ClarionTHE CANADIAN REFORMED MAGAZINE

VOLUME 45, NO.8 APRIL 19, 1996

. . . He parted from them and wascarried up into heaven. Luke 24:51b

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It can be exhilarating to live as Christians in this the fi-nal age before the glorious return of our Saviour Jesus Christ.At His ascension the promise was given that He would re-turn (Acts 1:11). Our life may now be orientated to Him whois enthroned on high! God’s Word exhorts us to “seek thethings that are above, where Christ is seated at the right handof God. Set your minds on the things that are above, not onthings that are on earth” (Col. 3:1).

That can be exhilarating for such an upward orientationis a constant reminder that our life may be lived within theliberating framework and context of our Redeemer whomakes all things new. We may know that the purpose andgoal of our life are ultimately not set by the things of thisworld, but by our triumphant Lord! That gives us freedom,freedom to say no to the things of this world which can es-trange us from the living God. After all, our Saviour haswon the battle over sin, evil, and Satan. We have no oblig-ations to the world, to dance to their tune (Rom. 8:12). Asthose raised to a new life in Christ, we are free to live thelife of the new creation, to be different, to be holy in an un-holy world!

These are not just platitudes. That is the constant chal-lenge today. Our world drips sin and iniquity unprecedentedin recent history. There is no longer such a thing as a com-monly accepted code of ethics governing matters of mar-riage, pornography, abortion, the value of human life, andgambling. Decent new video releases are so few and far be-tween that one reviewer gave up. Calvin Demmon of West-ern Report simply could not take another video. The videoreleases were either “viciously mindless” (the so-called“family” videos) or they were full of violence or explicitsex. His final advice: “If you have any doubts about anyparticular video, just skip it. It won’t teach you anythingworthwhile. It will waste your time, and may fill your headwith indelible images or attitudes that will lessen the quali-ty of your days” (Western Report, Jan 8, 1996). TV’s bad in-fluence is even worse than previously believed. A recent sur-vey showed that “television has a more profound impact onthe lives, values, ethics and morals of the young than per-haps even television’s greatest critics thought” (Outlook,Nov. 1995). Many new literary offerings are not far behind.Small wonder that the notion of sin is all but gone from oursociety. Among teenagers attending secular schools going tobed for sex is more or less normal. “More than a quarter ofGrade 9 students in Canada have had sexual intercourse,federal and provincial studies show; by Grade 11 the num-ber is almost half” (The Globe and Mail, March 5, 1996).

As those living in such a godless world, but ultimatelynot belonging to it, the question arises how much one can orshould participate in the cultural smorgasbord of the daywith its seemingly never absent leaning for evil. Where dowe draw the line between what those who belong to theLord Jesus Christ can engage in and what they should stayaway from?

Christ has set us free from all sorts of rules and regula-tions by which God had once hemmed in the lives of HisOld Testament people. We should therefore not burdeneach other with all types of rules and regulations. However,we are not to use the freedom as an occasion for indulgingin evil; rather, we are to encourage each other to holiness(Gal. 5).

The downward suction of the ever lowering of the low-est common denominator of what is acceptable in the me-dia is a powerful force that also the children of God do notentirely escape. Newscasts on national radio will sometimesdescribe sexual sin in quite some (unnecessary) detailthereby lowering the threshold again and again as to whatis tolerable. We have now reached the point where virtuallyeverything goes. And if you can talk about it (as if it is sortof normal) you can also do it. You can also “enjoy” the Sa-tanic depths of sin in our civilization via videos or TV pro-grams. Children of God must resist this ever lowering stan-dards of what is acceptable, whether it be in literature,films or music. We are children of God who look up to therisen Lord for inspiration and direction and values for life.Small wonder that God’s Word exhorts us that we musthate sin, “hating even the clothing stained by corruptedflesh” (Jude 23). We must have nothing to do with the sin ofthis age. “Whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever islovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent orpraiseworthy – think about such things” (Phil. 4:8).

While the direction of the world is downward, oursmust be upward. Our concern must not be to see how fardown we can go to the depths of Satan (cf. Rev. 2:24) buthow far we can go to orientate our life more and morearound our risen Lord and cultivate communion of life withHim by His Spirit.

I am not suggesting a semi-monastic withdrawal fromthis world in order to enjoy the contemplative life withGod. No, our upward orientation as children of the kingdomof God means that we realize all the more the pressing oblig-ations we have as children of light in a world of darkness.We will for instance support all efforts directed against theevils of the day. But let us also remember that every familywith a distinctively Christian lifestyle is a powerful witness ofthe redeeming love of God. Every Christian who lives andworks as a child of the risen Lord is a momentous testimonyof the power of the risen Saviour who has raised him up toa new life in the midst of an evil world. Every parent whosays no firmly and in love to children wanting to get in onsome of the world’s sinful action are prophets in the king-dom who rule their families according to the command ofChrist. It is exhilarating to be a Christian! Not the world,but our risen and ascended Lord must set our agenda andgoals! Seek Him and live, that is truly enjoy life as the Cre-ator intended it!

EDITORIAL

By C. Van Dam

Look Up!!

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Originally published asWees wijs met de wijsheid,Woord en Wereld # 11Uitgeverij Woord en Wereld,Ermelo 1989Translated by T.M.P. VanderVen

First LessonHear, my son, your father’s

instruction,and reject not your mother’s

teaching;for they are a fair garland for your

head,and pendants for your neck.

Here speaks the wisdom teacher, theman who in Israel became more andmore prominent as the teacher of theyouth and as writer and collector ofproverbs. One commentator writes:

Especially in the time of Hezekiahand following years, the wise menoccupied themselves with theteaching of the youth and with theliterature of the Jews by formulatingand passing on the practical wis-dom for every day life. . . . Thesemen were known for their piety,which was apparent also from theirclose adherence to the Torah, thePentateuch. After the exile thesewise men in Israel became knownas the Scribes. (Dr. W.H. Gispen in

De Wijze in Israel (The Wise Menin Israel).

The wise man, then, was the teacher ofthe youth, at least in palace circles.Such a man is speaking here in the firstchapter of Proverbs. He addresses hisstudents with my son. Also in the NewTestament do we find this same cus-tom that teachers and scribes were ad-dressed as father.

Proverbs 1:8 - 9 summarizes the firstlesson in the school of wisdom, and it isan incredibly important lesson. Thewisdom teacher gently introduces theyouth of the church to wisdom, heteaches them the art of living. No, hedoes not say, “I will teach you whatlife is all about, how you ought to goabout it and what is best for you. It isgood that you came to me, because Iam obviously able to teach you a fewthings. Together we will build some-thing nice. Forget everything you havelearned so far in your life, we will makea new start.” Instead, he says,

Hear, my son, your father’sinstruction,

and reject not your mother’steaching. . . .

In other words, if you want to be wise,if you want to learn how to give yourlife shape and content, then point oneis: do not forget your upbringing, yourchristian upbringing – hold fast to what

you have learned at home. We will notignore your upbringing, let alone undoit. We are not going to start again. Onthe contrary, in the school of wisdomwe will continue to build on the basis ofyour christian upbringing. The founda-tions have been laid, and we will makethankful use of them. We will now be-gin with the superstructure, buildingon top of what has been put into placeby the discipline of your father and theteaching of your mother during thosefirst years of your life.From Scripture Proverbs 1:8-9

Matthew 23:7-9

The ABCs of WisdomLet’s have another look at Proverbs

1:8 and 9, and note especially the placeof these words. That is important. TheHoly Spirit has given this book of wis-dom to the church of all ages; He in-spired it and He gave it form. We knowalready that chapters 1 through 9 ofProverbs form the introduction, and thatthe real study starts with chapter 10.

With this in mind, consider 1:8-9.We have read verses 1-7 which sum-marize the content and purpose of thisbook: to teach wisdom to the youth andto the older people. The starting pointand theme can only be the fear and awefor the Lord. That is the introduction.

What’s inside?This issue features two contributions on the theme of the ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ. Dr. Van Dam exhorts us

to “look up” to where the Lord is, and to seek the heavenly things. Rev. J.L. Van Popta of Ottawa writes about themajesty of Christ who rode and will ride again upon the clouds of heaven.

The discussion on the Acts of Synod Abbotsford continues. Dr. J. Faber comments upon some of the decisions; un-dersigned does as well.

In these pages we give the church at Calgary space for some flag-waving. Yolanda DeBoersap reviews After you say “I do” . . . , a video series meant to help strengthen Christian marriages. It

sounds like a very worthwhile series. At the same time, I would remind those who plan to enter the blessed matrimonialstate not to forget to read Marriage in honour by Dr. W.G. de Vries (Winnipeg: Premier, 1976).

Debbie de Boer reports on a Teachers’ Convention held in Hamilton.Finally, stapled in the middle you will find an Outreach. May it encourage you to be a light where you live, work

and play. GvP

MEDITATION

By H.J.J. Feenstra

BE WISE WITH WISDOM!

Christian education – basic training in wisdom

172

The Ascension of the Lord Jesus ChristBy J.L. Van Popta

Then comes the introductory les-son, verses 8 and 9 – remember, weare still busy with the introduction ofProverbs, and more precisely, withinthat section with the introduction tothe introduction!

