April 10, 2009 - Pages 177 - 200 - Clarion

Clarion
THE CANADIAN REFORMED MAGAZINE
Volume 58, No. 8
April 10, 2009
Creation rejoices
because of the
deliverance promised
in the
risen Christ
Inside this issue
An Easter Earthquake
Covenant: The Reformed Shibboleth?
I Can Lie to Myself: Self-Deception and Apologetics
Editorial
E. Kampen
Rev. E. Kampen is minister of
the Canadian Reformed
Church at Orangeville, Ontario
[email protected]
Covenant: The
Reformed Shibboleth?
The confessions do not speak of three covenants
nor of dichotomy in the covenant of grace
Fighting between brothers
At the end of chapter 12 in the book of Judges we
have one of those sad situations where God’s people,
after defeating an enemy, turned on each other. We
are told that after the men of Gilead defeated the
Ephraimites on the battlefield, they gained control of
all the fords of the Jordan that an Ephraimite survivor
would have to cross to get back home. We read,
“And whenever a survivor of Ephraim said, ‘Let me
cross over,’ the men of Gilead asked him, ‘Are you an
Ephraimite?’ If he replied, ‘No,’ they said, ‘All right,
say “Shibboleth.”’ If he said ‘Sibboleth,’ because he
could not pronounce the word correctly, they seized
him and killed him at the fords of the Jordan” (Judg
12:5, 6). To this day, the term “shibboleth” functions in
the English language to describe a test word or pet
phrase which reveals a person’s sympathies.
When one peruses various brochures, articles, and
websites, it is evident that in Reformed circles we
still have this sort of testing of one another. The
shibboleth is “covenant.”1 There are those who have
positioned themselves at strategic points and to flush
out all heretics they ask, “Say covenant.” If someone
does not say “covenant” exactly the way they think it
should be said, there is no mercy. The label of heresy
is quickly applied.
The supposed correct pronunciation
What is the way that one is supposed to say
“covenant?” It begins with adhering to a three
covenant view. The first covenant is called the
covenant of redemption or the covenant of peace
(pactum salutis). It is said that this was a covenant
between the Father and the Son to save the elect. The
second is the covenant of works before the fall, made
between God and Adam. The third covenant is the
covenant of grace, made only with the elect in Christ.
178 • APRIL 10, 2009
When it comes to the covenant of grace a further
distinction is made. This is due to the fact that not all
who are found within the covenant of grace end up
believing the gospel. So, it is stated that the covenant
of grace has to be considered in a broader and a
narrower sense. Another way of expressing this is to
speak of being in the covenant outwardly and
inwardly. In the narrower sense, the covenant is made
only with the elect. Only the elect are said to receive
the substance of the covenant.
When reading about this, it is common to be
constantly reminded that the three covenant view and
the dichotomy in the covenant of grace is the position
of classical Reformed theology. Names from Zacharias
Ursinus to Abraham Kuyper are mentioned as being
proponents of this view. This, it is stressed, is the
Reformed consensus since the Reformation. Any other
way of speaking about the covenant, especially if
there is any hint of the word “condition,” is seen as the
equivalent of saying “sibboleth.”
Accusation of mispronunciation
The history of the Canadian Reformed Churches
has very much to do with being accused of saying
“sibboleth” instead of “shibboleth” when it came to
covenant. Not only are there historical bruises going
back to The Netherlands,2 there are also historical
bruises going back to the first years of post war
immigration when the immigrants were confronted
with a Declaration of Principles which insisted that
the right way to say “covenant” was to equate it with
election.3 For this reason, there is immediate interest
if “covenant” is held up as shibboleth, especially
when one hears the mention of individuals that
played a significant role in the developments that led
to the Canadian Reformed Churches and they are put
in the camp of those who say sibboleth when it comes
to covenant.4
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Questioning the basic premise
Now in any argument, its strength lies in the
accuracy of the basic premise. In this case we have to
ask if it is true that there is a consensus that the only
way to speak about the covenant is by holding the
three covenant view, along with speaking of a
dichotomy in the covenant of grace? Furthermore, is
this consensus expressed in the church’s confessions?
When we look at the history of the Reformed
churches adhering to the Three Forms of Unity, we
have to conclude this not so. To be sure, one is able to
marshal a long list of names of men who spoke of
three covenants and the dichotomy in the covenant of
grace, but the pronouncements of theologians are not
the pronouncements of the church. The position of the
church is found in its confessions. The confessions do
not speak of three covenants or of dichotomy in the
covenant of grace. Not even all the Reformed
theologians who have written about the matter are
unanimous.
Diversity among theologians
In a most interesting essay on six Secession
theologians who all immigrated to North America,
Dr. Jelle Faber shows their diversity in thinking about
the covenant. To be sure, some held the three
covenant view. At the same time, we have a man like
L.J. Hulst (1825-1922) who wrote at one time, after much
study of the doctrine of the covenant and especially
being influenced by the words of Deuteronomy 29:29
which speak about the secret and revealed will of
God, “When I saw this, I abandoned that speculative
idea of a covenant of grace from eternity and I
descended to the covenant that God had established
with Abraham and his descendants, Genesis 17. This
is the covenant to which the entire Bible refers”
(“American Secession Theologians and Baptism,” p. 30).
Another example is F.M. TenHoor (1855-1934) who
wrote, “Nowhere in Holy Scripture is it taught that the
covenant of grace is established with Christ as the
second party. Nowhere in Holy Scripture is Christ
called Head of the covenant of grace. Since Christ is
Surety and Mediator of the covenant, He cannot be the
second party to it. . .” (Ibid, p. 35).
Hopefully one’s interest will have been piqued to
read this essay. The point at issue, however, is that there
is evidence of lively theological discussion by these
theologians and the way they talked was not treated as
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In This Issue
Editorial – Covenant:The Reformed Shibboleth?
— E. Kampen............................................................................178
Treasures, New and Old – An Easter Earthquake
— C. Bouwman ........................................................................181
I Can Lie to Myself: Self-Deception and Apologetics (1)
— W.L. Bredenhof ....................................................................182
Ray of Sunshine — C. Gelms and P. Gelms ..............................186
Anniversary Celebration to Commemorate
Twenty-Five Years of Ministry — H.VanderWel................187
Education Matters – Peregrine Survey
— K. Sikkema ..........................................................................189
Letter to the Editor ....................................................................192
Book Review — Reviewed by C.Van Dam................................193
APRIL 10, 2009 • 179
a shibboleth to test their orthodoxy. It seems that these
men were not handcuffed by classic Reformed theology
nor had their theological senses been dulled by some
sort of alleged theological consensus.
Schilder and the Declaration of Principles
In connection with this it is both interesting and
helpful to refer to the reaction of Dr. K. Schilder to the
Declaration of Principles of the Protestant Reformed
Church (1950/51). These had been formulated by Dr.
H. Hoeksema (Ibid, p. 55-167). This Declaration was
divisive in the way it alienated Dutch immigrants
coming from the Liberated churches. Schilder’s writing
can be summed up as a plea not to make a certain
covenant conception a shibboleth. He had
experienced the stultifying effect of consensus
argumentation regarding the covenant. He wrote,
When a synod began hacking with a Chinese
scimitar, we were compelled to express ourselves in
an exact formulation about the promise of the
covenant of grace, over against a petrified groupstheology which did not know the Reformed fathers. . .
