pulling out the cornerstone of societyclarionmagazine.ca/archives/2002/445-468_v51n19.pdfthe supreme...

The Canadian Reformed MagazineVolume 51, No. 19, September 13, 2002

Pulling Out the Cornerstone

of Society

The Canadian Reformed MagazineVolume 51, No. 19, September 13, 2002

The familyA family consisting of a husband and wife with their chil-

dren has long been regarded as the cornerstone to a stableand flourishing society. Those who hold the Bible as the in-fallible rule of God know that marriage and family find theirorigin in God’s creation. God created man male and fe-male, and He officiated at the very first marriage in Par-adise. Moreover, He gave the command to be fruitful andmultiply. Western culture and society has also acceptedand promoted this basic family unit. In North America, theoriginal laws of Canada and the United States have beenfavourable to marriage and families. Even the tax systemsfavoured the marriage of a man and woman, as well as theprocreation of children.

In the landmark case for gay couples where Jim Egansought the same allowances for his gay partner as commonlyfound among married couples, Justice Gerard La Forest ofthe Supreme Court of Canada argued:

Marriage has from time immemorial been firmlygrounded in our legal tradition, one that is itself a reflec-tion of long-standing philosophical and religious tradi-tions. But its ultimate raison d’etre transcends all ofthese and is firmly anchored in the biological and socialrealities that heterosexual couples have the unique abil-ity to procreate, that most children are the product ofthese relationships, and they are generally cared for andnurtured by those who live in that relationship. In thissense marriage is by nature heterosexual . . . because ofits importance, legal marriage may properly be viewed asfundamental to the stability and well-being of the familyand, as such, parliament may quite properly give spe-cial support to the institution of marriage.

This was 1995. Clearly, within Canadian society there isstill a high regard for marriage and the basic family structure.It is acknowledged that there is a religious tradition behindthis, but also biological and social realities. As Christianswe read here between the lines: what God instituted at the

time of creation was incredibly wise, beautiful and benefi-cial. Even an unbeliever can see the glory of God in this.

We know from such Scripture passages as Deuteron-omy 6, Psalm 78 and Psalm 128, that it is within the safetyand nourishment of the traditional family that the kingdomof God is promoted. Moreover, society receives the benefit.As we have said, the basic family is the cornerstone to a sta-ble and flourishing society.

But the times, they are a changin’Sadly, in recent decades there have been tremendous

changes in Western culture to the basic family unit. The60s brought “easy” divorce laws. The 70s and 80s broughtcommon law relationships. The 90s brought gay relation-ships. Here is the startling part of all this: these things are notjust happening, but they have the support of the governmentand courts. Most recently, we have seen a court rulingwhich is opening the door to gay marriages. This past July,three Ontario Superior Court judges ruled that the federal

446 CLARION, SEPTEMBER 13, 2002

EDITORIAL

By R. Aasman

Pulling Out the Cornerstone of Society

The basic family is the cornerstone to astable and flourishing society.

government’s definition of a male and female marriage tothe exclusion of all other relationships violated the charter.They said that there is no pressing societal need that justi-fied the discrimination against same sex couples whowant to marry. Thankfully the federal government has de-cided to appeal this decision. Nevertheless, it is an ap-palling development, a fact underlined by a poll takenshortly after the Ontario Superior Court decision wherealmost half of all Canadians polled expressed their favourfor gay marriages.

Times are changing. Even those who are in a positionof respect and government in our society are prepared topull out the very cornerstone of society. What will happento a society where marriage and family are being shred-ded by divorce, common law relationships, and gay rela-tionships? Do we not have plenty evidence right nowwhere this is leading? Look at the moral decay of our cul-ture, a rudderless youth, and ever increasing narcissism oregocentric people!

CLARION, SEPTEMBER 13, 2002 447

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IN THIS ISSUE

Editorial – Pulling Out the Cornerstone of Society— R. Aasman..............................................................446

Treasures, Old and New – A Banner Day— J.G. Slaa ................................................................449

Herman Bavinck on Old Testament Criticism (1)— F.G. Oosterhoff ......................................................450

Press Review – Van Raalte’s Legacy — J. De Jong ..............................................................453

Education Matters ........................................................456Reader’s Forum

— W.W.J. VanOene ..................................................459Letter to the Editor ........................................................460Our Little Magazine — Aunt Betty................................461

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$65.00*$54.00$97.00What’s inside?

The editorial examines some recent developmentsin our society with respect to same sex marriages.Thankfully our government is balking at agreeing withthese developments and is asking for societal input. AsChristians we need to speak up loudly and clearly.

The story of Rev. A.C. Van Raalte’s ministry in boththe Netherlands and North America is a riveting one.Although he was a man with shortcomings and weak-nesses, he was a very special servant of the Lord. Dr. J. DeJong gives a short account of this in his press review.

We have another series of articles by Dr. F.G.Oosterhoff. This time she examines the powerful nine-teenth-century assault upon the Scriptures by higher crit-icism. But as she points out, “the radical critics nevermonopolized the field. There were at all times scholarswho defended the Bible’s historicity and trustworthi-ness, and who even progressed from a defensive to anoffensive position on the issue. Prominent among thesescholars in Reformed circles was the Dutch theologianHerman Bavinck.”

In Education Matters, teacher Derek Stoffels exam-ines the value of electronic learning in the classroom.There are some definite benefits to electronic learning.This is not designed to replace the traditional classroom,but to work in conjunction with it.

We have our regular column Treasurers, New andOld, and we have a reader’s forum and a letter to theeditor.

RA

Divorce has been oversold as a way ofdealing with marriage difficulties.

A brave new world?The dramatic changes to marriage and family have

taken place fairly recently – less than four decades. Thatmeans assessments are currently being made as well. Sincedivorce was one of the first things to buffet the institution ofmarriage, the effects of divorce have been much studied inrecent years. One organization, the Institute of AmericanValues in New York, a non-partisan think-tank that special-izes in family issues, has published its research on divorce.Basically, what they discovered is that divorce has beenoversold as a way of dealing with marriage difficulties.What the Institute discovered is that couples who dealt withtheir difficulties and stayed married were more likely to behappy than those who divorced. Surprise, surprise. Actuallythis is no surprise at all. When human beings flee from theirproblems and refuse to honour the commitment of mar-riage, they are more than likely to continue experiencing fail-ure in their lives. It is people who face their problems, workon them, and resolve them through forgiveness and humil-ity who flourish in their relationships.

I have no doubt that honest evaluation will demonstratesimilar findings that society has been oversold and defraudedby the so-called benefits of a brave new world of commonlaw marriages and gay marriages.

What can we do?It is clear that there are people in the land, from the man

in the street to Members of Parliament, who have deep con-cerns about what is happening to the family unit in this mod-ern age. As Christians who have the rich knowledge of whatGod reveals in his Word, we need to speak up. There areorganizations such as the Canada Family Action Coalition(www.familyaction.org) which keep us apprised of what isgoing on in government and courts. We can also contact

the Justice Minister or our local Member of Parliament1 andlet them know our concerns. We might think that a singlephone call or email from any one of us cannot make muchof a difference. The opposite is true. As more and more in-dividuals step forward and voice their concerns, governingofficials do listen. That is the nature of politics.

We should also keep in mind that being a light in theworld does not end with political and social activism. Aboveall else, it means being an example to the world around us.How important it is that we refrain from divorce, premaritalsex, common law relationships, and homosexual lifestyle.Some readers might wonder: does this actually have to bestated among Reformed people? The answer is, yes. Whathappens in the world creeps into the church. Throughpreaching and discipline the church must be clear where itstands on these matters and apply discipline as necessary.

Above all else, our neighbour must see in our lives aflourishing relationship between husband and wife, par-ents and children. That is a star attraction which makesothers around us desire to share the same thing. And thatgives the wonderful opportunity to show the greatest mira-cle of all: that a flourishing marriage is God’s gift of grace,made possible in the blood of Christ, and nourished by hisWord and Spirit.

1

– Liberal Justice Minister Martin Cauchon. Phone (613) 992-462Fax (613) 990-7255 E-Mail [email protected]

– To find contact info for your MP click:http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/people/house/PostalCode.asp?Source=SM


Rev. R. Aasman is minister of the Providence CanadianReformed Church in Edmonton, Alberta.

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Two months after their gloriousdeparture from Egypt, the Amalekitesattacked the Israelites near Rephidim.It is another obstacle along the way.The obstacles did not present them-selves just like that. God sent them,often to discipline his people for theirrebellion. He sent them to test theirloyalty and trust.

The attack is brutal. From Deuteron-omy 25:17ff, we learn more details.Moses at that time asks the Israelites torecall what Amalek did along the way.The people were to remember “whenyou were weary and worn out, theymet you on your journey and cut off allwho were lagging behind; they had nofear of God.” The Amalekites drove awedge between the people in the frontof the group and those who were tag-ging behind. They separated the strongfrom the weak. We don’t read whathappens after that. We can certainlyimagine. At the least, it was enough todrive the encouragement out and thefear deeply into the people.

Moses, who was facing rejection,stepped in. He gathered his fightingmen, led by his young aide Joshua, andrallied them to fight. He announced hisintention to climb a nearby hill and toraise his staff to the LORD. The staff wasthe same staff which turned into a snakebefore Pharaoh. It ushered in the tenplagues. It separated the waters at theRed Sea. It brought the water from theRock. It was the staff of God. It is thesymbol of his power. When Mosesclimbed the nearby hill, he raised thestaff with his two arms. “For hands werelifted up to the throne of the LORD.” Itwas a prayer to the covenant LORD. Inthis prayer, Moses the mediator for Is-rael, called upon the LORD to remem-

ber his steadfast covenant promisesand to uphold his power.

Every time Moses raised his arms,holding the staff up high, the Israeliteswould advance. Every time Moses low-ered his arms as they became weary,the Amalekites prevailed. Aaron andHur held up the arms to ensure the vic-tory. The strength and success of Israel’sarmy did not lay with Joshua and hissoldiers. It lay with Moses’ mediation,and therefore ultimately with the LORD,to whom Moses appealed. Thereforethe Israelites overcame the Amalekitesthat day. The LORD saves.

It was Israel’s first encounter withthe enemy, after her departure fromEgypt. It represents every enemy that Is-rael would face as they entered andconquered the promised land. Smallwonder it is the Amalekites who at-tack. The Amalekites were the descen-dants of Amalek, the grandson of Esau.In this battle we have the age-old an-tithesis. Two nations in Rebekah’swomb fighting, and the elder will servethe younger. At first, it appeared thatthis prophecy would not hold true,that the elder would prevail. However,through the mediation of Moses, thepromises and prophesies of God arefulfilled. It is the age-old antithesis be-tween good and evil, between thechurch and the world. We understandfrom this passage that the elder stillserves the younger. The LORD usesAmalek to humble his nation, to drivethem to repentance, and to lead themto trust and salvation. In this passagewe receive the promise that the churchwill prevail. It prevails because of herMediator, the Lord Jesus Christ. Withuplifted arms He was placed on thecross, to die for all our sins. Through his

suffering and death the LORD leads us tovictory. As Hebrews 7:25 states, Christ“always lives to intercede for them.”Christ is always there, including today,appealing to the Father’s love andpleading for Him to remember hismercy. Moses, as a human, becametired. His mediation was not perfect.Christ’s mediation is perfect. In Christ,the victory is certain.