Well, these then are the ABCs ofthe school of wisdom, the absoluteABC, the first introductory lesson. Thisis the way the Holy Spirit has put thisbook together. This also means that youwill not even get to the rest of the bookif you already trip over these two vers-es. How can you learn wisdom if youwould fail already at this point? If youwere to wipe these ABCs off the table,

you might as well forget the rest. Theseverses, therefore, throw a remarkablelight on the irreplaceable, unique andfundamental importance of family lifeand a christian upbringing. Young peo-ple do well to remember that.

Do not let your christian upbring-ing embarrass you. Put even morestrongly, you are not allowed to let itembarrass you. You should be proudof it and show that it is your ornamentwhich you like to show to everyone. Itmakes you look good. They are a fairgarland for your head, and pendantsfor your neck. Many young people,boys as well as girls, wear a necklace.

If you wear such a necklace, but you ig-nore what you have learned at home,than you have an ornament, but it is notthe ornament which the Holy Spiritwould like to see you wear. Do notdrop your parents as hopelessly old-fashioned, unable to understand thetimes in which you live.

When you start your first job, orwhen you go to college, or when youleave home and move into your ownapartment, or when you become inde-pendent, never throw away your chris-tian upbringing. That would be terriblyunwise.From Scripture Ephesians 6:1-3

Luke 24:50,51: Then He led themout as far as Bethany, and lifting up Hishands He blessed them. While Heblessed them He parted from them andwas carried up into heaven.

Acts 1:9b,11b: . . . as they werelooking on, He was lifted up, and acloud took Him out of their sight. . . .“This Jesus, who was taken up from youinto heaven, will come in the same wayas you saw Him go into heaven.”

Ascension day is almost ignored inthe church year. Seldom do we read ofa Reformed Church having a serviceon Ascension Day, a Thursday night.In our Church Order the churches agreeto commemorate the birth, death, res-urrection and ascension of the Lord Je-sus Christ as well as the pouring out ofhis Holy Spirit. Christmas, Good Friday,Easter Sunday, Pentecost are importantdays in the church year. We commem-orate these important moments in thelife of our Lord Jesus. Ascension Day,however is somewhat of an orphan. It isalmost ignored. It seems unimportantand not much attention is given to it.Why is this? Is it perhaps because thestory is rather undramatic and unsenti-mental when compared to the other

high points in the redemptive history ofthe Lord Jesus?

The other fourThe Christmas story is so gripping!

The child is born in a rough stable andlaid in a manger. The Lord of glory hasan animal’s feeding crib as His. Thestory of the shepherds grabs our atten-tion. The poverty of Mary and Josephand the Child is accented by the glory ofthe heavenly hosts singing in the fieldsof Ephrathah. The Magi come and wor-ship. Herod murders the infants. ThePassion narrative is also full of tension.First comes Good Friday and the suffer-ing and death of the Lord. We read ofHis betrayal and arrest, His trial and thebeating and the mockery. He was cru-cified. Darkness descends on Jerusalemand an earthquake shakes Mt. Zion. Hisforemost friends abandoned him and soHe was buried by two secret followers,Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus.Again at the Lord’s resurrection there isan earthquake. We know the story of thesoldiers who fall down as if dead. An an-gel descends like lightning! The gospelstell us of the women at the tomb and ofthe miraculous appearances of our Lord.Pentecost also is attended by great signs,

tongues as of fire and the sound of amighty rushing wind. People, filled withthe Holy Spirit began speaking all sortsof languages. These four moments ofredemptive history are packed withgreat excitement and emotion.

Not noteworthy?In comparison the ascension story

does not seem very noteworthy at all.The Lord Jesus and His disciples werewalking along. They headed out ofJerusalem and came to the Mount ofOlives. There as their master spoke tothem He was taken up into heaven. Itdoesn’t seem to fit the pattern. It is justa quiet, gentle story. The ascensionhowever, is one of the great high pointsin the history of redemption. This is atremendous moment. There right beforethe eyes of His disciples the Lord JesusChrist ascended up into the heavens.With His hands outstretched He blessedthem. The churches are right in placingthis along with the other four highpoints of redemptive history in the LordJesus’ life.

He blessed themThose outstretched hands must

have left a great impression on the dis-

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ciples. It is not just incidental informa-tion that the Lord was blessing the dis-ciples as He left. The Lord did not turnHis back on the disciples. No, as He de-parted He blessed them. Blessingsstreamed from His hands – rivers ofblessing. By ascending in the sight ofHis disciples He showed that His taskhere was completed. He did not justdisappear. Rather, in full view of thechurch He returned to His Father as Hesaid He must. He went to His Father inheaven so that He might apply His ben-efits to his people – to all those whomthe Father had given Him. Here every-thing was completed. The Lord wouldnot have left if His task on earth was un-finished. He went to heaven not toabandon His church but for the benefitof His church. He testified to this byraising His hands in blessing over thedisciples as He left them.

His exaltationLeaving the earth also meant that for

the Lord Jesus all His humiliation hadcome to an end. His humiliation beganwith His incarnation, His holy concep-tion and birth. All His life was one ofhumiliation. He was beset with all ourweaknesses. He took upon Himself oursins. He who had no sin became sinfor us. Throughout His life He suffered.On the cross He suffered under thewrath of God. His humiliation reachedits lowest point in the grave. There Hewas dead, a cold corpse. But then Herose! He rose with a glorious body. Hisexaltation began. But that exaltationcould not be fulfilled here on the earthwith its sin. For those 40 days from Hisresurrection to His ascension He had aglorified body, but yet He lived amongsinners. He had to be raised up abovethe earth. He had to pass through theheavens.

Upon the cloudsWhen we read in Acts 1 that a cloud

took Him out of their sight we shouldnot think that as the disciples werelooking up into heaven watching Himgo up, a cloud got in the way, as if thecloud blocked the view. No, not at all.A cloud took Him away. He rode uponthe clouds of heaven. In the OldTestament it is God who rides upon theclouds. Think of Psalm 68:2 in the Bookof Praise. Lift up your voice and singaloud / To Him who rides upon theclouds. Again we sing in Psalm 68:12:1

Unto the Lord sing praises, / To Himwho in the heavens rides, / Who in the

ancient skies resides, / From whenceHis voice He raises. And in Psalm 18:42

we sing: On wings of storm and windthe Lord descended. In Psalm 104:1:3

Clouds are thy chariot, storms lend theetheir pinions. Isaiah 19:1 says the same:“Behold the Lord is riding on a swiftcloud.”4

The ascension is amazing testimonyto the divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ.He is the God, the Lord God, of theOld Testament. He is the one and sameGod. He is the one who comes to thehelp of His people. He is the one whorides in judgment on the enemies andoppressors of His people. Jesus Christis God alone! And His ascension pointsup that fact. There is no humiliationhere. Only exaltation.

The Son of ManSpeaking to His disciples He is tak-

en up with hands outstretched; bless-ing them He rides the clouds like achariot. A cloud took Him out of theirsight. This is the picture of Dan 7:13:

I saw in the night visions and be-hold, with the clouds of heaventhere came one like the Son of Manand he came to the Ancient of Daysand was presented before Him. And

to Him was given dominion andglory and kingdom, that all peoples,nations, and languages should serveHim; His dominion is an everlastingdominion, which shall not passaway and His kingdom one thatshall not be destroyed.

This is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is theSon of Man. (That is the Lord’sfavourite title for himself – the Son ofMan.) And He rode the clouds andwas presented to the Ancient of Days.He is presented to His Father and Hereceived the kingdom.

He will returnThis is the comfort of the Lord Jesus

Christ’s ascension. The Old Testamentpoints to this day. The Lord went up toheaven, riding on the clouds for He isGod of God, Lord of Lords, King ofKings. From there He will return again –riding upon the clouds of heaven. Hewill ride them as His chariot when Hiskingdom is completed. And He shallreign forever and ever.

1Verse 33 in the Bible.2Verse 10 in the Bible.3Verse 3 in the Bible.4See also Deuteronomy 33:26.

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IN THIS ISSUE

Editorial – Look Up!! — C. Van Dam …………………170

Meditation – Be Wise with Wisdom — H.J.J. Feenstra …………………171

The Ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ — J.L. Van Popta …………………172

Some reflections on Synod Abbotsford — J. Faber……174

Contradictory Acts — G.Ph. van Popta ………………175

Campaign Calgary …………………178

The Hi-Liter — C. Van Spronsen………………179

After You Say “I DO” . . . — Yolanda DeBoersap …………180

1996 Teachers’ Convention C.R.T.A. East – Hamilton, ON — Debbie deBoer ………………182

Anchor Home — A.M. Wanders…………………184

Press Release ………………………185

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174

Now that the Acts of General SynodAbbotsford 1995 have been distributedand in some councils and congrega-tional meetings are discussed, I wouldlike to comment on the following issues:1. Book of Praise (Art. 44)2. Theological College (Art. 97)3. Contact with the O.P.C. (Art. 108)

1. Book of Praise (art. 44)a. Nicene Creed, etc.

Synod adopted provisionally a re-vised edition of the Nicene Creed re-questing the churches to test it.

