The Canadian Reformed Magazine
Volume 51, No. 12, June 7, 2002
Mass Band –
March 23, 2002
EDITORIAL
By Cl. Stam
The Evaluation of
Divergences (1)
The General Synod of Neerlandia 2001 decided to enter into a sister-church relationship with the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC). This decision did not come suddenly or unexpectedly, because the Canadian Reformed
Churches had been engaged in contacts with the OPC
since 1965 and had formally recognized the OPC in 1977.
Subsequent Synods consistently maintained this recognition until the entering into a sister-church relationship
in 2001.
It is true that there were still some matters in which the
two churches did not yet fully agree. But it was felt that
these matters could continue to be discussed within the relationship as sister churches. The decision of Synod Neerlandia took into account that the confessional and churchpolitical divergences had been sufficiently discussed and
that these did not form any hindrance to enter into this
new relationship.
The General Synod of Neerlandia 2001
decided to enter into a sister-church
relationship with the Orthodox Presbyterian
Church.
2) in the process the truth (about the church) has been compromised; and
3) many have changed their understanding of what the
church is.
Where Christ leads in his
church-gathering work, we must obediently
follow Him.
We read also that many Reformed Christians have been
“led to abandon the Scriptural norms they have adhered to
and defended in the past.” This is a serious allegation.
It need not surprise us, then, that Pete deBoer calls for
“a return, a reforming of our actions and thought patterns.”
We are reminded of the 7000 faithful in Israel who had not
bowed their knees to Baal. Bringing all this together, I am led
to the conclusion that entering into a sister church relationship with the OPC was an act of idolatry, bowing to the spirit
of the age and not to the Spirit of the Scriptures. Quod erat
demonstrandum?
I want to take this allegation very seriously. If it is true,
we have to heed the call to reformation. If it is not true,
the allegation should be withdrawn, or at least put in a
proper perspective.
A serious allegation
“Church-gathering work”
I mention this because I sometimes receive the impression that some of our members think that Synod 2001 in deciding to enter into a sister-church relationship with the OPC
simply ignored the divergences and bartered away important
biblical truths and a good portion of our confessional Reformed heritage.
In Reformed Polemics (March 10, 2002, Volume 6,
No. 7) Pete deBoer agrees that the Lord calls us to unity
with all believers. Then he adds, “But when we cannot get
that done in the time frame we set for ourselves, we are not
permitted to compromise the truth and/or ignore significant
differences. As an unhappy consequence to the hurry to establish unity many have changed their understanding of
what the Church is.” This statement suggests that the following has taken place:
1) our churches have hastily placed practice before principle; while
Pete deBoer writes in the same article that part of the
life of obedience is “to become and remain members of his
[Christ’s] church-gathering work.” (italics mine, Cl.S). I do
not recognize this expression from our confessions. We do
278
I now feel that the work of the brothers
who made this detailed evaluation of the
divergences in 1986 was not
properly utilized.
confess that we must join the “holy assembly and congregation” and “maintain the unity of the church” (Article 28,
Belgic Confession). This church is very concrete and visible
so that it can and must be joined. But to speak of joining
CLARION, JUNE 7, 2002
Christ’s church-gathering work is rather strange. When I join
the true church, I also am enjoined in Christ’s church gathering work.
This is not a minor issue or a splitting of hairs. Jesus
Christ gathers his church in the unity of the true faith (Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 21, Q&A 54). We do not
confess to be and remain living members of Christ’s churchgathering work, but of his church. The two are not identical. The usage of this expression should be clarified.
For it could very well be that by not entering into a sister-church relationship with the OPC we compromise our
confession and hinder Christ’s church-gathering work. Instead of seeking and maintaining unity, we would then
deny it or break it. Where Christ leads in his church-gathering work, we must obediently follow Him. It seems to me
that this was rather the conviction of the brothers at Synod
What’s inside?
Synod Neerlandia 2001 offered ecclesiastical fellowship to the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. This
offer was accepted by the OPC. Those who read the
Acts of Synod Neerlandia regarding the decision about
the OPC will take note of “the divergences.” This is
something which has generated some interesting discussions in our circles. In his editorial, Rev. Cl. Stam
examines this matter and places it in the historical
perspective with which he is well acquainted.
Dr. R. Faber concludes his two part article on the
ninety-five theses of Martin Luther. He focuses particularly on the matter of indulgences. Luther’s condemnation of this matter could have cost him his life. But
his fight was for the glory of God and the salvation of
sinners. Dr. Faber brings this home for us today by
coming to the pinpointed question: “Are we humbled
by our sins, and is repentance a daily undertaking visible in our lives? These questions were posed in the
theses, and they are relevant today.”
In his press release, Dr. J. De Jong passes on some
key points of speeches by Dr. W.G. de Vries of Zwolle,
Holland, which were delivered in Australia. This is a
two part press release. It gives some good insights into
the theological developments in the Netherlands
which led up to the liberation in 1944.
It has been a while since Rev. J. de Gelder submitted a Hiliter column. Thankfully we have one in this
issue. Rev. de Gelder highlights some of the interesting and important things going on in our churches.
We have in this issue our regular Treasures, New
and Old column, a brief introduction to the Covenant
Canadian Reformed Teachers’ College in Hamilton,
a press release from ILPB, as well as a letter to the
editor. Last but not least, we have a report on a Mass
Band Concert in Alberta, comprised of bands from
our schools in Alberta, British Columbia and Manitoba. This was a monumental undertaking with truly
amazing results.
RA
CLARION, JUNE 7, 2002
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IN THIS ISSUE
Editorial – The Evaluation of Divergences (1)
— Cl. Stam ............................................................278
Treasures, New and Old – Trust in the LORD Always
— C.J. VanderVelde ..............................................281
Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses and the Beginning of the
Reformation (Part 2) — R. Faber ................................282
Press Review – 100 Years of Church and
Theology (Part 1) — J. De Jong..................................285
The Hi-liter — J. de Gelder ......................................287
Mass Band March 23, 2002 — Liz DeWit ................289
Press Release – ILPB ................................................290
The Teachers’ College Seen Through Western Eyes
— Jane DeGlint......................................................291
Letter to the Editor ....................................................292
Our Little Magazine — Aunt Betty............................294
279
Neerlandia. This conviction did not come overnight, nor was
it hastily done, but had grown through many years (19652001) of discussing and evaluating divergences that existed
and some that continue to exist.
Report received
General Synod Burlington 1986 was presented with a
report commissioned by a previous Synod in which the divergences with the OPC were evaluated. I leave out of discussion now the peculiar background and history of that report, for I am more concerned with its contents. But we
must take note of the function of this report.
Synod 1986 only “received” this report. It was not at
that time “adopted.” As far as I can remember, Synod 1986
did not want to accept this report as the final doctrinal statement about the matters under discussion. There was fear
that an adopted report could come to lead a life of its own
as a fourth Form of Unity or another “declaration of principles.” Therefore Synod carefully chose the word “received.”
At the time, I agreed with that choice.
Synod Lincoln 1992 specifically dealt with the word “received,” and noted that this word was used in 1986 because
the evaluation of the divergences was not “adopted as final.” The same Synod admitted that this report containing the
evaluation of the divergences was “neither refuted not rejected.” In other words, this report on the evaluation of the
differences between the Canadian Reformed Churches and
the OPC was not to be seen as final and irrevocable, but it did
have some standing, for it was never thrown out.
It is kind of strange, is it not? Here we have a commissioned report which in great detail evaluates the divergences between the Canadian Reformed Churches and the
OPC, and which is “received” but not adopted, never accepted and yet never rejected. Thinking about this later, I
concluded that we made a faux pas.
280
Synod Abbotsford 1995 also touched on the status of this
report and it was again observed that no one had ever at
any Synod challenged the conclusions of this report. Finally,
Synod Neerlandia 2001 referred to the report on the evaluation of divergences when it said, “In light of the fact that
several of our Synods have explained that the various divergences cannot be obstacles to ecclesiastical fellowship
. . . it is appropriate to come to ecclesiastical fellowship”
(Acts, page 49).
A crucial report and detailed evaluation, presented in
1986, never refuted, was finally applied in full measure, fifteen years after its inception, in 2001.
No hurry at all
I must conclude from the above-mentioned facts that
our churches were never in a hurry to establish unity with
the OPC. At least, the suggestion of a hasty decision is
disproved by the length of time we took to come to a
proper relationship. I must also conclude that on the way
to this unity, there was no unbiblical change of thinking
about the church among us. The 1986 report guided us
clearly in the right biblical and confessional direction! I
hope to come back to this point in a later article. Perhaps
this report can be reprinted in Clarion or made available in
separate format.
I readily admit that during all these years of study, reflection, and discussion, I have come to understand some
things differently. For one, I now feel that the work of the
brothers who made this detailed evaluation of the divergences in 1986 was not properly utilized. I should have interacted more with the contents of this report. Therefore I
want to devote some editorials to this report, the Lord willing.
Semper reformanda.
Rev. Cl. Stam is minister of the Canadian Reformed Church
at Hamilton, Ontario.
CLARION, JUNE 7, 2002
REASURES, NEW AND OLD
T
MATTHEW 13:52
By C.J. VanderVelde
Trust in the LORD Always
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
Proverbs 3:5, 6
By nature we are inclined to trust
in ourselves and to lean on our own
understanding. We want to be the
master of our own lives, without regard for God. That was precisely the
sin of Adam and Eve, our first parents
in paradise, who were led to believe
by the devil that they could rely on
their own understanding and live independently of God. Ever since that
time, the call has gone out to trust in
the L ORD and acknowledge Him in
everything that we do.
Of course, the text does not mean
that we may not use our understanding since God gives us the gift of understanding for use in his service. The
Book of Proverbs shows clearly that
man should use his understanding to
develop skills and get ahead in life.
The text says that we may not lean on
our own understanding and rely on it
as if we ourselves can chart the course
of our lives. Someone who leans on a
cane to get around depends on that
cane; it is his support. The LORD, however, does not want us to depend on
our own insight, but instead He wants
us to depend on Him.
Notice that the text speaks about
trusting in the L ORD , thereby using
God’s covenant name. We are told
to trust in Him who has made an eternal covenant of grace with us and
has promised to provide us with all
good and avert all evil or turn it to our
benefit. Throughout the history of redemption, the LORD has been faithful
to his covenant promises. At the fullCLARION, JUNE 7, 2002
ness of time, the Father sent the
promised Saviour and thus the foundation was laid for covenant fellowship. Christ is our wisdom from God,
that is, our righteousness, holiness
and redemption (1 Cor 1:30). The
wisdom of God pertains to that which
no human mind could conceive,
namely, salvation through Jesus
Christ! Therefore, in every other aspect of life too, we should not rely
on our own understanding.
Our faithful covenant God asks
for the response of faith from us! This
involves a radical demand: “Trust in
the LORD with all your heart. . . ; in all
your ways acknowledge Him. . . .”
The L ORD is telling us that He wants
our undivided hearts. Yet, it is a daily
struggle for us to place all our trust in
God because we so easily fall into the
trap of relying first on ourselves and
on God for only a few areas of our
lives. Sometimes we think and act as if
God is for the soul and the rest is our
business. This is far from the truth!
Rather than being removed from daily
affairs, God is so involved that He
even knows the number of the hairs
on our head (Matt 10:30). God wants
us to recognize that He has an absolute claim on our lives and that we
must acknowledge Him in everything
that we undertake. Just as it is insulting
to someone when we ignore that person and do not acknowledge his presence, so it is insulting to God when
we ignore Him and do not acknowledge his presence in our lives. The
LORD wants us to ask what is right and
pleasing according to Him, thereby
acknowledging that we are dependent
on his help in everything that we do.
Sometimes we look at people who
live without God, and we think that
they are managing just fine. Perhaps
it even looks attractive to live like they
do, without regard for God and without any apparent limitations. But the
Book of Proverbs points out that living without God is self- destructive
ultimately since “The LORD ’s curse is
on the house of the wicked, but He
blesses the home of the righteous”
(Prov 3:33).
When we trust in the L ORD and
acknowledge Him in all our ways, we
will be rewarded because the L ORD
will make our paths straight. This does
not mean that life will be free of problems. In fact, sometimes life seems as
if it is full of zigzags and detours
brought about by various adversities.
Yet, through it all, the LORD is working out his plan of salvation for our
lives. As the Apostle Paul says, “. . .
in all things God works for the good of
those who love Him, who have been
called according to his purpose” (Rom
8:28; cf. Heidelberg Catechism Lord’s
Day 1). We will arrive at the goal for
our lives: blessed fellowship with God
in glory!
