.                       etc.).  Why religious freedom laws          thodox,  unpopular,  and  even  de-
                                             must be subjected to a standard dif-        spised practices.  But when bizarre
Comment                                      ferent from other federal laws en-          rites  involving  hallucinogenic
    It  is  readily  apparent  to  the       forcing constitutional guarantees is        drugs are characterized as a "reli-
reader of the  Boerne decision that,         indeed puzzling.                            gious"  ceremony,  then  the  courts
at least for the majority, this case,            Finally, serious proponents of          become  skeptical,  harmful  deci-
ostensibly  addressing  religious            religious liberty perhaps feel some         sions result, and authentic religious
freedom, was in reality much more            resentment toward the peyote in-            freedom suffers.   u
about  the  issue  of  separation  of        gesting plaintiffs in Smith  (the case

  Search the Scriptures                                                                            Rev. Mitchell Dick



   "The Good Shepherd, His Shepherds,
                                    and His Sheep" (2)
                                                  (John 10:1-21)

                                             Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God;        80:1; Isaiah 40:11; Jeremiah 23:1-6;
                                             and that believing (we) might have
We have been engaged in
             good  Bible  study  of  the                                                 and Ezekiel 34.  But John 10 is the
                                             life through his name."  Good Bible
             Gospel according to John.                                                   outstanding Shepherd chapter.  In
                                             study:  beholding  and  believing
Good  Bible  study  is  focused  on                                                      it Jesus, two times, declares, "I am
                                             Jesus!
Jesus.  He is the Word living of the                                                     the  good  shepherd"  (vv.  11,  14).
                                                       333    333    333
Word written.  He is the Word sav-                                                       And  there  is  much  other  instruc-
                                                 In  a  previous  study  we  have
ing of the Word spelled out.  In-                                                        tion on His being Shepherd.  This
                                             seen that John 10 teaches that Jesus
deed, we  have been studying the                                                         is  the  "fullness"  of  revelation,
                                             is the Christ-Shepherd of God.
inspired John in order that, as John                                                     given  in  the  fullness  of  the  time.
                                                 There  are  many  other  refer-
says (20:31), we "might believe that                                                     The  incarnate  Word  is  speaking
                                             ences in the Bible to God and Mes-          and fulfilling all the truth about the
                                             siah  being  Shepherd.    The  good         Shepherd  of  Israel.    Having  con-
Rev. Dick is pastor of Grace Protes-         Bible student will, in his study of         sidered  in  some  detail  Jesus'    "I
tant  Reformed  Church  in  Standale,        John 10, be aware of and refer to           Am"  statements  in  verses  11  and
Michigan.                                    such passages as Psalm 23; 79:13;           14 (cf.  SB, April 15, 1997), we now

494/Standard Bearer/September 15, 1997


turn to the first verses of this pre-        herds  and  sheep,  Jesus  reveals         1, 2).  This "entering" the sheepfold
cious chapter of sacred writ.                many things about Himself as the           by  the  door  is  a  reference  to  the
    Here in verses 1-5 is a parable          good Shepherd.  He also has much           minister's lawful calling or autho-
(cf. v. 6), or figure, of shepherds,         to say about His under-shepherds.          rization and right to be a minister
their  shepherding,  and    sheep.           Jesus  Himself  is  described  as  the     of Jesus.  Explain what this lawful
About  this  parable  William                "door" of the fold which opens to          calling is.  We distinguish between
Hendriksen, in his commentary on             these shepherds (vv. 2, 7, 9).  The        the subjective or inner calling, and
John, writes:                                shepherds  are  Jesus'  ministers  of      the  objective  calling.    The  inner
                                             the gospel.  They are appointed by         calling is a man's conviction in his
  The figure which underlies the al-         Jesus,  and  on  His  behalf,  to  care    heart  that  he  has  the  gifts  and  is
  legory is that of an Oriental shep-        for the sheep, the church, through-        being led of the Lord to be a min-
  herd,  who  in  the  morning  seeks        out  the  ages.    These  are  distin-     ister.  The objective calling is the
  to enter the fold where his sheep          guished  from  false  shepherds,           confirmation of the calling a man
  are kept.  The door-keeper opens           thieves  and  robbers,  who  seek  to      may  feel  in  his  heart  by  the
  to  him,  and  the  shepherd  then
  puts  out  his  own  sheep,  calling       steal, kill, and destroy the people        church's approval and "sending" of
  them by the pet-names which he             of God (v. 10).                            this man to be a minister.  Discuss
  has  given  them.    Hence,  a  little          Let us now turn to the truth of       how the following passages speak
  later in the day we see this shep-         these  under-shepherds--without             directly to the matter of the quali-
  herd leading his sheep to pasture-         losing our focus on the Shepherd.          fications and  calling of  ministers:
  grounds, and by his call assuring          For though the presence and work           I Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9; Acts
  them of his constant presence.  At         of under-shepherds is very impor-          13:1-3; Ephesians 4:11ff.; Hebrews
  nightfall  the  shepherd  returns          tant  for  the  church,  yet  they  are    5:4.
  with his flock and protects them           only  shepherd-ministers;  Jesus           *       False  shepherds  do  not  enter
  against wolves.  He is willing, if
  need  be,  to  risk  his  own  life  in    alone is Shepherd-Messiah.  They           the sheepfold  by  the door.  They
  their defence.  Being a real shep-         are  ministers  of  the  Word;  He  is     climb up some other way (v.1) to
  herd he is deeply interested in his        the Word.  They are shepherd-men,          get into the congregation or onto
  sheep (p. 117).                            under the Lord-Shepherd, with all          the mission field.  They are not, in
                                             the  sheep.    They  are  under  Him       other  words,  lawfully  called  by
    In  giving  this  detail  of  shep-      who is the Shepherd-God.                   Christ  and  His  church.    How  do
                                                                                        such "fake" ministers get into the
                                                                                        fold?  In other words, what is the
                                                                                        "other way" they climb?  What are
                     Questions and Comments                                             some motives which a false shep-
                                                                                        herd  might  have  for  entering  the
                 for Meditation and Discussion
                                                                                        ministry?  To what extent are con-
                                                                                        gregations/denominations  and
                                             tual  meanings  and  references  be-       seminaries to blame for letting such
1.  Main elements of the parable.            hind all of the elements of the story      shepherds in?   Why  do you sup-
    It is helpful first of all to have       that is told or picture (as here) that     pose Jesus, the Good Shepherd of
clearly before our minds who and             is  drawn.    Some  general  rules  of     the church, allows in the false shep-
what Jesus is referring to when He           biblical  interpretation  to  follow:      herds?
speaks in this parable.  What is the         First, interpret the parable in light
sheepfold?  Who is the door?  Who            of the main point or points that are       3.  The identity of true
are  the  thieves  and  robbers?             being made.  This should be obvi-          and false shepherds.
Strangers and hirelings?  The good           ous  from  the  context.    Second,        *       Jesus speaks of the fact that all
shepherds?    Some  have  thought            come to your conclusions about the         who came before Him were thieves
that the porter, who opens the door          various elements in the parable in         and  robbers  (v.  8).    To  whom  is
(v.  3),  is  the  angel  Gabriel  or        light of what Scripture teaches in         Jesus  referring?    (Note  the  prob-
Abraham  or  Moses.    Who  would            the context and elsewhere.)                lem in interpretation: surely Jesus
you say, in light of Scripture, the                                                     could  not  be  referring  to  all  the
porter  is?    What  is  the  pasture?       2.  The authorization of shepherds         leaders there ever were in Israel--
Who  are  the  sheep?    Who  is  the        under Christ.                              to a Moses or Elijah, or to John the
wolf (v. 12)?                                *    The main thing distinguishing         Baptist!  Might He be referring just
    (Note:  An  important  point  to         true  from  false  shepherds  is,  ac-     to  the  present  leaders  in  Jewry?
remember in interpreting this par-           cording to Jesus,  that the true and       Anything in the text to support this
able is that, as in all parables, there      good shepherds enter by the door           interpretation?    Hint:  note  the
are not always intended to be spiri-         but the false shepherds do not (vv.        tenses used.)