When the battle was won, Mosesbuilt an altar and called it “The LORD ismy Banner.” It served to give thanks toGod and to remind the people con-stantly that as a people their identitywas found in the LORD. He would leadthe people in victory procession. As anarmy held up a banner to identify itselfas it rallied into battle position, so thepeople of Israel held up the LORD, andhis promises, and his Word, as theirbanner of identity.

It was a banner day. On this daythe LORD once again demonstrated thatHe rules and leads his people to victory.This day near Rephidim proclaimedthe coming Saviour and perfect Media-tor Jesus Christ, who also leads us tovictory. Eternal victory. Even thoughwe face many enemies today, eventhough there are many obstacles, wewill overcome them. Let us trust in theLord Jesus Christ. Let his cross be ourbanner. In his cross do we find all thepromises and words of God encapsuledand fulfilled. Trust in the Lord. FollowHim. Appeal to Him. He helps us toovercome all our enemies.


TREASURES, NEW AND OLDMATTHEW 13:52

By J.G. Slaa

A Banner Day“Moses built an altar and called it The LORD is my Banner.

He said, ‘For hands were lifted up to the throne of the LORD. The LORD will be at war against theAmalekites from generation to generation.”

Exodus 17:15, 16

Rev. J.G. Slaa is minister of the Cana-dian Reformed Church at Kerwood,Ontario.

The attacks upon the historicity ofthe Bible began in the early modernage. Although they were influential al-ready in the eighteenth century, their ef-fect upon the body of believers did notbecome fully apparent until the nine-teenth. In the course of that centurywestern Christendom witnessed an as-sault upon the Bible’s trustworthinesswhich would affect not only scholars,but increasingly also the men andwomen in the pew. The nineteenth-century assault was the work of the so-called higher biblical criticism, whichwas especially strong at German uni-versities and spread from there to therest of the western world. It continues inour own days.

The reason why many accepted themovement’s conclusions was not sim-ply their scholarly persuasiveness. Infact, there was considerable disagree-ment among the critics, and their theo-ries were in constant need of revision.The influence of the higher criticismwas first of all a result of the fact thatthe methods it used were presented asscientific ones, and that throughout themodern period the scientific approachwas held to yield fully objective knowl-edge. The critics’ statements on theBible were therefore to be acceptedwithout questioning, just as one ac-cepted without questioning the conclu-sions of mathematics and physics andany of the other sciences. One did notargue with the pronouncements of sci-ence, one simply believed them.

But if the nineteenth-century as-sault upon the Scriptures was powerful,the radical critics never monopolizedthe field. There were at all times schol-ars who defended the Bible’s historicityand trustworthiness, and who even pro-gressed from a defensive to an offen-sive position on the issue. Prominentamong these scholars in Reformed cir-

cles was the Dutch theologian HermanBavinck (1854-1921), to whose workwe have given attention on a previousoccasion.i

At that time we looked at two as-pects of his response to the nineteenth-century wave of attacks. The first was hiscritique of the work of Julius Wellhausenand his followers, who explained theOld Testament in evolutionary terms.

The second was his reply to the schoolof the history of religions, which taughtthat the Gospel accounts in the NewTestament were derived, in part or infull, from ancient mythical traditions,Jewish and pagan. Bavinck’s response,we saw, was effective not only becausehe pointed to factual errors in the criti-cal theories, but also because heshowed the groundlessness of the be-lief that the scientific method necessar-ily leads to fully objective truth.

The history of religion and relatedschools concerned themselves withboth the New Testament and the Old,and their work in the latter area alsohad Bavinck’s attention. It is here, infact, that he concentrated his counter-attack.ii Because his work also in thisarea continues to be of relevance for

today, we will give an outline of it inthis two-part series. We will beginwith a brief account of the rise andbackground of the nineteenth-centurycritical movement.

The higher criticismIn biblical studies one meets with

two kinds of criticism, namely the tex-tual and the so-called higher criticism.The former concerns itself with attemptsto recover the most accurate biblicaltext. This is done by means of a carefulstudy of the existing manuscripts and ofwhatever other reliable evidence isavailable. Textual criticism is not con-cerned with challenging the divine ori-gin of the biblical text and is applied bybelieving scholars as much as by unbe-lieving ones. The higher criticism, onthe other hand, proceeds not from abelief in the Bible’s divine inspirationbut approaches the text of Scripture inthe same manner as scholars approachsecular historical documents.

Important in the higher criticismfrom the very beginning was the so-called historical-critical method of ex-plaining the Bible, a method that wasinspired by the attempt of nineteenth-century historians to make the interpre-tation of historical documents truly “sci-entific.” In biblical studies the quest forscientific objectivity means, amongother things, that the supernatural ele-ments in Scripture are denied, or at leastseriously questioned. This applies tostatements about direct divine inter-vention, to accounts of miracles, andalso to predictive prophecy. It accountsfor the fact that prophetic books are of-ten assigned a very late date, so thatthey can be explained not as predictingfuture events, but as describing eventsthat had already happened when thebook was written.


Herman Bavinck on Old Testament Criticism (1)

By F.G. Oosterhoff

The critics’ statementson the Bible were to be

accepted withoutquestioning, just as one

accepted without questioningthe conclusions of

mathematics and physics.One did not argue with thepronouncements of science,one simply believed them.

Initially, many higher critics be-lieved that religion was subject to lawsof evolution, but this view, although ithas certainly not been abandoned, wassoon widely questioned. Evolutionismassumes that what is earliest is neces-sarily the most primitive. For Old Tes-tament critics this meant that accountsof advanced societies in very earlytimes, such as the society of the Hebrewpatriarchs, must be non-historical andthe product of legend. Before the endof the nineteenth century, however, his-torical studies and archaeological dis-coveries demonstrated that well beforethe time of Abraham advanced civi-lizations had existed in the Middle East.With the help of such data as similari-ties in names and customs, the studiesalso showed that the patriarchs hadbeen in contact with these civiliza-tions. Scientific evidence, in otherwords, supported the biblical accountof the patriarchs’ society.

It was this development whichcontributed to the rise of newer criti-cal movements, such as that of the his-tory of religions. The critics belongingto these schools did not concern them-selves with the origin of religion assuch, but tried by means of compara-tive studies to determine whether,and if so to what extent, existing reli-gions had influenced each other. Inpractice this approach meant that theOld Testament faith was explained, inpart or in whole, with reference totraditions of the higher civilizationssurrounding Israel.

Not all historians went to the samesource. Earlier scholars had looked forinfluences from Persia, India, and espe-cially Egypt. After the spate of archae-ological discoveries in Mesopotamiain the 1870s and following decades,the direction changed. Scholars nowdecided that the Old Testament faithmust have been derived in large partfrom the traditions of Semitic nationslike Babylonia and Assyria. Becausethis Mesopotamian school was the mostinfluential one in Bavinck’s days, it wason its teachings that he concentrated inchallenging the movement.

“Babel and Bible”When describing the rise of the

newer schools, Bavinck stated that theold historical- critical approach had lostcredibility not only because of factualerrors, but also because of its failure toexplain the “problem” of Israel’s reli-gion and, in the process, to deny itsuniqueness. That had been one of the

goals. But what use, he asked, is all thesifting and splitting of sources if behindthem Israel’s religion itself continues tostand as an enigma? It was this failurewhich the newer critical schools alsorecognized as fatal, and which they at-tempted to correct by turning to otherreligious traditions, such as the Baby-lonian ones, as source and explanationof the Old Testament faith.

There were indeed parallels be-tween Babylonian traditions and someof the Old Testament teachings. Baby-lon had ancient writings – many of themmore ancient than the Old Testament it-self – with stories about creation and aflood that had similarities with the Gen-esis accounts. There were differences aswell, but as Bavinck writes, peoplefound the parallels so striking that theybelieved there must either have been acommon source, or Israel had derivedmuch of its religion from the Babyloni-ans. The second conclusion was gener-ally accepted. Nor, it should be added,was it believed that Babylonia’s influ-ence was restricted to Israel. In time aPan- Babylonian school arose, whichsaw the ancient Mesopotamian civiliza-tions as the source of civilized lifethroughout the world.

Our concern is not with these cul-tural similarities but with the critics’ideas regarding Mesopotamian influ-ences on the Old Testament faith. Heresome very radical views were pro-moted. In the heydays of Babylonianisma movement arose which fully equatedBabel und Bibel (to use the Germanterminology). According to this move-ment, the Old Testament derived notonly its accounts of creation and floodfrom Babylonia, but also practicallyevery other aspect of its religion – in-cluding the belief in monotheism, thename Yahweh, the account of the Fall,the institution of the Sabbath, the TenCommandments, and indeed the bulkof the Mosaic law.

This radical movement did not last.Before long even unbelieving scholarsrejected its extreme conclusions asspeculative and unproven. The move-ment came also under attack for givinginsufficient attention to Israel’s rela-tions with Egypt and with various otherethnic groups, such as Hittites andPhoenicians, the peoples of the Syrian-Arabian desert and of other neighbour-ing Semitic countries, and the popula-tion of Canaan itself. The Canaaniteconnection would be stressed espe-cially when, a decade or so after theFirst World War, important archaeo-logical discoveries were made at Ugarit,a city located on the Syrian coast justnorth of Palestine, which had flourishedbetween 1400 and 1200 B.C. and hadenjoyed an advanced culture. The ex-cavations at Ugarit yielded many dataabout ancient Canaanite traditions, andalso about strong links between Israeland Canaanite culture. Important,among other things, was the informa-tion on the religion of Baal and Astarte,which, as we can learn from the Bible,influenced Israel more strongly than anyBabylonian cult. At the same it becameclear, however, that although it haddeveloped a distinct culture of itsown, Ugarit had been influenced byMesopotamia.

Bavinck, who had died before thediscoveries at Ugarit, mentionedCanaanite sources but concentrated onthe original Babylonian theory. He ad-mitted that this theory contained ele-ments of truth. There was a good deal ofevidence, also extra-biblical evidence,suggesting that the cradle of humanityhad been in the Middle East, that Baby-lonia had been a major influence onsurrounding and succeeding civiliza-tions, and that Israel’s culture also hadbeen strongly affected by that of itspowerful eastern neighbour. But this didnot make Babylonia the source of allsubsequent accomplishments. Nor didit prove that the Old Testament religionwas derived from Babylonian traditions.One of the major weaknesses of theBabylonian theory, Bavinck pointedout, was that it all but ignored the dif-ferences which existed between theBabylonian religious traditions andthose of the Bible, differences that wereno less striking than the similarities.Another problem was that it failed todo what the comparative approach toreligion had in fact intended to do,namely describe and explain the uniquecharacter of the biblical religion.