Rev. C.J. VanderVelde is minister of
the Canadian Reformed Church at
Yarrow, British Columbia.
281
Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses and
the Beginning of the Reformation (Part 2)
By R. Faber
In the first part of this article we considered what caused Luther to write the
ninety-five theses. Luther’s motivation
was a new insight into the gospel of
salvation by grace alone through faith in
the atoning sacrifice of the Lord Jesus
Christ. The misunderstanding of this
doctrine of justification resulted in the
formation of the sacrament of penance,
according to which the sinful believer
could purchase the remission of sin. In
Theses One through Twenty-five Luther
argued that penance is not a sacrament,
but a conversion of the heart that leads
to a permanent change in behaviour.
He also questioned the foundation of
purgatory and the extent of the pope’s
authority. In this second installment we
shall summarize the remaining theses,
and consider also the immediate consequences which their publication had
for Luther and the church. We shall see
that the publication of the theses signalled the start of the Protestant Reformation. Lastly, we shall note that the
substance of the theses remains relevant
for the church of today.
Good works
In response to Luther’s criticism of
the sale of indulgences in the first
twenty-five theses, the question may
arise, why were indulgences so attractive? In Theses Twenty-six through
Twenty-nine Luther answers by stating
that the sale of indulgences is based
upon human greed, and not on the
proper desire to perform good works.
The church was abusing the practice
only for its own financial benefit. There
is no biblical basis for this “sacrament,”
and Thesis Twenty-seven states that
they preach only human doctrines who
say that as soon as the money clinks
into the money chest, the soul flies out
of purgatory.
282
In Theses Thirty-one through Fortyseven, Luther argues that people erroneously believe that indulgences are to
be preferred over deeds of charity; but
the purchase of indulgences cannot be
compared to works of mercy, and it is
better to give to the poor than buy letters of remission. Christians are to be
taught that he who gives to the poor or
lends to the needy does a better deed
than he who buys indulgences (43).
Here Luther points back to the first thesis, in which we learn that repentance
implies a complete lifetime of regret for
sins and working for the glory of God.
Here for the first time Luther asks the
question, what constitutes a good work?
Luther argues that
people erroneously believe
that indulgences are to be
preferred over deeds of
charity.
Or, what is the relationship between
being saved and performing such
works? We see again that while the
immediate point is a comparison of
buying indulgences and lending to the
poor, the larger implication is that good
works are performed only from faith
which God in his grace grants to us.
The later impact – by faith alone –
would deal a serious blow to the
church’s teachings of good works.
The gospel
Another issue in the Reformation
that is broached in the theses is the importance of the preaching of the gospel,
something which the Romanist church
had obscured. In Theses Fifty-three to
Fifty-five Luther complains that the
proclamation of the gospel was being
hindered by the preaching of indulgences. They are enemies of Christ and
the pope who forbid altogether the
preaching of the Word of God in some
churches in order that indulgences may
be preached in others (53). Injury is
done the Word of God, when, in the
same sermon, an equal or larger
amount of time is devoted to indulgences than to the Word. (54) These
two theses, and several others, respond
to the stipulation in Albert’s instructions that sermons were not to be held
in a town while the indulgences were
being preached there. Of course, the
aim was to prevent any competition
from hindering the sales. Yet Luther
knew that the true treasure of the
church is the most holy gospel of the
glory and grace of God (62). During
the middle ages the notion had developed that the work of Jesus Christ and of
some saints was so effective that acts of
goodness had been stored up by the
church in a kind of treasure-house.
From this bank, if you will, one could
purchase good works in the form of indulgence letters. Luther responds to
this teaching with the assertion that the
most valuable possession of the church
is the Word of God. The proclamation
of the gospel of grace is the true treasure
of the church, and it cannot be replaced
by the bank of indulgences. In the remaining theses Luther addresses the
abuses in the preaching of indulgences
(67-80) and recounts the critical reaction to the trafficking of them (81-95).
Consequences:
As we consider the consequences of
posting the theses, we note first that the
impact which they had was much
greater than their contents suggest.
Luther himself was surprised at their
CLARION, JUNE 7, 2002
effect, for he had not conceived them as
an attack against the church or the
pope. Luther’s letter to the archbishop
and his own later reflections reveal that
he wished to correct the misunderstanding of the indulgences.
Regardless of Luther’s intention, the
theses had considerable impact. In
part this was due to the recently invented printing press, which served to
spread the theses in German translation
quickly among people who already
were disenchanted with the church.
More importantly, those who read the
theses, both common people and the
clergy, saw that there was a lot more
to them than appeared at first sight.
They realized that the logical conclusions to many theses directly opposed
the teaching of the church about the
sacraments, purgatory, the power of the
pope, forgiveness of sins, righteousness, and satisfaction.
He was assured that the
righteousness of Christ is
not acquired by our own
works, but imputed through
faith worked in the heart by
the preaching of the gospel.
Also Luther’s own thinking progressed between 1517 and 1518. Luther
was reading Hebrews at the time, and
as you know, this book speaks especially of the doctrine of Christ and his
redemption. He was assured that the
righteousness of Christ is not acquired
by our own works, but imputed through
faith worked in the heart by the preaching of the gospel. Luther’s understanding increased from a reaction to the
good works of indulgence to a realization that all satisfaction is obtained
only by the great high-priest. A sermon
entitled On Indulgences and Grace,
published in 1517, shows how Luther’s
thinking was developing, for in one sentence he removes the links between
contrition, confession, and satisfaction.
God punishes sin, the sermon concluded, and no human has the power or
right to remit it.
The Heidelberg Disputation (1518)
As a member of the Augustinian
order of monks, Luther had to answer
to his fellow priests and superiors, and
in April 1518 he was called to defend
his teaching. When his supportive suCLARION, JUNE 7, 2002
Martin Luther
perior, Johann von Staupitz, called the
meeting, he advised Luther to tread
softly by focussing on the doctrines of
sin, grace and free will. At the time
people did not realize that by questioning the efficacy of penance, the
Ninety-Five Theses had anticipated
also a criticism of the church’s teaching
of these important doctrines. So we
may say that yet another consequence
of publishing the theses was that Luther
himself was forced to take the next
logical steps in applying Scripture to
other teachings of the church. He prepared another twenty-eight theses for
the disputation at Heidelberg. And in
them Luther develops the teaching that
sinful man is incapable of performing
good works. To give only one example,
the third thesis posits that “although the
works of man always seem attractive
and good, they are nevertheless likely
to be mortal sins.”1 Papal indulgences
do not effect reconciliation with God.
To support this thesis with Scripture,
Luther quotes Psalm 143:2, “Enter not
into judgment with thy servant; for no
man living is righteous before thee.”
Luther argues that since the works of
man are mortal sins, salvation can
come only by the grace of God, which
is revealed in Christ. He argues further
that God reveals Himself to man
through the passion and the cross of
Christ; it is only by faith that this act of
atonement can become part of the life
of the believer. We see that in this debate the impact of the theses is being
felt, for now the consequences of their
conclusions were expressed.
This debate was important also for
the influence the Ninety-Five Theses
had upon others, for many of the
younger Augustinian monks and those
partial to the evangelical cause were
convinced of the truth of Luther’s arguments. Most notably affected was
Martin Bucer, the reformer of Strasbourg and later acquaintance of
Calvin. He was impressed by the biblical evidence Luther adduced, by his
courtesy and willingness to listen, and
his courage. The influence of the theses was spreading.
By January 1521 the
pope excommunicated
Luther from the church, an
act which forced the secular
governor, emperor Charles
V, to consider burning
Luther at the stake.
The Hearing at Augsburg (1518)
It is not surprising to learn that Pope
Leo X reacted differently to the NinetyFive Theses. In October 1518 the Roman Council began an official trial
when it sent cardinal Cajetan, the papal legate, to examine Luther at Augsburg. Luther went there knowing that
those who are declared heretics face
burning at the stake. Briefly put, at
Augsburg Cajetan ordered Luther to
recant his errors and to recognize papal authority. The interrogation was
fruitless; Luther left before decisions
were made about him, and quit the
city before he could be arrested. Thus
within a year of the publication of the
theses, a rift developed between the
pious monk Luther and his superiors in
the church.
283
the church. While there would be many
more developments, we may say that
the edict of Worms represents the final
break between the Wittenberg reformers and the Roman church.
Conclusion
The Diet of Worms 1521
The conflict between Wittenberg
and Rome escalated, and in the following year, 1519, Luther debated with
the Romanist theologian, John Eck in
Leipzig. Now Luther had the boldness
to develop what was already implied in
the theses, namely that the authority of
the pope was limited to being a human institution without divine right. He
also declared that the councils of the
church had erred in the past and would
do so again. Thus, like the authority of
the pope, the power of the church is
subject to the Bible. By the end of the
year Luther also explained that
penance was a non-biblical sacrament.
In short, the impact of the theses was
that Luther now drew the logical conclusions to many of them, and championed sola Scriptura.
In response to Luther’s daring development of the theses, the Romanist
church quickened the process against
him. In June 1520, Pope Leo X issues
an official decree stating that he will
excommunicate Luther unless he recants within sixty days. He also orders
the burning of all Luther’s writings, to
which the reformer responded by
burning copies of the canon laws and
the papal decree, thereby making the
break with the pope and the Roman
Catholic church. By January 1521 the
pope excommunicated Luther from the
church, an act which forced the secular governor, emperor Charles V, to
consider burning Luther at the stake.
He ordered Luther to appear before
him for a final hearing in April of 1521,
at the city of Worms.
The Diet of Worms (1521)
The Diet of Worms in 1521 may be
seen as the climax of events started by
284
the publication of the theses, and it
demonstrates the impact which they
had. At this meeting, emperor Charles V
asked Luther two simple questions: 1.
Are you the author of the works which
led the pope to excommunicate you?
2. Are you prepared to withdraw anything in them, and so to recant your
teaching? Luther’s books had been piled
on the table, and Luther’s assistant requested that their titles be read aloud.
Luther responded that the books on the
table and as read off were indeed his,
and that he had possibly written a few
more. After reflecting for a day upon the
second question, Luther said that since
the matter concerns his own faith, the
salvation of his soul, and the Word of
God, he could not recant. To quote
Luther, “unless I am convinced by the
testimony of the holy Scriptures or by
evident rational grounds, for I do not
trust the pope or the Council alone
(since it is well-known that they often
erred and contradicted themselves), I
will be bound by the scriptural passages
I have quoted. My conscience is captive
to the Word of God, and I cannot and
do not want to recant anything because
it is neither safe nor right to go against
conscience. I cannot do otherwise, here
I stand. May God help me. Amen.”
While Charles V consulted about the
penalty for Luther, the reformer received a special escort from Worms to a
safe place where his life would not be
threatened. The emperor proceeded
with his edict, declared Luther a heretic,
and made him an outlaw. However,
Frederik the Wise, being a powerful
ruler in the empire, did not act on the
edict, and Luther – who had been taken
to the safety of the Wartburg castle,
could continue to promote the reform of
What, we may ask, does it benefit
us to know and remember what happened on October 31? Or, what is the
relevance of the theses and their impact
for reformed people today? The main
point of Luther’s theses was that indulgences may not be considered a sacrament of total forgiveness; while modern
Protestants have little difficulty in appreciating this, they may be inclined to
think that outward actions have some
efficacy or arise from one’s own motivation. In other words, are we not inclined to create rules and requirements
which, when we keep them, give us the
feeling that we have satisfied God? It
was not for nothing that the first thesis
read “When our Lord and Master Jesus
Christ said, ‘repent,’ he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance.” Are we humbled by our sins,
and is repentance a daily undertaking
visible in our lives? These questions
were posed in the theses, and they are
relevant today.
Are we humbled by our
sins, and is repentance a
daily undertaking visible in
our lives?
On the other hand, do we adore
God sufficiently for the grace that He
has shown in sending his only Son? Do
we acknowledge our inability to do any
good, and realize the necessity of
Christ’s intercession? To put it differently, do we have true faith, the firm
conviction and knowledge that Christ
has died not only for others but also for
me? It will be clear, I think, that when
we commemorate the Reformation we
should not merely recall what God performed in history, but see the importance
of his deeds for us as individuals and as
a church today. As reformed believers,
therefore, let us continue to reform our
lives according to God’s will.
H.J. Grimm, ed., Luther’s Works (Philadelphia, 1957), Vol. 31, p. 39.