                                                                                             September 15, 1997/Standard Bearer/495


*    There  is  something  about  the      5.  The fruit  of good  shepherds'            "the door" of the sheepfold, to de-
voice, both what is said, and how          work.                                         claring  Himself   to be the Shep-
it  is  said  that  denotes  whether  a    *    Ministers  lawfully  called  of          herd who comes, in contrast to the
shepherd is true or false.  That is        Christ, who enter in by the door,             false shepherds, to give life abun-
why  the  true  sheep  listen  keenly      "shall be saved, and shall go in and          dantly (v.10).  What  response to-
for the voice of their shepherd (cf.       out, and find pasture" (v. 9).  There         ward ministers ought this identifi-
v. 3, 4, 5, 8).   For what voice, for      is reference here to a twofold fruit          cation of Jesus with His shepherds
whose voice are the  sheep listen-         of the ministry of the Word: it is            to  evoke  from  the  congregation?
ing?  What words and what man-             for the good of both shepherd and             Are  ministers  truly  "reverend"
ner  of  speaking  distinguish  true       sheep.    The  shepherd  himself  is          shepherds?
gospel ministers from false ones?          saved through the  faithful execu-            *    When  Jesus  speaks  of  "other
*    Today: Who are the good and           tion of his calling (cf. I Cor. 9:27; I       sheep" which He has which are not
bad shepherds?  What are the dif-          Tim. 4:16).  And the sheep them-              of this fold (v. 16), to whom is He
ferent sounds (gospels) going out          selves  are  led  to  the  pasture  the       referring?  Cite texts from both Old
from the pulpits today?                    shepherd is able to find for them--            and New Testaments to support the
                                           pasture  which  is  their  life  and          teaching of the "other sheep."  Give
4.  The work of shepherds.                 health!   Discuss in this connection          proof  from  verse  16  itself  for  the
*    The  work  of  the  good  shep-       the  following  proposition:  Minis-          election, universality, holiness, and
herds  under  Jesus  is  to  lead  the     ters save, and Christ saves! (Cf. I           oneness of the church.
flock out of the fold into good pas-       Cor. 9:22; Lord's Day 31.)                    *    Devils call the Holy Deliverer
ture by day, and then to lead them         *    Life!  Having life "more abun-           a devil.  Madmen call the Media-
back safely into the fold at night.        dantly" (v.10)!  This is the fruit of         tor mad.  We see this in the imme-
What does this work translate into         the work of good shepherds, Christ            diate reaction of many among the
from a spiritual point of view?            shepherding through them.   What              Jews  to  Jesus'  shepherd-talk  (vv.
*    The  shepherds,  as  they  go  in     is the "abundant life" of the child           19-21).   These Jews showed by this
and out from day to day, must al-          of God (cf. passages such as John             that, though they were in the out-
ways  go  in  and  out  by  the  door,     1:16; Rom. 5:17, 20; Eph. 1:7, 8; II          ward  fold,  the  church  institute,
Jesus Christ (v. 9).  What does this       Cor.  8:2;  Jer.  33:6.    See  also  John    they  were  not  true  sheep  (Rom.
mean  for  ministers  of  the  gospel      2:6,  7;  4:14;  6:13,  35--[cited  in         9:7,8).  Is this true also today--that
(for example: what are the impli-          Hendriksen]).                                 some or many in the church are not
cations of this for their prayer-life,     *    False  shepherds,  out  to  steal,       true sheep of God?  Discuss in this
their studies, their preaching, their      plunder, and kill, actually do this.          connection the concept of the rem-
pastoral labors...)?                       They are very good at their work.             nant in Scripture (cf. Is. 1:9; 10:20-
*    The shepherds are devoted to          Do we see this today--carcasses of             22; Rom. 9:27; 11:1-5).  In what way
their  work,  and  to  the  sheep  in      sheep,  churches  mauled  and                 do  the  false  sheep  in  the  church
their charge.  They will, in fact, lay     maimed, and little lambs devoured             slander  the  remnant,  the  true
down  their  life  for  the  sheep,        by  wolves?    Explain  how  this  is         sheep, as the Jews in John 10 slan-
though a wolf come and threaten            possible in light of the doctrine of          dered Jesus?
both shepherd and sheep.  In what          the preservation of the saints (John
way are the wolves threatening the         10:28, 29).                                   7.  Perspective
church today?  How do ministers                                                               Review the passage, John 10:1-
show their selfless devotion to their      6.  Sheep                                     21,  in  light  of  the  fact  that  these
calling?  Why are they so devoted?         *    As in John 10, Scripture often           things are written that "ye might
*    False shepherds do the devil's        refers elsewhere to God's people as           believe that Jesus is the Christ, the
work.    They  are  described  as          sheep  (Ps.  23;  Is.  53:6).    List  and    son of God; and that believing ye
thieves,  robbers,  strangers,  and        discuss  three  main  characteristics         might have life through his name"!
hirelings.  They are not at all de-        of sheep.                                     How  does  this  passage  show
voted  to  the  flock  of  God,  but,      *    What enables the sheep to have           clearly that Jesus, and only Jesus,
when  any  trouble  comes,  like  a        such good ears, and inclinations to           is the Christ?  What are the main
wolf they flee (v. 12).  In fact, their    hear  and  follow  only  the  right           characteristics  here  set  forth  of
sole purpose for being among the           shepherd?    Cite  verses  from  this         those  who  believe  Jesus  is  the
flock is to steal and to kill and to       passage and others for proof.                 Christ?  What one blessed feature
destroy the sheep (v.10).  How do          *    Through the ministry of the un-          of the believer's life as a sheep of
the  false  shepherds  go  about  do-      der-shepherds, Jesus Himself calls            the Shepherd is underscored?  How
ing this?  Can we see their work           His flock and feeds them.  Such is            is  this  a  comfort  and  delight  to
today?                                     the implication of Jesus' rather sud-         you?   u
                                           den transition from calling Himself

496/Standard Bearer/September 15, 1997


  News From Our Churches                                                                   Mr. Benjamin Wigger

