NEWS, ANNOUNCEMENTS, & EVENTS

CHURCH NEWS

MINISTERIAL CALLS:

Extended:

To Rev. J. den Hoed of Rock Valley, Iowa, by the congregations of Fort Macleod, Alberta, and of Franklin Lakes, New Jersey.

Accepted:

Rev. R. Kattenberg of Vlissingen, the Netherlands, to the congregation of Arnhem, the Netherlands.

Declined:

By Rev. C. Vogelaar of Grand Rapids, Michigan, to the congregation of Lynden, Washington. By Rev. G. J. Baan of Lisse, the Netherlands, to the congregation of Corsica, South Dakota.

Address for:

Rev. and Mrs. H. Hofman, Jr.
Casilla 5368
Cochabamba, Bolivia
Phone 011-591-424-4628

Correction:

The price of the Dutch Year Book was incorrectly shown last month. The correct price is $10 (U.S.), and it is available from:

Mr. Evan Kersten
1389 Lamont Avenue, N.W.
Grand Rapids, Michigan
49504-2414
Phone (616) 453-0122

TEACHERS NEEDED

JORDAN CHRISTIAN SCHOOL, ST. CATHARINES, ONTARIO, is anticipating a full-time opening for a junior/intermediate teacher from January to June 2000, which could lead to a full-time position in our school. Applicants with science and/or social science backgrounds are especially encouraged, although all applications will be considered. Please send your letter and resumé to the school, attention of Mr. Mark Fintelman, principal, P.O. Box 69, lordan Station, Ontario LOR 1S0, fax (905) 562- 0610.

Rev. A. Moerkerken — 25 Years in the Ministry

In September it will be twenty-five years ago that our brother and friend, Rev. A. Moerkerken, was installed in his first congregation, Nieuw Beijerland, in the Netherlands. After having labored there for almost thirteen years, he took up the shepherd's staff in Gouda, where he served for about nine years. Due to the heavy load of being instructor at the theological school in Rotterdam, a task which he could no longer combine with his pastoral labors in Gouda, he preached his farewell sermon there on May 28, 1996, to become a full-time instructor.

I have known brother Moerkerken for about twenty-six years, as he was in his last year at the theological school when I was in my first year there. We have both grown older, and we see that our lives fly by and are as a shadow which declineth. God, however, is the same as He has been in those past years, a faithful, long-suffering God, also in ways we cannot comprehend.

The Lord has used our brother for many important tasks in His church. Our churches in North America are grateful for his willingness to assist and advise at several Synodical meetings, also in difficult circumstances. Throughout the years he has shown that also the welfare of the churches overseas is near to his heart, and, whenever possible, he tried to help.

It is our wish that the King of the church may strengthen brother Moerkerken and continue to use him for many years in His vineyard, at the place which the Lord has given him. We are and remain unprofitable servants, and there is certainly no reason to boast of our accomplishments, for it is only by the grace of God that we are what we are. We must confess that it is of His mercies that we are not consumed. However, God's faithfulness is also manifest in the life of our brother.

Therefore we wish him, together with his wife and children, a commemoration of the Lord's benefits in true adoration and humility before Him. In a church service in the “Boezemsingel” church in Rotterdam Centrum, Rev. Moerkerken hopes to reflect on what the Lord has been for him in those twenty-five years. The times are dark and discouraging, and we will often be disappointed with others and also with ourselves. However, the apostle says, “Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24).

On behalf of the churches in North America, we extend our hearty congratulations and best wishes.

— Rev. C. Vogelaar

Anniversary and other announcements will be placed upon request. A donation for their placement would be appreciated. For consistency, size is limited. Requests for placement should be made by the 15th of the month prior to the month of publication. For example, if you wish to place your announcement in the July issue, it must be received by us prior to June 15. Please note this deadline for receiving announcements. Occasionally we have to disappoint a family because of the late arrival of their announcement. In order to give our readers advance notice of these special days, it is advisable to place the notice a month early.

CURRENT ISSUES & EVENTS

Introduction

How deeply is man fallen! Even a brief glance at our society's direction will confirm this truth of God's Word. We are to raise our families in an increasingly anti-godly society. Biblical values long cherished in our nations are mocked, opposed, and rapidly disposed of. As parents we need to be prepared to guide our children as they meet the forces of the prince of darkness while they are studying on campus or working side by side with their fellow men. To help each other in this needed guidance, in this section we will present tidbits of current events which are usually not reported to us by the general and liberal media, and we will attempt to provide additional comments and direction.