After the spate ofarchaeological discoveries in

Mesopotamia, scholarsdecided that the Old

Testament faith must havebeen derived in large part

from the traditions ofSemitic nations like

Babylonia and Assyria.

In what follows we will have acloser look at the Babylonian theoryand at Bavinck’s challenge. We will firstdeal with the matter of similarities anddissimilarities, then look at an evalua-tion of the Babylonian school as pro-vided by Bavinck and other critics ofradical Babylonianism, and finally turnto the question regarding the differencebetween Babylonian religious traditionsand the religion of the Bible.

The myth of creationCivilization in Mesopotamia began

with the non-Semitic Sumerians. Wellbefore the time of Abraham, however,these nations had been overrun by var-ious Semitic tribes. Among them werethe people who would later be knownas Chaldeans or Babylonians, a group towhich Abraham belonged. The Babylo-nians, and also the neighbouring Assyr-ians, inherited creation myths and otherreligious traditions from the Sumerians,but in course of time made a number ofchanges in them. Most biblical criticsconcentrated on the Babylonian versionof the creation myth.

This version speaks of the birth andaccomplishments of Marduk, king ofthe gods and ruler of the universe,who reaches his supreme position byovercoming the forces of chaos. Thelatter are represented by Tiamat, theancient mother goddess, who repre-sents the untamed ocean, and whosedestructive force is often portrayed inthe form of a variety of “monsters ofthe deep,” such as the primeval ser-pent, the ancient dragon, and themany-headed leviathan. Having killedTiamat and the monsters she hasspawned, Marduk splits her body intwo, placing half of it above the earthto form the sky, and perhaps using theother half to form the earth, althoughthe myth does not state this in so manywords. He proceeds to establish (or re-establish) order out of the existingchaos, appoints the celestial bodies,and creates Babylon. Finally, hemakes man, whom he fashions from

the blood of one of Tiamat’s support-ers, and on whom he imposes the toilof the gods, so that these can enjoytheir leisure.

Among the parallels which thecritics found in the accounts of Baby-lonia and the Old Testament are theemergence of the world out of waterand the establishment of order out ofa pre-existing disorder. Their asser-tions, as Bavinck observes, are notaltogether groundless. The Genesisaccount does speak of the earth asoriginally empty and formless, of theHoly Spirit’s hovering over the wa-ters that covered the earth, and of thesubsequent establishment of an or-dered cosmos. The similarities arefew, however, and insufficiently strik-ing to convince the unbiased observerof the Old Testament’s dependenceon the Babylonian myth. Furthermore,the similarities are greatly outnum-bered by the differences.

DissimilaritiesThe most important difference is of

course that between Marduk and theGod of Israel. Himself the descendentof more ancient gods, Marduk lackseternity. He reaches supreme poweronly when, after a violent struggle andwith the help of other gods, he has de-stroyed Tiamat and the monsters shehas produced. Even after his victory heis not omnipotent but only the firstamong equals; and rather than beingable to create out of nothing, he re-quires pre-existing material to form anorderly universe. Nor is he able to de-stroy his opponent once and for all.Tiamat continues to threaten the cos-mos and must again and again be over-come. Marduk’s battle against theforces of chaos never ends.

If we compare this account withthe biblical one, the differences leap tothe eye. The Bible does not know oftheogonies (accounts of the begettingand birth of gods), nor does it know ofa multiplicity of deities. Yahweh, theGod of Israel, is uncreated and eternaland reveals Himself as the one, om-nipotent and all-knowing God. BesideHim there is none. Also, Babyloniandeities are personifications of naturalforces, and Tiamat, the primevalchaos, is not the creation of the godsbut, somehow, their ancestress. Yah-weh, however, is transcendent and apersonal and spiritual being, separatefrom a nature that is not his maker buthis handiwork, and which He createdout of nothing, simply by speaking the

Word. Nor is He only the Creator ofthe world and mankind, He is alsotheir Redeemer. The religion of Israel isfrom the very beginning a religion ofsalvation. In short, a comparison ofthe creation accounts serves only tobring out the uniqueness and glory ofthe biblical Gospel.

The creation myth by itself, then,provides no support for the contentionthat the Genesis account is dependentupon Babylonian sources. The mem-bers of the Babylonian school had ad-ditional arguments, however. Theydrew attention to the fact that in vari-ous places in the Old Testament (inJob, some of the Psalms, Isaiah,Ezekiel, and elsewhere) we meet state-ments that parallel aspects of the Baby-lonian myth more closely. Most impor-tant among them are references toYahweh’s struggle with and defeat ofhostile natural forces, such as his set-ting bounds to the mighty ocean, hiscrushing of the heads of serpents andsea monsters, his smiting of the many-headed leviathan, and his slaying ofthe dragon of the deep. In these cases,the critics argued, the similarities withthe Babylonian myth were too clear tobe ignored. They showed at the veryleast that Israel was familiar with thestories of gods struggling with theforces of chaos, and they strongly sug-gested that it had made use of thesestories in the creation of its own or-thodox Yahwist religion.

It was specially these arguments thatBavinck dealt with. In the following ar-ticle we will look at his response.

NOTESi“Faith and Reason in Reformed Thought,”parts 3, 4, 5; Clarion, March 1, 15, 29,2002.iiFor that counter-attack see especiallyBavinck’s Gereformeerde Dogmatiek, II,4th ed. (Kampen: Kok, 1928), pp. 434-39, and his Wijsbegeerte der Openbaring(Kok: Kampen, 1908), pp. 144-170.


The religion of Israel isfrom the very beginning a

religion of salvation.

A comparison of thecreation accounts of

Babylonia and the OldTestament serves only to

bring out the uniqueness andglory of the biblical Gospel.

Dr. F.G. Oosterhoff is a historian inHamilton, Ontario.

The story of the early settlers of thesecessionist church in Michigan is al-ways engaging. For us who live with allthe comforts of the twenty-first century,the ordeals that these people wentthrough almost makes one shudder.Rev. Michael De Vries, who formerlywas a pastor at the Pillar Church (VanRaalte’s church building in Holland,MI) wrote a commemorative article onRev. A.C. Van Raalte recently in TheBanner, the official publication of theCRC. Here follows his article:

On the east side of CentennialPark in the city of Holland, Mich.,stands a 9-foot- tall statue of Rev.Albertus Christiaan Van Raalte. Inreal life he was a little man – 5 foot3 inches to be exact. Peter H.Huizenga and family donated thissculpture to Hope College in con-junction with Holland’s sesquicen-tennial celebrations of 1997. Thisimpressive statue stands on cityproperty and faces Pillar Churchand Hope College. How fitting! VanRaalte is the founder of the city ofHolland, the driving force behindthe college, and the first pastor ofPillar Church.

Though this pioneer preacherdied Nov. 7, 1876, a little more than125 years ago, we would do well totake note of Van Raalte and hislegacy. A prophecy was made in thel9th century that has been fulfilled:“A hundred years hence his namewill stand out in bolder relief than itdoes today.”

While I was pastor of PillarChurch, I often looked at Van Raalte’sportrait on the wall of the consis-tory room, and I grew curious tolearn all I could about this preacher.While I have only just begun todelve into the early records, it is al-ready becoming quite clear to methat this man truly deserves what thememorial plaque on the front wallof the sanctuary says about him. Itreads (in translation): “In memoryof Dr. A.C. Van Raalte, D.D., first

minister of this congregation andthe father of our settlement. A ser-vant of the Lord, mighty in wordsand deeds.”

The same description thatStephen gave concerning Moses(see Acts 7:22) fits Van Raalte too:he was “mighty in words anddeeds” as he courageously led hispeople of the Afscheiding from theNetherlands to this land of libertyin the fall of 1846.

Man of Courage It took courage to become a pas-

tor of the Afgescheidenen, or Sepa-ratists. The Separatists were of theconviction that the national churchof the Netherlands – De HervormdeKerk (the Reformed Church) – wasinfluenced by the Enlightenment andbecoming far too liberal, that it was,

in fact, turning away from the truefaith of the Reformation.

Harassed and ostracized, theSeparatists were called by manypejorative terms such as onruststok-ers (fomenters of unrest). Despitefines and the threat of imprison-ment, Van Raalte kept on preach-ing in the province of Overijsel. Hewas jailed in Zwolle between Feb-ruary 27 and March 7, 1837.

On one occasion when VanRaalte was preaching, the localmayor and his constable arrived inthe middle of the worship service.Pressing close to the preacher, themayor raised his voice andshouted, “Van Raalte, in the nameof the king I order you to dismissthis assembly!”

Van Raalte, barely 26 years oldand only one year into the min-istry, replied: “Mr. Mayor, I standhere in the name of the King ofkings to preach the gospel, and Imay not stop.”

Preaching the gospel was VanRaalte’s driving passion ever sincehe was “grasped by God” duringthe cholera epidemic of 1832.Nothing could possibly deter him


Despite fines and thethreat of imprisonment, VanRaalte kept on preaching inthe province of Overijsel.

PRESS REVIEW

By J. De Jong

Van Raalte’s Legacy

from proclaiming the good newswherever he went, be it in the openair, barns, or crowded living rooms.

Momentous DecisionsDuring the summer of 1846,

Van Raalte became seriously ill. Hesuffered from a severe case of ty-phus, and the prognosis was bad.He did recover, however, and it wasduring his time of recovery that VanRaalte made a momentous decision.

Two major questions hadplagued him, and he answeredthem himself: Who will accompanythe Separatists to America? Andwho will provide all the leadershipskills and courage for them in astrange land? After much prayer, hedecided to become their Moses.

Quite characteristic of VanRaalte, his word and his deed wereone and the same. By Sept. 241846, he was ready to board athree-masted ship, the Southerner,in the Rotterdam harbor, accompa-nied by his wife, Christina, his fiveyoung children, a servant, plus 53Separatists. It took a lot of courageto leave the land he loved and toface an unknown future in Amer-ica, which was at that time consid-ered by almost everyone he knew asan uninhabited and savage land,good for and desired by only theriffraff of the nation.

Arriving in New York on Nov.17 after a long and harrowing voy-age across the Atlantic, Van Raalteplanned to settle in Alto Township,WI, where some of the Dutch emi-grants he knew had gone. But en-couraged by Michigan politicalleaders and Judge John Kellogg ofAllegan County, in particular, hescouted out Ottawa County nearBlack Lake instead.

On Feb. 9, 1847, Van Raalteand six people of his party arrived atthe Old Wing Mission, located in

northern Allegan County’s FillmoreTownship, to begin the Herculeantask of transforming the wildernessinto a thriving “city set on a hill”(see Matt 5:14).