                                            growth and friendships.  He alone         Southwest,  spoke  and  answered
Young People's Activities                   can give the real fruit.                  such  questions  as,  What  was  the
                                                We also know that as quickly          Afscheiding?    What  was  the
The 1997 PRYP Convention was
    held this year from August 18-          as one convention passes, another         Doleantie?  What were the issues
22  at  Camp  Miniwanca  on  the            church begins laying plans for next       involved  in  the  founding  of  the
shore of Lake Michigan, about an            year.  Such is the  case again  this      CRC in 1857 and what were the is-
hour's drive north of Grand Rap-            year.  Our Southeast PRC in Grand         sues  involved  in  the  founding  of
ids,  MI.    This  year's  convention       Rapids, MI will be hosting our 58th       the PRC in 1924?
was hosted by the young people of           annual convention.  It will be held,          The Church Extension Commit-
the Hudsonville, MI PRC.  Being a           the Lord willing, at Grand Valley         tee of our Loveland, CO PRC has
member of that congregation, I had          State University in Allendale, MI,        been busy this past summer mak-
the privilege of spending that week         July 20-25, 1998.                         ing  up  pamphlet-booklets  to  in-
at the convention, and what an en-                                                    clude  with  their  city's  "Welcome
joyable week it was!                        Mission Activities                        Wagon"  program.    Included  was
    We at Hudsonville thank God,                                                      the pamphlet, "The Family:  Foun-
first of all, for keeping all the con-      This past month many of  our
                                                church  bulletins  contained          dations  are  Shaking"  by  Rev.  B.
ventioneers and adults safe before,         weekly up-dates concerning Rev. J.        Gritters.  On August 11 the young
during,  and  after  the  convention,       Mahtani and his investigatory trip        people  of  Loveland  distributed
and  for  providing  us  with  a  de-       to Ghana.                                 these pamphlets in their neighbor-
lightful and profitable week.  Al-              Mrs. Mahtani was not able to          hood, inviting those  interested  to
though the weather was not warm             accompany her husband  as origi-          attend one of their services.
or  sunny  much,  the  testimony  of        nally  planned  because  she  could
the young people was that they had          not receive the necessary vaccina-        Congregational Activities
a fantastic time.  The four speeches        tions since she is early in her preg-
were excellent, and the behavior of         nancy.  So Rev. Mahtani spent from        The committee charged with the
                                                                                          building of the new parsonage
the  young  people  was  commend-           July 29 through August 14 renew-          of the Immanuel PRC in Lacombe,
able.    In  fact,  those  who  ran  the    ing  contacts  with  Rev.  Gabriel        AB, Canada received and accepted
camp  and  other  facilities  told  us      Anyigba and many others.  He was          an  offer  to  sell  their  old  parson-
that  our  young  people  were  the         able to visit Accra and Kumasi.  He       age.  The new owners were to take
best  behaved  that  they  had  seen        also held a public lecture/slide pre-     possession on August 7.  Immanuel
this summer.  We can be thankful            sentation  in  Accra,  where  50-60       also  approved  the  purchase  of
that the Lord gave us this good wit-        visitors  were  anticipated.    Rev.      pews and a new organ for the sanc-
ness.  I would also add that, per-          Mahtani was also able to preach on        tuary.
sonally, I saw these 300 plus young         Sundays and was able to attend the            The Building Committee of the
people  who  attended  as  mature,          annual synod of the EPC of Ghana.         Georgetown  PRC  in  Hudsonville,
God-fearing  young  Christians.             He also spent time checking out the       MI reports that site preparation has
They were ready for a good time,            schools, hospitals, and housing, as       begun and it is hoped that it will
but  they  could  also  quiet  down         well as talk with the Ghanaian Im-        be completed by the middle of Oc-
within  seconds  when  the  conver-         migration Office.                         tober.  The committee also contin-
sation  swung  around  to  spiritual                                                  ues to look at various church build-
things.  They continually witnessed         Evangelism Activities                     ings in order to obtain ideas.
to each other of the love they have
for the  Lord  Jesus  Christ and  for       The  Evangelism Committee of
                                                the      Southwest      PRC     in    Minister Activities
each other.  As churches, we have           Grandville, MI sponsored a Sum-
much  to  be  thankful  for.    Let  us     mer  Seminar  entitled,  "The  Rock       Rev.  Mahtani has  declined the
                                                                                          call he received to be mission-
pray  for  each  of  these  young           Whence We are Hewn."  This semi-          ary to Ghana.
people, that the Lord will use this         nar traced the very interesting de-           Candidate  Martin  VanderWal
week  for  long-term  Christian             velopments  in  the  Reformed             has accepted the call extended  to
                                            Church in the Netherlands after the       him  from  our  Covenant  PRC  in
                                            Synod of Dordt to the founding of         Wyckoff,  NJ.    Candidate  James
                                            the  PRC  in  America.    The  series     Laning  has  accepted  the  call  ex-
Mr. Wigger is an elder in the Protes-       was  held  on  four  successive           tended  from  the  Hope  PRC  in
tant Reformed  Church  of  Hudson-          Wednesdays  in  July  and  August.        Walker, MI. Both are scheduled to
ville, Michigan.                            Rev.  R.  Cammenga,  pastor  at           be examined at Classis East on Sep-

                                                                                        September 15, 1997/Standard Bearer/497


tember 10, the Lord willing, with                                               Food  for  Thought                                 Christ is the sum of His excellence;
their installation following soon af-                                     "To be in Christ is the source                           to be with Christ is the fullness of
ter.                                                              of  the  Christian's  life;  to  be  like                        His joy." --Charles Hodge   u


   Index to Volume 73

                Textual Index                                     Text                                    Author      page         Text                                       Author       page
Text                                    Author       page         John 8:1-11.............................MCD ....108              Romans 1:32.............................. HH ....243
                                                                  John 8:12-30...........................MCD ....133               Romans 2:1................................ HH ....267
Exodus 1:16............................ MBL ....256               John 8:30-36...........................MCD ....184               Romans 2:4, 5 ........................... HH ....315
I Samuel 1:27, 28...................... GV ....387                John 8:37-59...........................MCD ....213               Romans 2:6-8 ............................ HH ....339
I Kings 8:60..............................CJH ......51            John 8:37-59...........................MCD ....231               Romans 2:14, 15 ....................... HH ....363
Psalm 1:1, 2............................... CH ....435            John 9......................................MCD ....282          Romans 2:17-21........................ HH ....483
Psalm 91:16, 17 ........................ CH ....147               John 9......................................MCD ....306          Romans 5 ................................ HCH ....355
Psalm 116:12, 13 ...................... CH ......99               John 10:1-21...........................MCD ....325               Romans 5:5................................ CH ....459
Proverbs 7............................... ADH ....128             John 10:1-21...........................MCD ....492               Romans 9:8..............................BJW ....399
Proverbs 7............................... ADH ....207             John 17:6 .................................BJW ....188           Romans 9:20................................JC ....135
Isaiah 53:4 ...............................BJW ....326            John 20:31 ..............................MCD ......19            Ephesians 1:5 ..........................BJW ....236
Isaiah 65:17ff. ..........................DJE ........ 7          Acts 1:8..................................... JDS ....411        Ephesians 2:8 ............................ HH ......26
Isaiah 65:17ff. ..........................DJE ......77            Romans 1:1-4 ............................ HH ........ 3          Colossians 2:8 .........................BJW ....476
Matthew 6:33 ......................... ADH ....352                Romans 1:16, 17 ....................... HH ......75              I Thessalonians 5:25.............. RDD ......55
Matthew 23:37 .........................DJE ....221                Romans 1:18.............................. HH ....123             I Timothy 2:3, 4.......................DJE ....269
Matthew 28:2a, 5 ...................... CH ....291                Romans 1:19-23........................ HH ....171                I Timothy 2:3, 4.......................DJE ....488
John 7:32-36...........................MCD ......63               Romans 1:24, 25 ....................... HH ....195               I Timothy 2:5 .......................... SRK ....402
John 7:37-53...........................MCD ......89               Romans 1:28.............................. HH ....219             II Peter 3:9................................DJE ....245