We hope that parents will make the effort to discuss this page with their children, especially with their teenagers. More tha never, parents, we need to take the time to listen to and speak with our children. We purposely wrote “to listen to” first. Too many of us are too busy or too impatient to listen to our children. Young parents, take the time to listen to them when they come to tell you astory abou t the fish they caught in the creek or about the events on the school playground. Though often their stories seem so trivial, yet we give them a message when we show no interest or have no time. If we do not learn to listen to them when they are yet eager to share their stories, they will not come to share their stories and experiences when they have reached the years in which they need guidance the most.

After listening, we also need to answer or to speak. Sometimes the ideas which are shared with us are so unbiblical that it shocks us; yet to our youth they seem so acceptable. This may be because the error is “packaged” so subtly by their instructors or because they have grown up with it all around them and simply know no better. In seeking to give you some assistance in guiding our youth, we will in this column seek to shed some biblical light upon the various issues that face us in our post-Chr istian society. May God bless this effort for the strengthening of our families.

Bigamy

Most of us are aware of the enmity of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) against anything which is biblical. Several pages could be filled to illustrate this assertion. Actions against prayer in public, against any display of the Ten Command ments, and against various other aspects of our Judeo-Christian heritage will be familiar to any informed reader.

Lately the ACLU has involved itself with another anti-biblical practice, namely, bigamy. Bigamy is one man married to two wives at the same time. The state of Utah has a law which prohibits not only multiple marriages, but also cohabitation (living together as husband and wife without being married) . Now the ACLU has joined local polygamy supporter

in attemp ting to strike down this state law. The ACLU Legal Director, Stephen Clark, compared this challenge to the homosexuals' campaign against existing laws prohibiting “gay marriages.” As we could expect, the ACLU is committed to protect both kinds of living arrangements.

We increasingly meet with this transgression of God's revealed will about the marriage relationship. Observant listeners and readers will have noticed that today's world prefers to speak about “living arrangements. “That phrase was first used to describe cohabitation of couples in the 1970s and 1980s who chose not to marry. Later, “living arrangements” came to include the practice of two men living together. Now we see that bigamy and polygamy are to be included in this phrase. What will be the next invention to be included in these “living arrangements”?

No doubt the ACLU's argument will be that every one of us has the right to live as he pleases. If all parties involved agree, then it must be nobody's business to forbid it. After all, man is master of his own life. Other people will add the argument that as long as the participants love each other, why forbid it? Perhaps some will even use the biblical examples of some of God's people as an argument in favor of bigamy. After all, Abraham, Jacob, David, and Solomon were involved in bigamou s relati onships. Especially this last argument can be confusing to our youth.

God's will

God's revealed will, however, is the end of the issue. We should not be afraid to maintain this position. The answer, “God forbid s it,” is sufficient. Even though Abraham, Jacob, and many others in the Bible disobeyed God's will (Genesis 2:24 and Matthew 19:5-6), this does not alter God's will. God did not make two Eves for Adam, but one! God has clearly commanded that a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave to his (one) wife. The first to depart from God's order was Lamech, from the line of wicked Cain (Genesis 4:19). Tracing all the troubles that came in the families of Abraham, Jacob, David, and Solomon, we can clearly deduce that God's blessing did not rest upon their bigamous practices.

Besides the outright biblical directive against bigamy/polygamy, there is the argument of experience. Never did the bigamous relationshi p bear the fruit of harmony in family life or in the marriage relationship. What Jesus said in a different context is likewise true for the marriage relationship: “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other” (Matthew 6:24). As soon as a third party enters the marriage relationship, the fire of jealousy and envy begins to burn. This fire is utterl y destructive. How true is Solomon's conclusion: “Lo, this only have I found, that God hat h made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions” (Ecclesiastes 7:29). What fools we are to think that we know better than the Lord! Let us seek God's blessing of biblical and godly marriages in our churches. We are more than convinced that one great key to the blessing of our future generations lies in a stable, warm, loving, and, above all, godly family life. Too often we observe in our pastoral labors that the absence of such a family life is detrimental to the wellbeing of our youth, who are to be themselves in the future parents.