How much easier it would havebeen if Van Raalte and his follow-ers had settled in a city such asGrand Rapids, Kalamazoo, orMuskegon, Mich. Instead, VanRaalte chose the uninhabited forestswhere the unskilled Dutch emi-grants had to start from scratchwhile lacking even the basic know-how for clearing the land.

Moreover, the people had comewith meagre financial resources,and none of them had learned thelanguage of their newly adoptedcountry. Was it reckless and fool-ish, or a manifestation of great faith?The dark and dismal days that soonfollowed would require all the lead-ership skills and courage that thedominie, as he was then called,could muster.

Man of ConvictionGenerally speaking, the three

defining characteristics of leadershipoften mentioned are courage, char-acter, and conviction. Van Raalteembodied all three. He certainlyshowed his convictions during thesometimes stormy days of transform-ing a diverse group of stubborn peo-ple into a colony of cooperativeChristian citizens. It wasn’t easy.The familiar aphorism came true:“One Dutchman a Christian, twoDutchmen a church, three Dutch-men a secession.”

In 1850, Van Raalte was mostresponsible for getting Classis Hol-land to join the Reformed ProtestantDutch Church, which became theReformed Church in America in1867. It was his deep-felt convictionthat the Separatists should unite withthe RCA and become one with a de-nomination that upheld the sameconfessional and doctrinal positionsof the Afscheiding and that had beenin the United States since 1628.

Within seven years, however,four congregations broke away fromthe denomination to form the TrueReformed Church – what we knowtoday as the Christian ReformedChurch – on April 8, 1857. This se-cession caused Van Raalte muchgrief, and he lamented this churchsplit for the rest of his life.

In 1871 two events nearly ledVan Raalte to despair. On June 30,1871, his wife, Christina, passedaway at 56 years of age. Soon afterthis, a second catastrophe visitedthe Holland community and its ag-ing pastor.

On Oct. 9,1871, a devastatingfire wiped out much of the flourish-ing city in a matter of hours. DeHope, a college newspaper, printedas its headline, “God wilde het”(God willed it). Van Raalte ex-pressed a similar attitude, interpret-ing the disaster as “God’s judg-ment.” He said, “What a lesson,what a text for a preacher. Noearthly good is safe. Sword, hunger,plague, and flood are terrible inGod’s hands. Now we perceivewhat we are up against: God’s fire.”

Yet the pious community alsobelieved that God works togetherfor good to those who love God (seeRom 8:28). Van Raalte spoke withconviction to the distraught peopleand encouraged them by saying,“Let us remember, God lives.”

Privately, however, Van Raaltewondered what to do in the midst ofsuch tragedy. He confided in hisfriend Philip Phelps, who was thepresident of Hope College, that hedidn’t know how he could possiblygo on. But then he added, “I must goahead or give up. The people wouldbe too disheartened if I sit still.”

Well, Van Raalte did not sitstill, and with determination andwill power the aging leader of thecolony rallied the people by say-ing on the day after the big fire,“With our Dutch tenacity and ourAmerican experience, Holland willbe rebuilt.”

One year later Van Raaltespoke at the 25th anniversary ofthe colony and exclaimed withpride, “Our colonization effortswere based upon religious princi-ples; they drew their strength fromGod. . . . Because God has built welive in the happy conviction that he


Van Raalte chose theuninhabited forests where

the unskilled Dutchemigrants had to start fromscratch while lacking even

the basic know-how forclearing the land.

Van Raalte spoke withconviction to the distraughtpeople and encouraged themby saying, “Let us remember,

God lives.”

has done well with us and grantedour hearts’ desire.”

Dying Christian WarriorThe autumn years of Van Raal-

te’s life were difficult. His influencein the colony waned as the peoplebecame more and more indepen-dent and no longer needed the do-minie’s leadership and advice.Some even started to resent VanRaalte, especially because of hisbusiness dealings.

Van Raalte could be dictatorialand overbearing, and a nasty dis-agreement arose between him andHolland’s mayor, Isaac Cappon,over taxes and the boundaries ofhis homestead.

Meantime, Van Raalte’s healthhad begun to fail and his venture instarting a new colony in AmeliaCounty, Virginia, had been a totalfailure. He returned to live out thefinal years of his life in the city thathe founded. . . without the clout heonce had and without the lovingsupport of his dear wife.

Rev. Roelof Pieters, pastor of Pil-lar Church and Van Raalte’s worthysuccessor, called on his friend andcolleague regularly during the lastdays of Van Raalte’s life. Van Raalterefused to spend his days in bed andpreferred to sit at the table, fullydressed, still wearing his ridingboots. His pious conduct and seren-ity impressed Pieters: “How shall Iconvey the impression of that visit?The questions he posed to me andthe words of wisdom that he spokeare branded in my memory. . . Atthat time l regarded him as a modelof a dying Christian warrior.”

On Tuesday morning Nov. 7,1876, only a few words emergedfrom Van Raalte’s lips. One clearlyunderstood sentence was, “My littleboat is tossed about on the foamingwaves; soon it will be in the harbor.”And when he saw his children wip-ing their away their tears, Van Raaltesaid, “Oh, do not cry, children.When I close my eyes, be assuredthat I will join in with the hallelu-jahs before the throne.” By 7:30 thatmorning he breathed his last.

R.H. Joldersma, a student at thePreparatory School of Hope Col-lege, wrote a six- page account onthe death of Albertus C. Van Raaltein the student publication Excel-siora. He was moved by the sight of

the very long funeral cortege of 76carriages in addition to the formallineup of city council members andthe vice-president of the UnitedStates, Thomas W. Ferry.

When the carved-oak casket waslowered into the grave at PilgrimHome Cemetery, the youngest stu-dent of the college laid a wreath ofevergreen on it in the name of theschool. “After Dr. Crispell had closedwith prayer,” Joldersma wrote, “weleft the cemetery fully convinced thata great man had fallen.”

One More SplitAfter Van Raalte’s death the Pil-

lar congregation became embroiledin a controversy over Freemasonry.The church Van Raalte founded de-cided to separate from the RCA overthe matter, and on Dec. 3, 1884, thecongregation officially joined the

CRC. The move shocked the Hol-land community, especially be-cause the church’s historic churchbuilding became CRC property. Ittook the Michigan Supreme Court tomake the transfer of the building le-gal. For many years this beautifulwhite church building with its sixpillars became a symbol of divisionin the city of Holland.

I would like to make a not-somodest proposal regarding PillarChurch as the CRC looks ahead toour sesquicentennial celebrationsof 2007. What if Pillar would worktoward becoming a “UnionChurch” and make both the CRCand the RCA of Classis Holland co-owners of this church building?Now that the relationship betweenour two Reformed denominationshas become congenial, wouldn’tthis be a wonderful testimony to ourunity in Christ?

Van Raalte’s statue in Centen-nial Park depicts the leader with hisleft hand on the Bible and his right

hand extended forward. His gesturesuggests that we move ahead andkeep on spreading the good newsof the gospel. His challenge is as rel-evant as ever.

A Brief CommentWhile I appreciate this historical

overview of Van Raalte’s life and work,I question the “not-so-modest” unionproposal towards the end of the article.Van Raalte had his hand on the Bible,and basically sought to maintain thetruth of God’s word in all his work.But both of the church federations thathis work spawned have departed fromthat basis over the years, and haveopted for a clear opening to modernistsentiments. To properly honour VanRaalte’s legacy, we should go back tothe foundation of the Reformedchurches as found in Scripture andsummarized in the confessions. Then,and only then, can we build on a unionthat lasts.


To properly honour VanRaalte’s legacy, we should beto go back to the foundationof the Reformed churches as

found in Scripture andsummarized in the

confessions.

CHURCH NEWS

Called to the church at Neerlandia,Alberta:

Rev. R.J. Eikelboom

of Calgary, Alberta.

In LINK with you

Check out Clarion’s website at:<premier.mb.ca/clarion.html>

Churches Note: We invite you tolink Clarion’s homepage to your

church’s homepage.

Dr. J. De Jong is principal and pro-fessor of Diaconiology and Ecclesiol-ogy at the Theological College of theCanadian Reformed Churches inHamilton, Ontario.

An Introduction toElectronic Learning: Is itworth investigating?

By D. StoffelsThe delivery of education via com-

puters and the Internet is growing inpopularity. The pervasiveness of com-puters and Internet access has made itpossible to revolutionize the wayschools are organized or structured.How this will unfold is not clear, butwhat is clear is that schools are ad-dressing the matter. We hear of Learn-ing Centres instead of schools, elec-tronic bussing of students instead ofphysical bussing of students, schoolsthat do not have a building but nonethe-less enroll significant numbers of stu-dents. It is clear that changes are oc-curring in education.

Electronic learning is challengingthe traditional model of brick and mor-tar schools. It is changing the way peo-ple view school. Now the hours andtime of year have become flexible.Many Learning Centres are locating inshopping malls and staying open year-round and into the late evening. Theage range of the students is from the lowteens and upwards.

Electronic learning has beenwarmly received by many home-schooling parents, parents of academi-cally and/or athletically gifted students,travelling families, adult learners andparents of students who are not able orwilling to function cooperatively in thetraditional school setting. Up until nowthese changes have been mainly in thepublic school system. The changes arecoming to independent schools as well.In British Columbia the Ministry of Ed-ucation has just given approval for up tofive independent school DistributedElectronic Learning (DEL) programs tobegin this September.

What is electronic learning?There are five main ways in which

education is being delivered electroni-cally today. 1. Computer managed learning (CML)

in a classroom with qualified teach-

ers physically present to answerquestions immediately and to teachas needed. It is possible to cus-tomize the course to suit yourneeds and desires and the teacheris physically present so feedbackis immediate and personal (Seehttp://www.odysseylearn.com/ asan example).

2. Live on-line instruction similar toa classroom but the students aregeographically dispersed. Fixedtimes of meeting on-line. The stu-dents often have webcams andinteractive software so that theycan see the teacher and ask ques-tions as the class progresses (Seehttp://www.schola- tutorials.com/as an example).

3. Online course or CD-ROM coursethat provides instruction throughvideo clips, simulations etc. Youwork through it screen by screenand there is no contact with a per-son (See www.plato.com).

4. Correspondence course with linksto resources on the Internet andemail contact with the instructor.Often there are chatrooms set upfor the convenience of the studentsand for the teacher to monitor andsee if there are common problemsin understanding the material (Seewww.k12online.ola.bc.ca).

5. E-bussing: This is the name of a pro-gram developed by the NechakoSchool District of B.C. It is intendedto be home schooling within the pa-rameters of the government curricu-lum documents. The basic arrange-ment is that the school districtprovides the family with a com-puter, Internet connection and li-censed educational software. Theparent then home-schools with thesupport of the school district (seewww.e-bus.com).