                                Book Reviews
Book Title                                              Author        Reviewer        Page       Title                                                                        Author       Page
Always Obedient:  Essays on the Teaching of
   Dr. Klaas Schilder........................ J. Geertsema ........ HH ....190                   Annual RFPA Meeting..................................................... HK ....110
American Secession Theologians on Covenant and Baptism &                                         Another Episode in the Movies-Issue .............................AP ....439
   Extra-Scriptural Binding--a New Danger................ DJE ....318                             Answer to Certain Slanders and Blasphemies.................JC ....135
Calvin v. Hyper-Spurgeonism:  The Battle for the Preaching of                                    Antithesis......................................................................... SRK ....157
   the One Scriptural and Reformation                                                            Antithesis (2)................................................................... SRK ....275
   Gospel ................................................... J. Calvin .......DJE ....428       Antithesis (3)................................................................... SRK ....301
Crossed Fingers:  How the Liberals Captured the                                                  Archaeology and the Bible ............................................... PC ....209
   Presbyterian Church ........................... G. North .......DJE ....357                   Archaeology and the Bible (2) ......................................... PC ....227
Hyper-Calvinism and John Gill ........ C.D. Daniel .......DJE ....332                            Baptist Church ... Wants Women to Stay at Home.... GVB ....371
Last Things, Hope for This World and                                                             Bavinck, Hoeksema, and Schilder ................................BJW ....476
   the Next ............................................. H. Bavinck ..... ADH ......68          Behold, I Make All Things New ..................................... CH ....291
Leading in Prayer:  A Workbook for                                                               Bible a Wax Nose? ........................................................ GVB ....230
   Worship............................................... H. O. Old ..... RDD ....308            Brethren, Pray for Us .................................................... RDD ......55
Mormon Missionaries:  An Inside Look at Their                                                    BRF Family Holiday Conference....................................LW ....202
   Real Message and Methods ........ J. Hutchinson .........AL ......93                          By Grace ............................................................................ HH ......26
Reclaiming the Great Tradition:  Evangelicals, Catholics                                         Called to Rule ................................................................ RDD ....254
   & Orthodox in Dialogue ................ J. Cutsinger .......DJE ....461                       Called to Rule the Officebearers.................................. RDD ....419
Sermons on Election & Reprobation by                                                             Candid Confession of the Character of a
   John Calvin .......................................... J. Calvin .......DJE ....142              Conditional Covenant .................................................DJE ....149
                                                                                                 Candid Confession of the Character of a
                                   Title Index                                                      Conditional Covenant (2) ...........................................DJE ....174
                                                                                                 Candid Confession of the Character of a
Title                                                                     Author      Page          Conditional Covenant (3) ...........................................DJE ....197
Abraham Kuyper:  Dutch Calvinist (1) .......................... HH ....224                       Candid Confession of the Character of a
Abraham Kuyper:  Dutch Calvinist (2) .......................... HH ....272                          Conditional Covenant (4) ...........................................DJE ....221
Abraham Kuyper:  Dutch Calvinist (3) .......................... HH ....320                       Candid Confession of the Character of a
Administration of Baptism ............................................ RLC ......66                 Conditional Covenant (5) ...........................................DJE ....245
Admittance to the Lord's Supper .................................. RLC ....185                   Candid Confession of the Character of a
Advice or Jurisdiction (Authority of Major                                                          Conditional Covenant (6) ...........................................DJE ....269
   Assemblies) ................................................................ GVB ......38     Candid Confession of the Character of a
"Amice Schilder"............................................................BJW ......31            Conditional Covenant (7) ...........................................DJE ....293
Andrew Fuller, No Calvinist ........................................ RHH ....439                 Catechism .........................................................................DJE ....485

498/Standard Bearer/September 15, 1997


Title                                                                     Author        Page      Title                                                                        Author       Page

Christian Reformed Synod ........................................... GVB ....443                  Gospel a Power of God .................................................... HH ......75
Church at the End of the 20th Century:                                                            "Hole in the Dike"? ........................................................BJW ....116
   Courting Harlots ........................................................... DB ....152        Hope That Maketh Not Ashamed.................................... CH ....459
Come unto Me, and Drink!...........................................MCD ......89                   How Then Can We Be Saved? ...................................... SRK ....350
Conference of the PRC in America with                                                             How We View the Children of the Covenant ............. ADH ......43
   the EPC of Australia.................................................. RVO ....277             Hypo-Calvinism vs. the Reformed Faith .......................CM ....490
Confessions of a Harsh, Intolerant,                                                               If God Is Sovereign, Is Evangelism Necessary
   Judgmental One .............................................................. JP ....378          and Urgent? ................................................................... AB ....297
Covenant of Marriage:  Its Mystery ............................WGB ....368                        Imagination..................................................................... DHK ....466
Covenant of Marriage:  Its Mystery ............................WGB ....404                        In Christ, No East or West............................................ RDD ....393
Covenant View of Herman Bavinck .............................BJW ....399                          In Commemoration of What God Wrought
"Cruelty" of "Mother Nature" ...................................... GVB ....398                      Through Rev. Herman Veldman ................................. CH ....250
Current Home Mission Theory and Practice .............. TCM ....372                               Inexcusable Judge............................................................. HH ....267
Current Threats to Raising God's Covenant                                                         Inexcusable Madness........................................................ HH ....171
   Children ...................................................................... RVO ....440    Infralapsarianism ............................................................BJW ....188
Day of Small Things ........................................................ DD ....374           Jesus and the Woman Taken in Adultery....................MCD ....108
"Declaration of Principles" What? When?                                                           Jesus Christ will be Lord on November 5.....................DJE ......53
   and Why?.................................................................... DHK ......40      John Calvin:  Father of Calvinism (1)............................ HH ......82
Defense of (Reformed) Amillennialism (10) ................DJE ........ 7                          John Calvin:  Father of Calvinism (2)............................ HH ....106
Defense of (Reformed) Amillennialism (11) ................DJE ......77                            John:  From the Mountain Top ....................................MCD ......19
Defense of (Reformed) Amillennialism (12) ................DJE ....101                             Language:  God's Gift (1) ..............................................DJK ....395
Defense of (Reformed) Amillennialism (13) ................DJE ....126                             Language:  God's Gift (2) ..............................................DJK ....448
Delivered to Corruption................................................... HH ....195             Liberty............................................................................. DHK ......11
Demon Possession ...........................................................JLK ....159           Lies About Abortion ..................................................... GVB ....428
Demon Possession (2) .....................................................JLK ....322             Light of the World.........................................................MCD ....133
Demon Possession (3) .....................................................JLK ....449             Madalyn Murray O'Hair ............................................... GVB ....253
Despising God's Goodness.............................................. HH ....315                 Many Languages..............................................................DJK ....468
Development of Sin........................................................ SRK ....103            Martin Luther:  German Reformer.................................. HH ........ 8
Developments in the CRC ............................................ GVB ......93                 Martin Luther:  German Reformer (2)............................ HH ......60
Divorce -- Roman Catholic Style ............................... GVB ....426                        Meanwhile ...................................................................... GVB ....212
Elders and Discipline .................................................... RDD ....472            Ministering to Our Ministers........................................ RDD ....154
Emotional Rice -- or Spiritual Rot? ........................... GVB ....427                        Missions -- the Ghana Field ........................................RGM ......85
Encouraging Fruit on PRC Missions............................. JDS ....200                        More About Logic ..........................................................BJW ......16
Essentials and Incidentals.............................................. RLC ....283              Movies:  Where Do We Stand? ....................................... HB ....345
Evaluation, a Prospect, and a Prod .................................JJH ......58                  Mutual Delight of Sinners ............................................... HH ....243
Evangelical Reformed Churches                                                                     New Year's Prayer............................................................ CH ....147
   of Singapore (ERCS)................................................. CFM ....258               News from Seminary Hill ...............................................DJE ......65
Exegesis of a Woman Minister .................................... GVB ....299                     News from Seminary Hill ...............................................DJE ....249
Fall of Our First Parents (cont.)................................... HCH ....139                  1953:  Continuing Reformation .....................................DJE ......29
Fall of Our First Parents (cont.)................................... HCH ....233                  1997 Synod of the PRC:  Ecclesiastical Matters..........DJE ....389
Fall of Our First Parents (concl.) ................................. HCH ....279                  NIV is Going "Gender Neutral"................................... GVB ....371
Fall of Our First Parents (append.) .............................. HCH ....329                    Now, What to Do? ......................................................... GVB ....349
Fall of Our First Parents (append.) .............................. HCH ....355                    Obituary for the CRC? .................................................. GVB ......21
Foreign Mission Committee News ................................. AB ....377                       Office of Deacon and Congregational Life.....................GS ......80
Foundation of the Family .............................................WGB ....304                 Organization of Covenant Protestant Reformed Church
Free-Willism:  Another Gospel......................................DJE ....342                       in Northern Ireland........................................................AP ....201
Further Decline in the CRC.......................................... GVB ....300                  Other CRC Synodical Decisions.................................. GVB ....444
Gentiles a Law unto Themselves .................................... HH ....363                    Our Death in Adam ........................................................ SRK ......12
George Martin Ophoff:  Humble Servant                                                             Our Delight in God's Law................................................ CH ....435
   of the Truth (1) ............................................................. HH ....346      Our Only Mediator ......................................................... SRK ....402
George Martin Ophoff:  Humble Servant                                                             Paedobaptism Demands Parental Instruction and
   of the Truth (2) ............................................................. HH ....391         Ecclesiastical Keys .................................................... RVO ....474
George Martin Ophoff:  Humble Servant                                                             Parable to Warn the Young Man About the Power of the
   of the Truth (3) ............................................................. HH ....424         Enticement of the Sin of Immorality (1)................. ADH ....128
Ghana:  A Country of Diversity and Challenge ............ AB ....131                              Parable to Warn the Young Man About the Power of the
Given Over to a Reprobate Mind.................................... HH ....219                        Enticement of the Sin of Immorality (2)................. ADH ....207
God's Unconditional Covenant.................................... RDD ......36                     Persecution ..................................................................... GVB ....349
God's Way ... or No Way .............................................. SRK ....452                Pope Speaks out on Evolution ..................................... GVB ....213
Good Bible Study ... and Jesus ....................................MCD ....470                    PRC Synod 1997 .............................................................DJE ....414
Good Shepherd, His Shepherds, and His Sheep (1) ..MCD ....325                                     Pressure is On ..................................................................DJE ....366
Good Shepherd, His Shepherds, and His Sheep (2) ..MCD ....494                                     Prom Birth ... Just Plain Wicked ................................. GVB ....467