1
Dr. R. Faber is professor and chair of
Classical Studies at University of
Waterloo.
CLARION, JUNE 7, 2002
PRESS REVIEW
By J. De Jong
100 Years of
Church and Theology (Part 1)
The Free Reformed Study Centre in
Armadale, Australia invited Dr. W.G.
de Vries of Zwolle, Holland, to give a
number of guest lectures for their society. These lectures found their way into
the Australian magazine Una Sancta,
and we gladly pass on the text of the
speeches for the benefit of our Canadian and American readers.1 The first
speech covers in a overview the last
hundred years of theological development on the continent, and also offers
Dr. De Vries’ perspective on the developments of church life among our sister churches in Holland:
1. We live at the beginning of the
Twenty-first Century. Behind us lies
a century in which there was more
change than in all the centuries before. Whereas the Nineteenth Century began with the invention of the
steam engine, in the Twentieth Century breathtaking inventions were
made and applied. Think of the development of the motor car, aircraft
and the computer. Micro-technology
is spectacular and continually offers
new possibilities. Bear in mind that
God placed all these possibilities
into our world at its creation, but it
took thousands of years for people to
discover and employ them. And still
the end has not yet come. Have we
come to the end of the ages in this
century? ( 1 Cor 10:11 ).
We also ask ourselves this question when we consider the progress
and the development of theology,
the study or doctrine of God. Doctrine invariably influences life, also
church life. In this area, too, there
have been, so to speak, spiritual
landslides. Whereas in the Nineteenth Century most Dutch people
were baptized, that has drastically
changed during the Twentieth. It
could even be argued that the
Netherlands should now be regarded as a mission field. Whole
generations have no notion whatCLARION, JUNE 7, 2002
ever of God and his Word, a situation to which modern theology has
made a major contribution.
2. These spiritual rapids are connected
with the influence exerted on man
by the modern media. Everything
enters our living rooms via radio and
television. Modern theology plays
an important role in this, at any rate
on those who are still receptive to
this type of information, for the
masses are only interested in bread
and games, that is, in entertainment.
All manner of old
heresies were served up
during the Twentieth
Century as new and fresh,
but in fact they were old and
stifled – hence, not modern.
Now it is remarkable that the
developments in theology are not
really as new and renewing as they
have been made out to be. All manner of old heresies were served up
during the Twentieth Century as
new and fresh, but in fact they were
old and stale. So, not modern.
Not modern
The roots of this theology go back
to the Seventeenth, Eighteenth and
Nineteenth Centuries. Un-limited
confidence was placed in human reason and so those parts of the Bible
that could not be grasped by socalled common sense were scrapped.
Especially at the beginning and during the course of the Nineteenth Century the contents of the Bible were
subjected to critical scrutiny from a
historical and literary angle. Thus the
contents of the Old Testament were
explained in terms of the Eastern environment in the time when it was
written. German scholars, especially,
did their utmost to demonstrate how
the Old Testament was derived from
heathen myths and customs. So
arose, for example, the “Babel-Bible”
controversy which hinged on the
theory that the old Babylonian legends exerted an enormous influence
on the Bible.
Then it was claimed that the
story of Israel’s journey through the
desert did not tally at all. For example, the critics gloatingly pointed to
the building of the tabernacle, in
which much use was made of copper. They claimed that the Israelites
could not possibly have got hold of
that copper, and that, even if there
had been copper in those days, they
would have been unable to use it
because of the exceptionally high
temperatures required to melt it. Innumerable people in the Nineteenth
Century were completely taken in
by this sort of criticism. Fortunately,
our ancestors at the time of the Secession were not! But at the beginning of the previous century copper
mines from the time of the ancient
Egyptians were discovered in the
area through which the Israelites
passed. And in the sand remnants
were found of furnaces containing
numerous air holes through which
the desert wind could blow, thus
fanning the fires to extremely high
temperatures. Of course, on this
point the reliability of the Bible story
was quickly re-accepted. The point
of this example is to show that Bible
criticism is not “modern” at all. In
fact, it is already centuries old.
Neither modern nor theology
We cannot actually speak of theology here either, for theology is literally “the doctrine of or about God.”
It is our conviction that this branch of
study, to be worthy of the name, may
make God the object of its investigation only if it respectfully recognizes
285
that it deals with God who has revealed himself and insofar as He has
revealed himself. But that is just
what modern theology generally
refuses to accept. According to
modern theology the Bible does not
contain any divine revelation, but
is the result of human experience. It
is a matter of men according meaning to God. And the meaning accorded to Jesus by the New Testament is merely the product of the
first Christian communities. So the
Bible contains human, historical
and religious writings that need to
be examined critically.
Hence in the state universities
theology is part of religious studies.
The world religions are studied,
and Judaism and Christianity are
given a place among them. The
term theology is therefore incorrect. Anthropology – the study of
(the writings of) religious people in a
variety of cultures – would be a
more accurate description of this
type of study. It is apparent then that
the term “modern theology” describes something that is neither
modern nor theology.
But modern theology did have
enormous impact on its surroundings. That is the reason why the Theological College was established in
Kampen in 1854. Its primary aim was
to counter the aggressive influence of
an all-destructive Bible criticism.
In connection with this it is of
more than just anecdotal interest to
mention the fact that on the occasion of the establishment of the Theological College a telegram was received from Professor J.J. van
Oosterzee of the state university of
Utrecht, quoting Exodus 3:2 “the
(bramble) bush was not consumed.”
But what does one of the spiritual
offspring of the founders of the same
Theological College write about this
very same bramble bush one and a
half centuries later? “What it was
objectively that Moses saw we don’t
know. We don’t even know if there
was anything apart from what
Moses thought he saw.” Thus wrote
one of the compilers of the report
God met ons (God with us) which
the Synodical Reformed Church
grafted on to Bible criticism, thus reducing God’s revelation to the subjective experience of Moses.
286
Disintegration
this movement belonged Dr. J.G.
Geelkerken who was deposed for
deviating from Scripture by the
Synod of Assen in 1926.
Beside this modern trend a third
trend emerged which enthusiastically snatched the Word of God and
the relevance of the Confessions
from the clutches of fossilization.
This movement produced, for example, the Korte Verklaring – the
well-known Dutch Bible Commentary series – and also promoted the
study of Calvin and other reformers, and a preaching which takes
into account the history of redemption. A refreshing wind began to
blow through the churches.
However, many theologians, especially those at the Free University
of Amsterdam disapproved strongly
of deviations from accepted current
opinion regarding Abraham Kuyper.
Most vocal in their opposition were
the Professors H.H. Kuyper and V.
Hepp. They were responsible for
lodging complaints at the Synod of
Amsterdam in 1936. Hepp wrote
four articles with the alarming title
“Looming Deformation” and H.H.
Kuyper alleged that the just-mentioned third trend promoted more
serious heresies than those condemned by the Synod Assen 1926.
This led to a proposal to appoint
deputies to examine and assess deviations from current opinions.
To cut a long story short: as a
result of all this the Synod of Utrecht
1942 made a series of doctrinal
statements which led to a split in the
churches and so to the origin of the
Liberated churches.
In short, it all amounted to the
right wing and the left wings of the
Reformed Church expelling the reformative wing. As a result of this the
left wing gained great influence and
began to overshadow the conservatives. That became very clear after the
Second World War with the growing
and continuing Bible criticism in the
former Reformed churches.
3. Abraham Kuyper and Herman
Bavinck were two of the chief opponents of Biblical criticism at the
beginning of the Twentieth Century.
They defended the reliability of
God’s Word. In America, too,
where biblical criticism had great
influence these men gave all sorts of
lectures demonstrating the reliability of God’s Word. This led to the
development of “Bible-believing
churches,” which however disintegrated into all sorts of denominations, without confessions and
church orders. Everyone could
choose the group or church they felt
most comfortable with provided it
was “Bible-believing.” This subjective attitude to life spread to the
Netherlands, especially through the
agency of the evangelical radio and
television broadcaster “Evangelische
Omroep.” Church expelling the reformative unity is replaced by oneness of heart. We will return to this
point later.
According to modern
theology the Bible does not
contain any divine
revelation, but is the result
of human experience.
Three trends
4. In outlining the developments in the
Reformed Churches in the first half
of the Twentieth Century we can
distinguish three trends.
Kuyper and Bavinck had offered
strong opposition against Bible criticism and had written powerful theological works. But their followers
threatened to become fossilized in
dogmatic subtleties. They particularly ran the risk of canonizing
Kuyper’s one-sidedness concerning
common grace, the church, the
covenant and baptism.
In opposition to this conservative
trend the so-called “critical youth”
movement arose. They wanted to
break open the shutters of the
church which separated it from the
outside and were nurtured by largely
unreformed doctrines. They wished,
for example, to assess the contents
of the Bible in the light of current
opinions and scholarship. In this
way the scholarship of the day began to prevail over the Bible. To
Here and there I made a few stylistic
changes in view of our North American
context.
1
Dr. J. De Jong is principal and professor of Diaconiology and Ecclesiology at the Theological College of the
Canadian Reformed Churches in
Hamilton, Ontario.
CLARION, JUNE 7, 2002
T
HE HI-LITER
News from Here and There
By J. de Gelder
Rockingham (W. Australia)
In some churches it is practice that
before the worship service the serving
elder leads the consistory in prayer. My
own experience is that in the Netherlands this is done in most of the
churches, whereas I found that in
Canada only a few churches maintain
this practice. I don’t know how this is
in Australia, but in Rockingham this was
obviously not done. But that has
changed, at least somewhat:
It is requested that the duty elder
lead the consistory in prayer before
a worship service where there is a
disciplinary announcement to be
made. By doing this we will place
our concerns before the Lord and
seek strength for the minister to
make the appropriate announcement. It is agreed that this will be a
practice which will commence immediately. Such a prayer will also
take place under special circumstances such as a death within the
congregation, or other tragic event.
Not a bad idea, although I think that
with a rule like this you may run into the
problem to determine when special
circumstances are special enough to
warrant this special prayer. Not a nice
thing to discuss three minutes before
your worship service starts.
Burlington Ebenezer
The Foundation for Superannuation
is set up to support the churches in providing for their retired ministers. Sometimes questions are being raised as to
whether the present structure of this
Foundation provides the best way to do
this, also when the number of retired
ministers will increase. In Burlington
Ebenezer a small committee was appointed “to investigate other options
for the Superannuation Fund to assist
the churches.” We are curious to see
what the result of this study will be.
Orangeville
A new initiative in Orangeville:
A proposal was tabled to give a oneyear subscription to Clarion as a
wedding gift to all newly married
couples who will be members of
CLARION, JUNE 7, 2002
our congregation after their marriage. This proposal was adopted.
I assume that this gift is not going to replace the traditional wedding Bible,
but that it is an addition. As such I think
it is an excellent idea to stimulate the
reading of this kind of material among
our young members. By the way, why is
this privilege only for the couples that
stay in Orangeville? Or is it perhaps a
creative way to make them stay?
Grand Valley
In Grand Valley’s bulletin Rev. P.
Aasman wrote about a peremptory examination Classis had to deal with:
The examination will continue till
beyond mid-afternoon. It will include the delivery of a sermon proposal, and then examinations in Old
Testament and New Testament exegesis (interpretation of the Bible),
church doctrine, and six other areas. You are encouraged to come.
You will not be alone, as there will
be others too. It is a sort of celebration of all the things that we as
churches find important.
That’s an interesting way of putting it. I am
not so sure if the candidate who had to
undergo this pretty rigorous and exhausting exam has experienced it as a “celebration.” Perhaps the examiners did!
Grassie and Glanbrook
Things are moving along in the Niagara Peninsula. Less than a year ago two
new churches were instituted in that area,
and one has already a minister, while
the other is busy with building plans, after purchasing a property in Grassie.
Praise God for his many blessings.
Ancaster
The Church at Ancaster has great facilities and is now ready to beautify the
outside of its building:
The proposal of the Administration
Committee to install a decorative
cross to the exterior of the northwest wall of the church building
was adopted. An alternate proposal
from a member of the congregation
to install the familiar fish symbol to
the exterior of the church building
was also given consideration. The
consistory agreed that the fish is as
fitting a Christian symbol as the
cross. One of the practical aspects
noted was that the shape of the exterior wall lends itself better to the
cross symbol than the fish symbol.
Something designers of future Canadian
Reformed church buildings should keep
in mind, I guess. What do you want: a fish
or a cross, or perhaps something else?