In this way we were able to open the way to
Helenius De Cock, which the Kuyperian diehards
had blocked, and to break open again the path to
the classic fathers, whose books had been made
inaccessible. . . (Ibid, p. 92).
At the same time, he made clear that the Liberated
churches had not accepted any official covenant
conception. In the whole discussion he repeatedly
stressed the need to give each other room. No
theologian, he said had a fully rounded off theory
about the matter. He added,
And I do not like a church of clever theologians.
The point in question is only this: may you dare to
break a church apart for a dogmatic formula of
Schilder which Hoeksema can attack, or one of
Hoeksema which Schilder can attack, while indeed
both in good conscience subscribe to the Three
Forms of Unity. . . Both may stand amidst a crowd of
brothers and sisters, who have learned to say: do
not divide the church by academic wisdom which
harp as on one point and overlooks another point
which is just as true (Ibid, p. 154).
The true shibboleth regarding “covenant”
When one considers the history of the Canadian
Reformed Churches, it is not surprising that there is
discomfort when one hears of “covenant” as
shibboleth, even though it seems to come up in a
180 • APRIL 10, 2009
different context.5 The history of the Reformed
churches gives evidence of lively theological
discussion about the covenant. However, to quote
Schilder once more, “dogmatic differences are not yet
confessional differences” (p. 161). This lively
discussion is possible because the Three Forms of
Unity are very sober when it comes to speaking of the
covenant. It is striking that both the Belgic Confession
and the Heidelberg Catechism speak of covenant only
when dealing with the sacraments. It does not form
the overarching theological structure for these
confessions. What proved fatal for the unity of the
church, however, was when certain dogmatic
constructions were elevated to the status of
Shibboleth and anyone who did not follow these
dogmatic constructions was dealt a spiritual death
blow. When you raise one dogmatic position to a
shibboleth, it is at great peril that anyone dares to
argue for a different dogmatic position.
Focusing on the Mediator of the covenant
At the Jordan, forty-two thousand Ephraimites were
killed because they could not say “shibboleth.” It is
sad when how one says “covenant” is occasion for a
blood bath between brothers, rather than making all
focus on Christ, the mediator and surety of the
covenant who established the covenant in his blood.
1
Particularly prolific on this topic is R.S. Clark. For an
example, see “Brief History of Covenant Theology” at
http://www.wscal.edu/clark/briefhistorycovteol.php or
“Baptism, Election, and the Covenant of Grace”
(Grandville, MI: Reformed Fellowship Inc.). For another
example, see “The Evil Fruits of the Conditional
Covenant (5): Baptismal Regeneration” by Russel J.
Dykstra in the Standard Bearer, Volume 83 – Issue 14.
2
For a good review of this history, see “The Liberation:
Causes and Consequences” edited by C. VanDam
(Winnipeg: Premier Publishing, 1995).
3
A copy of this Declaration, as adopted by the Protestant
Reformed Synod of 1951, can be found in “American
Secession Theologians and Baptism” by Jelle Faber and
“Extra-Scriptural Binding – A New Danger” by Klaas
Schilder (Neerlandia: Inheritance Publications, 1996) p. 58ff.
4
E.g. “Brief History of Covenant Theology,” which links
the name of Dr. K. Schilder with those who have departed
from the alleged consensus regarding the covenant.
5
Namely, discussions concerning the Federal Vision and
the New Perspectives on Paul.
Treasures, New and Old
C. Bouwman
Rev. C. Bouwman is minister
of the Canadian Reformed
Church at Yarrow,
British Columbia
[email protected]
It wasn’t the first one. On Good
Friday too, “the earth shook and
the rocks split” (Matt 27:51). On
Easter Sunday, it happened again:
“There was a violent earthquake.”
Why is this important for us
to know?
In the beginning God created
“the heavens and the earth” (Gen
1:1). God did not create a heaven
alone, as the dwelling place for
Himself and his angels. Nor did He
create an earth alone, as the
habitat for man amongst the rocks,
the trees, and the animals. God
created both. Nor did God allow
heaven and earth to go their
separate ways. The well-being of
the two was tied together; each
was created for the other. It’s as we
confess in Article 12 of the Belgic
Confession, “We believe that the
Father. . . has created. . . the
heavens, the earth, and all
creatures. . . [so that it might] serve
its Creator.”
The fall into sin drove a wedge
between heaven and earth and so
undid the bond between these two
parts of God’s creation. Hence it is
that on this sinful earth there is
nothing but futility; the Preacher
reminds us in Ecclesiastes 1 that
this earth by itself has no
purpose. That reality is echoed by
the Apostle Paul: “We know that
the whole creation has been
groaning as in the pains of
childbirth” (Rom 8:22).
An Easter
Earthquake
MATTHEW 13:52
“There was a violent earthquake.”
Matthew 28:2a
Yet that travail is due not only to
the fact that the world is subjected
to futility; it’s also due to the fact
that God’s wrath against sin is
experienced by the earth. As God
punishes the sins of mankind, the
sun, moon, and stars are forbidden
to give their light; the earth
trembles and is shaken out of its
place (Isa 13:10, 13).
On account of this anger from
God against sin, the creation longs
for deliverance and it longs to be
re-united with heaven. That is why
when the Lord died on that Good
Friday on the cross, creation
reacted with trembling. “When [the
living God] is angry, the earth
trembles,” Jeremiah had once said
(10:10). On the cross, the wrath of
God against sin was poured out on
that one holy man and that man
died, becoming – like all else –
subject to decay. In horror, the
earth responded in quaking: “The
earth in silence, struck with fear/
Did from above Thy verdict hear”
(Ps 76:4, Book of Praise). For there is
no future. . . .
But “behold” (as Matthew
literally has it), on the heels of
Good Friday’s shake came Easter
Sunday’s quake! The Christ, buried
after the first quake, arose on the
third day! This man was not
subject to decay after all. One of
God’s creatures, who since the fall
was given over to death and decay,
now rises out of the grave and now
stands above death and decay.
Creation sees it and rejoices
greatly because of the deliverance
promised for it in the rising of
Jesus Christ from the dead. Here is
fulfilled what was spoken by the
psalmist: “All the streams in
joyous union/ Now clap their hands
and praise accord/ The mountains
join in glad communion/ And leap
with joy before the Lord” (Ps 98:4,
Book of Praise).
Small wonder then that the
quake of Easter Sunday was
“violent” compared to the shake
of Good Friday. The earth now
had reason to quake so greatly.
For Christ’s rising means that He
has conquered sin and darkness.
Yes, at his rising the bond
between heaven and earth is
restored once more. For did He
not, because of his triumph on
Calvary, ascend into heaven?
Principally the world is no longer
subjected to futility. In hope it
may now look forward to being
completely set free of its bondage
to decay. In hope it may look
forward to being totally renewed
on the day of days.
What’s more, this earth may
look forward to the day when the
heavens will open and He who now
sits in the heavens will come to a
cleansed and perfected earth, here
to make his dwelling with man –
heaven and earth united!