Some of these options have alreadybeen implemented in some of our in-dependent schools. In Ebenezer Cana-dian Reformed School in Smithers,British Columbia, a CML system wasused to allow the school to offer abroader range of electives at the Grade11-12 level despite the small number ofhigh school staff and students. In Tyn-dale Christian School in Calgary, Al-berta, some of the students tookcourses electronically as well. In Cal-gary’s case another school adminis-tered the courses.

Why should we look at electroniclearning?

Every day we make choices. Thesechoices are normally the result of ourperception that by choosing a particularoption we receive maximum benefitand minimum disadvantage. In the areaof schooling, choices made long agoand repeated yearly have resulted in ourtraditional school structure. This struc-ture has advantages and disadvantages.As electronic learning becomes morecommonplace an increasing number ofpeople are beginning to compare theadvantages and disadvantages of thesetwo methods.

I believe that electronic learning hassufficient benefits to be worth investi-gating, especially for smaller schools. Ialso believe that our current schoolstructure has many benefits. Both meth-ods/structures give rise to significantconcerns as well. By combining the twomethods, can a school society gain byderiving greater benefits and reducingpoints of concern? The answer to thatquestion will vary from one school so-ciety to another and will need to besolidly grounded in careful analysis ofthe school society’s needs and comfortwith electronic education.

What are the benefits and concerns?In the following sections I will outline afew of each. This list should not to beconstrued as exhaustive and some peo-ple may see some of the advantages asdisadvantages and vice versa. Also,since there are a variety of ways to useelectronic education some of the ad-vantages or disadvantages will not ap-ply to all options for electronic learning.


EDUCATION MATTERS

Electronic learning ischallenging the traditionalmodel of brick and mortar

schools.

ConcernsThere are four main concerns that

often raised. First, is this just a glorifiedcorrespondence course? (or reworded,teacher taught courses result in betterlearning); second, it is important for mychild to socialize properly, and I amafraid that that will not happen if theyare seated behind a computer toomuch; third, how will students be kepton target for completing the course intime? Fourth, what about group workin the various courses or labs in sci-ence? Each of these concerns has legit-imacy but none are insurmountable.They can each be resolved if time istaken to look for solutions.

To address the glorified correspon-dence course concern, it is crucial thatthe element of teacher involvement inthe course be valued and preserved.The main weaknesses of high-schoolcorrespondence courses tend to be thatthey are not academically demanding,they are not uniquely Reformed, andthey lack significant and prompt feed-back. In Smithers we chose CML be-cause it was capable of addressing eachof those concerns.

There is indeed a risk that studentsbegin to interact with the computer tothe exclusion of people but that is aproblem that can be prevented. Anotherconcern is that people begin to thinkthat computers hold the answer to ques-tions. I am not convinced that this needsto be a problem. With discretion theseobstacles are easily overcome. The

guide I offer to my students is that theyshould always apply balance, discern-ment, and proper motivation to theirlives. If each parent and educationalinstitution applies those three things totheir planning and execution, they canminimize if not eliminate these poten-tial problems.

Students are not all self-motivatedand this third concern manifests itselfvery concretely. Students can produceor be given a chart that shows themhow much work they have to completeat any given time if they are to completethe course by the end of the schoolyear. It is then the student’s responsibil-ity to find a way to stay on track.

The fourth concern regarding dis-cussions, group work, and science labsare in my opinion the most significant.These can be overcome in variousways, such as simulated labs on the In-ternet (check out www.froguts.com ),scheduled mandatory discussion timesbased on readings that are not specificto one particular point in the course,oral testing at various points, and so on.The group work can be accomplished

in a similar fashion. Again the topicneeds to be broader to allow for stu-dents who are at different points in thecourse to work together. This groupwork can also take place electroni-cally between students in differentcommunities.

Each of these concerns are legiti-mate but each can be resolved. They arenot unlike the challenges our schoolshave faced in the past, challenges suchas having a properly equipped scienceroom or varied teaching styles.

BenefitsFive potential benefits are: closer

cooperation between schools, studentsbecome more independent as learners,students develop greater self-discipline,the ability to progress at their ownspeed, and teachers are able to adjustthe difficulty of a course for individualstudents quite easily.

Mr. Otto Bouwman (see ClarionVol. 51 No. 14) recently pleaded forthe establishment of an infrastructurethat would bring our school communi-ties closer together, and electroniclearning could be a way to contribute tothat. If several schools with smallerclasses were to get together and, basedon the staffing strengths, determinewhich schools will deliver whichcourses, there is potential for relievingteacher shortages as well as offering agreater range of courses. The CovenantCanadian Reformed Teachers College(CCRTC) could deliver courses forteachers in this way thereby overcom-ing the barrier of distance. These areascould be explored for cost versus bene-fits – I am referring to educational, ped-agogic, social, spiritual and economiccosts and benefits.

Electronic learning can also con-tribute to teaching independence inlearning as well as place more onus onthe student to take responsibility fortheir learning. In Smithers each studentwas free to choose whether they wantedto complete one course at a time orseveral courses at a time and how muchto do at any time. The teachers providedguidelines showing how much workneeded to be completed each day tostay on track for completion by the endof the school year. This forced the stu-dents to discipline themselves to carryout a plan and when necessary, makeup for their lack of planning or lack ofself-discipline. At times the teachersdid have to step in and with the parentsset a required work schedule. However,this was an exception.


I believe that electroniclearning has sufficientbenefits to be worth

investigating, especially forsmaller schools.

Electronic learning also allows ateacher to easily create a custom pathfor a course, one that accommodates alearner’s difficulties if they are in needof an individualized education plan.The teacher can select and de-selectassignments as necessary creating anew version of the course.

More benefits will be discovered aselectronic education develops. The im-portant thing is to identify whether thebenefits that currently exist are sufficientto lead one to adopt electronic educationin one form or another at this time.

Points to considerI would like to share some points

that are important to consider whendeveloping an electronic learning sys-tem. It is crucial that an electroniclearning approach is not seen as self-managing; that you just put students ina room and expect disciplined, and ex-cellent learning to happen. As with allteaching, human nature needs to bereckoned with and there must be anactively involved teacher present to mo-tivate and to teach.

The ability to tailor courses is ofprime importance to electronic learn-ing. Just as our school societies chargeschool boards to hire teachers who willtailor courses to the Reformed world-view, so school societies should do withany electronic course. The developersof platforms for electronic learning havecertainly kept this ability to customizecourses in the forefront of their prod-ucts. It is technologically simple to cre-ate a course that reflects the Reformedworldview and links to all sorts of re-sources either print, video, electronicand human.

The main economic costs would beassociated with course development.Most schools today have the technol-ogy to offer electronic courses so thereshould not be a need for a significantcash outlay to acquire technology. Toensure a successful implementation ofelectronic learning, courses need to be

complete and tested before they are of-fered to students. This requires time and,in this case, time is money. That is alarge task that would require temporar-ily freeing teachers from teaching so thatthey can develop courses. Alternativelya school could provide the software, oneto two years in advance, for teachers todevelop and test courses during theschool year or summer. If a number ofschools were to band together, theycould form a consortium to develop thecourses. Potentially, organizations likethe Reformed Curriculum DevelopmentCommittee (RCDC) or Curriculum Assis-tance to Reformed Education (CARE)could assist in this area.

Implementation of electronic learn-ing should be phased in to familiarizestudents and parents with the process.As people are first exposed to electroniccourses it is important to keep thecourses evenly distributed throughoutthe schedule. Electronic courses couldbe introduced gradually and increasedin number as students move into thehigher grades. The majority of majorcourses should probably not be deliv-ered electronically unless experiencehas shown that it is a viable option.

Electronic courses must, in my opin-ion, include definite points requiringdiscussion of material with other peo-ple. Evaluation of students by means oforal discussions can be made the norminstead of the exception. In this casethe oral evaluation should be weightedheavily to show that it is valued morethan the completion of assignments.

Minimum progress levels need to beset and enforced. A suggested schedulefor progress should be presented to thestudents, and those who lag behindneed to be motivated to get on track andmove ahead at a speed that will seethem finish in a reasonable time.

If electronic learning is introducedinto a school, the society should estab-lish a review process to determine howeffectively the new method is function-ing. Adjustments can then be made as

necessary. Given the learning curve inimplementing this new method of edu-cational delivery, a school societyshould commit to run the program for atleast three years before making a deci-sion to terminate it.

A foolproof, 100% reliable backupsystem is required as well. This meansnot only having a system in place tobackup the computers on a daily basisbut also regular checking that thebackup is in fact working.

ConclusionElectronic education represents yet

another development in the way educa-tion is delivered. It offers opportunitiesand challenges. In line with the idea ofconstant improvement it would beworthwhile if schools, especiallysmaller schools with high schoolgrades, explored the possibilities thatelectronic learning holds. The potentialto modify the current school structurefor the purpose of mitigating or elimi-nating certain drawbacks makes this anexciting opportunity.

Education Matters is supported by theCanadian Reformed Teachers Association(CRTA East). Reader responses or articlescan be sent to [email protected] orto Clarion.


Just as our schoolsocieties charge school

boards to hire teachers whowill tailor courses to theReformed worldview, so

school societies should dowith any electronic course.

Electronic learning canalso contribute to teaching

independence in learning aswell as place more onus on

the student to takeresponsibility for their

learning.

Derek Stoffels is a teacher atEbenezer Canadian Reformed Schoolin Smithers, BC and loves living inthat community.

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Feud Defused? In the Clarion issue of July 5 of this

year, the Rev. J. Visscher tries to putsome water on the fire that is burningbecause of controversies regarding themanner in which the Lord’s Supper iscelebrated. Let me begin with statingthat I appreciate his effort to bring anend to the “feud,” as he calls it, for noth-ing would be more welcome than that.Having read and reread his editorial,however, I have come to the conclusionthat in several respects his reasoning isextremely flawed, to put it mildly. In myview he did not throw water on the firebut oil that fuels it even more.

By what were the controversiesstarted?

To start with, the controversies andthe “feud” were caused by the changesthat were propagated and sometimesstrongly promoted by some. For as longas I can remember, there were no con-troversies among us about the mannerin which the Lord’s Supper was to becelebrated before (what some considerto be fundamental) changes weremade. Do not blame those who opposethe changes. Blame those who camewith and succeeded in pushing throughthe changes.

Arguments correct?When weighing the arguments that

Rev. Visscher brings to the fore, wemust come to the conclusion that theyare insufficient, sometimes even bla-tantly incorrect. Take for example hisfirst statement when “examining the is-sues.” There he states, “The One Cupor the Many.” And he exclaims: “Wherehave those members who insist on asingle communal cup been for the lastfifty years?”

In the first place, I have never heardanyone promote the thought that theremust be only one communal cup, and Ihave been around for quite a bit longerthan the last fifty years. In fact, my wifeand I have been celebrating the Lord’sSupper for some sixty-plus years. HereRev. Visscher puts something that hewill be unable to prove. Let him saywhen and where some person claimedthat there must be only one cup. It is

possible that someone made that foolishstatement, but I haven’t heard it ever.