With respect to this decision Iwould like to suggest that the CanadianReformed churches should not try toadopt a specific Canadian Reformedtext of this ecumenical creed but adoptthe International Consultation Text orstick with the present text for the timebeing. I prefer the last option and wouldlike to defend the position that theCanadian Reformed churches shouldreturn to or maintain the text of the ec-umenical creeds that they used sincethe fifties of this century.

If I am not mistaken, several mem-bers feel a certain frustration with the at-tempts of our churches to establish theirown peculiar and particular texts ofsuch historic documents as the ecu-menical creeds and the Reformed litur-gical forms.

The first synods of the CanadianReformed churches acted wisely whenthey simply left it in the freedom of thechurches to use as English text the so-called C-text, the text in use in theChristian Reformed Church, “withwhom our sister churches in the Nether-lands had ecclesiastical fellowship un-til the Liberation” (see e.g. Acts SynodeHomewood-Carman 1958, Art. 190).Therefore for decades we used the samedoctrinal and liturgical texts as theChristian Reformed Church and theFree Reformed churches, texts that werein line with the Reformed tradition onthe American continent since the es-

tablishing of the Reformed Church inNorth America in 1628.

As far as the texts of ecumenicalcreeds go, we should never forget thatthere are millions and millions Englishspeaking Christians, If necessary – andalas, it is often necessary –, we shouldfight with them about the contents ofthese creeds but as much as possiblewe should try to use the same words. Iwould at least keep the present text ofthe Nicene and the Athanasian Creedsfor the time being. If – what God gra-ciously grants – we come to ecclesias-tical union with the Independent Chris-tian Reformed churches or the FreeReformed churches, let us simply starttogether with the doctrinal and liturgi-cal forms and the church order in thePsalter Hymnal 1934. In the mean-time, the Canadian Reformed church-es do wise not to put any possible road-blocks in the way of consultationsabout ecclesiastical union. Our pre-sent text of the Nicene Creed is that ofthe Psalter Hymnal 1934. Would it notbe wise simply to stick to this text forthe time being?

In this line of thinking also a returnto the old text of the Apostles’ Creed isdesirable. Since the eighties the Cana-dian Reformed churches have their spe-cial text of the Apostles’ Creed in whichthey, for instance, added the word“Christian” to the authentic and originaltext of the clause concerning the “holycatholic church.” They now form an ex-ception among millions and millions ofEnglish speaking Christians with respectto what we have always called an ecu-menical creed and precisely in theclause in which we profess the catholic-ity of God’s church.

Let the Canadian Reformed church-es at least in the text of the Nicene andAthanasian Creeds the mistake theymade in the Apostles” Creed.

But since nobody can be surewhether the Canadian Reformedchurches will maintain the present textof the Nicene Creed, I make one re-mark about the proposed peculiar Cana-

dian Reformed version. At the end ofthe second paragraph a hasty reader willforget the semi-colon and easily say “notmade of one substance with the Fa-ther.” Is the present text not better? Itreads: “not made, being of one sub-stance with the Father.”

With respect to the liturgical formsI may refer to a previous letter to theeditor in which I pleaded for a return tothe concrete classical expression “thearticles of the Christian faith” (whichmeans “the Apostles’ Creed”). We havenow changed it into the vague term “theconfessions” and created another road-block for union among Reformed con-fessors in North America.

b. Hymn 1AFrom the foregoing it will be clear

that I would have voted for the recom-mendation “That the matter of an alter-nate melody for Hymn 1A be put to restand no longer be added to the Com-mittee’s mandate.” Synod, however,decided to give “the alternate melody(Zwart) a “test period” in the churchesas also the Strasbourg melody (Bucer)of 1539.

I will not go into the musical aspectsof this decision. But is it necessary tohave a melody which allows for singingthe Apostles’ Creed in the form newlyadopted by the churches? Can we notcontinue to sing it in the form that thechurches used during their first threedecades? Psalms and hymns more of-ten use former Bible versions. Does theKing James Version not resonate in cer-tain psalms and hymns that are sung inchurches that now use the Revised Stan-dard Version, the New InternationalVersion or the New English Bible? Whycan we then not maintain the old ver-sion of the Apostles’ creed in a hymn?It happens, e.g. at funerals, that Christ-ian Reformed or Free Reformed rela-tives or friends sing along with Hymn1A, because they know the words ofthe old version. Why should we ex-clude such possibility?

Some reflections on Synod AbbotsfordBy J. Faber

Or is it necessary to add to Hymn1A and Hymn 1B a new Hymn 1C?Does this not become a little bit toomuch? If I am not mistaken, even thechildren in church, school and homelove to sing the melody of Hymn 1Aand Hymn 1B.

I regard the text of Hymn 1A thebest one we have and I do not foster anyobjections against the text of the para-phrase in Hymn 1B. Therefore I do notsee the need of a test period formelodies of the newfangled text.

2. Theological College (Art. 97)Under the material, presented to

Synod is not only the Report of theBoard of Governors but also a “Reportof the Board of Governors (Finance andProperty Committee) to General Synod1995.” I realize that this report has beensent to the consistories and I appreciatethe desire to keep the Acts as short aspossible. But as far as I know, it is thefirst time that the Financial Report of theTheological College is not printed in theActs. I regret this, for the TheologicalCollege is the one and only school ofthe Canadian Reformed churches andall members of these churches should

be able to scan its financial data. Nowone cannot even see how much thechurches contributed for the College,how large the contributions of our Aus-tralian sister churches have been, orhow high or low and for what reasonsthe quotum for the Theological Collegehas been set during the last three years.Lively interest in the affairs of “theschool of the churches” can be stimu-lated also by publication of the financialreport. Should the next General Synodnot return to the old good custom?

3. Orthodox Presbyterian Church(Art. 106)

Synod mandated the Committee forContact with the O.P.C. “. . . to arrive atan agreement with the OPC on the mat-ters of the fencing of the Lord’s Tableand confessional membership” and “tocommunicate that there is a need tocontinue to discuss the differences inconfession and church polity. . . .”

My question is: How long has thisyet to go on after the decision of 1977 inwhich the OPC was recognized as atrue church of our Lord Jesus Christ?

The International Conference ofReformed Churches accepted with ap-

preciation a report regarding “an agreedstatement as to what constitutes a ‘truechurch’ and the consequences of such astatement for intercommunion, etc.”This report concluded: “Recognizingone another as true churches has con-sequences with respect to admission tothe pulpit, admission in the celebrationof the Lord’s Supper and acceptance ofattestations or certificates of consistoriesor sessions.” The Conference referredthe report to the member churches fortheir consideration (ProceedingsI.C.R.C. Zwolle 1993, Art. 44). Did ourlast synod consider this report, its con-clusion and its significance for our rela-tionship with the O.P.C.?

Let us at least in the present localcontacts with Independent Christian Re-formed churches and Free Reformedchurches do everything possible to en-able the congregations to learn to knowone another. And may Christ the Lordwho has reconciled us to God the Fa-ther, gather us out of our present dis-persion into the fellowship of His body,that so, through His one Word and Spir-it, we might join together with one heartand soul.

175

In the last issue of Clarion, the Rev.W.W.J. VanOene concluded his re-view of the Acts of General Synod Ab-botsford, 1995. He quoted something Ihad written him in a personal letter re-garding the Synod’s decisions on theOrthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC)and on the Denver matter. Rev. Van-Oene said that he had received the let-ter from “a brother.” It was proper forhim to leave me anonymous since itwas a personal letter, but I gladly statethat I was his correspondent since Ihave no embarrassment about my posi-tion in the matter I wrote him about.

It had to do with a contradictionbetween two decisions of the Synod.Rev. VanOene quoted me and then dis-agreed with me.

In my letter, I pointed out a very re-grettable contradiction within the Acts.On page 71, article 106 – the OPC de-

cision – Synod said: “The argument thatrecognizing a church as a true churchimplies having full Ecclesiastical Fellow-ship is confessionally warranted. . . . ” Iobserved that if this consideration ofSynod is correct, then it is also cor-rect to say: “Recognizing a church asa true church but not entering into ec-clesiastical fellowship with it is notconfessionally warranted.” Thus toproceed on two tracks: “True churchbut no ecclesiastical fellowship” isan unconfessional position. I thenwent on to note that on p. 81 (article115 – the Denver decision) what hadbeen admitted in article 106 to be anunconfessional position is used todeny six appeals. What had beenadmitted to be unwarranted by theconfession is used to perpetuate andjustify saying: “True church but no ec-clesiastical fellowship.”

Rev. VanOene said that the conclu-sions I drew were unwarranted. Further,he did not think that logically it is per-mitted to jump from “A+B is confes-sionally warranted” to “Having A butnot B is therefore not confessionallywarranted.” (If I understand Rev. Van-Oene well, then “A” is “true church”while “B” is “ecclesiastical fellowship.”)