APRIL 10, 2009 • 181
W.L. Bredenhof
Rev.W. L. Bredenhof is
co-pastor of the Canadian
Reformed Church at
Langley, British Columbia
[email protected]
I Can Lie to Myself:
Self-Deception and
Apologetics (Part 1 of 2)
This two-part series of articles was
originally a presentation for the
Cloverdale Canadian Reformed
Church. In preparing this material,
I made grateful use of Greg
Bahnsen’s article The Crucial
Concept of Self-Deception in
Presuppositional Apologetics
(Westminster Theological Journal 57
(1995): 1-31) – available on-line here:
http://www.cmfnow.com/articles/
PA207.htm Readers interested in a
more technical treatment on this
subject should consult Bahnsen’s
article and his dissertation on the
same subject, A Conditional
Resolution of the Apparent
Paradox of Self-Deception, Ph.D.
diss., University of Southern
California, 1978.
Providentially, in my second year
of university I came across a book
by Dr. Cornelius VanTil entitled The
Defense of the Faith. This book
literally changed everything for
me. It remains an excellent
overview of the biblical, Christian
faith (the Reformed faith) and how
it shapes our approach to
defending the faith. After reading
VanTil, I also came to study briefly
with a former student and protégé
of VanTil, Dr. Greg Bahnsen.
Equipped with the tools provided
from the Scriptures by men like
VanTil and Bahnsen, I became
much more confident in my
interactions with students and
professors in the university setting.
I first developed an interest in
apologetics (the defence of the
faith) while a university student in
Edmonton some fifteen years ago. I
had spent most of my primary and
secondary education in a Christian
school. I never heard the Christian
faith being challenged in any
meaningful way. When I began
attending the University of Alberta,
that all changed. Suddenly I was
confronted with difficult questions
about what I believed, about what
the Bible says, and about the
Christian worldview.
There are certain key
concepts from the
Scriptures that shape our
approach to defending our
faith to unbelievers
182 • APRIL 10, 2009
Later on, as I worked in
evangelistic contexts before,
during, and after my missionary
service, I would also be able to use
what I’d learned. These days I find
myself using what I know about
apologetics mostly to answer the
difficult questions of my children,
especially my nine year old
daughter: “But Dad, how do you
know the Christian faith is true?
How do you know the Bible is true?”
Those are the sorts of questions
that apologetics equips us to
answer. We’re sometimes driven to
the subject (as I was) by practical
necessity. But there is also a
biblical command with regards to
apologetics. In 1 Peter 3:15, we
read, “But in your hearts set apart
Christ as Lord. Always be prepared
to give an answer to everyone who
asks you to give the reason for the
hope that you have.” We could also
translate that more literally,
“Always be prepared to do
apologetics. . . .” Scripture is telling
us to always be prepared to give a
reasoned defence of our faith. Note
first that this command is not
something just for ministers and
missionaries, but for all believers.
Further, note what it says at the
beginning of this verse about
Christ as Lord. As we look to the
subject of apologetics, Christ’s
Lordship has to be at the front of
our minds. Concretely, that means
that the Bible, Christ’s Word, is
what determines our apologetics.
As we prepare to pull down
strongholds and cast down
arguments and every high thing
that exalts itself against the
knowledge of God, we have to take
every thought captive to the
obedience of Christ, as Paul says
in 2 Corinthians 10:5. That happens
through the Word.
The principle of sola Scriptura
(by Scripture alone) is what sets
Reformed apologetics apart from
the other varieties out there. NonReformed schools of apologetics
begin someplace else, typically
with man and his natural reason.
But when we come to apologetics
as Reformed believers, we take our
starting place with Scripture, just
as we do with everything else.
As we do that, we’ll find that
there are certain key concepts
from the Scriptures that shape our
approach to defending our faith to
unbelievers. In these two articles,
I want to explore one of those key
concepts – in fact, after the
priority we give to the Bible, this
is one of the most crucial
elements of Reformed apologetics.
If you don’t have this straight, you
will not have a distinctively
Reformed approach to defending
the faith.
This crucial element is selfdeception. A simple, untechnical
definition of self-deception: “Selfdeception involves deception of the
self, by the self, about the self, and
for the sake of the self” (Greg
Bahnsen). Unbelievers deceive
themselves about themselves,
about God, about Christ, about the
world, about the judgment to come,
and many other vital spiritual
truths. Unbelievers are experts at
pulling the wool over their own
eyes. But before we get too selfrighteous, all people do this.
Anyone who is a sinful human
being is an expert at
self-deception.
Cultural manifestations of
self-deception
That’s why the concept of selfdeception is so common, even
outside of explicitly religious
contexts. Think of some of the great
works of literature produced over
the centuries. Among the Greeks,
Oedipus Rex by Sophocles comes
to mind. Shakespeare portrayed
self-deception in King Lear. In
Russian literature, Dostoevsky’s
Notes from Underground is a prime
example. Closer to our own time
and culture, C.S. Lewis captured
both the literary and religious
aspects of self-deception in the
first of the Chronicles of Narnia,
the Magician’s Nephew:
Anyone who is a sinful
human being is an expert
at self-deception
. . .The longer and more
beautifully the Lion sang, the
harder Uncle Andrew tried to
make himself believe that he
could hear nothing but roaring.
Now the trouble about trying to
make yourself stupider than you
really are is that you very often
succeed. Uncle Andrew did.
He soon did hear nothing but
roaring in Aslan’s song.
In the area of film, we can think of
Roberto Benigni’s Life is Beautiful.
In case you didn’t catch it, the title
for these articles comes from an old
80s pop song, I Ain’t Missing You,
by John Waite. Self-deception is a
common theme in literature, film,
music, and culture in general, to
say nothing of its treatment by
philosophers and theologians
through the centuries.
This is a subject that has
received its share of attention from
those who study the field of
apologetics. In 1985, Greg Bahnsen
debated a renowned atheist
scholar, Dr. Gordon Stein. In his
introductory comments, Bahnsen
agreed to concede to Stein all
issues pertaining to the Control of
Ovarian Maturation in Japanese
Whales, the subject of Stein’s
doctoral dissertation and his area
of scholarly expertise. Stein tried to
turn the tables on Bahnsen by
making a jab at Bahnsen’s
dissertation on self-deception.
However, this backfired – because
unlike Stein, Bahnsen’s
dissertation was extremely
relevant to this debate and
Bahnsen milked Stein’s gaffe for
all it was worth.
Let’s now get to the meat of our
subject. We’re going to look at what
the Bible says about self-deception
and then we’ll consider how that
biblical teaching shapes a
Reformed approach to apologetics.
What the Bible says about
self-deception
The theme of self-deception is
found in many places in Scripture.
It flows from a basic truth about
human beings, a truth found in
Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is
deceitful above all things and
beyond cure. Who can understand
it?” Human beings have hearts that
are inclined to deceit, to lying, and
untruthfulness. Later in Jeremiah,
in 37:9, we hear God warning the
people of Judah, “Do not deceive
yourselves, thinking, ‘the
Babylonians will surely leave us’”
– implying that self-deception is
certainly a possibility. In the little
prophecy of Obadiah, we discover
that self-deception is not just a
APRIL 10, 2009 • 183
possibility but a reality. In verse 3,
God says about Edom, “The pride
of your heart has deceived you.”