Lincoln
Interesting food for thought was provided by the consistory in Lincoln:
In last week’s bulletin there was an
announcement giving some more
information concerning the Education Tax Credit. This announcement
also advocated joining the Provincial PC Party in order to vote in their
upcoming leadership election.
Keeping in line with Art.30 of the
church order (“Ecclesiastical Matters”), the consistory does not endorse certain politicians over others.
Therefore, as such, this announcement should not have been printed.
First of all, it’s good to realize that Article 30 of the Church Order does not
speak in general about “ecclesiastical
matters.” It does not even define what
“ecclesiastical matters” are. It only says
that Ecclesiastical assemblies shall deal
with no other than ecclesiastical matters
and that in an ecclesiastical manner. I
think that it means that the consistory is
not supposed to make it an official consistory decision to promote a particular
politician or political party. But I am
pretty sure that the Lincoln consistory
did not do that. It was only a private
announcement in the bulletin.
That leads to the next question: does
every (requested) bulletin announcement have to be an “ecclesiastical matter” as meant in Article 30 CO? The reality is that I come across many
announcements in our bulletins that are
not dealing with ecclesiastical matters in
that sense at all: choir concerts, potluck
dinners, car rallies, volleyball tournaments, craft sales, and you name it.
You could still call these things “ecclesiastical matters,” mind you, but not
in the sense of Art 30 CO. More as an
indication that these things are of general interest for the members of the
church. In this way you can still make
287
a distinction between, let’s say a Canadian Reformed car rally, and a Rock
concert in town.
Now, politics is probably a more
sensitive topic than all the other things,
but that was not the reason given why
the announcement should not have
been printed. That reason was “it is not
an ecclesiastical matter,” and thus it
was not in line with Art 30 CO. But Art
30 CO does not speak about the bulletin. Is not our problem here that we
can make “ecclesiastical matters” as
wide or as narrow as it suits us?
And so, the question is actually: is
it wrong to endorse in the church bulletins certain politicians or political parties over others? Since we tend to disagree vehemently on political issues
and preferences it may not be a wise
thing to do if you want to keep the
peace in your congregation, but it is
wrong? I would not know why.
If you think about it, even a consistory could get directly involved in political matters. Imagine that a brother or
sister, perhaps not through the bulletin,
but in private conversations, was actively recruiting members for a communist party or nazi party – would a
consistory do something and take a
stand, or ignore it on the ground that endorsing certain politicians over others
is not an ecclesiastical matter?
There is in the Acts of the General
Synod of the Reformed Churches in The
Netherlands of 1936 an interesting article (art 272) where the Synod deals with
the membership of Nazi organizations
(and similar groups). The conclusion is
that members of the Reformed Churches
should not participate in those organizations. If they do, they should be admonished, and – if they refuse to change
– be put under discipline. Now that is an
ecclesiastical matter in the full Art 30
sense of the word!
You could even go a step further,
and wonder whether a consistory
should not be more proactive sometimes in dealing with what people call
“political issues.” I think that the dividing line is not always that clear. Political
issues are often also ethical issues, or
have at least ethical implications that
should be judged and responded to in
the light of Scripture. No one denies
that, but who should do it?
Recently we see some renewed efforts to rekindle interest in political matters by reviving the ARPAs. That is great,
especially to get more people involved
in political activities. But why can a
consistory not speak out in public to
make the biblical position of the church
known on particular developments in
288
our society? It can only back up the
brothers and sisters that get their hands
on experience in an ARPA.
I realize that these contemplations
have led us far from Lincoln’s bulletin
notice. Sorry, brothers, but that’s how it
goes. Food for thought and one thought
leads to another.
Kerwood
Since we are in phase 2 in our relationship with the United Reformed
Churches, many churches are actively
seeking ways to implement the possibilities of growing toward greater unity.
Some churches are farther ahead than
others, but even for a powerless church
there is hope. Read what Rev. Slaa
wrote a while ago about what happened in Kerwood, when on a Sunday
morning it was discovered that the
church was without power:
Further, the consistory saw fit to encourage the membership to worship
at the United Reformed Church
nearest them. Most of the families
took up this suggestion. It was a
blessing to be hosted by our brothers and sisters in the Lord. We are
thankful that this opportunity was
given to us by the Lord, and may it,
too, serve in our efforts to work toward unity.
Without power we may be ready for
unity even before the originally suggested target year 2004!
Surrey - Maranatha
A few interesting points gleaned
from council meetings in Surrey:
The “repeated” signing of the Subscription Form is brought into discussion. The rationale behind this
is the parallel situation of the
parental vows that are made at Baptism, for each and every child born
to parents. The Form for Infant Baptism asks each and every time,
whether or not the parents will “instruct the child in these things. . .”. It
is concluded that the Subscription
Form should therefore continue to
be signed each and every time, as it
is a safeguard against any change
in attitude of office bearers in this
broken creation.
Although the similarity with the parental
vows at infant baptism is not quite clear
to me, the last sentence says it all. Indeed, as long as we don’t have elders for
life, signing after every ordination is the
proper way.
Here is something else:
The corresponding clerk was instructed to write to the Board of Governors of the Theological College in
Hamilton with the request they move
the College evening in September
2002 to a Fraser Valley location.
That would be an interesting development. Who is next? Australia? One final
thing:
A question is raised about how our
Church address list appears to have
been passed on to a local Deli. It is
noted that neither Council or Consistory has ever condoned this practice
and it is hoped that however this happened, that it will not be repeated.
The church should at least have received a percentage of the profit this
Deli-owner made by using the church’s
address list.
Langley
One can unearth interesting things
when you dig into matters of liturgy
and worship. Rev. Visscher from Langley wrote:
Recently, and especially during the
feast days, we did something that
happened earlier in the days of our
late beloved pastor, the Rev. D.
VanderBoom. What did we do? We
did some modified antiphonal
singing in that not everyone sang at
the same time.
From the reactions received that
while many of you appreciated this,
some of you did have your questions.
Is it right to do this? Is it not biblical
to have the entire congregation sing
every song together all of the time?
All of this drove me back to the
books and I have to say that I came
back more convinced than ever that
real antiphonal singing is biblical
and desirable. Take a close look at
the Psalms 15, 24, 118, 134 and others. You will soon see that they are
meant to be sung antiphonally. It is
even to be regretted that we have
somehow strayed from this practice,
as well as some of the other musical
practices of the ancient church.
So where does that leave us?
Surely it leaves us with a need to read,
reflect and discuss these matters.
Study the Psalms, the books of Kings
and Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah.
Also pick up a copy of a book written
by Dr. K. Deddens called Where
everything points to Him and read especially chapter 12 called “Antiphonal Singing in Worship.”
Definitely something that will get you thinking, and so I leave you with this advice.
Till the next time.
Rev. J. de Gelder is minister of the
Flamborough Canadian Reformed
Church in Ontario.
CLARION, JUNE 7, 2002
Mass Band – March 23, 2002
By Liz DeWit
Sometimes we receive the opportunity to experience a foreshadowing of
the praise that will resound in heaven
and on earth in the day of our Lord.
On March 23, at the Ellerslie Baptist Church in Edmonton, dreams became reality as all the instruments of
Psalm 150, in the hands of more than
200 students from the school bands of
Western Canada, united in praising
God. Present were: Credo Christian
High School Band from Langley, B.C.,
directed by Heres Snijder, Instruments
of Christ from Neerlandia directed by
Mrs. Davida Tuininga, Parkland Immanuel Christian School Senior and Junior Bands from Edmonton directed by
Kent Dykstra, Tyndale Christian School
Band from Calgary directed by Otto
Bouwman, Coaldale Christian School
Band directed by Mrs. Elsie Eelhart, Immanuel Christian School Band from
Winnipeg directed by Mrs. Grietje
Gortemaker, and Dufferin Christian
School Band from Carman directed by
Andy Huisman. All these bands have
put in enormous effort and extensive
planning in order to be able to participate in this event.
Our thanks go to Grace VanDasselaar, Davida Tuininga, and Sonja VanLeeuwen and their husbands and to
Kent Dykstra for their excellent organization of this event.
The idea of a Mass Band Concert
originated at Mass Choir 2000. Subsequently band directors engaged the support of parents and began the fund raising required to achieve the goal.
The Friday practice took place in
Parkland Immanuel Christian School.
Those who have attended a symphony concert would have recognized the pre-concert pattern. Students sauntered in, picked up their
instruments, put reeds into their
mouths, and turning to a specific part
of some arrangement where they felt
insecure, played through a sheet of
music. Slowly a cacophony of sound
CLARION, JUNE 7, 2002
and rhythm built as each student
worked on a different section or
piece. Sudden silence fell as the director entered and raised his baton.
The concert was held at Ellerslie
Baptist Church, almost filled to its 1000
seat capacity. Kent Dykstra opened the
concert with thanks to God, a theme
that was at once enlarged by audience
and band as together they opened with
Psalm 100:1, 4 proclaiming the faithfulness of the Lord, a faithfulness displayed before us as we saw our young
people, gathered from across the west,
sitting together in the front with their
instruments.
Grietje Gortemaker led the Mass
Band in its opening piece “Rudimental Regiment,” featuring drums and
brass followed by Mrs. Elsie Eelhart
with “Hang on Sloopy,” a student
favourite. “Spring Fever” conducted by
Heres Snijder, used drumming, a
shaker and cymbals to convey to us
the restlessness and pent up energy of
people in spring.
Alberta bands combined to present “Trumpet Voluntary,” a piece that
set our fingers tapping. “Entrance of
the Tall Ships” played by Edmonton
and Neerlandia, conjured images of
majestic ships approaching and entering a safe haven. “Ave Verum Corpus”
from Neerlandia, “Rockin’ Rondeau”
and “A Choral Prelude” from Edmonton were played by junior bands which
began practicing this school year,
some in a regular band class, some as
an extra-curricular activity. Their
progress was amazing.
Winnipeg’s band presented a medley of psalms and hymns followed by
“Anasazi,” reminiscent of a North
American tribe. The selections ended
on a light note with “Old MacDonald’s Band.” Carman utilized contrast
with its energetic “Dyno Rock” and its
lyrical “River Grove Reflections” where
the flutes led us to the river and showed
us the beauty of creation in the reflections on the water. Following “Sousa!
Sousa! Sousa!” a rousing piece, the
Winnipeg and Carman bands played
“Dorchester,” a concert march and
“Rustic Overture.”
British Columbia’s band started
with “Instant Concert,” a medley of
twenty-five familiar tunes, and “Ballet
289
Music from Faust” which highlighted
different sections of the Credo Christian Band. This section followed with
“Resounding Praise,” a rendition of
Psalm 150 played by the band, sung
by the audience and envisioned by
Credo art classes. “When You Believe” combined band and singing
talent against a backdrop of student
and computer generated art. The band
ended with “Father’s Footsteps,” reminiscent of the war and oppression,
relating also to the grief, hope and
trust expressed by Habakkuk. The audience joined with this band in the
singing of Hymn 10.
The freewill offering of $2000 was
designated for the Canadian Reformed
World Relief Fund.
The final portion of the program
consisted of Mass Band pieces. “Liberty
Overture” conducted by Andy Huisman built from a slow, peaceful opening
to a joyous expression of freedom interwoven with a second theme stimulating
us to be active. Beethoven’s “Joyful,
Joyful” conducted by Kent Dykstra built
to a majestic climax of joy. Two pieces
remained, “O Canada” and Hymn 65.
Words cannot describe the strength, the
conviction and the celebration of this
“O Canada.” It was glorious. For all this
we thanked our God with the playing
and singing of Hymn 65. Andy Huisman
led us in thanksgiving prayer.
Now it is past. That wee bit of apprehension has been replaced with the
glow of accomplishment and of new
friendships. Names of people in other
bands have become faces, personalities, fellow players, friends. “Great” and
“awesome” were the words spontaneously springing up again and again.
Communion of saints has become a
much larger concept.
It was indeed a privilege to be there
and, already, we are looking forward to
future performances. Some day we will
play, sing and listen with even greater
glory, on the day of our Lord.
bigger pool of volunteers to serve on
this committee. Next on the list for
printing is: Believe and Confess Vol. 1,
an outline on the Belgic Confession by
Rev. C.G. Bos, 1 & 2 Timothy, a work
book by Rev. D.G.J. Agema, The Bride’s
Treasure and To the Praise of His Glory,
an outline on the Canons of Dort by
Dr. J. Faber, and The Lord and Giver of
Life, an outline on the work of the Holy
Spirit by A.N. Hendriks. Sales are up ap-
proximately $6000 from last fiscal year.