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Title                                                                       Author       Page       Subject                  Title                                           Author        Page

Proper Manner of Conducting Family Visitation.......... MS ....164                                                                    Subject Index
Radical Stand ...................................................................... JS ....390     ABORTION
Reformed Family:  Two Women.................................. MBL ....256                             Lies About Abortion ................................................. GVB ....428
Reformed Minister:  A Biblical Profile....................... RDD ....445                             Prom Birth ... Just Plain Wicked ............................. GVB ....467
Restraint of Sin? ............................................................. SRK ....137         ALLIANCE OF REFORMED CHURCHES (ARC)
Returned to the Lord ........................................................ GV ....387              Meanwhile .................................................................. GVB ....212
Rev. Robert C. Harbach ................................................... DD ....178               AMILLENNIALISM
Revelation of God's Wrath.............................................. HH ....123                    Defense of (Reformed) Amillennialism (10) ............DJE ........ 7
Revelation of the Righteous Judgment of God ............. HH ....339                                  Defense of (Reformed) Amillennialism (11) ............DJE ......77
Reverend or Pastor? ...................................................... GVB ....182                Defense of (Reformed) Amillennialism (12) ............DJE ....101
RFPA, Stimulator of Sound Knowledge in                                                                Defense of (Reformed) Amillennialism (13) ............DJE ....126
   an Age of Ignorance .................................................... CJT ....112             ANTITHESIS
Salvation by UFO? ........................................................ GVB ....397                Antithesis..................................................................... SRK ....157
Salvation Through Christ Alone? ................................ GVB ....348                          Antithesis (2)............................................................... SRK ....275
Salvation Through Christ Alone?  (Try Again!) ........ GVB ....370                                    Antithesis (3)............................................................... SRK ....301
Same Roman Catholic Church ..................................... GVB ....253                        ARCHAEOLOGY
Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God                                                                      Archaeology and the Bible ........................................... PC ....209
   and Its Righteousness................................................ ADH ....352                  Archaeology and the Bible (2) ..................................... PC ....227
Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God                                                                    AUTHORITY OF MAJOR ASSEMBLIES
   and Its Righteousness (2).......................................... ADH ....421                    Advice or Jurisdiction............................................... GVB ......38
Separated unto the Gospel ............................................... HH ........ 3             BAPTISM
"Solution" for a Divided Denomination?.................... GVB ....286                                Administration of Baptism ........................................ RLC ......66
Son of God and Sons of the Devil ...............................MCD ....213                           Paedobaptism Demands Parental Instruction and
Son of God and Sons of the Devil (2).........................MCD ....231                                 Ecclesiastical Keys ................................................ RVO ....474
Split of 1953...................................................................... CH ......46     BAVINCK, HERMAN
Strictly Confessional Binding ........................................DJE ....318                     Bavinck, Hoeksema, and Schilder ............................BJW ....476
Suffering for Christ's Sake........................................... GVB ....285                    Covenant View of Herman Bavinck .........................BJW ....399
Summer and the Sabbath ................................................DJE ....437                  BIBLE STUDY
Supra/Infra Controversy ................................................BJW ....326                   Good Bible Study ... and Jesus ................................MCD ....470
Supralapsarianism...........................................................BJW ....236             CALVIN, JOHN
That All the World May Know ......................................CJH ......51                        John Calvin:  Father of Calvinism (1)........................ HH ......82
That Homosexuality Issue ............................................ GVB ....348                     John Calvin:  Father of Calvinism (2)........................ HH ....106
"That They All may be One," or "The Mystery                                                         CATECHISM
   of the Great Whore" ....................................................DJE ....461                Catechism .....................................................................DJE ....485
"That They May Be One" ............................................. GVB ....467                    CHILD-REARING
That Wretched Truant ...................................................... HH ....490                Current Threats to Raising God's
Then I Go... ....................................................................MCD ......63            Covenant Children................................................. RVO ....440
Theologically-identified Classes?................................ GVB ....444                       CHURCH ATTENDANCE
Through Warfare to Victory............................................ HH ......34                    Trendy Sermons, Vacant Pews................................. GVB ....252
Totally Depraved ............................................................ SRK ......87          CHURCH DISCIPLINE
Trendy Sermons, Vacant Pews..................................... GVB ....252                          Called to Rule ............................................................ RDD ....254
Truth Shall Make You Free ..........................................MCD ....184                     CHURCH HISTORY
Two Denominations Break Relationship                                                                  Abraham Kuyper:  Dutch Calvinist (1) ...................... HH ....224
   with the CRC.............................................................. GVB ....443             Abraham Kuyper:  Dutch Calvinist (2) ...................... HH ....272
US Supreme Court Rejects Colorado's Constitutional                                                    Abraham Kuyper:  Dutch Calvinist (3) ...................... HH ....320
   Amendment Repudiating Preferential                                                                 George Martin Ophoff:  Humble Servant
   Treatment of Homosexuals............................................JL ......14                       of the Truth (1) ......................................................... HH ....346
US Supreme Court to Decide its First                                                                  George Martin Ophoff:  Humble Servant
   Right-to-die Case............................................................JL ....162               of the Truth (2) ......................................................... HH ....391
US Supreme Court Strikes Down the RFRA ...................JL ....492                                  George Martin Ophoff:  Humble Servant
Usury............................................................................... DHK ....296         of the Truth (3) ......................................................... HH ....424
Vain Boast of Self-Righteousness .................................. HH ....483                        John Calvin:  Father of Calvinism (1)........................ HH ......82
Visits of the Virgin Mary and the Millennium........... GVB ....229                                   John Calvin:  Father of Calvinism (2)........................ HH ....106
What Did the Pope Say? ............................................... GVB ....254                    Martin Luther:  German Reformer.............................. HH ........ 8
What Shall I Render? ....................................................... CH ......99              Martin Luther:  German Reformer (2)........................ HH ......60
What's Happening to Education? ................................ GVB ......92                        CHURCH ORDER, Art. 60
When the Light Shines (1)............................................MCD ....282                      Administration of Baptism ........................................ RLC ......66
When the Light Shines (2)............................................MCD ....306                    CHURCH ORDER, Art. 61
Witnesses of Jesus ........................................................... JDS ....411            Admittance to the Lord's Supper .............................. RLC ....185
Yet Another Candid Confession about the Covenant..DJE ....248