In the New Testament, we find
that reality reaffirmed. In James
1:22 those who merely listen to the
Word and don’t do it are those
who deceive themselves. In
1 Corinthians 3:18, those who think
they are wise by the standards of
this world are deceiving
themselves and are warned to stop.
In Galatians 6:3, “If anyone thinks
he is something when he is
nothing, he deceives himself.” And
in 1 John 1:8, “If we claim to be
without sin, we deceive ourselves
and the truth is not in us.”
With a view to unbelief and our
subject of defending the faith,
Psalm 14:1 and Psalm 53:1 also
speak about self-deception, though
perhaps it’s not immediately
obvious: “The fool says in his
heart, ‘There is no God.’” When we
look at this verse, the first thing we
need to understand is that the
word “fool” here is not an insult.
Rather, it’s an objective description
of a certain type of person. In the
Old Testament wisdom literature,
a fool is someone who acts
foolishly in a moral and spiritual
sense. The foolish are those who
reproach the righteous and
blaspheme God. Strikingly, the
foolish in the Old Testament are
also usually part of God’s covenant
people. In other words, they know
better. This unbelief that even
exists among God’s people is a
specimen of self-deception.
David makes this disturbing
observation that a certain kind of
person (the fool) makes a claim
that there is no God. Notice where
this claim is made: in his heart.
This self-deception isn’t
184 • APRIL 10, 2009
necessarily announced out loud. In
the context of these Psalms, it
probably wouldn’t be prudent to
say such things publicly in Israel –
the fool says it in his heart.
It’s from out of the heart that
one’s lifestyle emerges. Verse 1
goes on to say, “They are corrupt,
their deeds are vile; there is no one
who does good.” In Matthew 15:19,
It’s from out of the heart
that one’s lifestyle emerges
the Lord Jesus said, “For out of the
heart proceed evil thoughts,
murders, adulteries, fornications,
thefts, false witness, and
blasphemies.” Then it only makes
sense that David proceeds in
Psalms 14 and 53 from what’s going
on in the heart to what’s going on
in the life. The fool says in his
heart that there is no God and that
among such people there are no
good works. This serves to
emphasize that this atheism is not
an intellectual problem, but a
moral one. Unbelieving mankind’s
problem is not a lack of
information, but a twisted,
degenerate, deceitful heart that
results in reprehensible behaviour.
Mankind’s greatest need is not
more information, more evidence,
or more arguments, but rather a
Saviour. We need one who can
save us from ourselves, from our
deceitful hearts and the wrath of
God that those hearts incur.
The crucial passage:
Romans 1:18-32
The Apostle Paul was welltrained in the Old Testament and
he would have been familiar with
Psalms 14 and 53. He was also a
missionary who regularly
encountered unbelief, both among
the Jews and the Gentiles. So, it
should come as no surprise that the
most significant passage about
self-deception is found in the
letters of Paul in Romans 1:18-32.
Some time ago, I was asked to
go to the hospital to visit someone
dying from cancer. This man had
left our church many years ago and
a family member asked me to
speak with him. He was friendly
enough and from the nurses I
spoke with, he was definitely
dying. But yet he denied that he
had cancer. He didn’t want to talk
about cancer – he was sure that he
was going home next week, that he
wasn’t dying. Yes, he admitted that
he hadn’t been feeling well; that
was all because of a car accident
last year. He was positively sure
that he was going to be all right.
Similarly, when Hurricane Ike
hit the Texas coast a while back,
you could hear people on the news
saying things like, “I don’t believe
it’s coming. I think the weather
reports are wrong.” Many people
chose to stay rather than evacuate,
believing that either the storm
wouldn’t come at all, or if it did, it
wouldn’t actually be that bad.
Romans 1:18-32 portrays
something very much like that.
Verse 19 says, “What may be
known about God is plain to them,
because God has made it plain to
them.” Unbelievers are portrayed
as knowing about God because
God has been successful in
revealing Himself to them. In other
words, at some level, all people
know that God exists.
Church
News
However, verse 18 reveals that
though people have this
knowledge at some level, not all
people acknowledge it. In fact,
this verse says that many
suppress the truth by their
wickedness or unrighteousness.
They deceive themselves about
God. They actively push what
they know about God under and
they do this in unrighteousness.
This underlines what we learned
from Psalms 14 and 53. This is not
an intellectual failure. It’s not the
case that they’ve missed some
key evidence or not heard some
key arguments, or perhaps
they’re just not smart enough to
be Christians. Rather, this is a
moral, ethical issue. According to
verse 20, God’s invisible
attributes, which Paul isolates as
God’s eternal power and divine
nature – they have been clearly
seen and all this leaves everyone
without excuse. Literally, in
Greek it says that they are
without an apologetic, without a
reasonable defence for the
position they’ve taken. That
means that everyone comes
before God’s throne with
responsibility for what they’ve
done with the revelation given.
And everyone comes before that
throne with some revelation.
Verse 21 goes on to add that
they knew God. Now that’s an
important expression which we
ought not to gloss over. In verse 19
it speaks about unbelievers
knowing about God, but here in
verse 21, it says that they know
God. This is significant. People
say that there are no atheists in
foxholes. Paul says that there are
no atheists period. In the Bible, to
know God is often synonymous
with relating to Him or believing
in Him, being persuaded of the
truth of his existence. That means
that there’s not only a suppression
of knowledge about God, but also
a suppression of some kind of
belief in God. This “belief” (if we
dare to call it that) is something
along the lines of what we read
about the demons in James 2:19.
So, there’s not only a suppression
of facts about God, but also a
suppression of persuasion about
God’s existence and relationship
to the person as Creator
and Judge.
Accepted the call by the church
of Owen Sound, Ontario:
Rev. J. Moesker
of Vernon, British Columbia.
Called by the church of Ancaster,
Ontario:
Rev. J. Ludwig
of Grand Rapids, MI, U.S.A.
Called by the church of Hamilton
(Providence), Ontario:
Rev.W.L. Bredenhof
of Langley, British Columbia.
Mankind’s greatest need
is not more information,
more evidence, or more
arguments, but rather
a Saviour
All this wicked suppression, all
this evil self-deception has a
result: futility, aimlessness,
purposelessness in thinking and
the darkening of foolish hearts.
Foolishness leads to idolatry, to
sexual impurity, to shameful
homosexual lusts and relations
and perversion. Paul relates that
unbelievers are given over to their
depraved minds and we ought not
to be surprised when we see
wickedness, evil, greed, depravity,
envy, murder, strife, and so forth
taking place in their lives. We
should actually be surprised when
we don’t see those things in the
lives of unbelievers! Consistent
unbelief results in all those things.
Now of course, most unbelievers
are not that consistent in their
unbelief and for that we can
be thankful!
Called by the church of
Burlington-Waterdown, Ontario:
Rev. D.W.Vandeburgt
of Glanbrook, Ontario.
One more thing to note from
Romans 1. In verse 32 we are told
that unbelievers also know about
God’s righteous decrees. They
know God’s law – the same point is
made in more detail in chapter 2.