Marketing is still done by sending reports
to local church representatives. ILPB has
expanded their advertising to include
various Reformed publications. Our budget was presented and approved. Our
book inventory is currently valued at approximately $57,000. The Policy Manual will be updated. The Press Release
was approved, and brother J. Schouten
closed in prayer.
PRESS RELEASE
Press Release of the meeting of the
Board of Directors of the
InterLeague Publication Board
with the Administration
Committee held on April 12, 2002
Brother E. Vanderlaan opened the
meeting with the reading of 2 Timothy
3. The agenda was adopted. We are
contemplating moving the Administration Committee out of London to another location where there might be a
290
CLARION, JUNE 7, 2002
The Teachers’ College Seen Through
Western Eyes
By Jane deGlint
No matter where we live, sooner
or later our spot on the map turns into
the centre of the world. Our place of
residence folds around us like a comfortable coat. We live in it. We get used
to it. It determines how we view the rest
of the world and what we notice in it.
We become interwoven with our geographical location and its views.
The Canadian and American Reformed churches are spread out over a
very large terrain. They are so far apart
geographically, that there is lots of
room for the formation of more than
one centre of the world. However,
these churches are often conveniently
grouped into “East” and “West,” with
the assumed boundary located on the
border between Manitoba and Ontario, and roughly down south from
there. (This order reveals my western
focus. Easterners would call this same
imaginary line the border between Ontario and Manitoba.)
The church members in the West
make their home in the youngest part of
the country. Their towns and cities are
only about a hundred years old, if not
younger. They never see impressive
cathedrals or stately brick farmhouses.
They do not miss them either. They are
happy in their own setting of vast
ruggedness and relative simplicity.
They also show the fierce independence that characterizes youth. Like
the East, they come together to study
topics of vital importance to congregational living; yet they are not as
likely to contact a professor of the
Theological College to see whether
he is willing to share some of his insights for an evening. Since it takes a
fair bit of planning to have a professor
CLARION, JUNE 7, 2002
speak out west, Westerners draw from
sources closer to home. When teachers (principals) in the West encounter
unusual situations or complicated
problems, they are more likely to find
solutions on their own, while schools
which are closer to “where the sun
rises” might conceivably seek feedback from Covenant Canadian Reformed Teachers’ College. This contact occurs somewhat naturally
through the personal and professional
ties that connect the college to the “local” schools.
To me fell the privilege of discovering the world of Covenant Canadian
Reformed Teachers’ College as a representative from the West. Walking
into the college building I entered a
territory which I knew existed, but
which I had never felt around me like
a coat.
As I learned my way around, I
made several discoveries indeed. This
was a veritable college, with very capable instructors, highly motivated students, a well-organized board, an extensive resource centre, and a
stunningly efficient secretary.
However, through the discovery of
these practical components the veil
was lifted from a much loftier truth. As
faculty and students apply themselves
to the daily task, they uncover the rich
treasure trove of the Reformed faith.
They study the Bible, they learn the
dogmas, they test the spirits, they submit to the Word. But they do more.
They find the connections between
their belief and the different practical
components of their studies. As a result
they learn to apply the Reformed faith
to their lives. Of course, this happens
in varying degrees in different people.
But as the students learn the beauty of
the Reformed faith, they integrate their
convictions into their lives. They become Reformed teachers.
As I write this down, my Western
coat starts tugging at me. It gently and
inoffensively reminds me that I know
many Reformed teachers who only
have a distant acquaintance with Reformed teachers’ training. In truth, it is
beyond doubt that there are more ways
than one to learn how to teach Reformedly. Conversely, all those who
graduate from “Covenant” may not in
fact become Reformed teachers. The
most important qualification for truly
Reformed teachers is their willingness
and ability to apply their faith as they
teach the youth of the covenant.
And, of course, in the West we are
used to making things work. It is our
way of life. But this fierce independence
should not close our eyes for better
ways out. Our independence may be
fierce, but so is the battle of the spirits.
The deceiver is constantly trying to attack the church. What better way to do
so than subtly misleading the teachers
of the youth. In order to stand united
on the spiritual battle line, teachers
from the East and from the West can
draw from and contribute to the work
at the Reformed Teachers’ College.
It is our challenge to give this
shape. And when I say “our,” I mean
both centres of our North American
world, and conceivably beyond that.
As we share our riches, the treasure
will multiply.
291
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Please mail, e-mail or fax letters for publication to the editorial address.
They should be 300 words or less. Those published may be edited for style or length.
Please include address and phone number.
To the editor:
It is with great interest that I saw
the response of Margaret and John
Helder to the series of articles by Dr.
Oosterhoff on Reformed approaches to
faith and science issues. The creationevolution debate has been a longstanding interest of mine, and I teach a
course at Dordt College that examines
in detail both the theological and scientific aspects of this debate.
I applaud the efforts of the Helders
to point out that Christian scientists
have done their work to see God’s wisdom and glory revealed in the things
He has made. Further, I appreciate their
criticism of the rules of secular science, which allows only naturalistic
explanations of the world. Thus by a
secular definition of science, any supernatural explanation of creation is
dismissed as being unscientific. Christians, on the other hand, confess that
God has worked in supernatural ways
in creation, and they see the evidence
of design in creation.
However, the Helders seem to have
missed the point of Dr. Oosterhoff’s articles. Her articles were not a criticism
of creationism per se, i.e., that supernatural events were used by God in
the creation of this world and that natural processes are insufficient to account for the complexity and diversity
of living organisms. Dr. Oosterhoff’s
criticisms were directed to the particular brand of creationism espoused by
many in the North American (not European) Reformed tradition, including
the Helders, namely Creation Science.
The Helder article frames the debate
as Creation Science versus naturalistic
evolution, with no other options. The
Helders appear not to have taken to
heart Dr. Oosterhoff’s comment, “As a
result, the impression is left that scientific creationism is the most appropriate
and indeed the only means to fight an
anti-Christian evolutionism.” By leaving exactly that impression, the Helders
imply that Dr. Oosterhoff supports evo292
lution. This is not true, as Dr. Oosterhoff
clearly indicates in her articles, and it is
disingenuous to imply such a thing.
Further, the Helders claim that,
“Dr. Oosterhoff . . .implies that Christians should not derive any conclusions from nature, either based on biblical evidence or not.” Again, this
appears to be based on a misreading of
Dr. Oosterhoff’s articles, where she
writes, “. . . Bavinck acknowledged the
limitations of human knowing, confessing that not only in science but in
all fields of learning, including theology, we know only in part. He did so,
however, without lapsing into an attitude of skepticism or relativism. The
fact that human knowledge is not exhaustive did not mean for Bavinck that
it cannot be true, reliable, and sufficient.” (third article). Thus the Helders’
claim that Dr. Oosterhoff suggests that
“. . . we should ignore much of the natural world” is mistaken.
On the contrary, a Reformed approach to science clearly expects to derive some truths from observations of
the world. The Helders correctly quote
Psalm 19 and other Bible passages
which indicate that God’s wisdom and
power are evident in the world around
us. We also confess in the second article of the Belgic Confession, that God
makes Himself known to us by the creation, preservation and government of
the universe. This is why it is utterly
confusing and self-contradictory when
the Helders state that, “. . . both evolution and creation views were metaphysical or matters of belief.” Further,
they refer several times to the “creation model,” implying that scientific
data can be interpreted either by a creation model or an evolution model.
This is made more explicit in the second article, in which the Helders give
their explanation of “how science
works.” In this article, they discuss the
use of paradigms in science. The concept of a scientific paradigm was popularized by Thomas Kuhn in his essay
“The Structure of Scientific Revolu-
tions” (University of Chicago Press,
1962). As the Helders explain, a scientific paradigm is a comprehensive way
of understanding the natural world.
One might define a paradigm as being
a scientific worldview. A paradigm
need not be completely correct, and
Kuhn shows that scientific revolutions
have involved the rejection of one paradigm for another, which better explains the data. The Helders call evolutionism a scientific paradigm, and I
would agree. Most scientists operate
under the presumption that evolution is
a fact, and it is very difficult for them
to understand that their foundational
assumption may be incorrect.
While there is value in thinking in
terms of paradigms, there is also a danger
in taking this too far. Since a paradigm
is just a model or a framework for
understanding, it doesn’t necessarily
represent reality. However, Christian
scientists operate under the knowledge
that what they are observing is real, because God is revealing his power and
wisdom in what he has made. The
Helders claim that since Creation scientists operate under a different paradigm
(a Creation one), they can interpret the
data differently from an evolutionist.
This implies that one’s philosophical
position makes all the difference in
how one interprets the data! The
Helders quote Dr. John Byl (with approval), who says that one can always
construct a model which is consistent
with one’s own paradigm. In a sense
that’s true, but often these explanations are rather contrived. For example
it is still possible to explain our solar
system mathematically by the Ptolemaic (earth-centred) system. But that
clearly is not the simplest or most
likely explanation.
But wait a minute! Does this mean
that the data mean nothing, because
the only thing that’s important is one’s
starting presuppositions? Of course not!
The heavens declare the glory of God
to unbelievers as well as believers, but
the unbelievers wilfully refuse to
CLARION, JUNE 7, 2002
acknowledge it (Rom 1:21). Similarly,
scientific research gives us truths, but
we may not always acknowledge
them. For the Helders to claim that
scientific data can be equally explained by two different paradigms is
relativistic thinking and inconsistent
with Psalm 19 and Romans 1. Either
one or the other conclusion is consistent with the data, or else there are insufficient data to resolve the issue.
The problem with Creation Science is
that it simply ignores conflicting data
and acknowledges only the data that
is consistent with their position. Is that
good science? Scientists must be able
to admit that their paradigm and hence
their interpretation of data are still tentative, something the Creation Science
movement seems unwilling to do.
Thus while wrongly accusing Dr.
Oosterhoff of denying the ability to
draw conclusions from nature, the
Helders do that very thing!
In this vein, it is interesting that
the Helders quote Paul Nelson and
John Mark Reynolds (with approval)
in their definition of the recent creation position. In the same article (in
Three Views on Creation and Evolution), Nelson and Reynolds, while
defending their recent creation position, candidly admit that, “Natural
science at the moment seems to overwhelmingly point to an old cosmos”
(page 49). Thus, according to Nelson
and Reynolds, the weight of the scientific evidence is against the recent creation position. By this admission, Nelson and Reynolds freely admit that
their science and their theology are in
apparent conflict. Can we accept such
a situation? Can God’s two books contradict each other? To deal with these
apparent conflicts, the Helders suggest
that, “Those [scientific theories] which
do not meet traditional Christian criteria, must be rejected.” This sounds
God-honouring, but the Helders make
one important but unacknowledged assumption. They are assuming that their
“traditional” interpretation is above
scrutiny. The Helders correctly state (in
the context of observing nature) that,
“All we can do is make tentative conclusions based on the evidence we
have.” Not only should conclusions be
made using all the scientific evidence,
but such tentativeness is also called
for in biblical interpretation.
It would be good for Clarion readers
to understand that the Creation Science
movement is not based on Reformed
theology, as Dr. Oosterhoff has clearly
CLARION, JUNE 7, 2002
shown. On the contrary, it derives from
the Seventh Day Adventist theology of
Ellen White and the fundamentalist
component of American evangelicalism. Neither of these approaches does
justice to the richness and original
meaning of Scripture, particularly the
first chapter of Genesis. This is not to
say that the Creation Science people
are not valuable allies in the fight
against evolutionary naturalism. In recent years they have made a concerted
effort to clean up the shoddy science
which plagued the movement in the
past. Scientists with legitimate credentials work for organizations like Answers in Genesis and the Institute for
Creation Research. However, their approach to Scripture and their method of
doing science are not in line with Reformed thinking and thus Creation Science should be viewed with caution
by Reformed believers.
Dr. Tony Jelsma
Sioux Center, Iowa
Reply to Dr. Jelsma
Dr. Jelsma summarizes the most important difference between himself and
creation advocates: “Not only should
conclusions be made using all scientific
evidence, but such tentativeness is also
called for in Biblical interpretation.” (last
sentence of second to last paragraph).
Really? Does he really mean that we
must be prepared to revise our understanding of Scripture? . . . on the basis
of what? Many Christians of liberal
views advocate revising our understanding of Scripture on the basis of our
current views of science. Dr. Howard
van Til, Professor Emeritus of Calvin
College, is a case in point here.