Rev. VanOene misunderstands thepoint. I did not say: “If A+B is confes-sionally warranted, then to have A butnot B is not confessionally warranted.”I said: “If to say ‘A (the recognition of achurch as true church) implies B (hav-ing ecclesiastical fellowship) is a posi-tion warranted by the confession,’ thento say that ‘A (true church) does notimply B (ecclesiastical fellowship)’ can-not be warranted by the confession.”Since Rev. VanOene brought in thematter of logic, I would remind him

Contradictory ActsBy G.Ph. van Popta

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that the Principle of (Non)contradictiondoes not allow a statement to be bothtrue and false. In terms of logic,General Synod has violated this princi-ple. Perhaps to violate a principle oflogic is not thought to be so bad; how-ever, for a General Synod to suspendthe confessional norms in order toreach a decision is bad. That is whatthis past Synod did.

I had no intention to open up thismatter again on the pages of Clarion,but since Rev. VanOene addressed theissue, the matter is open and needs tobe further addressed.

“True church” implies“ecclesiastical fellowship”

Three churches, Coaldale, Surreyand Grand Rapids, made the point thatrecognizing another federation ofchurches as true according to article 29of the Belgic Confession impliesentering into a relationship of ecclesi-astical fellowship. The Confessionsdemand that. As churches, we had al-ready clearly taken that position in1992. At the same time that we recog-nized the Free Church of Scotland as atrue church, we extended to it the offerof ecclesiastical fellowship. Synod 1992(article 128, p. 93) decided:

To recognize with gratitude the FreeChurch of Scotland as a truechurch of the Lord Jesus Christ.

To offer the Free Church of Scot-land, including the Free Churchof Scotland congregations inCanada, a relationship of Eccle-siastical Fellowship under theadopted rules.

We have come to the recognition thatA implies B. To say, “You are a truechurch of the Lord Jesus Christ” is tosay, “You are a sister church.” Ofcourse! How could it be otherwise?How could a (recognized) true churchnot be a sister church? We did not makethe Free Church of Scotland a sisterchurch; we recognized the Free Churchof Scotland as a sister church. It is thework of the Son of God in Scotland, asmuch “church” as the Canadian Re-formed churches are “church.” And soit cannot but be a sister church.

Synod 1992 recognized that anothertrue church is a sister church. Thechurches at Grand Rapids, Surrey andCoaldale made the point at Synod 1995.This synod agreed with the threechurches. So far, so good. Synod 1995was speaking sound confessional lan-guage. It was being guided by what we

confess to be the ordinances of Godabout the gathering of the church ofChrist, specifically in articles 27-32 ofthe Belgic Confession.

Because Synod 1995 spoke suchclear and confessional language in arti-cle 106, it is the more confusing and dis-concerting to read article 115 of Synod1995. There the clear confessional lan-guage of the earlier decision falls by thewayside. Instead, we get to hear about“interim situations” and “two tracks.”

“Two-tracks”Article 115 has to do with the ad-

mission of the American ReformedChurch at Denver into the federation. Itneeds to be stated that it was not and isnot the goal of those who brought thismatter to General Synod to have thischurch expelled from the federation.They realize that the church at Denveris in. There is no way to undo what hasbeen done. The dissenting churches inAlberta recognize its de facto existencein the federation and at the Classistable. For the American ReformedChurch of Denver to go back to the Or-thodox Presbyterian Church is hardlypossible. Everyone understands that.Too much has happened. The situationcan be compared to people who havedivorced and remarried – the way backis closed. However, the way in whichthe American Reformed Church at Den-ver was brought into the federation andthe advice and guidance which the con-gregation and minister received fromus was not right. On a personal level,the whole affair leaves me feeling sorryfor both the congregation and the Rev.M. Pollock for their troubled entry intothe federation. We have not servedthem well. The problem which lingers isnot as much with them as it is with us –with our decisions.

In March of 1992 when Denveroriginally requested to join our federa-tion, Classis AB/MB made this veryclear and confessional decision.

Classis decides:

1. not to grant the request of the Den-ver Church to be admitted as sisterchurch to Classis AB/MB of theCanadian Reformed churches, andto advise this church to seek affilia-tion with the Presbytery of theDakotas of the OPC, which Pres-bytery received the DenverChurch’s initial request for member-ship in the OPC Regional Church.

2. to inform the POD of this decision.

Grounds:

1. the Canadian Reformed churcheshave recognized the OPC as a truechurch.

2. the Reformed Confession states thatthose who draw away from thechurch or fail to join it wherever Godhas established it act contrary to theordinance of God (BC art. 28).

3. the recognized divergencies be-tween the Reformed and Presbyter-ian Confession and Church Govern-ment have been judged by theCanadian Reformed churches to beno impediment to the recognition ofthe OPC as true church, and there-fore are not allowed to undermineand nullify the confessed ordinanceof God concerning maintaining theunity of the Church.

In time, the request came to the tableagain (Oct. 1993). Although no newgrounds were put forward to proposeagain admitting Denver, the matter wasproposed again (in violation of article33 of the Church Order). This Classisvoted to admit Denver. The deputiesof Regional Synod present at that Clas-sis could not give their concurring ad-vice. They said that admitting Denverwould put us in violation of our con-fession about the church and in viola-tion of article 33 of the Church Order.Regional Synod 1993 overturned thenon-concurring advice of the deputies,although it acknowledged that therewere no new grounds to re-proposethe admission of Denver and that wewere running the risk of violating ourown integrity vis-a-vis the OrthodoxPresbyterian Church. Four churchesand several individual members ap-pealed to General Synod 1995 to de-clare the Regional Synod decision to bewrong in the light of the Confessionand the Church Order, and because itwas so self-contradictory that it couldnot be implemented with integrity.

CHURCH NEWS

ACCEPTED to Toronto, ONRev. W. den Hollander

of Orangeville, ON

General Synod 1995 was obligated toscrutinize this whole matter in the lightof the Word of God, the Three Formsof Unity, and the Church Order.

Unfortunately, Synod did not do so.In this case, for some reason, theagreed upon norms were suspended,and norms of a different sort were ap-plied. That makes it difficult. Theagreed upon criteria for judging a mat-ter at an ecclesiastical assembly arethe Word of God, the Three Forms ofUnity, and the Church Order. Thesestandards were replaced with others.The standards used were: “interim sit-uation” and “two tracks.”

First the appellants were told theyfailed to recognize that the relationshipwith the Orthodox Presbyterian Churchis in an interim situation. It is true thatwe are in an interim situation with theOrthodox Presbyterian Church – a situ-ation we have recognized is not correct(see above). However, to leave this “in-terim situation” unqualified is danger-ous. This situation must be subjected tothe scrutiny of the agreed upon norms,as any other situation confronting an ec-clesiastical assembly.

In addition to the consideration ofan “interim situation,” General Synod1995 introduced a new expression.The appellants were told to keep “inmind that the relationship between theOrthodox Presbyterian Church and theCanadian Reformed churches has pro-ceeded on two tracks during the last 15years,” the two tracks being: truechurch (1st track) but no ecclesiasticalfellowship (2nd track). In article 106,we say that such a situation is not war-ranted by the Confession; in article 115we say that such a situation is all right.Contradictory acts. This is what hap-pens when the agreed upon norms aresuspended and we work with othernorms – ”historical realities” or unqual-ified “interim situations.”

If only. . . .If only General Synod had acknowl-

edged that, although it cannot be un-done, the way the American ReformedChurch at Denver had been admittedinto the federation was not right whenthe matter is judged in the light of theConfessions and the Church Order, thedissenting churches in Alberta couldlet it rest. It bears repeating: No one isseeking to have the church at Denvernor its minister expelled, despite whatsome seem to think. What the appel-lants were seeking at General Synod1995 was an acknowledgment that the

confessional and church orderly normshad been violated in the process ofDenver being admitted. It seems, how-ever, that Synod was loathe to admitthat our assemblies had erred. But whatis more important: That we maintainintegrity in the light of the Word of Godand the Confessions? Or that we main-tain the integrity of past decisions of as-semblies – decisions we are beginningto admit were not very good decisions– in order to save face?

Some have said that the dissentingchurches and the appellants are toopicky. Is simply holding one another toour agreed upon norms “too picky?”Someone else told me that I ought to

give up on my “extreme Vrijgemaaktview of the church” (that the Confes-sion does not allow two true churchesto sit beside each other in one placeignoring one another). I have not yetbeen convinced that I ought to give upthat position.

Hopefully General Synod 1998 willbe more consistent in applying thenorms under which we are bound to-gether. The only way for us to preserveunity is to apply consistently the norms.Once we throw them overboard to trysail around a difficult situation, we endup in dangerous waters and find our-selves headed for the reef.

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What does the name Calgary bring to mind? The nearbyRocky Mountains and their magnificent scenery, awesomeski slopes and hiking trails? Perhaps a city of boom andbust, of jobs and employment tied to the ups and downs ofoil and gas prices? Or maybe it makes you think of the Cana-dian Reformed Church, also caught in the ups and downsof the economy.

Well, certainly the part about the Rocky Mountains has-n’t changed. However the instability and transience causedby the energy sector belong to bygone years. Oil and gasorganizations, markets and pricing have stabilized some-what over the last decade. Furthermore the number and va-riety of industries in Calgary have increased. The City nowboasts the second largest number of head offices in Cana-da. The current political and economic environment hasmade Calgary an attractive alternative for organizations whoare either relocating or starting up. The latest to relocate isCP Rail, creating 850 jobs in Calgary.