From this statement Rev. Visschercomes to a totally false opposition. Theissue, namely, is not “One cup or manycups.” The issue is: “Communal cup orindividual cups.” That is something to-tally different. And thus Rev. Visscher’swhole reasoning here falls flat. He isbeating the air and opposes an imagi-nary adversary. For when the issue is,communal cup or individual cups, thenit does not matter at all whether there isjust one communal cup or two or fouror eight.

The difference – and thus the con-troversy – is not in the number at all!The point is, communal or individual.Since the opposition that he puts isfalse, the whole entourage of this op-position has to be discarded.

Wine or juice? Frankly, I am sort of tired of all the

talk about the “fruit of the vine.” Whatelse would the Lord and his apostleshave referred to than wine? Would theyhave meant grapes (for these are thefruit of the vine) or hop (for that growson vines, too)? Here the most logicaland “natural” understanding of “fruit ofthe vine” (namely, wine) is replaced bywhat those who oppose the use of winewant to read into it. Even the fact thatmost times wine was mixed with waterdoes not change the character of thefluid. Diluted wine is still wine.

Those who want to push the thoughtthat just juice is meant must prove thatthe manner in which this expression hasbeen understood for centuries is wrong,and that now finally the light has arisen.

Even the time of year in which theLord instituted his supper is an argu-ment against juice and in favour ofwine. Although the Jews may have hadthe ability to preserve grape juice inunfermented form, (they had no freezersor refrigerators or canning jars) yet it ishighly unlikely that it was widely used.The Lord instituted the Supper when thegrape harvest was months away. Thus,wine is the most logical and “natural”understanding of “fruit of the vine.”That the gospel writers never use theword “wine” proves nothing.

Table or pews? Another point is whether the supper

should be celebrated while participantsare sitting at a table or whether thebread and wine should be distributedthroughout the pews. Again I must saythat the point is not “One table or manytables.” The point is “table(s) or pews.”

The many tables are frequently theresult of the sometimes “monstrous”size of a congregation. For years wewere members of a church that num-bered more than five thousand, dividedover three church buildings. However,even with the need for more than onetable during a celebration the principleof sitting at the table is not violated.

The Lord’s Supper is a meal, andwhen a family has a meal together, it isnormal that they sit together around thetable, right? Then you don’t give onechild a plate to take to his bedroom(except, perhaps, as a punishment formisbehaviour), another plate to an-other child to sit on the porch with it. Ameal you have together as a family,and this togetherness is demonstratedby gathering around the table. TheLord’s Supper is a meal that you haveas the family together, not a snack thatyou can enjoy on the run.

I do know that many different waysof celebrating the Lord’s Supper can befound in the history of the church. Butwe have to go by what is at present, orat least until recently, is the commonpractice in the churches here. Theremust be good and pressing reasons forchanging that, and it has to be provedthat those changes are necessary.

When I read that the Scriptures do“not even mention sitting at the tables,”I thought, “What kind of silly reasoningis that?” The point is not at all “reclin-ing or sitting.” The point is: at the tableor spread all over the auditorium. Thelatter fits exactly with the individualcups. Whether they were reclining orsitting, the Lord Jesus and his discipleswere at the table. Let anyone provethat it was not so.

Different conditions? Rev. Visscher also points to the

practical impossibility of using wine inIslamic countries. In addition, I could


READER’S FORUM

By W.W.J. VanOene

point to discussions that were con-ducted about the celebration in mis-sion fields, where bread and wine werenot available. Could sago be used in-stead of bread? And some other fluidinstead of wine? But we are not speak-ing of abnormal circumstances or timesof persecution. We are speaking aboutour “normal” situation, where we havethe perfect freedom to use the ingredi-ents that have been used by the churchfor centuries.

Then pointing to abnormal situa-tions does not put any weight into thescales. Keep the unity of the Spirit inthe bond of peace. Indeed, who wouldnot speak a heartfelt “Amen” to that?That is all the more reason not to intro-duce changes that uproot a practice thathas been normal in the churches here.There are many more points that couldbe touched upon.

I could mention that sometimesthere are members who desire to havethe individual cup with juice, althoughthey never had any problem with alco-holism, nor have a medical conditionthat would be aggravated by the use ofa small amount of wine taken from thecup. They seem to have a paranoid fearof infection or contamination.

I did mention already that my wifeand I have participated in the celebra-tion of the Lord’s Supper for more thansixty years. In all but a handful of occa-sions we drank from the communalcup and have never experienced any illeffects of that. There is also still some-thing like trust.

As for the fear expressed that (for-mer) alcoholics might relapse if they

tasted a little wine at the Lord’s table,I was very grateful for an article I read(I think it was by the Rev. G.I.Williamson) in which it was stated veryclearly that the above reasoning as-cribed more power to natural factorsthan to the Holy Spirit, who is able tokeep us standing and to cause us topersevere in the path of obedience un-til we will be freed from all blemish,spot, and wrinkle.

Keeping the unity of the Spirit inthe bond of peace also means that weshall trust Him to apply all the merits ofour Saviour to all that rely on his onesacrifice, including the perseverance ofthe saints.

A Few Editorial Comments:a) Under “The One Cup or the

Many” I was reacting to a number ofbrothers who have said to me person-ally that since the Lord Jesus used onlyone cup, we must do likewise. The factthat we use more than one is seen bythem as a necessary compromise. As formy colleagues’s challenge to namethese brothers, I do not see any benefitin that.

My colleague also suggests that “theissue is ‘communal cup or individualcups’.” I do not disagree, although itwould be more accurate to say “com-munal cup(s) or individual cups” see-ing that even when the communal cupis used often four or more are circulat-ing at the same time.

b) While wine is the common drinkin use at the Lord’s Supper, my col-league fails to prove that it is the ex-clusive and only drink allowed. It isalso unfortunate that he dismisses thescriptural distinctions between the ex-pression “the fruit of the vine” and theword for “wine” in such an off-handmanner.

c) Yes, the Lord’s Supper has thecharacter of a meal and it is regrettablethat our churches are often so largethat all of the communicant memberscannot eat and drink together. At thesame time one would be hard pressedto prove which is most edifying – a pro-cedure in which members eat and drinkin shifts at table or a procedure in whichthey eat and drink together in the pew.

d) Throughout my editorial Istressed the distinction between de-scriptive and prescriptive, and I regretthat my colleague has not seen fit to in-teract with it. Indeed, he makes it soundas if the manner in which he has cele-brated the Lord’s Supper all of theseyears is prescriptive. And I regret that.It is one way and it is a good way, butit is not the only way. In the history ofthe church this sacrament has been ad-ministered in different ways and thuswe must be careful not to absolutize ourpractice as if it is the only way.

J.Visscher


LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Please mail, e-mail or fax letters for publication to the editorial address.They should be 300 words or less. Those published may be edited for style or length.

Please include address and phone number.

Letter to the Editor The article by Rev. J. Visscher

was a very good one and I agree withit all. And yet, why did I feel I lostsomething when we drank from in-dividual cups the last time in the

church? Was it because another linkwith the past and history of thechurch is gone? I do love church his-tory, and feel one with the brothersand sisters who have gone before us.Anyway let’s be understanding of

those who have misgivings about itall. And I hope that the celebration ofthe Lord’s Supper may be a blessingfor us all.

Sincerely, Mrs. Fred Hofsink Sr.

Dr. J. Visscher is minister of theCanadian Reformed Church at Lang-ley, British Columbia.

Rev. W.W.J. VanOene is an emeritusminister in the Canadian ReformedChurches.


OUR LITTLE MAGAZINE

By Aunt Betty

Dear Busy BeaversBack to school again. Time to start a new learning year,

possibly time to make new friends at your new school ornew friends at your old school with the new students.Whichever, the case, make sure you make time for your newfriends as well as your old friends. Not only do you need tokeep your old friends, it is always good to make new friends,because friends are very important to you. Without friends,you could become very lonely, or others could become verylonely because you can’t be friends with them.

If one of your fellow students is lonely, try to help themby asking them to join in your games or give them a chanceto do something with you. Don’t always let them stand onthe sidelines and watch, but help them to make friends bybeing a friend to them.

A friendship like Jonathan and David had is very impor-tant. They loved each other because the other was alwaysthere for them. Some people can be very difficult to becomefriends with, but they may be difficult because they are shy orunable to make many friends. They may be very lonely andthink that you are only “patronizing” them. But if you keeptrying to make friends with them, they will appreciate whatyou are doing to them and share themselves with you.

Think about it.Lots of love, Aunt Betty

FROM THE MAILBOXWelcome to the Busy Beaver Club,

Michelle VanDerVelde. Thank you for yourletter and jokes. I really did appreciatethem, so I’ll put some of them in Our LittleMagazine today. There were a few toomany for one time. Is your brother up and

about again? It really shows that God cares for us when weare sick. He has amazing ways of showing us that He is stillthere, looking after us, don’t you think? Bye for now, Michelle.

Jokesfrom Michelle VanDerVelde

Teacher: How did you get that horrible swelling on your nose?Joshua: I bent down to smell a brose.Teacher: There’s no “b” in rose!Joshua: There was in this one!

Jenn: What’s the difference between a cookie and a whale?Emily: Did you ever try dunking a whale in your milk?

Freddy: Have your eyes ever been checked?Jimmy: No, they’ve always been blue.

Bob: You have to do something? I keep thinking I’m a frog!Doctor: How long has this been happening?Bob: Since I was a tadpole.

What do you call a talkative crab? A gabby crabby.

What happens to an air conditioner when you pull its plug?It loses its cool.

Seven means “complete” in biblical terms.Match each statement about seven with the proper person.

1. Had seven locks of hair a. Solomon, 1 Kings 6:382. Laboured seven years for b. Naomi, Ruth 4:15

a wife3. Judged Israel for seven c. Mary Magdalene,

years Mark 16:94. Ate grass seven times d. Samson, Judges 16:135. Possessed seven devils e. Pharaoh, Genesis 41:2-36. Dreams of seven fat and f. Ibzan, Judges 12:8-9

seven lean cows7. Built the Temple in seven g. Nebuchadnezzar,

years Daniel 4:25,338. Was condemned by seven h. Vashti, Esther 1:14-15, 19

princes9. Became king at age seven i. Jacob, Genesis 29:20

10. Women said her daughter-in- j. Jehoash, 2 Kings 11:21law was better than seven sons

Books to Re-Write!Each of the following is a “jumbled” book of the Bible.

Can you “re-write” them in the proper order?