We ask Dr. Jelsma. Were living organisms separately created in their
kinds within the space of six normal
days? We say yes. Were Adam and Eve
real people with no ancestors, who
lived only a few thousand years ago?
We say yes. Was there a real worldwide flood? We say yes. These are not
issues of “Reformed” or not Reformed,
they are what the Bible teaches. If other
groups come to similar conclusions,
that is O.K. We will not discard our
position on that irrelevant account.
Based on a literal reading of Genesis,
we interpret the data from nature.
Concerning less significant issues,
Dr. Jelsma concludes that we suggest
the evolution and creation models are
equally valid. What nonsense. We do
not imply that the creation model and
evolution model are equally valid,
only that, when God’s work is not recognized, secular scientists have no
choice but to interpret nature in terms
of matter and process alone. This is
clearly different from the creation
based approach.
Dr. Jelsma also insists that Creation
Science ignores data. This is exactly the
opposite of our approach and intent.
Later he says that we assume the “traditional” approach to be above
scrutiny. Indeed, indeed. Our criteria
for interpreting origins issues is firstly
Scripture and secondly, the data. One
would hope that all Bible believing
Christians would support this position.
Dr. Jelsma says that “the Helders
imply that Dr. Oosterhoff supports evolution.” We imply no such thing. In
our responses we merely defend creation science and focus on the fact
that creation science opposes naturalistic evolution. In addition, Dr. Jelsma
appears to ignore that we view the
“Reformed” scholars, Kuyper and
Bavinck, having much in common with
creation science of today.
Margaret Helder,
John Helder
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293
UR LITTLE MAGAZINE
O
By Aunt Betty
Dear Busy Beavers
Do you enjoy looking after people? Do you enjoy talking
to people, even if they are sick? How about people who are
in a wheelchair? Do you like to talk to them or do things for
them? My grandfather used to use a wheelchair when he was
older, and he did some amazing things, even though he
had limited use of his legs.
After all, people who are sick, people who are in a
wheelchair, people who are old, are still people and still
need looking after, just like you and me. How would you
feel if you got sick and nobody, not a single person, came
to look after you, to cook you a meal, to make sure you were
okay? You would be very, very lonely, wouldn’t you.
That is why it is very important that we use what is
known as the “communion of saints” in the Church, isn’t it?
That way, people who are sick are always in another person’s mind and they will always have somebody around,
particularly when they really need someone to be with them.
It is also the old people in the church, whose children have
left home and may be far away, who need your help. Don’t
be shy. Go to them and talk to them. They will always be
happy for you to speak with them and to tell them about your
day. My grandparents loved it when we would pop in every
day after school (we lived next door to them), just to say hi.
Next time you see someone walking away from church,
looking very lonely, or if you know that someone is sick, you
ask your Mom if you are allowed to visit them. I am sure
that your Mom won’t mind, and I am also sure that the sick
person will love to see you, even if it is just to talk to them.
Try it and tell me how you went, okay?
Lots of love, Aunt Betty
Penpal Wanted
Melissa is 10 years old. She would like to have a pen pal to
share letters with. Her favourite animal is a moose. Her
favourite food is her mom’s homemade pizza (yummy).
If you would like to write to her, please do so to:
Melissa Ligtenberg
134 Limridge Road East, Hamilton, ON L9A 2S3
Elephant Jokes
What do you give an elephant that’s going to be sick?
Plenty of space.
What do you call an elephant in a telephone box?
Stuck.
What do you get if you cross an elephant with a spider?
I don’t know, but if it crawled over your ceiling, the house
would collapse.
What do you get if you cross an elephant with a sparrow?
Broken telephone lines!
Why did the elephant stand on the marshmallow?
So he wouldn’t fall into the hot chocolate.
294
June Birthdays
2
17
Albert Buikema
Melanie Spanninga
5
22
Kailey Swaving
Jocelyn Schoon
Puzzles
Soldiers
Soldiers are mentioned frequently in the Bible.
Match the soldier with the correct event.
1. Centurion of an Italian
cohort
2. Had eyes put out by the
Philistines
3. Had an army of a million
men
4. Had bodyguards who
could throw and shoot
with either hand
5. Waged war with Ahab
against Syria
6. The Syrians fled before
him
7. Prayed and an angel destroyed the Assyrian army
8. Caught his head on a tree
9. Was defeated by the
Chaldeans
10. Centurion assigned to
guard Paul
a. Jehoshaphat, 2 Chronicles
18:1,30
b. Hezekiah, 2 Chronicles
32:20-21
c. Joab, 1 Chronicles 19:14
d. Absalom, 2 Samuel 18:910
e. Samson, Judges 16:20-21
f. Julius, Acts 27:1
g. Zedekiah, Jeremiah 39:5
h. Zerah, 2 Chronicles 14:9
i. Cornelius, Acts 10:1
j. David, 1 Chronicles 11:1-2
FROM THE MAILBOX
Thank you to Julia VanLaar for your
letter and puzzle. It was great to hear
from you again. Are your cat and dog back
to being friends again, Julia? Did you
have a fun spring break, even though you
didn’t go anywhere? At home holidays can
still be fun, though, because there are so
many things you can still do at home. Can you tell me when
your birthday is, Julia. I seem to have lost your date of
birth. Bye, till next time.
Hello and welcome to the Busy Beaver club, Melissa
Ligtenberg. It was great to hear from you, too. You must have
quite a big block where you live to be able to ride your scooter
around it. Your favourite animal is a moose. What happens
when you have two of them – do they become mooses or
mice? I guess they are a little bigger than mice, so they must
be mooses. That’s a trick question for you. Bye for now.
CLARION, JUNE 7, 2002
CLARION
ADVERTISEMENTS
Births
With thankfulness to the Lord for making all things well, we announce the birth of our son and brother
ZACHARY JAMES
Born March 29, 2002
Brian and Barbara Harsevoort
Bethany, Jeremy
RR 1, Jarvis, ON N0A 1J0
We give thanks to our gracious Father and praise His name for He
has heard our prayers and granted us a healthy son
KENTON JOHN BARTELS
Born February 12, 2002
A brother for Jessica, Jaime and Kerri†
Wayne and Hilda Bartels
3160 Kirk Road, RR 2, Binbrook, ON L0R 1C0
With thankfulness to our heavenly Father who has again blessed our
family, we joyfully announce the safe and healthy arrival of our son and
brother
DANIEL AARON
Born March 28, 2002
Tim and Cindy Vanderpol (nee Huttema)
A brother for Mark, Megan, Stephen and Kathryn
RR 3, Owen Sound, ON N4K 5N5
[email protected]
We thank the Lord God for the safe arrival of
ALLY MARIAH and ETHAN BRETT
Born on April 1, 2002
A sister and brother for Shania and Kaitlyn
Darcy and Laura Van Beek (nee Terpsma)
Box 162, Neerlandia, AB T0G 1R0
We give thanks to our Covenant God who has graciously entrusted to
us one of His own. We joyfully announce the birth of our new baby girl
JANESSA GABRIELLE
Born March 27, 2002
Ralph and Tania DeBruin (nee Werkman)
A little sister for Brandan and Rebekah
7416-188 Street, Edmonton, AB T5T 5J7
Despite earlier concerns, the LORD truly heard our prayers. By His
grace and faithfulness we are blessed to announce the birth of our
son
CALEB WILLIAM
Born April 5, 2002
Welcomed by his big sister Brooke
Chris and Eleanor Schulenberg (nee Smouter)
17th grandchild for Ernie and Jane Schulenberg
23rd grandchild for Albert and Helena Smouter
2457 Shurie Road, RR 2, Smithville, ON L0R 2A0
CLARION, JUNE 7, 2002
Engagements
With thanks and praise to our faithful God who brought us together,
we
MICHELLE BLOKKER and
GERALD LENTING
joyfully announce our engagement on April 12, 2002.
984 Farnham Road, London, ON N6K 1S1
Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol Him with music
and song” Psalm 95:2
Trusting this to be God’s will for our lives, we
WESLEY RICHARD BLOKKER and
JACLYN GERALDINE BARTELS
announce our engagement, April 26, 2002.
We plan to exchange our vows before Christ and His Church on
October 4, 2002, D.V.
SS 11 - 1508 Hwy 54, Caledonia, ON N3W 2G9
Weddings
With thankfulness to the Lord, Mr. and Mrs. Casey and Betty Dehaas
joyfully announce the marriage of their daughter
MARIA ELIZABETH to SHANE GREGORY
son of Mr. and Mrs. Cliff and Judy Welfing.
The ceremony will take place, the Lord willing, on July 6, 2002 at
12:30 p.m. at the Abbotsford Canadian Reformed Church, Abbotsford, BC.
Rev. P. Holtvlüwer officiating.
Staff Sergeant Casey Dehaas
Community Services Division
555 Columbia Street, New Westminster, BC V3L 1B2
Phone: 604-529-2498; Cell: 604-328-5381;
Fax: 604-529-2402
Email: [email protected]
Anniversaries
1972 ~ May 20 ~ 2002
Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the rock eternal.
Isaiah 26:4
With joy and thankfulness to the Lord we are pleased to announce
the 30th Wedding Anniversary of our dear parents and grandparents
HARRY and BETTY SCHOLTENS (nee Hofsink)
With Love:
Zwany and Pat Havenaar
Devon and Kyle
Hilda and Wayne Bartels
Jessica, Jamie, Kerri† and Kenton
Jenn and Rob Oostdyk
Emma
John Scholtens
Adrian Scholtens and Teri Oosterhoff
2123 Meadowbrook Road, Burlington, ON L7P 2A6
295
Den Hague, Holland – 1952 ~ June 25 ~ 2002 – Burlington, Ontario
. . . and God blessed them . . . Genesis 1:28
The LORD willing, we will celebrate the
GOLDEN Wedding Anniversary
of our dear parents and grandparents
ARIE and ANNE HORDYK (nee Hartman)
We thank the Lord who has kept them in His care.
Beamsville, ON:
Beamsville, ON:
John and Jenny Hordyk
Esther
Michelle and Adrian Versteeg
Anna Hordyk and Joe Snyder
Aaron
Tim
Matthew
Rosemarie
Rebecca
Simon
Betty and Eric VanEs
Peter
Dave
Ellie
Arie
Andy
Daniel
1952 ~ July 11 ~ 2002
Thankful to our heavenly Father for keeping them in His care,
we announce with joy, the
50th Wedding Anniversary
of our dear parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents
JOHN and JOANNE VANDERMOOREN (nee TenBrinke)
May the Lord continue to guide them and keep them.
Burlington, ON:
Matt and Ruby VanderMooren
Alana, Joanne, Emma, Kayla
Henry and Caroline VanderMooren
Houston, BC:
Ryan, Trevor, Jonathan, Kathleen,
Heather, Justine, Lynae, Megan
Hettie and Gerry VanderGaag
Smithers, BC:
Wendy and Dan Barendregt,
Dawson, Taylor
Karen and KJ Vandenberg
Colin, Jennifer, Emily, Travis, Leanne
Cor and Margaret VanderMooren
Houston, BC:
Kyle, Jaclyn, Rachelle
Box 162, Houston, BC V0J 1Z0
296
Waterdown, ON:
Joanne and Harry Hutten
John
Chris
Johanna
Ashley
Michael
Kaitlyn
Grand Valley, ON: Evelyn and Paul Aasman
Joshua
Mark
Amber
Leah
Reuben
Kilbride, ON:
Peter and Debbie Hordyk
Jacob
Renee
Burlington, ON:
Trix and Ed Aasman
Scott
David
Adam
Harry
May 21, 1977 ~ May 21, 2002
Psalm 118:27: The Lord is God, and He has made His light shine upon us.
It is with thanksgiving and praise to the Lord, that we were blessed
with our 25th Wedding Anniversary, which we joyfully celebrated with
our dear children and family.
RICK and MARGARET MEYER (nee VAN WIJK)
Charla Meyer and Doug Kok
Breanne
Justin
313 Nicholas Crescent, Aldergrove, BC V4W 3K9
Obituaries
May 8, 1932 – April 10, 2002
Psalm 25
The Lord has taken unto Himself, into eternal glory, at His appointed time, our brother-in-law and uncle
TIEME MEINTS
Winnipeg, MB:
Henry and Fennie† Versteeg
Granisle, BC:
Herman and Tina Dallinga
Guelph, ON:
Dale and Anne Dallinga
Many nieces and nephews.