This stability has come to the Canadian ReformedChurch as well. To be sure there still are people movingin and out, just as any other congregation experiences, andwe are still not large compared to most other CanadianReformed churches; however, things have changed con-siderably from a decade ago.

The Canadian Reformed Church at Calgary was institut-ed in 1964. Abundantly blessed, there has always been faith-ful proclamation of the Word, a place for worship, cate-chism instruction and other church functions and activities.However the facilities have always been rented for thesefunctions. A decade or so ago the congregation realized itwould be more prudent to own the house of the minister,and to own its place of worship, since the amount of mon-ey paid to landlords was quite substantial. A school societywas formed at about the same time. The objective was toprovide education for the children of the church, with con-tent and methods consistent with Biblical teaching, taught ina Reformed manner. One of the first steps taken was to start“Saturday” school.

We see today the rich blessings and mercies the LORDhas showered upon us who are so undeserving of them. Wedo own a manse (well, we don’t but we now fill a small bankaccount with the money the manse was sold for); we owntwenty acres of property a couple of miles outside of Calgary(with the much appreciated help of our sister churches),upon which we intend on building a church, school, and anew manse (we are eagerly waiting for the excuse to beginbuilding it!); and Tyndale Christian School is now in its sec-ond year of operation. Indeed much to be thankful for.

The church and school are presently in the process oferecting a multi-functional facility for both church and school.In addition to an auditorium and classroom space, the build-ing plans include shared space for such things as bathroom,foyer, and kitchen areas. Currently we are working on an ap-plication to rezone the land, conducting internal and exter-nal fundraising drives, and developing an agreement underwhich the church and school will work together.

It is clear the LORD continues to bless and gather Hischurch in Calgary. For those of you considering or looking fora new place of residence, or locating a business, we urge youto think about Calgary. The cost of living is quite attractivecompared to most other major urban centers. As an importantagriculture and industrial distribution hub, a major energyand financial center, Calgary offers employment in a wide va-riety of fields. These include the building, electrical, plumb-ing and mechanical trades, and professions such as sales,marketing, engineering, software development, network op-erations, and many other areas. If you would like further in-formation please contact any one of the following:

Mr. Harry deBoer(403) 285-7075

ORMr. John Hoogerdijk

(403) 590-0751

Or if you prefer send an e-mail message to: calgary@de-bres.cuug.ab.ca

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Campaign Calgary

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THE HI-LITER

By C. Van Spronsen

News from Here and There

In Burlington South it was decided that on the Sundayof preparation for the Holy Supper the first half of the Formwill be read. On the Sunday of celebration the second half.

* * *The Church in Albany, WA is contributing to quite a va-

riety of causes. We read: “This week a new set of boxes hasbeen installed at the entrance of the church. There are now8 boxes for different purposes. PLEASE be extra careful thatyou place the right bag in the right box.”

* * *There are plans to have a “Family and Community Psalm

Singing” for the two churches in the Albany area. The inten-tion is not to start a choir, but to sing psalms together on aSunday evening for the enjoyment of young and old andabove all to the praise of our Father.

* * *A new magazine has appeared on the Australian scene:

Contender: magazine of the youth of the free reformedchurches of australia. This attractively done publication tar-gets “all those who fit within the loose parameters of 16 to 30years of age.” The name comes from Jude 3: “. . . contend-ing earnestly for the faith. . . .” We wish you success and agood reception!

* * *In Watford the consistory discussed various matters per-

taining to the liturgy as a result of its meeting with the con-gregation. They will propose to the next General Synod thatthe committee for the Book of Praise be instructed to findmusic for the Nicene Creed and the Votum as well as a suit-able responsive Amen put to music that can be used at theend of the worship service.

* * *The Church Online! Information on Providence Canadi-

an Reformed Church of Edmonton, AB, was added to theEdmonton FreeNet. It is claimed that they are the first Cana-dian Reformed Church available on the Internet! Curious?The E-mail address is:

URL:gopher://freenet.edmonton.ab.ca/h/i/provcrc/provi-dence.html. (Where have the simple addresses gone like“P.O. Box 10?”)

* * *We note an increasingly changing attitude towards

smoking. In Burlington-West the question was even raised

“. . . whether people who smoke should be considered aspossible candidates for office in the church.”

* * *At a congregational meeting of the Church in Houston,

BC, it was agreed upon to move toward the planning andconstruction of a new church building in the spring of1997. A property was already purchased some time ago.

* * *Mission in Papua New Guinea (PNG) is taking on a

new dimension as we read in the bulletin of Albany (WA).Two local brothers from PNG, brs. Bouway and Fario, arefollowing a study plan to become ministers or evangelists.They will study English at the University in PNG till July1996 and then come to Australia where they will further theirtheological studies till December 1996. From there they re-turn to PNG for some practical experience.

* * *The Australian journal Una Sancta has undergone a

major editorial upheaval with the resignation from the edi-torial staff of Rev. W. Huizinga, Rev. G. Van Rongen and J.VanderRos. We quote from the letter of resignation as pub-lished in Una Sancta: “The main reason for our combinedresignation is the imbalance in the editorial direction. Thereis a preoccupation with the doctrine of the church and in-terchurch relations. These subjects are approached from oneperspective which we find extreme (anti-ICRC and opposi-tion against relations with presbyterian churches). Articlesfrom the other perspective are left aside, not allowed or areheavily attacked. This is done in spite of and against the re-cent synodical decisions on these matters. We disagreewith that editorial direction and agenda.”

* * *The Council of the Langley Church decided that in prin-

ciple it was in favour of offering the minister a sabbatical ofsix months in connection with his 25th anniversary in theministry coming up in 1997, D.V. The minister was request-ed to submit to Council a concrete proposal of study andwriting plans for that period. Very considerate!

* * *Just a gentle reminder: Do not let your bulletins get any

older than a month before sending them for perusal in thiscolumn. Items of interest usually are too old by then to passthem on!

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A video series with accompanyingworkbook on the foundational issuesof marriage for couples of all ages.

With: H. Norman WrightTim and Beverly LaHayeLarry Burkett

Publisher: Grace Products1761 International PkwySt. 135Richardson, TX 750811-800-527-4014(214) 437-6575

Reviewed and summarized by: Mrs. Yolanda DeBoersap

The fall and winter seasons are al-ways taken up with many activities andmeetings. One of those is often the PostConfession class, instructed by theminister of the congregation. This pastfall was no different, and Rev. Moeshad chosen a very timely topic – Mar-riage. Today’s society seems to be un-dermining one of the basic supportsfor our families, and that is a whole-some marriage. Unfortunately this isalso becoming more prevalent amongChristians, even thought they have theBible as their guide for a proper mari-tal relationship.

Naturally “prevention is better thancure.” So also in our marriage shouldwe be on guard for signs of problemsand correct them before they becomeso large that the marriage suffers.

The video series, “AFTER YOU SAY“I DO” . . . deals with marriage from aChristian perspective, and is meant forthose who are just into marriage, mar-ried for some or many years, or thosewho want to improve an already goodmarriage.

The video (and study guide) is di-vided into 12 chapters, dealing with 3particular topics:

1. Communication2. Financial Matters3. Love and Intimacy

CommunicationCommunication is the key to your

marriage. It is important that we learnto listen and understand both verbaland nonverbal communications. Try-ing to understand and speak the “lan-guage” your mate is speaking shouldbe an important goal in our marriages.All this will help avoid and resolvemarital conflicts.

Attitude is always a major factor.Do you look at your relationship in apositive or negative way? Are you al-ways looking at your partner’s weak-nesses, and do you focus on failure?One exercise recommended by Dr.Wright is to list (on paper) as manypositive aspects of your marriage as youcan. Often, if there is a problem wetend to focus in on the problem (whichmay only be 10%) and tend to over-shadow the positive (which wouldmake up 90%).

Dr. Wright recommends goal set-ting. It is done in many other aspects oflife (such as business goals – where areyou hoping to be 5 years from now),and should be done in a marriage aswell (one who doesn’t aim will neverhit anything!) Short and long term goalsshould be discussed and reviewed astime passes. Some practical suggestionsoffered by Dr. Wright can help us inestablishing some short term goals.– establish a positive atmosphere in

the first few minutes of the day andagain when husband arrives homein the evening.

– prayer life as a Christian – is theretime for individual time with God,time as a couple for prayer?

– solving of disagreements before go-ing to bed (don’t let the sun godown on your anger)

– regular dates, time for just the twoof you away from the daily routines.

Once goals have been set, and timehas passed, it is necessary to evaluatethe results. Have you achieved whatyou set out to do? Is it time to adjust,change, or add new goals?

When we communicate with oneanother do we know how to listen? Arewe already thinking about what we aregoing to say in response? Do we inter-rupt, or show by our posture that we arenot really interested? Dr. Wright stress-es the importance of being a good lis-tener. One should be able to repeatwhat has been said, and to expresswhat the other person is feeling. Is thishow we listen to our partner? Or do weread the paper and say “uhuh” when apause arises. When a person speaks,three ways of communication are used,content (7%), tone of voice (38%), andnon-verbal (55%)

It is necessary to tune in to the “lan-guage” your partner speaks. Men andwomen tend to speak with different in-tent or meaning. Have you ever noticedthat with you and your spouse? Thereare different levels of communication aswell; maybe that is what is why thereare misunderstandings between the twoof you – one is on level two while theother is only using level five. The levelslisted by Dr. Wright are:

Level 5 – On the surface (Hi, howare you?)