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Subject                  Title                                           Author       Page       Subject                     Title                                              Author       Page

CHURCH ORDER, Art. 62                                                                            DEMON POSSESSION
  Essentials and Incidentals.......................................... RLC ....283                  Demon Possession .......................................................JLK ....159
COMMON GRACE                                                                                        Demon Possession (2) .................................................JLK ....322
  "Amice Schilder"........................................................BJW ......31              Demon Possession (3) .................................................JLK ....449
  Restraint of Sin? ......................................................... SRK ....137        DEVIL--DOMINION OF
CONDITIONAL THEOLOGY                                                                                Demon Possession .......................................................JLK ....159
  Split of 1953.................................................................. CH ......46    DISCIPLINE
  Through Warfare to Victory........................................ HH ......34                    Elders and Discipline ................................................ RDD ....472
CONFERENCE--EPC/PRC                                                                                  Paedobaptism Demands Parental Instruction and
  Conference of the PRC in America with the                                                             Ecclesiastical Keys ................................................ RVO ....474
     EPC of Australia .................................................... RVO ....277           DIVORCE
CONFERENCE, FAMILY                                                                                  Divorce--Roman Catholic Style.............................. GVB ....426
  BRF Family Holiday Conference................................LW ....202                        DOMESTIC MISSIONS
COVENANT                                                                                            Day of Small Things .................................................... DD ....374
  "Amice Schilder"........................................................BJW ......31           DRAMA...................................................................................
  Bavinck, Hoeksema, and Schilder ............................BJW ....476                           Another Episode in the Movies-Issue .........................AP ....439
  Candid Confession of the Character of a                                                           Movies:  Where Do We Stand? ................................... HB ....345
     Conditional Covenant .............................................DJE ....149               ECUMENICITY
  Candid Confession of the Character of a                                                           "That They All may be One," or "The Mystery
     Conditional Covenant (2) .......................................DJE ....174                        of the Great Whore" ................................................DJE ....461
  Candid Confession of the Character of a                                                        EDUCATION
     Conditional Covenant (3) .......................................DJE ....197                    Evaluation, a Prospect, and a Prod .............................JJH ......58
  Candid Confession of the Character of a                                                           What's Happening to Education? ............................ GVB ......92
     Conditional Covenant (4) .......................................DJE ....221                 ELDERS
  Candid Confession of the Character of a                                                           Elders and Discipline ................................................ RDD ....472
     Conditional Covenant (5) .......................................DJE ....245                    Called to Rule ............................................................ RDD ....254
  Candid Confession of the Character of a                                                           Called to Rule the Officebearers.............................. RDD ....419
     Conditional Covenant (6) .......................................DJE ....269                 ELECTION
  Candid Confession of the Character of a                                                           Candid Confession of the Character of a
     Conditional Covenant (7) .......................................DJE ....293                        Conditional Covenant (7) .......................................DJE ....293
  Covenant View of Herman Bavinck .........................BJW ....399                           ELECTION, PRESIDENTIAL
  God's Unconditional Covenant................................ RDD ......36                         Jesus Christ will be Lord on November 5.................DJE ......53
  How We View the Children of the Covenant ......... ADH ......43                                ENVIRONMENT
  1953:  Continuing Reformation .................................DJE ......29                       "That They May Be One" ......................................... GVB ....467
  Split of 1953.................................................................. CH ......46    ERCS
  Strictly Confessional Binding ....................................DJE ....318                     Evangelical Reformed Churches of Singapore
  Yet Another Candid Confession about                                                                   (ERCS).................................................................... CFM ....258
     the Covenant ............................................................DJE ....248        EVANGELISM
COVENANT PRC in NI                                                                                  If God Is Sovereign, Is Evangelism Necessary
  Organization of Covenant Protestant Reformed Church                                                   and Urgent? ............................................................... AB ....297
     in Northern Ireland....................................................AP ....201           EVOLUTION
COVENANT REFORMED FELLOWSHIP                                                                        Pope Speaks out on Evolution ................................. GVB ....213
  Encouraging Fruit on PRC Missions......................... JDS ....200                            What Did the Pope Say? ........................................... GVB ....254
CRC                                                                                              FAITHFULNESS OF GOD
  Further Decline in the CRC...................................... GVB ....300                      That All the World May Know ..................................CJH ......51
  Obituary for the CRC? .............................................. GVB ......21              FALL
  "Solution" for a Divided Denomination?................ GVB ....286                                Fall of Our First Parents ........................................... HCH ....139
  Two Denominations Break Relationship                                                              Fall of Our First Parents ........................................... HCH ....233
     with CRC ................................................................ GVB ....443          Fall of Our First Parents ........................................... HCH ....279
DEACON, OFFICE OF                                                                                   Fall of Our First Parents ........................................... HCH ....329
  Office of Deacon and Congregational Life.................GS ......80                              Fall of Our First Parents ........................................... HCH ....355
DEATH                                                                                            FAMILIES
  Fall of Our First Parents ........................................... HCH ....355                 Foundation of the Family .........................................WGB ....304
  Our Death in Adam .................................................... SRK ......12            FAMILY VISITATION
DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES                                                                           Proper Manner of Conducting Family Visitation...... MS ....164
  "Declaration of Principles" What? When?                                                        FOREIGN MISSIONS
     and Why?................................................................ DHK ......40          Foreign Mission Committee News ............................. AB ....377
  Strictly Confessional Binding ....................................DJE ....318                     Ghana:  A Country of Diversity and Challenge ........ AB ....131
DECREE OF GOD                                                                                       Missions--the Ghana Field ......................................RGM ......85
  Infralapsarianism ........................................................BJW ....188          FREE OFFER
  Supralapsarianism.......................................................BJW ....236               More About Logic ......................................................BJW ......16

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Subject                   Title                                            Author       Page       Subject                   Title                                            Author       Page