1. SAOM 11. HAMWETT2. UTSTI 12. HOPNELIM3. KUEL 13. SAEOH4. ZAER 14. HAAIIS5. GAAHIG 15. NESSIGE6. MARSON 16. SINAIPPPLHI7. KKKAAHUB 17. SHERWEB8. MYIHOTT 18. HUJASO9. ISAAAGNTL 19. NOTAILVEER

10. TUVSLIEIC 20. MANUH

Puzzles

September Birthdays2 Jessica Verhelst8 Kaitlin Doekes

9 Cheyenne Bergsma16 Ashley Tuininga

PENPAL WANTEDMichelle VanDerVelde is 11 years old and would love to have apenpal. She loves playing sports and animals, especially cats, dogsand horses. If you would like to write to her, please sent a letterto 4915 Canboro Road, Wellandport, Ontario L0R 2J0.


Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him.Psalm 127:3We thank our gracious Father for blessing our family with anothermiraculous gift, a son whom we have namedBENJAMIN HENRYBorn on June 24, 2002George and Debbie Alkema (nee Smouter)Thomas, Jesse and Jacob4527 Carriage Road, Beamsville, ON L0R [email protected]

A man’s mind plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps.Proverbs 16:9We, Anthony and Lucille, joyfully announce the birth of our firstchildJOHN DENIS VAN ORIZANDEHe was born on June 8, 2002 and weighed 8 pounds and 10 ounces.What a miracle and precious gift from our Father in Heaven!#304, 10506-156 Street, Edmonton, AB T5P 2R9

With thankfulness to our Heavenly Father who entrusted us with a sec-ond child, our daughter, we joyfully announce the birth ofMEAGHAN JANNELLEBorn June 24, 2002A little sister for JustinProud parents: Ken and Maria Hamoen (nee Stel)Box 216, Neerlandia, AB T0G 1R0

You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor andpower, for you created all things, and by your will they were createdand have their being. Revelation 4:11Our Covenant God has again richly blessed our family with the gift ofnew life! We joyfully announce the birth of our sonSTEPHEN HENDRICKBorn on July 23, 2002Rick and Daniëlle RavensbergenWelcomed with open arms by Maria and Nathan174 West Street, PO Box 759, Smithville, ON LOR 2A0

This is the LORD’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. Psalm 118:23With great rejoicing we bring thanks to our gracious God and Fatherfor entrusting into our earthly care another one of His covenantchildren, our sonTIMOTHY WILLIAMBorn on Monday, August 19, 2002.Lovingly welcomed by Menze and Sylvia FeenstraChristina and NicholasRR 1, Chesley, Ontario N0G 1L0

With thankfulness to our Heavenly Father who has brought us together,weSUSAN VANTIL and ARON VANDELFTjoyfully announce our engagement.August 19, 2002#9, 11474 - 132 Street, Edmonton, AB T5M 1G1

With thanks to our heavenly Father, together with our parents Albertand Rita Bysterveld and Jack and Adria Demooy, weKAREN DENISE and STEPHEN ANDREWare pleased to announce our marriage which will take place on Friday,September 6, 2002, D.V., at 5:00 p.m. in the Canadian ReformedChurch at Yarrow, BC.Rev. C.J. Vandervelde officiating.Future address 1336 Elm Street, Lynden, WA 98264

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these thingswill be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33With thankfulness to the Lord, Mr. and Mrs. Bert Vanderwoerd arepleased to announce the upcoming marriage of their daughterMARJORIE GERRI-ROSALEE to WENDELL HERMANson of Mr. and Mrs. Dale Dallinga. The ceremony will take place, theLord willing, on Saturday, October 19, 2002, at 11:30 a.m., in theFirst Christian Reformed Church, Guelph, Ontario.Rev. J. VanWoudenberg officiating.Future Address: 25 Briarlea Road, Guelph, ON N1G 3H4

1962 ~ August 27 ~ 2002And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to oneanother. 1 Thessalonians 3:12With thankfulness to our Heavenly Father we may joyfully rememberand celebrate the 40th Wedding Anniversary, of our parents andgrandparents. The Lord has blessed them richly and it is our prayerthat He will continue to care for them in the years to come.JOHANNES F. and JANET de LEEUW (nee Vanderpol)Neerlandia, AB: Arthur and Wilma de Leeuw

Jonathan, Brian, Roseanne, CarolynElm Creek, MB: Les and Karen de Leeuw

Christopher, Lindsay, Jesse, Maria, Keisha, JulianAbbotsford, BC: Martin and Sandra Vanderwoude

Brandon, RylanEdmonton, AB: Brent and Yvonne Leyenhorst

Barbara, Katelyn, Joanne, ChristineThamesville, ON: Terry and Jennifer VanderveenSardis, BC: Eric and Brenda Onderwater

KierraAbbotsford, BC: Randal de Leeuw38893 Wellsline Road, Abbotsford, BC V3G 2A2

Births

Weddings

Anniversaries

Engagements

CLARION ADVERTISEMENTS

Advertisements:Advertisements:Announcements of Weddings, Anniversaries (with Open House)should be submitted six weeks in advance.


1967 ~ September 16 ~ 2002And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us. Ephesians 5:2With thankfulness to the Lord who has shown His love and care, weannounce the 35th Wedding Anniversary of our parents RICHARD and MARGARET BOS (nee Lunshof)Smithville, ON: David and Theresa Bos

Rebecca, Julia, EmilyKaren and John Bos

Justin, Jesse, TaylorJordan Station, ON: Denise and Jeff Zylstra

Christopher, Darren, CalvinSmithville, ON: Darryl Bos

Eric Bos and Tina VanbrederodeIn celebration of this occasion there will be an Open House onSaturday, September 14, 2002 from 1:00-4:00 p.m. at their home.South Grimsby Road 7, RR 1, Smithville, ON

1977 ~ September 24 ~ 2002Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in His ways. You will eat thefruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours. Psalm 128:1, 2We thank our heavenly Father for keeping our parents and grandpar-ents in His loving care. With great joy and thankfulness we wish to an-nounce the 25th Wedding Anniversary ofJOHN and SHIRLEY SWAVING (nee Lodder)We pray that the LORD will continue to guide and protect you in theyears to come.With love, your children and grandchild,Guelph, ON: Terrance and Charmaine Vis

AndrewFergus, ON: Timothy Swaving and Alice Vellema

Rodney and Janine DykstraMichael SwavingJeremy SwavingWhitney SwavingWesley Swaving

RR 2, Belwood, ON N0B 1J01942 ~ September 17 ~ 2002In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your pathsstraight. Proverbs 3:6With thankfulness to our Heavenly Father, who has surroundedthem with His love and care, we announce the 60th WeddingAnniversary of our parents, grandparents and great-grandparents WILLEM and TRIJNTJE SIKKEMA (nee DeJong)Burlington, ON: Eppe and Diane Vanderdeen

Henk VanderdeenTanya Vanderdeen and Mike HoldsworthGeoff Vanderdeen

Waterdown, ON: Bill and Grace VanderdeenBrian and Dawn HamiltonAndrew Vanderdeen

Ancaster, ON: Bill and Annemarie BartelsJack and Teresa Wieske

Courtney, Alyssa, Megan, Amy and Erin

Andy and Brenda VanderveldeBreanne, Laurissa, Natasha, Lindsey and Andrew

Lori-Anne Bartels and Ric BandstraWil and Lori Bartels

Mason and OliviaIan and Kristen

MayaDave and Maria BartelsCarolyn Bartels

Toronto, ON: Rick SikkemaBurlington, ON: Pete and Ali Sikkema

Lynsie Sikkema and Mark AlkemaAbe and Linda Roza

Abraham RozaNicholas RozaMelissa Roza and Adam Bosscher

Owen Sound, ON: Chris and Jackie SikkemaKyleRachaelTrevor

Open House: September 21, 2002, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. in theEbenezer Canadian Reformed Church, Dynes Rd., Burlington, ON, D.V3177 Oakhurst Road, Burlington, ON L7N 2J5

ObituariesSurely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life;and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalm 23:6The Lord in His infinite wisdom has suddenly taken unto Himself,His servant CHARLES (Chuck) ROODZANTto dwell with Him forever. May 4, 1969 – July 19, 2002We pray for God’s gracious comfort and strength to encouragethose who will miss his smiling face and loving presence.Wife: Frieda RoodzantParents: George and Tina Roodzant (Neerlandia, AB)Siblings: Tony Roodzant (Edmonton, AB)

Erwin and Helen Peters (Neerlandia, AB)Matthew, Jeffrey, Danielle, Joseph, Melissa

Peter and Jenny Verhelst (Winnipeg, MB)Juanita, Izaäk, Rebecca, Emily

As well as extended family. He was predeceased by his baby sister Alida in 1977, his mater-nal grandparents and earlier this spring by his Oma Roodzant.So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wis-dom. Psalm 90:12George and Tina Roodzand, Box 209, Neerlandia, AB T0G 1R0

May 4, 1969 – July 18, 2002But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; theyshall mount up with wings, as eagles. Isaiah 40:31The Lord in His infinite wisdom, took unto Himself, His belovedchild, our nephew and cousin CHARLES ROODZANTat the age of 33.Sadly missed by:Burlington, ON: Henk OrselGuelph, ON: Jenny and Rudy DorgeloosAttercliffe, ON: Helen DorgeloosGuelph, ON: Albert DorgeloosLondon, ON: Carl Dorgeloos


Attention Ladies. . .You are Invited … to our 41st Annual League Day

Where: Capitol Banquet Centre6435 Dixie Road (Mississauga)

When: October 23, 2002Time: Doors Open at 9:00Cost: $12.00

MORNING SESSION 10 A.M.Rev. B.J. Berends will introduce the topic titled

“The Coming of the Lord.”References: Scripture: Romans 8: 18-27, 1 Thessalonians 4:13 - 5:2

and Revelations 22:20

AFTERNOON SESSION 1:30 P.M.Mrs. Jenette Schoon will introduce her topic

A place of quiet rest “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

References: Scripture: Matthew 11:25-30, Jeremiah 6:10-16, Isaiah 55, Exodus 33:12-14, Psalm 119Heidelberg Catechism: Lord’s Days 1, 45-52

Books: “Matthew Henry Commentary” – Matthew Henry“Studies in the Sermon on the Mount”

– D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones“ Living in the Joy of Faith” – Rev. Cl. Stam“ Beside Still Waters” – Gien Darssen“Matthew – New Testament Commentary”

– William Hendrikson“Call Upon Me” – J. Westerink

Horizon: September 1996, September 1999Tickets: Order from: Wilma Jairam

105 Vivians Crescent, Brampton, ON L6Y 4V4Phone: (905) 450-0739E-mail: [email protected]

Deadline for registration is October 9, 2002

Please note that there will be NO tickets available at thedoor, and the tickets are non-refundable.

RESERVE YOUR SEAT TODAY!