They also know that those who
break God’s law deserve death. In
other words, they are also aware of
the judgment that sin will receive.
Deep within, every single human
being knows that they are a
creature of God, that they have
broken God’s law, and they will
stand in judgment for that.
But they suppress these truths
in unrighteousness; they
deceive themselves.
In the concluding installment,
we’ll consider what the Reformed
confessions say about this subject
and then consider the question of
how to address unbelieving
self-deception.
APRIL 10, 2009 • 185
Ray of Sunshine
By Mrs. Corinne Gelms and Mrs. Patricia Gelms
Rob DeHaan
Where the music is playing
you will see Rob DeHaan! When
visiting at Anchor Home, Rob
can be found relaxing in the
living room enjoying some
music with his earphones on.
A typical day for Rob includes
helping out with simple chores
at Anchor; by clearing off the
table after meals or vacuuming. Cleaning out his room
and making his bed are also part of his daily routine.
Every other week the residents at Anchor Home go to
a local indoor pool, where Rob thoroughly enjoys
splashing in the water. In the warmer weather, Rob
enjoys going outdoors and sitting on the deck with his
radio, or going on the trampoline, and can now also be
seen soaring on the new swing set that has been built
for the residents. Weekly activities that Rob also
participates in include Bible and Catechism classes.
It is a joy to see how Rob makes the sound of music
reflect in all he does. So, if you find yourself near
Anchor Home in Beamsville, feel most welcomed to
drop in and visit and shake Rob’s hand as he
celebrates his forty-fourth birthday. Even if it’s a
short visit, it is always most gladly appreciated!
186 • APRIL 10, 2009
Birthdays in May
Also sincere congratulations to the rest who are
celebrating a birthday in May! May our heavenly
Father continue to richly bless you in this new year.
1
CLARENCE ZWIEP will be 55
653 Broad Street West, Dunnville, ON N1A 1T8
4
DEBBIE VEENSTRA will be 35
4238 2nd Concession Road, Sherkston, ON L0S 1R0
10 ROB DEHAAN will be 44
Anchor Home
361 Thirty Road, RR 2, Beamsville, ON L0R 1B2
21 EDDIE VANROOTSELAAR will be 16
210 Indian Creek Road East,
30
BERNIE DEVOS will be 34
Anchor Home
361 Thirty Road, RR 2, Beamsville, ON L0R 1B2
If you have somebody to add to our birthday list or
contact information needs to be changed,
please let us know:
548 Kemp Road East, RR 2, Beamsville, ON L0R 1B2
Phone: (905) 563-0380
Email: [email protected]
Harpert VanderWel
Anniversary Celebration to
Commemorate Twenty-five
Years of Ministry
Our MC for the evening was Art
Hordyk, who opened the meeting
with reading Romans 10:1-15 and
prayer. We sang Psalm 27: 2, 3, and
6, accompanied by Geert Spyker on
the organ and all were welcomed
to this festive occasion. A special
welcome was extended to Rev.
G. Nederveen and his wife. The
official part of this evening was
held in the church and the second
half was held in the fellowship
hall. The program continued with a
musical interlude provided by
pianist Rachel Torenvliet and
violinist Karen Spithoff, who
treated us to a very enjoyable
rendition of two well chosen hymns
for this event, namely, “And can it
be” and “How blessed are the feet.”
Several delegates of
neighbouring congregations were
given the opportunity to speak a
few congratulatory words to our
pastor and his wife with the
celebration of this milestone in his
career as pastor and teacher. Rick
Ludwig represented the Rehoboth
congregation of BurlingtonWaterdown. Charles VanDam
spoke on behalf of the
Flamborough congregation. Pastor
John van Popta represented the
Fellowship congregation of
Burlington-South. Br. A. Bax spoke
a few words of appreciation for the
work our pastor did in Brampton,
his previous congregation.
The ladies choir sang a musical
blessing to Rev. and Mrs.
Nederveen using the words of a
well known hymn, composed by
John Rutter, commonly identified
by its opening line, “The Lord
bless you and keep you.”
Herman Harsevoort, vice
chairman of council, used one of
Rev. Nederveen’s recent sermons,
specifically the one on Lords Day
31, which deals with the keys of
the kingdom, to illustrate how
officebearers serve the
congregation by offering its
members guidance and direction.
In doing so, sometimes a pastor
also needs some direction in
finding his way to everyone’s home
in a large city, like Burlington.
So, on behalf of the congregation,
he presented our minister and his
wife with a GPS navigational
system so that they could find their
way around town without getting
lost. Sr. W.S. Meerveld, the most
APRIL 10, 2009 • 187
senior sister of the congregation,
was invited to the podium to
present a bouquet of flowers to
our pastor’s wife.
The microphone was then
handed over to the Nederveens,
who expressed their appreciation
for the many cards and tokens of
appreciation received from the
Canadian Reformed community,
as well as from the Ebenezer
congregation. He thanked the
musicians for their musical
contributions to this evening and
also expressed his gratitude his
family for their unwavering
support over the years. He
remembered the congregation at
Brampton for equipping him with
wisdom and direction as he was
just starting his ministry and for
offering their continued support to
this day. Lastly he summed up his
comments by summarizing all of
the congratulations in the words of
a card he received recently;
it read: “25 years of ministry is not
an achievement, it is a gift from
God.” Our minister and his wife
echo these sentiments and
expressed the wish that the Lord
may guide and keep us all as we
continue to serve Him from
the heart.
188 • APRIL 10, 2009
In bringing the official portion
of the evening to a close, Dr. C.
Van Dam spoke a few words of
appreciation as three-fold
representative; as colleague, as
member of the congregation, and
as member of the Senate of the
Theological College in Hamilton.
He voiced his appreciation for
the diligence with which his
colleague laboured in the midst of
the congregation. Also the work
done by Mrs. Nederveen did not go
unnoticed and has been
appreciated. As a minister, Rev.
Nederveen served as a faithful
pastor in both congregations and
they even shared a common
ministry in the congregation of
Brampton. Even some practical
advice was passed on from time
to time, such as convincing Dr.
Van Dam to buy his very own
snowblower to clean his driveway.
As member of the Senate he noted
that his colleague served the
various committees in the
federation with distinction and
with commitment. Before offering
his closing prayer, Dr. Van Dam
expressed the sincere wish that the
Lord would continue to bless the
Nederveen family as they continue
to labour in the midst of the
Ebenezer congregation.
We sang the first and third
stanzas of Psalm 150 and in
closing the evening Dr. Van Dam
thanked the master of ceremonies
for his leadership in organizing
this very successful,
commemorative evening.
The melody of the doxology in
Hymn 6 still rang through the
building as we made our way into
the fellowship hall, where freshly
brewed coffee and various samples
of delicious baking awaited us.
The remainder of the evening was
filled with a social hour during
which the guests could
congratulate the Nederveens and
take the opportunity to share some
refreshments and fellowship.