CLARION, JUNE 7, 2002
1912 – Psalm 103 – 2002
But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon those who fear Him, and His righteousness to children’s children.
Psalm 103:17
The LORD took to Himself on May 6th, 2002 in his 90th year
BEREND JAN HARSEVOORT
Beloved husband of the late Siena Harsevoort-Hutten (1980)
Loved father, father-in-law, grandfather and great-grandfather of
Mount Hope, ON: Grace and John Vanderwoude
Sidney Vanderwoude† (1984)
Brad and Angela Vanderwoude
Jordan, Bronte, Kennedy, Tierra
Sonja and James Heeringa
Kevin, Sydney, Alexa
Jay and Wilma Vanderwoude
Mitchell, Kyra, Jaymee
Justin Vanderwoude† (1994)
Trevor and Alison Vanderwoude
Emma
Ed and Suzanna Vanderwoude
Tasha Vanderwoude
Albert and Carolyn Vanderwoude
Reuben Vanderwoude
Diane Vanderwoude
Ancaster, ON:
Harry and Tina Harsevoort
Shauna and Paul Krikke
Spencer, Connor
Karen Harsevoort
Bernie and Elaine Harsevoort
James and Rose Harsevoort
Karissa
Matthew Harsevoort
Laura Harsevoort and Kevin Heyink
Burlington, ON:
Herman and Jane Harsevoort
Lisa and Art Pieterman
Timothy, Deanna, Alison, Amanda
Brian and Barb Harsevoort
Bethany, Jeremy, Zachary
Rick and Alicia Harsevoort
John and Kim Harsevoort
Michael Harsevoort
Stuart Harsevoort
Pieter Harsevoort
Stoney Creek, ON: Ben and Hanna Harsevoort
Marja and Kevin Fledderus
William, Frederick
Sara and Joseph Whetstone
Joel Harsevoort
Abbotsford, BC:
Frances and Piet VanderPol
Norma and Mike Kobald
Alexander, Larissa
Bill and Amy VanderPol
P.J., Colin
Phil and Jennefer VanderPol
Jordan, Brent, Joel
Mike and Tina VanderPol
Justin, Linden
Cindy and Mark Tiessen
Janelle, Noah
Rachel and Tim Ludwig
Elsa VanderPol
Margaret VanderPol
Joni VanderPol
Benjamin VanderPol
Calvin VanderPol
John VanderPol
Waterdown, ON: John and Jannette Harsevoort
Bernie Harsevoort
Len Harsevoort and Sara Jagt
Jeff Harsevoort
Andrew Harsevoort
Hamilton, ON:
Diane Driegen
Houston, BC:
Arend Driegen
Hamilton, ON:
Paul and Erin Driegen
Sharon and Pete DeWaard
Aileen Driegen and Josh Hofsink
Dan Driegen
Eric Driegen
Burlington, ON:
Margaret and Harpert VanderWel
Dear Uncle to
Burlington, ON:
Canboro, ON:
Dear brother-in-law to,
Hamilton, ON:
Janke Hutten
Waterdown, ON: John and Jane Hutten
Gerry and Janny Jans
Gerald and Hetty Jans
George and Ella Jans
Mailing Address: J. Vanderwoude, 7055 Airport Road, Mount Hope, ON L0R 1W0
CLARION, JUNE 7, 2002
297
October 26, 1933 – April 23, 2002
Psalm 121
The LORD, in His infinite compassion and mercy has taken His
child, our sister, sister-in-law, and aunt
FENNIE VERSTEEG (nee Dallinga)
Houston, BC:
Aly and Tieme† Meints
Granisle, BC:
Herman and Tina Dallinga
Guelph, ON:
Dale and Anne Dallinga
Many nieces and nephews.
August 9, 1925 – April 19, 2002
Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in
Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1
The Lord has taken unto Himself into eternal glory, at his appointed time, my beloved husband, our dear father and Opa
HERMAN BOSSCHER
at the age of 76 years.
His wife,
Everson, WA:
Alice Bosscher (nee Linde)
His children,
Everson, WA:
Ed and Dena Bosscher
Chelan, WA:
Dianne Bosscher
Dewdney, BC:
Teresa and Rick Dekker
Everson, WA:
Ruby and Dick Bengen
Kenneth and Nancy Bosscher
Taber, AB:
Ina and Gordon Tams
Chilliwack, BC:
Mary Jo and Allan Huttema
and grandchildren
Predeceased by 2 daughters, Bernice - May, 1988 and Hilda October, 1982
Mrs. H. Bosscher
8820 N. Telegraph Road, Everson, WA 98247, USA
August 22, 1933 – May 14, 2002
Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former
things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. But
be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create
Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. Isaiah 65:17-18
In His infinite wisdom, our covenant God suddenly took home to
eternal glory our dear mother, grandmother and great-grandmother
AFINA CORNELIA BOS
Predeceased by her husband, Harm, on November 21, 1988.
She is survived by four sons and two daughters:
Yarrow, BC:
Jake and Corry Bos
St. Albert, AB:
Louis and Helen Bos
Whitecourt, AB:
Anita and Harry Dykstra
St. Albert, AB:
Estelle and Nick Geusebroek
Edmonton, AB:
Ron and Maria Bos
Chilliwack, BC:
John and Rose Bos
and 31 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.
Corresponding address:
Louis Bos
18 Brunswick Crescent, St. Albert, AB T8N 2K6
298
On Monday morning, May 6, 2002, the Lord in his mercy has
taken unto Himself
JAN HOMAN
at the age of 89 years.
Born: Beilen, the Netherlands, May 1, 1913
Died: Shalom Manor, Beamsville, May 6, 2002
Beloved husband of Rhea (Rienje) Homan (nee Poort) residing
at Shalom Manor, Beamsville. Member of Covenant Can. Ref.
Church at Grassie
Dear father, opa or great-opa of:
Welland, ON:
Gary and Linda Homan
Jennifer and Scott Camden
Mackenzie
Jeff and Sandra Homan
Jordan
James
Oakville, ON:
Herminio and Maria Pereira-Homan
Chris Homan and Jackie McDougall
Jocelyn Homan
Bethany Pereira
Wellandport, ON: Henry and Annelies Homan
John Homan and Johanna Van Iperen
Francine and John Van Iperen
Irene and Henry Van Iperen
Joanna
Dirk
Heather
Smithville, ON:
Edith Homan
Beamsville, ON:
Grace Homan
Funeral gathering was held in Smithville Can. Ref. Church. Internment was in Union Cemetery of Smithville
I will dwell in the house of the Lord, forever. (Psalm 27:4)
For correspondence:
Henry Homan
RR 1, 63758 Wilford Road, Wellandport, ON LOR 2JO
Teaching Positions
The Board of Covenant Christian School, London, Ontario (London
and Kerwood) invites applications for a
FULL-TIME PRIMARY TEACHER
Duties to commence, D.V., September 2002.
For further information please contact either:
Mr. Frank Oostdyk, Chairman of the Board,
(519) 652-3826 (home)
Mr. Clarence Blokhuis, Principal
(519) 680-2770 (home) or (519) 681-1196 (school)
Letters of application articulating philosophy of education, experience,
qualifications and references should be mailed to:
Mrs. Hilda Boeringa
(Secretary of Education Committee)
5776 Underpass Road, RR 5, Watford, ON N0M 2S0
email: [email protected]
CLARION, JUNE 7, 2002
Teaching in Tasmania . . . !
Are you interested in . . .
• Tasmania, a progressive island state of Australia?
• Temperate climate, recreation and natural beauty?
Are you committed to Reformed education?
If you are a qualified teacher, here is your opportunity . . .
The Free Reformed School Association (Tas) Inc. of Launceston invites applications and expressions of interest for a
FULL-TIME TEACHER
in learning areas such as Maths, Science, Information Technology, to join
our small but dynamic team of High school staff. Employment would
commence at the beginning of the new school year, January 2003.
All enquiries will be responded to promptly and with confidentiality.
Applicants must be a member of the Free Reformed Church of Australia or any of her sister churches.
Conditions and salary are in accordance with the Independent
Schools (teacher) Awards.
For more information on this position, general information and expressions of interest, please contact:
The Principal, Mr. G. Brouwer
Phone: (03) 63271800 (home), (03) 443794 (school)
E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]
Applications should be directed to:
The Secretary, The Staffing Committee, Mrs. A. Hidding
Phone: (03) 63301162
E-mail: [email protected]
Postal address: PO Box 89, Launceston, Tasmania, Australia.
The Board of the Canadian Reformed School
Society of Winnipeg invites applications for
TEACHING POSITIONS
in the junior/middle years of
Immanuel Christian School.
Duties to commence August 1, 2002. Applicants should be able to obtain
or be willing to work towards acquiring a Manitoba Teacher’s Certificate.
Immanuel Christian
School highlights…
• 10 full time teachers
• 4 part time teachers
• mostly single grades
• a resource program
• 199 students in
grades K-12
Winnipeg highlights…
• two Canadian
Reformed Churches
• population of 650,000
• a wide variety of
services and cultural
activities
• affordable housing
If you are interested or would like additional information, please contact:
Mr. H. Slaa
Mr. A. Gunnink
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD
PRINCIPAL
phone: 204.222.2880 (home)
e-mail: [email protected]
phone: 204.224.9206 (home)
204.661.8937 (work)
e-mail: [email protected]
MAIL OR FAX YOUR APPLICATION TO:
Immanuel Christian School
215 Rougeau Ave. Winnipeg, Manitoba R2C 3Z9
Fax: 204.669.7013
e-mail: [email protected]
CLARION, JUNE 7, 2002
The Niagara Reformed Christian Education Association, which operates Heritage Christian School invites applications from qualified
teachers for the following openings:
SPECIAL EDUCATION
Heritage Christian School, in the heart of Ontario’s beautiful Niagara
Peninsula, serves a student body of over 500 students from K to 12.
We are blessed with a dedicated and supportive Christian community,
a cohesive, professional faculty and staff of close to 40 persons, and
beautiful, modern facilities.
We’re seeking applicants to assist in delivering Special Education assistance to our students in both the elementary and secondary panels. These part-time positions could possibly be combined for a fulltime position for a suitable candidate. Qualified applicants who seek
to serve Jesus Christ in the area of Christian education and who submit to Holy Scripture as interpreted by the Reformed confessions are
encouraged to apply. Please submit a résumé, with a statement of
your philosophy of education, a statement of faith, and references.
Please forward inquiries and/or applications to:
Mr. A. Ben Harsevoort, Principal
Heritage Christian School
Box 400, Jordan Station, Ontario, Canada L0R 1S0
Phone: (905) 562-7303; Fax: (905) 562-0020
Email: [email protected]
“Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD.” Psalm 127:3
DISCOVER TASMANIA!
Are you a lower primary school teacher, dedicated to Reformed Education? Then you could experience the unique Tasmanian lifestyle
– great climate, natural beauty and contemporary living without the
rat race.
The Free Reformed School Association (Tas.) Inc of Launceston,
invites expressions of interest and applications to fill the vacancy on
our team of dedicated and highly motivated primary school staff to
teach John Calvin School’s
GRADE 1 AND 2
Applications for short term employment, eg. 1 or 2 years, will also be
given due consideration. All inquiries will be answered promptly and
with confidentiality.
Employment commences at the beginning of the new school year,
January 2003.
Applicants must be a member of the Free Reformed Church of Australia or a sister church.
Conditions and salary are in accordance with the Independent
Schools (Teacher) Awards.
For more information on this position, general information and expressions of interest, please contact:
The Principal, Mr. G. Brouwer
Phone: (03) 63271800 (home),
(03) 63443794 (school)
E-mail: [email protected]
Applications should be directed to:
The Secretary, of the Staffing Committee, Mrs. A. Hidding
Phone: (03) 63301162
E-mail: [email protected]
Postal Address: PO Box 89, Launceston 7250,
Tasmania, Australia
299
The Canadian Reformed School Society of Burlington Inc. operating
John Calvin Christian School, invites applications for the position of
PRINCIPAL
for the 2003-2004 school year.
Applicants must be capable of providing guidance and direction to
teaching staff in the day-to-day educational setting, and in facilitating
their ongoing professional development. The ability to relate to students and parents, as well as the School Board, would be highly valued.