FREE-WILLISM                                                                                       JUDGMENT OF GOD
  Free-Willism:  Another Gospel..................................DJE ....342                         Gentiles a Law unto Themselves ................................ HH ....363
  Radical Stand .................................................................. JS ....390      JUDGMENT OF GOD REVEALED
FULLER, ANDREW                                                                                       Revelation of the Righteous Judgment of God ......... HH ....339
  Andrew Fuller, No Calvinist .................................... RHH ....439                     KINGDOM OF GOD
GENTILES                                                                                             Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God and
  Gentiles a Law unto Themselves ................................ HH ....363                            Its Righteousness ................................................... ADH ....352
GHANA                                                                                                Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God and
  Ghana:  A Country of Diversity and Challenge ........ AB ....131                                      Its Righteousness ................................................... ADH ....421
  Missions--The Ghana Field.....................................RGM ......85                        KUYPER, ABRAHAM
GOD, GOODNESS OF                                                                                     Abraham Kuyper:  Dutch Calvinist (1) ...................... HH ....224
  Despising God's Goodness .......................................... HH ....315                     Abraham Kuyper:  Dutch Calvinist (2) ...................... HH ....272
GOD, OUR MEDIATOR                                                                                    Abraham Kuyper:  Dutch Calvinist (3) ...................... HH ....320
  Our Only Mediator ..................................................... SRK ....402              LANGUAGE
GOD, WRATH OF                                                                                        Language:  God's Gift (1) ..........................................DJK ....395
  Revelation of God's Wrath.......................................... HH ....123                     Language:  God's Gift (2) ..........................................DJK ....448
GOSPEL                                                                                               Many Languages..........................................................DJK ....468
  Gospel a Power of God ................................................ HH ......75               LIBERTY
  Separated unto the Gospel ........................................... HH ........ 3                Liberty......................................................................... DHK ......11
GRACE                                                                                              LOGIC
  By Grace ........................................................................ HH ......26      "Hole in the Dike"? ....................................................BJW ....116
GRACE, GOD'S SOVEREIGN                                                                             LORD'S SUPPER
  How We View the Children of the Covenant ......... ADH ......43                                    Admittance to the Lord's Supper .............................. RLC ....185
HARBACH, ROBERT C.                                                                                 LUTHER, MARTIN
  Rev. Robert C. Harbach ............................................... DD ....178                  Martin Luther:  German Reformer.............................. HH ........ 8
HOMOSEXUALITY                                                                                        Martin Luther:  German Reformer (2)........................ HH ......60
  That Homosexuality Issue ........................................ GVB ....348                    MALAYSIA
HOMOSEXUALS                                                                                          Evangelical Reformed Churches of Singapore
  US Supreme Court Rejects Colorado's Constitutional                                                    (ERCS).................................................................... CFM ....258
     Amendment Repudiating Preferential Treatment of                                               MARRIAGE
     Homosexuals ...............................................................JL ......14          Covenant of Marriage:  Its Mystery ........................WGB ....368
HOPE                                                                                                 Covenant of Marriage:  Its Mystery ........................WGB ....404
  Hope That Maketh Not Ashamed................................ CH ....459                            Foundation of the Family .........................................WGB ....304
HYPO-CALVINISM                                                                                     MEDIATOR
  Hypo-Calvinism vs. the Reformed Faith ...................CM ....490                                Our Only Mediator ..................................................... SRK ....402
IMAGINATION                                                                                        MILLENNIUM
  Imagination................................................................. DHK ....466           Visits of the Virgin Mary--and the Millennium.... GVB ....229
IMMORALITY                                                                                         MINISTERS
  Parable to Warn the Young Man About the Power of the                                               Reverend or Pastor? .................................................. GVB ....182
     Enticement of the Sin of Immorality ................... ADH ....128                             Ministering to Our Ministers.................................... RDD ....154
  Parable to Warn the Young Man About the Power of the                                               Reformed Minister:  A Biblical Profile................... RDD ....445
     Enticement of the Sin of Immorality ................... ADH ....207                             Returned to the Lord .................................................... GV ....387
INFRALAPSARIANISM                                                                                  MISSIONS
  Infralapsarianism ........................................................BJW ....188              Current Home Mission Theory and Practice ..........TGM ....372
  Supra/Infra Controversy ............................................BJW ....326                    Day of Small Things .................................................... DD ....374
JOHN, GOSPEL ACCORDING TO                                                                            Encouraging Fruit on PRC Missions......................... JDS ....200
  Come unto Me, and Drink!.......................................MCD ......89                        Evangelical Reformed Churches of Singapore
  Good Shepherd, His Shepherds,                                                                         (ERCS).................................................................... CFM ....258
     and His Sheep (1) ..................................................MCD ....325                 Foreign Mission Committee News ............................. AB ....377
  Good Shepherd, His Shepherds,                                                                      Ghana:  A Country of Diversity and Challenge ........ AB ....131
     and His Sheep (2) ..................................................MCD ....494                 If God Is Sovereign, Is Evangelism Necessary
  Jesus and the Woman Taken in Adultery................MCD ....108                                      and Urgent? ............................................................... AB ....297
  John:  From the Mountain Top ................................MCD ......19                          Missions--The Ghana Field.....................................RGM ......85
  Light of the World.....................................................MCD ....133               MOVIES
  Son of God and Sons of the Devil ...........................MCD ....213                            Another Episode in the Movies-Issue .........................AP ....439
  Then I Go... ................................................................MCD ......63          Movies:  Where Do We Stand? ................................... HB ....345
  Truth Shall Make You Free ......................................MCD ....184                      MYANMAR
  When the Light Shines (1)........................................MCD ....282                       Evangelical Reformed Churches of Singapore
  When the Light Shines (2)........................................MCD ....306                          (ERCS).................................................................... CFM ....258
JUDGING                                                                                            NEW YEAR
  Confessions of a Harsh, Intolerant, Judgmental One . JP ....378                                    New Year's Prayer........................................................ CH ....147
  Inexcusable Judge......................................................... HH ....267

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Subject                    Title                                          Author      Page       Subject                   Title                                            Author       Page