Education Matters
Keith Sikkema
Mr. Keith Sikkema is principal
of Dufferin Area Christian
School in Orangeville, Ontario
[email protected]
Just what is it that makes
Reformed Education “good”
education? Is this the same as
“quality” education? All schools
would want to provide the best
they can, and a quick survey of
recent teacher ads in Clarion
suggests that they are looking for
traits like certification, experience,
professionalism, character, high
personal standards, submission to
Scripture as summarized in the
Reformed confessions, love for God
and his covenant children, and
church membership. Even if these
traits are present in a high degree,
we still realize that teachers, too,
are not perfect, that they will have
“bad days,” and that other factors
play a role as well. Other
contributing elements include,
among others, facilities and
materials; unity between home,
church, and school; school
atmosphere and morale; and the
length of the school day and the
school year. This Peregrine Survey
picks up on elements of quality
education, its delivery and
reporting, staffing and teacher
preparation, and related issues.
Professional development
Some Ontario schools have
begun to implement professional
portfolios to support staff and
personal professional
development. Professional
portfolios are hard copy proofs of a
teacher’s talents, and places where
Peregrine
Survey
they organize their thoughts and
beliefs in the area of teaching and
learning. They also provide insight
in a teacher’s areas of interest and
show a teacher’s self-reflection on
what was good or what could have
been better. They are
autobiographical and identify
items for development and
dialogue. “Personal professional
portfolios reflect the integration of
faith and life which teachers
embody as Reformed, Christian
teachers; and which they wish to
instill in their students. Teachers
need to connect who they are with
what they do.”
Also on the topic of professional
development, the executive of the
Canadian Reformed Teachers
Association East (CRTA) and the
Professional Development
Committee (PDC) of the League of
Canadian Reformed School
Societies (LCRSS) met in March to
help chart a common course.
Among others, aspects of moral
encouragement, physical
provisions, contractual
expectations, documentation, and
reporting and dissemination were
discussed. The event signals an
exciting change in weight ascribed
to professional development, along
with the LCRSS’s Personnel
Manual that is nearing completion.
This occurs even as schools begin
to implement higher expectations
for their teachers’ in-service
professional learning. As the
pressure of staff shortages appear
to have eased, certainly in Ontario,
there grows a higher expectation of
securing the best equipped and
most qualified staff to deliver
quality Reformed education.
Alberta and BC reached an
agreement to allow teachers with
an “unrestricted independent
school certificate” to teach in both
provinces, requiring a government
recognized four year postsecondary teacher training. For
these provinces, the current
training at our own Covenant
Canadian Reformed Teachers
College (CCRTC) will not suffice.
CCRTC has begun the process of
seeking government accreditation,
but, for the time being, the benefits
of CCRTC remain indirect for these
schools. One BC principal writes:
Have you taken a look at the
ads in Clarion lately? A quick
observation shows that the
need for teachers continues to
outstrip the demand. In fact, I
wonder whether the situation is
becoming more urgent.
Additionally, if our schools are
to maintain their Reformed
Christian character, then a
supply of well-trained teachers
with both a strong academic
basis and a sound Christian
perspective is critical. What
must professional development
programs include to address the
on-going needs in our school?
As such, four years of university
APRIL 10, 2009 • 189
level training is not a luxury;
neither is the Reformed
Christian perspective.
Regardless of the CCRTC
issues, more young people need
to look at teaching as a
vocation, a career in which they
may use their gifts so that a
younger generation may
develop theirs.
Neerlandia has considered
allowing the option of hiring
teachers from churches with which
we maintain ecclesiastical
fellowship. This was seen as a
matter of principle to bring the
policy of the church and the school
into agreement, but it would also
potentially help alleviate the
difficulty experienced in hiring
teachers. The downturn in the
economy was seen as another
potential encouragement for people
to seek secure employment in
education. Aside from faith
commitment, training, qualification,
and experience, one does wonder
what sort of motivation makes for
the best teachers.
School calendars
Labour Day is late this year and
this generates a challenge for
many schools to get enough school
days in between Labour Day and
the end of June. The notion is that
education suffers if there are not
enough school days or hours of
instruction – and Departments of
Education are keen to establish
standards that reflect high
expectations. Some boards have
considered starting around
September 1. For bussing
arrangements, some Fraser Valley
schools are part of a larger network
with other Christian schools and
their decision is reflected in a
school start date of September 8,
2009. Feeder schools to Emmanuel
Christian High School in Fergus
also start on that day. The last day
of school will likely be closer to the
end of June than we may have
grown accustomed to in the last
couple of years.
190 • APRIL 10, 2009
Evaluating
Quality education should be
reflected in the reports that
children take home at the end of a
term. John Calvin School (Yarrow)
has introduced an e-report earlier
this year, latching on to BceSIS
If our schools are to
maintain their Reformed
Christian character, then
a supply of well-trained
teachers with both a
strong academic basis
and a sound Christian
perspective is critical
(BC electronic Student Information
Systems). This is an online system
on which all student enrolment,
attendance, academic progress
data are stored and made
accessible to a different extent for
different people. In addition to
inputting all their marks, staff had
to generate a comment bank from
which general and subject-specific
report card comments could be
chosen for each student. It will be
interesting to see how this system
will be able to satisfactorily
manage the requirements of the
ministry, the complexities of the
curriculum and learning,
accountability to the parents, and
the specifics about each individual
student. It turned out that comment
writing proved to be a challenge.
Whether to evaluate or only to
assess progress in Bible has been
a point of discussion in several
Ontario schools. In Fergus, one
class was chosen to pilot
assessment-only.
The new assessment approach
is to carefully monitor students’
participation and to regularly
record students’ efforts. At report
card time the parents will
receive a narrative report
outlining their child’s
performance instead of a grade
in Bible. Each month at the
education committee we review
the implementation of the new
curriculum. So far, although the
approach is noticeably a
change, it has seemed to go
well. We will keep you informed
about this important development
as the year goes on.
As part of the motivation for an
assessment-only approach is very
long term in scope, the intended
purpose can only be fully evaluated
fairly after a good portion of that
long term has passed.
Quality education must not only
be delivered, but also received. The
DCS principal (Carman) reflected
on complacency (a sense of selfsatisfaction, a good-enough
attitude, mediocrity) in the context
of Proverbs 1, and pointed out that
it is not acceptable for our children
and our students.
This is not an issue that is easily
fixed but there are things that we
all can do to make changes. As a
parent, how do we deal with this
issue? We need to talk with our
children and share with them the
responsibility that they have to
use their talents to the fullest. We
need to ask, ‘What did you learn
in school today?’ Never take
‘nothing’ for an answer. It is
impossible to spend a large part
of your day at school and learn
‘nothing.’ Use the weekly
newsletter as a jumping off point
for the conversation. Stay in tune
with what is going on in your
child’s school life. If there is a
topic in the newsletter that you
could offer your expertise on,
phone the school and offer to
help. If you notice that your child
has a major project to hand in,
ask to see it first and offer your
opinion. If you notice that your
child has a test on Thursday, talk
about the subject with them on
Wednesday. Complement the
good work or offer suggestions
for improvement. If you noticed
that your child did an incredible
amount of work on a certain
project, let the teacher know.
If you have questions about the
schoolwork, phone the teacher. . . .