Level 4 – reporting facts (The mallwas crowded)

Level 3 – expressing beliefs (I thinkthat we . . . )

Level 2 – expressing feelings (Youhurt me when . . . )

Level 1 – peak communication;feelings and emotions are together

Nagging !! How many of us havebeen guilty of this fault! An excellentdefinition of what nagging really is, isgiven by Dr. Wright – Nagging is re-minding someone of something he/shehas not forgotten. A suggestion given byDr. Wright is to agree to a 15 day timeperiod – don’t mention the item againuntil 15 days have passed in which theother person should have completedthe task. If not done, the other has theright to “remind” him/her.

Any marriage is bound to have con-flicts. How to resolve them. Dr. Wrightgives six steps.

After You Say “I DO” . . .By Yolanda DeBoersap

181

a. listenb. collect your thoughtsc. define the problem (write it out)d. define areas of agreement and dis-

agreemente. define your own contribution to

the problemf. how can this be implementedNo one said it was going to be easy!

Financial mattersSetting up a family budget is a must

for all couples. There are many eco-nomic signs of danger in a marriagewhich can be prevented if we learn toread our “money barometer.” It is im-portant to establish long range goalsand to actually plan for the unforseen.

Mr. Larry Burkett deals with the fi-nancial matters in a down to earth andsensible manner. Credit cards, hestrongly suggests, need to be controlled.Three practical rules one should followare given by him:a. use them for budgeted items onlyb. pay them off monthlyc. vow to destroy the cards if they

can’t be paid off monthlyAnother sensible suggestion by Mr. Bur-kett is to set up a three-fold “debt re-duction plan.”a. make out a workable budgetb. make a list of all creditors with

amounts owedc. calculate monthly paymentsWouldn’t it be nice to be debt free?Maybe such a plan as given here wouldmake an excellent long term goal foryour marriage! Imagine! Debt free intwo years, own your own car in anoth-er year, and maybe even your house inseven years! Wouldn’t the Lord bepleased with such stewardship if wecould discipline ourselves to carryingout such long term goals.

Mr. Burkett warns us to keep a closeeye on our “money barometer.” He

says that there are definite signs of dan-ger in the area of financial matters thatcould put our marriages out of bal-ance. He lists six:a. his money-her money attitudeb. poor communication in discussing

financial mattersc. parents giving money to bail out

husband/wifed. when a wife has to work as a result

of failure to live within one’s meanse. thinking you don’t make enoughmoney to give to the Lord

f. income barely equals output – nosavings plan

Planning for the future is also somethingthat should become one of your longrange goals. This could include the ed-ucation for your children, to be debtfree in ___ years, retirement, death orloss of earning power, and maybe youcan add some of your own to the list.

God expects us to be good stew-ards of all that He has entrusted to us.We should never forget that really westand here empty handed. All that wehave comes from Him in the first place.How are we now handling all that re-sponsibility? To the honour and glory ofHis name? or to our own detriment.

Love and intimacyA loving relationship needs to be

cultivated, and will take a great deal ofeffort if it is to grow and mature. Sexualadjustments also have to be made –marriage doesn’t automatically makefor a good and wholesome sex life.

These sessions were discussed by ahusband and wife, Dr. and Mrs. Tim La-Haye. It was appreciated that they dealtwith this topic together. After all, whatdoes a man know about a woman’sfeelings and vice versa?! (I’ve read re-cently that “Men are from Mars, andWomen are from Venus” – now that ex-plains it, don’t you think?!)

By now you have probably discov-ered that your mate is not perfect. Areyou trying to perfect him/her throughcriticism? How does one harmonize thereal and the ideal of his/her partner nowthat you are married. What are our re-actions to criticism? Anger? Fear?

It is good that God was the first oneto show forgiveness, and that in such agrand way. Christ told us to forgive,even to forgive those who had not apol-ogized. We must learn to do that in ourmarriages as well.

Minor irritations can turn into majorbattles. The LaHayes strongly suggestthat you discuss these minor matters be-fore major problems arise.

In the last sessions the LaHayesfrankly discuss some rather delicatesubjects of marital relationships. Sincethis is a family magazine I will refrainfrom reviewing this particular section.Let me just state that this is well worthviewing the videos on this topicwhether you are preparing for marriage,just into marriage, or celebrating 50years of marriage. An other excellenttool related to the intimacy of marriage,is the book “The Act of Marriage,” writ-ten by Tim and Beverly LaHaye. Havingread this book, I would strongly rec-ommend that all those preparing formarriage, and anyone already married,read this book. Parents guiding theirchildren can’t provide all the detailsand a book like this nicely completeswhat parents have started. Many of usthink that the area of sexual intimacysomehow will just fall into place. Notso, as the book will help you discoverand correct.

Communication – created by Godso that we could converse with one an-other and with our Creator. Financialmatters – we are instructed by our heav-enly Father to be good stewards in allareas of life. And our love relationshipas husband and wife – a gift from ourLord to make us one in our marriages.If we use the tools given to us bybuilding our lives together on that OneFoundation, we can truly say that ourmarriages are made in Heaven.

(For those who are preparing formarriage, there is a video series andworkbook called BEFORE YOU SAY “IDO . . . .” This series also consists of12 video lessons, dealing with the threetopics of Communication, Finances,and Love and Intimacy, which are pre-sented by the same authors. If this seriesis used as a guide before marriage, theseries AFTER YOU SAY “I DO . . . ” ismeant as a follow up.)

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With a fresh dusting of snow on theground, and cooler temperatures, teach-ers came from various directions to at-tend the annual two-day convention inSouthern Ontario. Educators fromOwen Sound, Chatham, Grand Rapids,Attercliffe and various places betweenconverged on Guido de Bres HighSchool in Hamilton. The gym had beendecorated with the theme of “Exalt HisName.” Tulips on the table remindedus that spring is definitely on the way.

At 8:45 the chairman of the CRTA,P. deBruin began the convention andwelcomed everyone. The teachers thenjoined in singing the theme song, “OMagnify the Lord.” The song expressedthe theme through the words, “And letus exalt His Name together.” Thus, be-gan the 1996 Teachers’ Convention.

Mrs. C. VanHalen-Faber and thestudents of the Covenant Canadian Re-formed Teachers’ College put us intothe mind set for the main address byperforming Psalm 100 in two parts. Rev.Agema then spoke concerning thepsalms sung by the students in ourschool. His speech was divided intothree parts: a) Exalting b) the name ofthe Lord c) Doing it together. With anhistorical background Rev. Agemashowed us how the psalms have be-come our sacrifice of thanksgiving to-day. Paul in the New Testament andCalvin during the Reformation both sawthe psalms as extremely important inour regular worship. Therefore, thememorization of the psalms is crucial inthe Reformed education of ourcovenant children. Through them theycan also see God’s involvement in theirlife. In this way we can truly call our-selves a singing church. Between eachpoint Mrs. VanHalen-Faber shared mu-sical examples to emphasize the uni-versal character of our Genevan tunes.

After a short break the teachersspread through the school to attend var-ious workshops of their choice. A se-lection of cross-curriculum topics wasavailable to the teachers. After an hourand a half we reconvened in the gymfor lunch. At a gathering of more than

a hundred educators, it is very likelythat people do not know each other. Inyears past, principals would introducetheir staff, but this year each staff wasrequested to introduce themselves in aninteresting manner. Some staffs read po-ems, others sang songs about them-selves, but in all cases a laugh followedthe presentation. Between the enter-tainment we could enjoy a deliciousmeal. Then it was back to the class-rooms for another workshop. Thosewho wanted could remain after theworkshop to interact with other teach-ers or join them on the volleyball court.

In the evening we met in the Cor-nerstone Hamilton Church buildingto listen to a panel discussion. Dr.Oosterhoff stressed the trend of anti-in-tellectualism we find in society today.It is also creeping into the schools andwe should ensure that curriculum re-mains a major concern in our schools.The knowledge of God’s work in cre-ation and history is extremely impor-tant and also the knowledge of humanexperience and achievement whichgives us a rich history to build on. Dr.Gootjes spoke next. He reminded us ofthe hazards to the Christian mind. Themedia flood us with information. Mostof it is visual, and because of that weno longer search for information our-selves and expect all ideas to be visu-alized. We serve the Lord with ourmind. The third panelist was Rev.Sikkema. He stressed the role of the

media in the corruption of the Christ-ian mind. The mind set promoted bythe media is not one based on moralsbut focuses on entertainment. Peopledo not believe thinking is importantanymore. All three panelists showedthat we have to be extremely awareand vigilant, because falling into a sec-ular mind set is so easy.

On Friday, some of us returned toGuido earlier than others. Representa-tives of each school were requested toattend the breakfast business meeting. Bythe time the meal and meeting were overthe others had also made their way toschool. Isaac Smit led the morning de-votions. He read Job 28 and explainedhow this passage reminds us of God’sglory. After a solo by Darlene Flokstrawe could begin our second day. This dayalso included two workshop sessions. Alengthy lunch break recharged us forthe Friday afternoon session.