For more information about this position, please contact the
Board Chairman, Rob Wildeboer at
(905) 631-8434, or Fax at (905) 639-9704
Applications may be addressed to:
Corresponding Secretary, Mrs. Hilda Tiggelaar
c/o John Calvin Christian School
607 Dynes Road, Burlington, ON L7N 2V4
The Board of Dufferin Christian School, Carman, MB invites applications for the following position:
SPECIAL NEEDS / LEARNING ASSISTANT
• two full-time positions available
• work one on one with a special needs student
• work in a team setting to develop and implement an Individualized
Education Plan (IEP)
• duties to commence August 26, 2002
Applicants must be members of a Canadian Reformed Church or
one of its sister churches.
DCS is a K to 12 school with 226 students and 16 full-time staff members. Additional information on the school, the community, and education in Manitoba can be found on our website:
<home.merlin.mb.ca/~dufferin>
For more information, please contact the principal:
Rob vanSpronsen
Phone: (204) 745-2278 – school or (204) 745-3996 – home
E-mail: [email protected]
Applications can be sent to the Secretary of the Board:
Ron deRuiter
PO Box 1450, Carman, MB R0G 0J0; fax: (204) 745-3441
E-mail: [email protected]
Reformation Christian School in Blue Bell, PA is in need of a
FULL-TIME TEACHER
This is an exciting opportunity to work in a small school environment
teaching to multiple grade levels in a variety of subject areas.
All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply.
For information please contact the Principal
Mrs. Christine DeWitt
(215) 646-4773 (school) or (610) 292-0954 (home) or
e-mail: [email protected].
Applications may be sent to the attention of the secretary
Mr. J. Doornbos c/o Association for Reformed Education
1215 Union Meeting Road, Blue Bell, PA 19422
or via e-mail [email protected]
FOR RENT
A bright and spacious
2 BEDROOM BASEMENT APARTMENT
in the Glanbrook area
Enjoy “country-living just minutes from the city” of Hamilton!
CALL JOHN OR WILMA AT (905) 692-9096
300
AN APPEAL!
Providence Reformed Collegiate, Komoka, Ontario, is
building a new School, and in this school will be an
empty library!
We are appealing for donations of books, all kinds of books!
Do you have books collecting dust, either in storage or
on your bookshelves? Do you need room for new
books on your shelves? Then you could help us out . . .
donate your books to fill our library!
Just call 1-888-595-5598 or
email [email protected]
Thank you!
CLARION, JUNE 7, 2002
William of Orange Christian School
With much thankfulness to the Lord, who has blessed us
the last 24 years with a dedicated principal, we wish to
announce the retirement of
Mr. Apko Nap
This retirement will be marked with a festive
Mr. Nap Day on Tuesday, June 25, 2002.
A pancake breakfast for all school children will start off
the day’s festivities, and then in the evening at 7 p.m., there
will be a dessert social where everyone will have the opportunity to express their appreciation to Mr. Nap and his
wife in person.
For those of you who cannot be there, and yet have benefited from Mr. Nap’s enjoyable teaching and story-telling,
why not convey your thanks and best wishes with a card.
Mr. Apko Nap
6033 – 175B Street, Surrey, BC V3S 4B9
Give ear my people, Listen to my teaching: Incline your
ear, and let my words be reaching. Psalm 78
With heartfelt thanks,
Staff, Students, Board and Parents of William of Orange
Christian School, Cloverdale, British Columbia
The
Theological College
of the
Canadian Reformed
Churches
o
The Thirty-third Anniversary Meeting
and the
Twenty-eighth Convocation
of the
Theological College
will be held, D.V., on
Friday, September 6, 2002
at 8:00 p.m.
in the auditorium of Redeemer College
(777 Garner Road East, Ancaster, Ontario)
o
Prof. G.H. Visscher, TH. DRS.
will be the featured speaker
CLARION, JUNE 7, 2002
PREMIER PRINTING LTD.
requires applicants for the position of
Computer Graphic Designer
Applicants should have experience with
the following programs in a Mac environment:
Quark Xpress, Illustrator, Photoshop,
Freehand, GoLive
Please submit resume, complete with cover letter, to:
Premier Printing Ltd.
Ben Kuik, Prepress Manager
One Beghin Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R2J 3X5
Phone: (204) 663-9000
Fax: (204) 663-8153
Email: [email protected]
Landscape Architect and
Construction and Maintenance Foreman
As the Lord continues to bless us at
Landmark Design Ltd.
we find ourselves in need of individuals to fill the abovementioned positions.
• As Landscape Architect you must be prepared to deal
with both small and large residential, commercial and
municipal levels.
• As Construction Foreman you must have enough experience to install natural or precast walls and patios, operate
a wide range of equipment, identify and install plants and
be able to interpret plans and instructions.
• As Maintenance Foreman you would be expected to operate the maintenance division including such things as
quoting, organizing and scheduling work and also possess a good knowledge of turf and plants.
In all of the above, the values, attitude and personality
should reflect a person who is truly thankful for all God
has given us. This must be evident in how you do your
work and how you motivate and direct the individuals for
whom you are responsible.
We are offering a year round salary,
which would depend on your qualifications.
Landmark Design Ltd. is in Thornbury, Ontario, 35 minutes
from Owen Sound Canadian Reformed Church and
elementary school.
Please contact
Gary Nordeman
519-599-2957 • FAX 519-599-3991
OR EMAIL [email protected]
AT
301
Ebenezer Senior Home Society
invites applications for
ADMINISTRATOR
The Ebenezer Senior Home Society operates a 91-bed residential care facility (24-hour nursing care),
and a 16 unit congregate care apartment. The Society is sponsored by area Christian Churches.
Major Responsibilities include the following:
•
Carries out the mission and objectives of Ebenezer Senior Home Society as directed by
the governing board.
•
Ensures that medical and related care services are provided for the residents according
to board policy and regulatory requirements.
•
Oversees all aspects of the financial operations.
•
Directs the daily operations of the facility.
•
Develops and supervises the management team.
•
Negotiates collective agreements and administers contracts.
•
Promotes good relations with sponsoring churches, professional contacts, and with
government agencies and health organizations.
•
Works cooperatively with the governing board in all aspects of long range planning, vision
and goal setting.
Qualifications Required:
•
Agreement with the vision and values of the Ebenezer Home Society.
•
University graduation with relevant studies in administration, or completion of
recognized courses in health administration.
•
Extensive experience in leadership and health care administration.
•
Experience in working with government regulatory and funding agencies.
•
Strong team building skills.
•
Ability to negotiate within a unionized staff setting.
•
Ability to converse in Dutch, an asset.
Applications should be received by June 30, 2002.
For further information contact:
Sid Kingma, Chair of Search Committee
Phone: (604) 853-3778
E-mail: [email protected]
Please send resumes to:
The Chair, CEO Search Committee
Ebenezer Senior Home Society
33433 Marshall Road, Abbotsford, BC V2S 1K8
302
CLARION, JUNE 7, 2002
Coyote Trailer
Relocation and Set-up Ltd.
PO Box 481, Smithville, ON L0R 2A0
Fax (905) 386-0386
[email protected]
Escarpment Realty
Independently Owned and Operated
John van Andel
Sales Representative
370 Wilson Street East
Ancaster, Ontario L9G 4S4
Bus: (905) 304-3303
Fax: (905) 574-1450
Res: (905) 648-7705
Hamilton (905) 577- 3127 • Niagara (905) 386-0147
• Toronto (416) 884-3469
serving Ancaster, Dundas
Hamilton and
surrounding areas.
Coyote Transport is looking for two
TRUCK OPERATORS
stationed in the Southern Ontario area with a AZ licence.
We are a company that transports oversize office trailers and modular buildings within Ontario and Quebec. The
operator must be willing to work locally and be able to take
two to three day trips away from home. He must learn the
challenges of onsite setups and dealing with clients in a
personable, positive, and professional manner.
You are expected to work a 60 hour, five day work week
and as a rule we do not work Saturdays. Neither do we
work any of the government set holidays.
The employee will receive work clothes, health benefits,
trip meals and hotels paid, and you will be able to take
the truck home.
A driver’s abstract is needed and a competitive wage will
be discussed.
Please contact:
Ike Groenwold
at 905-577-3127 or 416-884-3469
or by fax at: 905-386-0386
M EM BER
100% CLUB
If your travelling in the Niagara Region consider
“Niagara’s Nest” Bed and Breakfast
103 Wade Road, Smithville, Ontario
Your Host: John and Tina Dekker
email: [email protected]
website: www.bbcanada.com/niagarasnest
phone: 905-957-7130
THE MUSIC GROUP
&
THE PIANOHOUSE
FOR
CONTENT
HOME AND CHURCH ORGANS
&
Quality new and used
PIANOS and
GRAND PIANOS
garden city realty inc.,
REALTOR®
John Meerveld
Associate Broker
“Old Fashion Service – High Tech Advantage”
(905) 333-3500
945-0660
(905)
SERVING THE
COMMUNITY SINCE 1979 Fax: 945-2982
PERSONAL PROFESSIONAL SERVICE
FOR ALL YOUR REAL ESTATE NEEDS
www.remax-gardencity.com/johnmeerveld
Fax: 333-3616
5205 Harvester Rd. #2 Burlington, ON L7L 6B5
Tel. & Fax (905) 631-1929 or 1-888-PIANO-81
Visit us at our web site
www.pianohouseburlington.com
and/or
www.organs.ca
VACATION OPPORTUNITY
Realty Professionals
Each Office Independently Owned and Operated
Peter de Jong
Agent
#10 - 6020 1A Street S.W.
Calgary, Alberta T2H 0G3
Bus: (403) 259-4141
Fax: (403) 259-4305
Cell: (403) 818-7310
CLARION, JUNE 7, 2002
FOR AN ENJOYABLE VACATION RENT OUR
27’ CAMPER
parked at Byng Park Conservation Area
located in Dunnville, Ontario
Minutes from Lake Erie and Attercliffe Church.
This sizable park enjoys a clean pool shaped like a small lake.
For more information
CALL (905) 563-8408 or
EMAIL: [email protected]
303
Maranatha Homes
Burlington, Ontario
JOE A. BOERSEMA, R.R.S.
Sales Representative
A professional who honours the Lord’s Day!
It is my privilege to assist you with
competence and confidentiality in all
your buying and selling needs.
Garden City Realty Inc., Realtor
720 guelph line
burlington, ontario L7R 4E2
bus: (905) 333-3500
res: 333-1753 fax: 333-3616
COUNTRY TOWN
This award-winning Senior Citizen Home is located
close to Ebenezer Canadian Reformed Church. It
has audio hookup for the church services in every
apartment and a weekly evening video church service presentation provided for by Ebenezer. Monthly
rent is geared to income.
Information from:
Mrs. Rosanne van der Woerd
109-3260 New Street, Burlington, ON L7N 3L4
(905-639-9054)
or:
Arie J. Hordyk
2212 Headon Road, Burlington, ON L7M 3W7
(905-331-7625)
Email: [email protected]
REALTY INC.
“Serving the Smithville, Attercliffe
and surrounding areas.
Call today for area information”
905 - 388-9555
(905) 957-5000
33 Bellstone Lane
Mount Hope, Ontario L0R 1W0
Fax: 905-679-2225
Email: [email protected]
24 hr. pager
107 Griffin St. S.
Smithville, ON
L0R 2A0
Mark vander Velde
Sales Representative
Cell 905-517-1451
Res. 905-386-7494
Fax 905-957-1204
George Bartels
Associate Broker
Visit us at our website for Reformed Community Events
www.fredhagenrealty.com
Serving the Ancaster, Hamilton, Glanbrook, Caledonia and Flamborough areas.
Meet David Elliot VanVeen
Canadian Reformed
Association
for the Handicapped, Inc.
RR2, 361 Thirty Road South
Beamsville, ON L0R 1B2
For the past 20 years the Anchor Association has
promoted the care and well-being of the
handicapped by caring for those with special
needs. One way of doing this is through the
Homeshare Program which places individuals in a
home where their needs are met.
g
Enclosed please find my
contribution for 20____
Yes! I would like to help Anchor.
Donation:
My name is David Elliot VanVeen, and I
have lived at Anchor since February, 2001.
Before that I lived in Fergus, Ontario with
my parents. Some of my hobbies are
photography, painting, and music. I play
the piano, recorder and sing in a choir.
Favourite foods include pasta and Chinese,
and my favourite sports are basketball
and baseball. One of my jobs at Anchor is
to help maintain the lawns. I enjoy cutting
the grass with the riding mower.
With brotherly greetings to all,
David Elliot VanVeen
Name:
Address:
Postal Code
g
CLARION, JUNE 7, 2002