Outsiders may see us better than
we do ourselves, and their honest
evaluation may be a real eye
opener. Consider being noted for
giving a warm welcome to
outsiders, for being seen as closely
involved with one another and as a
community in both church and
school, as a practicing communion
of saints in good days and bad,
and as having a desire to be
submissive to the Word of God.
Consider also being portrayed as
having fostered a lack of respect
for teachers, for the Word of God,
and for things material; consider
being confronted with a perceived
lack of reverence during prayer
and Bible reading, and with a
failure to live in appreciation of
what we say we receive in
gratitude. What would and should
you do with such eye openers?
Pray for one another, even as each
one of out schools is faced with its
own challenges.
Facilities
Finally, there are the facilities.
Parkland Immanuel Christian
School is moving forward with
facility expansion as it expects a
twenty-five percent enrolment
increase over the next five years.
The society approved a motion to
“proceed with the Legacy Project,
which includes the construction of
a school expansion, the renovation
of the existing building, and the
replacement of the septic system to
a maximum cost of $1.6 million.”
Quality education must
not only be delivered, but
also received
By the end of 2008, $580,000 had
been received in donations and
pledges towards this project.
Emmanuel Christian High School
in Fergus also sees the need for
expanding its facilities in the near
future. It has proposed to buy half
the building of Maranatha
Christian School, which it already
occupies, and add the classrooms
and facilities it needs to replace its
portables. An exciting new
development came about in nearby
Guelph, as the “Guelph School
Initiative” found a suitable
building available on the market
and voted ninety-one percent in
favour of purchasing it – with plans
to begin their own school with
close to 100 students in 2010. This
would relieve overcrowding at
Maranatha in Fergus and it is
received as a gift from the Lord.
In Flamborough, a vote for the
proposed purchase of a 3.6 acre
parcel of land adjacent to the
existing property carried. At the
time of writing some of the details
remain to be sorted out. At ACRES
in Attercliffe, the Board has
formed a Future Needs Committee
to consider requirements of
Special Education and facilities
for Science, Computer Technology,
Phys Ed, and additional
classroom space.
School societies everywhere
wrestle with the need to provide
the best education possible.
Continue to pray for all those
working towards this goal, and for
all those who could be doing so, as
it is only with the Lord’s blessing
that progress can be made.
The Education Matters column is
sponsored by the Canadian
Reformed Teachers' Association
East. Anyone wishing to respond to
an article written or willing to
write an article is kindly asked to
send materials to Clarion or to
Otto Bouwman
[email protected]
Canadian Reformed Home Registry
“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares…” Hebrews 13:2.
Along with other such words in Scripture, it is clear that it is pleasing to the Lord to open our homes
to brothers and sisters in need of a place to go.
The Elora Canadian Reformed Home Registry Committee is a service for young people between ages of approximately
10 and 20 who require a home away from home for a time.
Parents, consistory and young person would all agree that removal from the present situation is best, but where to go?
This is where our progress has been focused on now. We are searching for homes available for the youths to live temporarily.
If you can be of service in this, please contact your consistory with deacons. They will pass on to you forms to fill out,
and will forward those forms to the Canadian Reformed Home Registry Committee. You will be contacted by the
Home Registry Committee if and when there may be someone who requires your hospitality.
Thank you!
Contacts:
Coordinator: Brian Niezen, 519-848-3045 or [email protected]
Secretary/Clerk: Cobie Hutten, 519-843-1830 or [email protected]
APRIL 10, 2009 • 191
Letter to the Editor
Dear Editor,
I wonder what Rev. Eric Kampen is trying to
convey with the latest “What’s New???” found in the
February 27 issue of Clarion. On a general note,
I wonder if this column should not more accurately
be entitled “Congregational News Commentary”?
I have the feeling that some churches might be
reluctant to send in their bulletins knowing that in
all likelihood there will be an uninformed, critical
commentary/opinion on a decision made.
Specifically and a case in point, is the
commentary about Toronto’s decision to have a
projector in church. Rev. Kampen tells us he is
perplexed about this apparent trend in our churches
to use projectors. His reasoning is that we have
audio in the sermons and we have visual in the
sacraments. I think he is making a huge
unwarranted leap to suggest that, for example,
projecting songs on a screen so that congregational
members may sing better detracts from or replaces
the audio in the sermons. Or perhaps the suggestion
is that if there is a Bible text displayed on the screen
it will detract from the audio of the sermon. Or that
having a projector at all detracts from the visibility
of the sacraments. Furthermore, Rev. Kampen makes
another huge leap in equating projectors with
“dumb images.” Dumb images are “worshipped”
while a projector is a liturgy enhancer. There is quite
a difference. What Rev. Kampen is perhaps doing is
majoring in minors? I also got the impression that
Rev. Kampen does not know exactly how Toronto will
use this projector and that he condemned it outright
without knowing all the facts. The fact is that
projectors can be a wonderful supplement to a
worship service if used properly.
Tom Zietsma
Stoney Creek, Ontario
Response
I appreciate that Br. Zietsma took up the
suggestion to write in reaction to my remarks about
the audio/visual enhancement. It is good to discuss
this matter.
First, I received an
email from a member in
the church at Toronto
who assured me that
they have “not gone the
way of audio/visual
enhancement during the
worship service. The
equipment to be
installed will only be used at other meetings and
presentations.” This clarifies the situation as far as
Toronto is concerned.
Second, it appears that Br. Zietsma is ascribing
things to me I did not say when he writes, “he is
making a huge unwarranted leap to suggest that. . .
projecting songs on a screen. . . detracts from or
replaces the audio in the sermons. Or perhaps the
suggestion is that if there is a Bible text displayed
on the screen it will detract from the audio of the
sermon. Or that having a projector at all detracts
from the visibility of the sacraments.” I simply said,
“We have the audio in the preaching.” It seems to me
that audio enhancement is sufficiently dealt with by
giving the minister a good microphone or making
sure a church building has good acoustics.
Third, I would suggest that Br. Zietsma misreads
Lord’s Day 35 regarding “dumb images.” The
Catechism refers to them not in the sense of being
worshipped but as “books for the laity,” that is,
teaching devices for the church members. The
Catechism is pointing here to the Lutheran practice
in the time of the Reformation, as they still tolerated
images in the churches as teaching aids. The
Catechism resolutely rejects them. In light of what
we confess in Lord’s Day 35, the manner of worship is
not a minor matter.
In sum, the trademark of a Reformed worship
service is its simplicity. The Spirit uses the
preaching of the Word and the sacraments to work
and strengthen faith. Man’s efforts to enhance or
supplement have a knack of ultimately becoming
a detriment.
Rev. E. Kampen
Letters to the Editor should be written in a brotherly fashion in order to be considered for publication.
Submissions need to be less than one page in length.
192 • APRIL 10, 2009
Book Review
Reviewed by C. Van Dam
Kathy Shaidle and Pete Vere,
The Tyranny of Nice: How
Canada Crushes Freedom in
the Name of Human Rights
With an introduction by Mark
Steyn. Toronto: Interim
Publishing, 2008
Additional Information:
xiii + 82 pages, $10.00 CDN,
available from
http://www.tyrannyofnice.com/
This book should be read.