1953                                                                                             SALVATION
  1953:  Continuing Reformation .................................DJE ......29                      By Grace ........................................................................ HH ......26
  Split of 1953.................................................................. CH ......46      God's Way ... or No Way .......................................... SRK ....452
NIV                                                                                                Gospel a Power of God ................................................ HH ......75
  NIV is Going "Gender Neutral"............................... GVB ....371                         How Then Can We Be Saved? .................................. SRK ....350
NORTHERN IRELAND                                                                                   Salvation by UFO? .................................................... GVB ....397
  Encouraging Fruit on PRC Missions......................... JDS ....200                           Salvation Through Christ Alone? ............................ GVB ....348
OFFER OF THE GOSPEL                                                                                Salvation Through Christ Alone? (Try Again!) ..... GVB ....370
  More About Logic ......................................................BJW ......16            SALVATION, UNIVERSAL
O'HAIR, MADALYN MURRAY                                                                             Bible a Wax Nose? .................................................... GVB ....230
  Madalyn Murray O'Hair ........................................... GVB ....253                  SATAN, the TEMPTER
OPHOFF, GEORGE MARTIN                                                                              Fall of Our First Parents ........................................... HCH ....139
  George Martin Ophoff:  Humble Servant                                                          SCHILDER, Dr. KLAAS
        of the Truth (1) ......................................................... HH ....346      "Amice Schilder"........................................................BJW ......31
  George Martin Ophoff:  Humble Servant                                                            Bavinck, Hoeksema, and Schilder ............................BJW ....476
        of the Truth (2) ......................................................... HH ....391      God's Unconditional Covenant................................ RDD ......36
  George Martin Ophoff:  Humble Servant                                                          SCHULLER, ROBERT
        of the Truth (3) ......................................................... HH ....424      Emotional Rice--or Spiritual Rot?.......................... GVB ....427
PELAGIANISM                                                                                      SEEKING THE KINGDOM
  Our Death in Adam .................................................... SRK ......12              Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God and
PERSECUTION                                                                                           Its Righteousness ................................................... ADH ....352
  Persecution ................................................................. GVB ....349        Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God and
  Reformed Family:  Two Women.............................. MBL ....256                               Its Righteousness (2)............................................. ADH ....421
  Suffering for Christ's Sake....................................... GVB ....285                 SEMINARY, PRC
PESTILENCE                                                                                         Brethren, Pray for Us ................................................ RDD ......55
  "Cruelty" of "Mother Nature" .................................. GVB ....398                      News from Seminary Hill ...........................................DJE ......65
PRC SYNOD--1997                                                                                     News from Seminary Hill ...........................................DJE ....249
  1997 Synod of the PRC:  Ecclesiastical Matters......DJE ....389                                SIGNS OF THE TIMES
  PRC Synod 1997 .........................................................DJE ....414              All Around Us............................................................ GVB ....468
PREACHERS                                                                                        SIN, DEVELOPMENT OF
  Separated unto the Gospel ........................................... HH ........ 3              Development of Sin.................................................... SRK ....103
PREACHING                                                                                        SIN, ENTICEMENT OF
  Gospel a Power of God ................................................ HH ......75               Parable to Warn the Young Man About the Power of the
PREDESTINATION                                                                                        Enticement of the Sin of Immorality ................... ADH ....128
  Answer to Certain Slanders and Blasphemies.............JC ....135                                Parable to Warn the Young Man About the Power of the
RCA                                                                                                   Enticement of the Sin of Immorality ................... ADH ....207
  Salvation Through Christ Alone? ............................ GVB ....348                       SIN, RESTRAINT OF
  Salvation Through Christ Alone?  (Try Again!) .... GVB ....370                                   Restraint of Sin? ......................................................... SRK ....137
REFORMATION OF 1953............................................................25                SINGAPORE
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM                                                                                  In Christ, No East or West........................................ RDD ....393
  US Supreme Court Strikes Down the RFRA ...............JL ....492                               SMOKING
RESTRAINT OF SIN                                                                                   Now, What to Do? ..................................................... GVB ....349
  Restraint of Sin? ......................................................... SRK ....137        SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD
RESURRECTION                                                                                       If God Is Sovereign, Is Evangelism Necessary and
  Behold, I Make All Things New ................................. CH ....291                          Urgent? ...................................................................... AB ....297
RFPA                                                                                             SUICIDE, PHYSICIAN ASSISTED
  Annual RFPA Meeting................................................. HK ....110                  US Supreme Court to Decide its First
  RFPA, Stimulator of Sound Knowledge                                                                 Right-to-die Case........................................................JL ....162
        in an Age of Ignorance............................................ CJT ....112           SUPRALAPSARIANISM
RHEM, RICHARD                                                                                      Supra/Infra Controversy ............................................BJW ....326
  Bible a Wax Nose? .................................................... GVB ....230               Supralapsarianism.......................................................BJW ....236
RIGHT-TO-DIE                                                                                     SYNOD, CRC
  US Supreme Court to Decide its First                                                             Christian Reformed Synod ....................................... GVB ....443
        Right-to-die Case........................................................JL ....162        Other CRC Synodical Decisions.............................. GVB ....444
RIGHTEOUSNESS                                                                                    SYNOD 1996--CRC
  Vain Boast of Self-Righteousness .............................. HH ....483                       Obituary for the CRC? .............................................. GVB ......21
ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH                                                                            SYNOD 1997--PRC
  Same Roman Catholic Church ................................. GVB ....253                         1997 Synod of the PRC:  Ecclesiastical Matters......DJE ....389
SABBATH OBSERVANCE                                                                                 PRC Synod 1997 .........................................................DJE ....414
  Summer and the Sabbath ............................................DJE ....437                 THEOLOGICALLY-IDENTIFIED CLASSES
                                                                                                   Theologically-identified Classes?............................ GVB ....444

                                                                                                                                      September 15, 1997/Standard Bearer/503


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Subject                  Title                                            Author       Page       Subject                   Title                                            Author        Page

TITLES                                                                                            WITNESSING
  Reverend or Pastor? .................................................. GVB ....182                Witnesses of Jesus ....................................................... JDS ....411
TOTAL DEPRAVITY                                                                                   WOMEN AT HOME
  Totally Depraved ........................................................ SRK ......87            Baptist Church ... Wants Women to Stay at Home GVB ....371
TRUANCY                                                                                           WOMEN IN OFFICE
  That Wretched Truant .................................................. HH ....490                Developments in the CRC ........................................ GVB ......93
UNITED REFORMED CHURCHES IN NORTH AMERICA                                                           Exegesis of a Woman Minister ................................ GVB ....299
  All Around Us............................................................ GVB ....212           WORD STUDIES
USURY                                                                                               Imagination................................................................. DHK ....466
  Usury........................................................................... DHK ....296      Liberty......................................................................... DHK ......11
VACATIONS                                                                                           Usury........................................................................... DHK ....296
  Summer and the Sabbath ............................................DJE ....437                  WORLD CONFORMITY
VELDMAN, HERMAN                                                                                     Pressure is On ..............................................................DJE ....366
  In Commemoration of What God Wrought                                                            YOUNG PEOPLE
     Through Rev. Herman Veldman ............................. CH ....250                           Current Threats to Raising God's Covenant
VIRGIN MARY                                                                                            Children .................................................................. RVO ....440
  Visits of the Virgin Mary and the Millennium....... GVB ....229


                                                                    ANNOUNCEMENTS

           WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
     On August 17, we celebrated the 25th                                                NOTICE!!!
wedding anniversary of our loving parents,                               The  Annual  RFPA  Meeting  will  be
 KENNETH and DORIS HOKSBERGEN.                                    held in Southwest Church on September                                      WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
     We thank the Lord that He has kept                           25 at 8 p.m.  Rev. M. Dick will speak on                                On September 19, 1997, our parents,
them  so  close  to  our  hearts;  they  have                     the topic "The RFPA and Religious Stew."                                  JOHN and GRACE WIGGER,
been, with the help of God, our love and                          Also, election of new board members will                           will, the Lord willing, celebrate their 50th
guidance, and always will be.                                     be  held  from  a  nomination  of  Bernie                          wedding  anniversary.    We  rejoice  with
                                             With love,           Bruining,  Don  DeJong,  Mark  Engelsma,                           them.  We thank our heavenly Father for
                          Edwin, Sarah, Melissa,                  Jon Hop, Henry Kamps, Leon Kamps, Jim                              them; and for His love, care, and instruc-
                                  Kurt, and Bethany               Koole,  Dave  Kregel,  Mark  VandenBerg,                           tion  given  to  us  through  them.  May  the
                                                   Hull, Iowa     and Joel Vink.  Members and non-mem-                               Lord  continue  to  bless  them  and  keep
                                                                  bers, young and old, men and women are                             them in His care in the years ahead.
                      NOTICE!!                                    invited to attend this meeting.                                         "The Lord is thy keeper:  the Lord is
     The Fall Meeting of the Eastern Men's                                                                                           thy  shade  upon  thy  right  hand....    The
and Ladies' League will be held on Tues-                                                                                             Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy
day, September 23 at 8 p.m. in Hope PR                                                    NOTICE!!                                   coming  in  from  this time forth,  even for
Church.  Our speaker, Rev. C. Terpstra,                                  The issue of September 15 is the last                       evermore" (Psalm 21:5, 8).
will speak on the topic, "God's Word and                          in  Volume  73.    Bound  volumes  will  be                        y    Kaye Wigger (Bern in glory)
Man's Revising:  How Must We Respond                              made  available  for  $20.00  (+postage)                           y    Ben and Judy Wigger
to Inclusive Language and Gender Neu-                             each.  Or, if you bring or send to the  SB                         y    Chuck and Barb Ensink
trality."  A collection will be taken for For-                    business office soon your own loose is-                            y    David and Linda Wigger
eign Missions.  All Men's/Ladies' Society                         sues for binding, you can obtain the bound                                 12 grandchildren
members as well as any other Adult Bible                          volume for just $9.00.  (The latter service                                4 great-grandchildren
Society members and young people who                              can be provided if we have your copies                                                                     Hudsonville, Michigan
may be interested are cordially invited to                        by October 15.)
attend.  See you there!


504/Standard Bearer/September 15, 1997