Before we knew it the chairman wasgiving his “thank yous” to the organiz-ers. We gave Jake Ruggi, Darlene Flok-stra and the many helpers that helpedthem a hearty applause for the workthey did. By now the tulips were droop-ing, and the tablecloths were a littleaskew on the tables, but our minds werebusy with all the new ideas and infor-mation we had gleaned over the last twodays. Now we had to wait till Mondayto try them out in our classrooms.

Debbie deBoerSecretary, CRTA

1996 Teachers’ Convention C.R.T.A. EastHamilton, ON

Theme of convention– Poster on wall

183

Rev. D.G.J. Agema – Inspirational Speech. Exalt His Name Together Thursday morning.

Workshop Attendance: Creative Writing

Timothy School - Hamilton - introducing staff at lunch.

All the school did something like this.

184

Anchor HomeAs a board member of Anchor

Home I would like to use this means ofa letter to the editor to generate interestand support among your readership forthis important institution of mercy inthe midst of the Canadian Reformedchurches. As you know it has been es-tablished to help physically and men-tally handicapped members in our midstreach their full potential, and to helpthem reach this in the Name of the Lord.At the same time I see Anchor Home asan important means to assist parents andrelatives in carrying out their God-giv-en responsibility towards them.

At present Anchor Home has sevenfull-time residents. They are looked af-ter by full-time staff members who inturn are assisted by a number of part-timers and volunteers. The Society doesnot only run this home on a daily basisbut also takes a supervisory positionover handicapped persons who areable to live independently.

In my humble opinion I do not thinkthat we have reached our full potential inlooking after all the disabled brothersand sisters in our midst. Thus far we haveonly one home for them while there is acall for a second if not for a third home.In fact, I often wonder how many amongus are aware of the special needs of thesebrothers and sisters and how an AnchorHome tries to meet those needs.

The residents of Anchor Home arenot capable of making the daily rou-tine choices we all make. When theyget up in the morning they need assis-tance and/or supervision in the use ofthe toilet, in washing themselves,brushing their teeth, in taking showers,in dressing themselves, in making andeating breakfast.

Once all this has been accom-plished by a dedicated staff then it isoff to work. Unlike us, they are notable to leave on an individual basis butare transported by a special bus to ArcIndustries, where they take part in as-sembling and packaging small-sizesteel products, something they are ableto do quite well, and which allowsthem to contribute towards the overallsupport they receive.

On their return home they are as-sisted in washing up and in eating awell-deserved dinner. Unlike us, theyare not able to pick up a phone to call afriend, go out for a visit or attend a meet-ing. They are completely dependent onthe initiative and guidance of the staffand of those among us who take a spe-cial interest in them. The staff, with theassistance of volunteers, must accompa-ny and supervise all their outings: shop-ping, visiting, church-services, etc.

In meeting all these challenges thestaff is making Anchor Home a realhome for these special members ofGod’s Household. They go all out, es-pecially in the evenings, to help themexercise the communion of saints, pur-sue with them the art of education(training), the importance of communi-cation and other survival skills. Allthese challenging activities are borneby a lot of Psalm and Hymn singing.

A facility like Anchor Home seeslight to heavy use. Various areas showobvious signs of wear and tear. Theseneed our attention in the near future. Inorder to give its residents the quality oflife they are entitled to various changesand renovations are called for, specifi-

cally with a view to the kind of work inwhich they are presently engaged.

At the time of writing this appealfor your support we have been in-formed that Arc Industries will beclosed due to a shortage in govern-ment funds. As a result the Board is con-sidering the possibility of making outof Anchor Home’s existing garage anassembling facility, the cost of which isestimated at a minimum of $20,000.

Therefore, this appeal for your sup-port has become even more urgent.Please, consider signing up as membersof the Anchor Home Society or of mak-ing regular contributions on an annualbasis. Be assured that the monies willbe put to good use, for the benefit andwell-being of these “royal” childrenthe Lord has entrusted to our care.

A.M. Wanders, Brampton, ONSecretary Anchor Home:

Mrs. J. Jans 208l Leighland Rd.

Burlington, ON L7N 3S4

Treasurer Anchor Home: Mr. A. Jans

589 Mohawk Rd. W. Ancaster, ON L9C 1X5

185

PRESS RELEASE

Press Release of Classis ContractaAlberta/ManitobaMarch 14, 1996 Edmonton, AB

1. On behalf of the conveningchurch, Edmonton-Providence, Rev. R.Aasman called the meeting to order. Heread 1 Corinthians 13 and led in prayer.He then welcomed the delegates.

2. The credentials were examinedand found to be in good order. Thechurches at Edmonton-Providence andEdmonton-Immanuel were represented.

3. Classis contracta was constitutedand the following brothers were ap-pointed: as chairman: Rev. G.A. Snipand as clerk: elder R. Duker.

4. The agenda was adopted.5. A letter was received from the

church at Calgary requesting a counsel-lor be appointed and for continuedpulpit supply. Classis appointed Rev.R. Aasman per request as counsellorfor the church at Calgary. A preachingschedule for pulpit supply will be pub-lished till about the end of May, 1996.

6. A letter was received from thechurch at Coaldale requesting a coun-sellor be appointed. Classis appointedRev. G. Ph. van Popta per request ascounsellor for the church at Coaldale.

7. The Acts were read and adopted.8. Press Release was approved.9. The chairman led in thanksgiv-

ing prayer and declared Classis closed.

For Classis contracta AB/MBof March 14, 1996R. Duker, clerk e.t.

CLARION ADVERTISEMENTS

Psalm 127Jack and Marlene VanRootselaar are very thankful to the Lord who made everything well with the birthof their 5th childBENJAMIN SHAWNBorn March 15, 1996A brother for Justine, Jessie-Lyn, Timothy, Nicholas and Lise Lanthier19th grandchild to Jake and Anne VanRootselaar6th grandchild to Fred and Mieneke StoffelsRR 3, Thamesville, ON N0P 2K0

Thy hands have made and fashioned me, give me understanding that I maylearn Thy commandments. Psalm 119:73The Lord has once again blessed us with a covenant child. We joyful-ly welcome into our familyABIGAIL RENEEBorn March 9, 1996Jerold and Sharon Van Assen (nee Viersen)Reuben, Nathan, Steven, GuidoBox 170, Neerlandia, AB T0G 1R0

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your worksare wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139:14 (NIV)With much thankfulness, the Lord has answered our prayers and hasentrusted us with one of His precious gifts, a daughterTARISSA DAWNthat we may raise her in the fear of His Name.Born March 11, 1996Pete and Sheila DeRuiter (nee VanSydenborgh), Tara Lyn†214 Diane Drive, Orangeville, ON L9W 3N7

“Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from Him. Psalm 127:3With great joy and thankfulness to our heavenly Father, we are pleasedto announce the birth of our second sonTYLER WAYNEBorn March 14, 1996A little brother for RobertEd and Henrietta VanderLaan (nee Vis)42 McIntosh Avenue, Hamilton, ON L9B 1J4

With thankfulness to our Father in heaven who entrusted into ourcare one of His covenant children we joyfully announce the birth of ourfirst child, a sonJOSHUA DARENBorn February 23, 1996Frank and Sandra DeBoerRR 2, Smithville, ON L0R 2A0

With gratitude to the Lord Who made all things well, we joyfullyannounce the birth ofMARK JACOBBorn March 26, 1996 toTony and Jacqueline Jelsma (nee Nyenhuis)A brother for Derek, Laura and Marina46 Sedgefield, Pointe Claire, QC H9R 1N5

Behold, what manner of love the Father has given unto us. . . .March 15, 1996 - He asked. I said yes.June 29, 1996 - The rest will be history.KAREN KUIK and ADRIAN M. DIELEMAN144 Twin Crescent, Hamilton, ON L8W 3A7

Births

Engagements

186

With thankfulness to the Lord, weKIMBERLY ANN and ALANtogether with our parents, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Veldman and Mr. andMrs. Albert Sytsma would like to announce our engagementMarch 23, 19962633 Halverstick Road, Guest House, Lynden, WA 98264

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures allthings. Love never ends. 1 Corinthians 13:7-8aWith thanks to the Lord for the love He has given us for Him andeach other, weCRYSTAL VAN DORP and KEN BYSTERVELD are pleased to announce our engagementFebruary 14th, 199633239 Downes Road, Abbotsford, BC V4X 2H7

Mr. and Mrs. M. van Beveren are pleased to announce that theirdaughterALBERTA JANTINA (Béa) and ROSSson of Mr. and Mrs. J.M. den Broeder of Richmond Hill, Ontario, intendto be united in Holy Wedlock on Saturday, May 11, 1996 at 1:30p.m. The marriage will be solemnized, Deo Volente, in the Provi-dence Canadian Reformed Church at Edmonton, Alberta, by the fatherof the bride.13904 - 86 Street, Edmonton, AB T5E 3C1