— Rev. A. T. Vergunst

CURRENT ISSUES & EVENTS

Should you desire to write or phone your Congressman and Senators, we have listed their addresses and phone numbers. On critical issues facing our nation, it is important to inform your elected officials of your views. With the Lord's blessing, your opinion may significantly influence their voting behavior.

U.S. Senate: 1-800-962-3524

U.S. House: 1-800-972-3524

Address for Senator:

Senator _______________

United States Senate

Washington, D.C. 20510

Address for House Member:

Congressman _______________

United States House of Representatives

Washington, D.C. 20515

Courts Reject

‘Wrongful Birth’ Claims

Lawsuits claiming children should never have been born ran into stiff resistance from courts recently, according to Citizen Issues Alert. In recent years there have been a series of “wrongful birth“lawsuits from parents who claim they were not informed of their children's birth defects in time to get abortions. Twenty-eight states currently permit such suits, which typically seek, and sometimes get, large monetary awards. But some courts are taking a dim view of this practice. The Georgia Supreme Court recently reaffirmed a nine-year-old ruling that wrongful-birth suits have no grounds in state law. A Michigan appeals-court panel recently rejected these lawsuits by saying that the logic of wrongful-birth suits could “quickly slide into applied eugenics and the elimination of supposedly unfit human lives.”

Internet Porn Industry Grows

Internet web sites containing “adult conten t” last year reaped a $970 million whirlwind, increasing 30 % over the previous year, according to Forrester Research. In the next five years the 1998 total is expected to triple. One website claims 115,000 subscribers who pay $24.95 a month to receive online porn. A recent poll showed that 44% of teenagers had been exposed to websites that were X-rated or sexually explicit. How we, whether young or old, must give heed to the warning of Solomon, “If sinners entice thee, consent thou not” (Proverbs 1:10). Oh, that we may supplicate before the Lord to make our hearts tender and our consciences alive so that we may flee unto H im and unto His Word.

Suit on Behalf of First Grade Student

Lawyers are appealing a federal court decision on behalf of a first grade student in Medford, New Jersey, after the boy was denied the right to read his choice of stories in front of the class, simply because that story was from the Bible. According to the Christian Science Monitor, as a bonus for doing so well in his reading Zachary Hood was told he could pick his favorite story and read it to his classmates. But his teacher said that his choice was unconstitutional because it was about two biblical brothers, Jacob and Esau. The case is now before a federal appeals court in Philadelphia.

Updates

The U.S. House of Representatives voted to allow states to permit the posting of the Ten Commandments on government property and in schools. The amendment, approved by a 248-180 vote, was attached to a juvenile crime bill addressing the growing problem of youth violence.

A federal district judge struck down Virginia's ban on partial-birth abortion. Only eight states have bans in effect.

The Oregon legislature voted to prohibit state funding of abortion and doctor-assisted suicide. Gov. John Kitzhaber has promised to veto the measure.

— R. V. S.

A Request from the Netherlands

Consistories in the Netherlands and in North America have received a request from Rev. C. de Jongste and the consistory of Tholen, the Netherlands, for meditations by all our ministers, plus three pictures pertainin g to each congregation. Suggested pictures are a n exterior view of the church, an interior view of the church, and a pictur e of the consistory members. These are to form a book to benefit the planned building of a new churchin Tholen. It is hoped that all congregations are willing to cooperate in this request in order to make the book complete. This book could have church historical value, also for our children, and could serve as a means in God's hand to strengthen the ties between the churches. We heartily recom mend this project to you. If there are questions, they may contact me or Elder Garret Moerdyk in Kalamazoo.

— Rev. C. Vogelaar

Available from:

Bible Truth Books

P.O. Box 2373

Kalamazoo, Michigan 49003

Commentaries:

On the Heidelberg Catechism - Z. Ursinus (hardover) $20.20

On Galatians M. Luther (paperback) $9.95

On Ephesians C. Hodges (paperback) $6.25

On Proverbs C. Bridges (hardcover) $16.80

On Genesis J. Calvin (hardcover) $31.00

On Habakkuk J. Calvin (hardcover) $14.55

On Hosea J. Calvin (hardcover) $15.30

On Joel, Amos, Obadiah J. Calvin (hardcover) $15.30

On Jonah, Micah, Nahum J. Calvin (hardcover) $15.30

On the complete Bible M. Henry (6 volumes) $50.00

On the complete Bible M. Poole (3 volume) $50.00

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