Teaching PositionsThe Board of John Calvin School, Smithville expects to be in need of aPRIMARY TEACHERin the fall of this year.Any interested and qualified person is urged to call for further detailsand apply for this position. For information contact the principal, Mr. F.C. Ludwig, at (905) 957-2341 (school) or (905) 957-3111 (home) Applications may be addressed to: Education Committee c/o Mrs. J. Boverhof, Secretary John Calvin School 320 Station St., P.O. Box 280, Smithville, ON L0R 2A0

Obituaries

December 19, 1912 – August 12, 2002How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD almighty! My soulyearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and fleshcry out for the living God. Psalm 84:1, 2On Monday, August 12, 2002, the Lord in His wisdom broughthome to the eternal dwelling place our beloved mother, grand-mother and great-grandmotherJOHANNA VANDOOREN (nee DeJager) at the age of 89 years.Our Heavenly Father gave her the wisdom and the love tostand by the late Rev. Gilbert VanDooren. We had thoughtthat it would be Dad who would close Mom’s eyes, becauseshe had already become quite dependent after suffering astroke. Dad’s last words were “take care of Mom,” and sowe tried our best to take care of our dear Mother, who was al-ways so caring and taking care. She never complained abouther pain and her disabling disease, and always wanted to putour needs first.Guelph, ON: Els and Simon Wildeboer

Robert and Dominique WildeboerJessie, Thomas, Emily

Paul and Nadia WildeboerNicole, Matthew

Michael and Rosanne WildeboerAshley, Sean, Alec

Lookout Mountain, Tenn. U.S.A.: Beth and Henry Krabbendam

Deborah and John ForbesRichard, Owen

Richard and Martha KrabbendamJoe, Jim

Tricia KrabbendamGina and Frank May

Waterdown, ON: Nick and Ella VandoorenSusan and Rick Buist

Danielle, Heather, LaurenConnie and Rob Hofsink

Aaron, Holly, Naomi, JonathanKim and Henry Stegenga

Morgan, Bailey, JonahMelanie and Jeff Jans

Henk and Rita Van DoorenSara and Anthony Schenkel

Jessica, Joshua, AidanChrisJodyKarynRachel

Ancaster, ON: Hans and Marion VanDoorenMarkDerekBrian

Corresponding Address:Mrs. Els Wildeboer, 16 Harcourt Drive, Guelph, ON N1G 1J6


107 Griffin St. S.Smithville, ON L0R 2A0

Res. 905-563-7827Cell 905-719-7489Fax 905-563-3168

E-mail: [email protected]

COUNTRY TOWN REALTY INC.

Fred vander VeldeSales Representative

Buying or selling?Let me be of service to you in the Grimsby,

Beamsville, Vineland Area.(905) 563-0500

24 hr. pager

Ontario Christian Music Assembly

Special guests include:Andre Knevel and Dirk Out

organ/pianoMaja Roodveldt, soprano

Ruurd Fiselier, tenorLeendert Kooij, Director

Friday, November 1Order tickets from:

Ontario Christian Music Assembly90 Topcliff AvenueDownsview, ON M3N 1L8

TEL: (416) 636-9779

Roy Thomson Hall

Interior completely renovated

Christian Festival Concert

7:30 p.m.

Tickets: $28.00

$21.00 $16.00

Visiting Edmonton?www.comfortzonevacations.com

1 866 444 5082Short or long term stays!

FOR RENTA bright and spacious

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Enjoy “country-living just minutes from the city” of Hamilton!

CALL JOHN OR WILMA AT (905) 692-9096

Quinte Canadian ReformedCongregation

Newlyweds?/Unemployed?/Need a change?Come and explore

A great place to liveYou’ll be amazed

We invite you to spend a weekend with us

613-394-8558Wilma and John

1962 - 4400 YYeeaarrss - 2002

Please join us in Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of

JJoohhnn CCaallvviinn CChhrriissttiiaann SScchhoooollBBuurrlliinnggttoonn,, OOnnttaarriioo

We thank and praise the Lord for his blessings and care during these 40 years.We invite you to join us in commemorating this occasion with an

OOppeenn HHoouussee oonn TThhuurrssddaayy,, OOccttoobbeerr 2244,, 22000022 ffrroomm 77::0000 pp..mm.. ttoo 99::0000 pp..mm..

in the School Gymnasium. All members, former students, teachers, parents, board members and interested parties are welcome to attend!

This will be a casual event with a 1 /2 hour program from 8:00 to 8:30.

Parties wishing to say a few words or make a presentation may contact our School Secretaryat the address below:

607 Dynes Road, Burlington, ON L7N 2V4

[905] 634-8015


As the Lord continues to bless us at

Landmark Design Ltd.we find ourselves in need of individuals to fill the above-mentioned positions. • As Landscape Architect you must be prepared to deal

with both small and large residential, commercial andmunicipal levels.

• As Construction Foreman you must have enough experi-ence to install natural or precast walls and patios, operatea wide range of equipment, identify and install plants andbe able to interpret plans and instructions.

• As Maintenance Foreman you would be expected to op-erate the maintenance division including such things asquoting, organizing and scheduling work and also pos-sess a good knowledge of turf and plants.

In all of the above, the values, attitude and personalityshould reflect a person who is truly thankful for all Godhas given us. This must be evident in how you do yourwork and how you motivate and direct the individuals forwhom you are responsible.

We are offering a year round salary, which would depend on your qualifications.

Landmark Design Ltd. is in Thornbury, Ontario, 35 minutesfrom Owen Sound Canadian Reformed Church and elementary school.

Please contact Gary Nordeman

AT 519-599-2957 • FAX 519-599-3991OR EMAIL [email protected]

Landscape Architect and Construction

and Maintenance Foreman

COUNTRY TOWNREALTY INC.

Peter BuitenwerfSales Representative/Owner

(905) 957-5000

Serving the Smithville and Attercliffe area since 1987

107 Griffin St. S.Smithville, ON L0R 2A0Res. 905-386-6678

Cell (905) 973-3198Fax (905) 957-1204

24 Hr. pager

Herman Faber, LL.B, LL.M.

HAMILTON LOCATION . . .187 HUGHSON STREET SOUTH, HAMILTON, ONTARIO L8N 2B6TELEPHONE: (905) 525-3786 FACSIMILE: (905) 523-8875E-MAIL: FERGUS LOCATION . . . [email protected]

FERGUS LOCATION . . .162 ST. ANDREW STREET EAST, FERGUS, ONTARIO N1M 1P8TELEPHONE: (519) 843-3222 FACSIMILE: (519) 843-2810

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MEMBER OF IPC FINANCIAL NETWORK INC.

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ASSOCIATES / ADMINISTRATION

PETA-GAY TAI-MILTON, B.A.

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ASSOCIATE / INSURANCE

ANDREW JANSEN


Saturday, October 19 at 8:00 p.m.Bowmanville

Rehoboth Christian Reformed Church, 130 Scugog Street(Willem will not participate in this one.)

Thursday, October 24 at 7:30 p.m.Owen Sound

Canadian Reformed Church, Mennonite corners

Friday, October 25 at 8:00 p.m.Burlington

Ebenezer Canadian Reformed Church, 607 Dynes Road

Saturday, October 26 at 8:00 p.m.York

Maranatha Christian Reformed Church, 33 King Street

Friday, September 20 at 8:00 p.m.Brampton

Second Christian Reformed Church, corner of Steeles and McLaughlin

Saturday, September 21 at 8:00 p.m.London

First Christian Reformed Church, 507 Talbot Street

Friday, October 18 at 8:00 p.m.Guelph

Church of Our Lady RC, 28 Norfolk Street

Saturday, October 19 at 8:00 p.m.Ancaster

Rehoboth United Reformed Church, 77 Glancaster Road

Saturday, November 16 at 7:30 p.m.Trenton

Ebenezer Christian Reformed Church, 18 4th Avenue

Organ, Piano and

Flute Concert Series

Martin Zonnenberg, organ/piano

Willem van Suijdam, organ/piano

Marjolein de Wit, flute

Liberation ChoirFall Concert Series

2002

Director: Willem van SuijdamOrgan: Ian Sadler

Admission $10.00Tickets are available at the door or from choir members

in advance.

All tickets are general admission. Arrive early as seatingis on a first come, first served basis.

For more information, please contact The Music Group at (905) 631-1929 or [email protected]

Liberation Choir10th Anniversary

ConcertSaturday, May 3, 2003Concert starts at 8:00 p.m.

DirectorWillem van Suijdam

Guelph SymphonyOrchestra

Director: Simon Irving

Organ and Piano: Andre KnevelSoprano solos: Colleen Greidanus

The Great Hall, Hamilton PlaceFor more information, call (905) 631-1929

Tickets $25

ALLCONCERTSADMISSION $10.00

Make

plans

early!

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UP

DA

TE

D

CLARION, SEPTEMBER 13, 2002

Peter Wildeman(DUTCH CONCERT ORGANIST)

IN CONCERT with pianist Joyce Postmus

Friday, September 27, 2002 St. Thomas Anglican Church

99 Ontario St., St. Catharines, ON Concert Time 8:00 p.m.

Participating will be the 100 voices of the HosannaMixed Choir directed by Herman den Hollander with

organist John VanderLaan

Saturday, September 28, 2002 Central Presbyterian Church

at Caroline and Charlton in Hamilton, ON Concert Time: 7:30 p.m.

Participating will be the 70 voices of the MattaniahChristian Male Choir, directed by

Herman den Hollander and organist Andre Knevel

Admission at the door. $10 p.p. and $6 for students.

For tickets or information please call John at

905-648-3170 (also visit the website of Peter at www.peterwildeman.nl)

Tinkering with Creation?The Promise and Perils of Genetic EngineeringEdited by Cornelis Van Dam

The possibilities of human ingenuity and scientificadvances seem to be limitless in our day. Plants are ge-netically modified to produce food that meets prede-termined criteria. Basic building blocks of life are be-ing manipulated for healing diseases and improvinghealth. However, the same basic techniques are usedto produce cloned animals and there is much talkabout doing the same with humans. Such scientific ac-tivities raise many questions.

Are we in this age of genetic engineering tinkeringwith creation and playing God? What are the properperimeters and limits for human inquiry so that the dis-tinction of Creator and creature is maintained?

Other questions arise. With respect to geneticallymodified foods, is any risk involved in consumingthem? What safeguards are in place and how shouldwe as Christians approach this area? When it comesto medical research, questions arise as well. Whatshould be our attitude as Christians to these new de-velopments and techniques?

The Burlington Reformed Study Centre orga-nized two public evenings of speeches and discus-sions to address these issues. This book will enableyou to benefit from what was said during those en-riching hours.

Soft Cover, 112 pages . . . .Can. $8.25, US. $6.45ISBN 0-88756-082-2

ORDER FROM YOUR FAVOURITE BOOKSTORE OR FROM

PREMIER PUBLISHINGOne Beghin Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R2J 3X5

John MeerveldAssociate Broker

garden city realty inc., REALTOR®

“Old Fashion Service – High Tech Advantage”

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pulling out the cornerstone of societyclarionmagazine.ca/archives/2002/445-468_v51n19.pdfthe supreme...

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