Make me to know Thy ways O LORD; teach me Thy paths. Lead me inThy truth, and teach me, for Thou art the God of my salvation; for Thee Iwait all the day long. Psalm 25:4 and 5With thankfulness to the Lord wePAULINA DE RUITER and JOHANNES ADOLF LOKtogether with our parents Mr. and Mrs. Paul de Ruiter and Mr. andMrs. Dolf Lok joyfully announce our marriage. The ceremony willtake place D.V. April 26, 1996 at 2:00 p.m. in the Canadian Re-formed Church at Carman, Manitoba. Rev. P.K.A. De Boer officiating.Future address: 58 Cartier Avenue, Haywood, MB R0G 0W0

1961 - May 6 - 1996The LORD is my Shepherd. Psalm 23On the occasion of the 35th Wedding Anniversary of our dear par-ents and grandparents IZAK and LINDA VANDEREE (nee Bultje)we rejoice, together with them, in the blessings God has granted. Wethank the Lord for giving our parents these wonderful years togetherand pray that He will grant them many more. Their loving children and grandchildrenFergus, ON: Anita and Jake Bouwman

Harold, Gregory, Richard, Lynetta,Curtis, Brandon, Kenton, Saralyn

Richmond Hill, ON: Jack and Evelyn VandereeIzak

Marilyn and Fred PilonRebecca, Derrick, Katherine

Burlington, ON: Norm and Nicole VandereeJustin, Kaitlyn

Sonya and Norm KampenChelsey, Victoria

67 Grandview Avenue, Thornhill, ON L3T 1H3

Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labour in vain.Psalm 127:1aBurnaby, BC – May 5 – Surrey, BCANTONIE ALBERTUS and JACOBA ADRIANA VAN DER HEIDE(nee Tanis)With joy and thankfulness to the Lord for His faithfulness, we, with ourdaughter Karin, are happy to announce our 25th Wedding Anniversary.May God continue to surround us with His care.14086 - 102a Avenue, Surrey, BC V3T 1P9Open House: the Lord willing, Friday, May 3, 1996 7:30 p.m.Maranatha Canadian Reformed Church, 12300-92 Avenue, Surrey, BCAny gifts to the Can. Ref. World Relief please.

Weddings

Anniversaries

Obituaries

November 29, 1912 – February 24, 1996My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weak-ness. 2 Corinthians 12:9The Lord has taken unto himself our beloved husband, father,grandfather and great-grandfatherRENE A. SCHAAPLangley, BC: Arina Schaap

Eric and Bouk SchaapNelRaymond and TanyaAlex and LeonaEdPaulineEricMichael

Ria and Ben StamClarence and LindaIngrid and Ben Baartman

Rene and Janice SchaapLeah and Allen DickensAndrewJessicaRebecca

Agnes and Chester BaardaMelody and Dick VanderWelStan and Irene PolWes and CharmaineCliff and Marilyn VanderPloegBrian and Monica BaardaJohn and Sandra VenemaNancy BaardaKevin Baarda

Erna and Walter HamiltonSiska and Harry Stel

Ken and LyanMikeRobVerne

Robert and Diane SchaapLukeShaneMatthewMonique

and 5 great-grandchildren

187

COME TO THE BEAUTIFUL BULKLEY VALLEY

The Ebenezer Canadian Reformed School of Smithersand Houston has a possible temporary high school po-sition available from September till December 31, 1996.

Duties consist of replacing the Social Studies/Businessteacher who is on a study leave. Familiarity with Mi-crosoft Works will be considered an asset. Applicantswith qualifications in other areas will also be consid-ered.

For inquiries contact:Henk Van Beelen

at (604)847-3492 (school)(604)847-5924 (home) or (604)847-3912 (fax)

For contract information call John Verhelst at (604) 846-9367

The Covenant Canadian Reformed School Society invites applications for

HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS with specialties in English and/or Biology

duties to commence September, 1996.For information contact

The Principal: Mr. Joop HarthoornPhone: (403) 674-4774 (school)

(403) 674-6457 (home)and/or

The secretary for the BoardMrs. Margaret Otten

Box 67, Neerlandia, AB T0G 1R0Phone: (403) 674-6031 Fax: (403) 674-4883

POSITIONS VACANTPRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS

The Free Reformed School Association (Inc.) of Ar-madale, Western Australia invites applications fromsuitably qualified persons to fill the above vacancies,commencing 1 January 1997.Intending applicants should be a member of the Cana-dian Reformed Churches or one of its sister churches,and have a strong commitment towards ReformedEducation.Further information on these positions may be ob-tained from Mr. J. Mulder, Chairman of the Board, onTelephone No. (09) 399 2839.Applications should be directed to:

The SecretaryMr. J. VanderPlasFree Reformed School Association (Inc.)PO Box 474, ArmadaleWESTERN AUSTRALIA 6112Fax 09 4973280

APPLICATIONS CLOSE 15 JUNE 1996

The Lord in His wisdom took unto Himself our wife, mother, sister,grandmother and great-grandmotherANNA MARIA VAN HOF, nee Vander GriendtMarch 20, 1908 to March 17, 1996

Wife of Lambertus Jan Van HofMother ofRichmond Hill, ON Wilma and Harry KleineOakville, ON Anne and Terry MooreRiyadh, K.S.A. Bernice Van HofWaterdown, ON Hilda and Sid AlkemaSister ofUtrecht, Holland Dirk Vander GriendtGrandmother of Richmond Hill, ON Elaine and Peter OlijNewmarket, ON Rob and Maddalena KleineKitchener, ON Joyce and David van VoorstOakville, ON Christopher and Michael MooreHamilton, ON Craig and Arlene Alkema Waterdown, ON Brad Alkema and Debbie Jagt

Anna Alkema and Darren BartelsTom, Mark and Lisa AlkemaFive Great-grandchildren

L.J. Van Hof 7900 McLaughlin Rd. S. Apt. 205 T.T.RR 10, Brampton, ON L6V 3N2

The Board of the Canadian Reformed School Societyof Fergus/Guelph and District Inc. operating the

MARANATHA CHRISTIAN SCHOOL (Grades 1-6) and the

EMMANUEL CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL (Grades 7-10) invites applications for a

JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL TEACHING POSITIONfor the 1996/97 school year. A variety of subjects areavailable. However French will be preferred.All interested applicants are requested to send appli-cations to:

Maranatha/Emmanuel Christian SchoolP.O. Box 143, FERGUS, ON N1M 2W7Attn: Education CommitteeFax: (519) 846-0147

For more information, please contactMr. P. Witten, principalPhone: (school) (519) 843-3029

(home) (519) 928-3016

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188

Maranatha HomesBurlington, Ontario

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Mrs. Rosanne van der Woerd109-3260 New Street, Burlington, ON L7N 3L4

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THANK YOUWe would like to thank all the brothers and sisters forcards and best wishes received at our 40th WeddingAnniversary. It was much appreciated.

Harry and Jean Vanderveen

The MOST news on the Netherlands and the Dutch in Canada

and the U.S.A.

Ontario Edition: P.O. Bag 9033, Surrey, BC V3T 4X3tel: (416) 287-6487 (between 12:00 & 8:00 p.m.)

Western Canada: P.O. Bag 9033, Surrey, BC V3T 4X3tel: (604) 532-1733

U.S.A.: P.O. Box 313, Lynden, WA 98264-0313tel: (604) 532-1733

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THE 1996 REFORMED WOMEN’S CONFERENCE OF ONTARIO

will be held from May 31st-June 1st, 1996 at RedeemerCollege, Ancaster. The speaker will be Flora Comp-ton, on the theme, “What does the covenant mean tothe covenant family?” You are invited to join us for atime of learning and refreshment, for your encourage-ment and to the praise and honour of God.

For more information and registration, contact

JoAnne Faber Sandra Smeding333 Plains Rd. West 3070 Autumn Hill CrescentBurlington, Ontario Burlington, OntarioL7T 1G1 L7M 1Y5

(905) 524-2203 (905) 336-8213

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITYAldershot Greenhouses Ltd., a well-established green-house operation, has an immediate opening for aGrower to work in our pot mum and pot rose produc-tion. The successful applicant should possess a strongwork ethic, be self-motivated and a team player. Posi-tion requires basic horticulture knowledge and“hands-on” experience.Mail or Fax resume to:

Aldershot Greenhouses Ltd.1135 Gallagher RoadBurlington, Ontario

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190

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CAMPAIGN CALGARYThe congregation of the Canadian Reformed Church in Calgary and the Tyndale Christian School Society have em-barked on a project to construct a facility for church and school. Growth in the school and the cost of renting otherfacilities have put the congregation under pressure to begin construction as soon as possible. Our congregation hasalready purchased property and surpassed the challenge of pledging $50,000 to the new building. Our goal is toraise an additional $200,000. We prayerfully ask for you to support us by:

1. A financial contribution2. Considering a move to this beautiful city

*many jobs available*enthusiastic congregation and school*affordable housing costs

If you wish to know more about this project, contact either:

John Hoogerdijk 1-403-590-0791or

Harry deBoer 1-403-285-7075

You may also send E-mail to calgary@debres.cuug.ab.ca

If you are able to make a donation, send it to:Canadian Reformed School Building Fundc/o Blake Termeer152 Templeside Circle NECalgary, AlbertaT1Y 3L7