It exposes in clear detail what is
happening in Canada with respect
to our freedoms. Back in the 1970s
Canada’s human rights
commissions were established to
deal with discrimination in areas
such as housing or employment.
That was fair enough. However,
these commissions are now being
used to restrict freedom of
expression and religion. Part of
Section 13.1 of the federal Human
Rights Act states that it is
discriminatory for anyone to say or
write anything “that is likely to
expose a person or persons to
hatred or contempt.” Similar words
can be found in provincial human
rights statutes. Note it only needs to
be “likely” that someone could be
exposed to hatred or contempt by
whatever someone happens to say
or write. The point in dispute does
not need to be proven. It is under
this provision that countless misery
has resulted with people being
hauled before a human rights
tribunal simply because what they
said or wrote could result in hatred
or contempt against someone. The
one bringing the complaint pays
nothing, has little to prove except
that what the person said or did
could result in hatred, and makes
use of a commission where no
complaint which has been
accepted for investigation has ever
been denied. On the other hand, the
accused has to pay all his legal
fees, does not have the benefit of
the kind of protection that a normal
court of law would provide, and has
very little hope of being put in the
right. This book illustrates the gross
injustice that is being perpetrated
in the name of human rights with
commissions often violating their
own guidelines for fairness.
By way of illustration, The
Tyranny of Nice deals with the high
profile cases of Muslim complaints
against Ezra Levant over
publishing cartoons of Mohammed
and Maclean’s for publishing an
excerpt from Mark Steyn’s book.
The former complaint was
withdrawn and the Canadian
Human Rights Commission
decided not to take up the
complaint against Maclean’s and
dismissed it.
As Christians we need to be
vigilant to be prepared to fight for
freedom of expression and religion.
In June 2002, Albertan Pastor
Stephen Boissoin’s letter to the
editor was published in a local Red
Deer paper. This letter denounced
the indoctrination of children in the
public schools with the notion that
homosexuality was a safe and
alternate lifestyle. A complaint
was lodged against Boissoin with
the Alberta Human Rights
Commission and six years later
this pastor was convicted of
exposing homosexuals to hatred
for essentially abiding by biblical
truth. The process has cost him
about $250,000.00 in expenses, plus
court costs of $2,000.00, as well as a
fine of $5,000.00 to be paid to the
complainant, even though he was
not a direct “victim” of the letter.
On top of this, the Human Rights
Commission ordered Boissoin to
publish a written apology to the
complainant and placed a life-long
ban on Boissoin from making any
“disparaging” comments about
homosexuality in any form,
including from the pulpit. Since the
term “disparaging” can be
interpreted to mean anything that
might hurt someone’s feelings,
Boissoin’s freedom to speak and
preach has been severely and
unjustly curtailed.
At the root of the problem are
the human rights commissions and
the legislation that governs them.
At the very least section 13 of the
Canadian Human Rights Act, as
well as similar sections in
provincial legislation, should be
removed. Actually all the human
rights commissions should be
completely overhauled or done
away with. We do not need them to
address the type of issues raised in
Boissoin’s case. We already have
hate-crime legislation across
Canada which can take care of
such matters. His case should
properly have gone to the courts
that enforce these laws. There he
would at least have been
presumed innocent until proven
guilty and a higher standard of
proof would have been required for
a conviction.
The Boissoin case is being
appealed in court in the hope that
his freedoms of expression and
religion and those of all Canadians
can be restored. Those wishing to
donate to this cause can support
the work of the ECP Centre
(http://www.ecpcentre.com/) which
is involved in the appeal.
Much more could be mentioned.
I only gave some examples.
Read the book and get involved!
The ECP Centre and ARPA
(http://www.arpacanada.ca/) would
be good places to start. And don’t
forget to write your Member of
Parliament and ask that at the very
least section 13 of the Canadian
Human Rights Act be repealed.
APRIL 10, 2009 • 193
Clarion
Advertisements
Advertisements:
Announcements of Weddings, Anniversaries (with
Open House) should be submitted six weeks in advance.
BIRTHS
BIRTHDAYS
Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!
With thanks to our God we joyfully announce the birth of our fifth
child, a son, whom we have named
JONATHAN PETER
Sibrand and Adria Stulp nee Schuller
Brandon, Jeremy, Joel, Lauren
Beamsville, ON
September 11, 2008
I will sing of the mercies of the LORD forever; With my mouth will I
make known Your faithfulness to all generations! Psalm 89:1
We thank the Lord that on April 22, D.V, we will celebrate the 75th
birthday of our wonderful Mother and Grandmother
ALIDA LEISTRA
We pray that the Lord will continue to bless her!
With Love,
Vineland Station, ON: Yvette and Rick Brasz
Angela Brasz and her fiance Andrew Watson,
Becca Brasz and Mike De Kroon
Catey, Deanna, Erin, Faith, Garrett and Hendrick
Beamsville, ON:
Janice Leistra
Jonathan Skinner and Cassie Reinink
Thomas and Joshua Skinner
Utopia, ON:
Roger and Catie Leistra
Silas, Asa and Sullivan
Hamilton, ON:
Paul and Marsha Leistra
Rachel, Alexandra, Mark and Joel
275 Main Street E, Unit 312, Grimsby, ON L3M 5N8
Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow!
With Thankfulness to God we announce the birth of our
second son
IAN GEORGE HOVIUS
Born January 16, 2009
Richard and Brenda Hovius
Excited siblings Taylor and Braden
5th grandchild for George† and Henny Bysterveld
16th grandchild for Garry and Rita Hovius
Langley, BC
He tends His flock like a Shepherd: He gathers the lambs in His arms
and carries them close to His heart. . . Isaiah 40:11a
Our Heavenly Father has bestowed on us the blessing of another
covenant child. We named her
KAMRYN ADRIENNE
Born March 5, 2009
and is welcomed by parents
Willem and Christina Aantjes (nee Vandervelde)
and siblings Cristian and Taya
Kamryn is respectfully named after her great Opa in Holland.
9th grandchild for Art and Jeanie Vandervelde
11th grandchild for Jan and Corrie Aantjes
5879 Elcho Road, Wellandport, ON L0R 2J0
With thankfulness to the Lord we joyfully announce the birth
of our daughter and sister
LACEY CLAIRE
born March 10, 2009 to
Daryl and Alison Versteeg and big brother Cole
Proud grandparents:
Cliff and Rose Buitenhuis and Hank and Jackie Versteeg
Box 15, Elm Creek, MB R0G 0N0
Advertise in
194 • APRIL 10, 2009
WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES
50th Wedding Anniversary
Sunday
May
3rd
1959 ~ 2009
DENNIS and ANNIE TEITSMA (van
(van der Zee)
We wait in hope for the LORD;
He is our help and our shield.
In Him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy name.
Psalm 33:20, 21
With their children, grandchildren and
great-grandchildren, they thankfully praise the Lord for His
faithfulness to those who serve Him.
May the Lord’s grace and love continue to rest
on all who hope in Him.
Please join our celebration at an Open House,
the Lord willing, on Saturday, May 2nd, 2009, at the
Grace Canadian Reformed Church building
in Winnipeg from 2:00-4:30 pm.
Best wishes only.
82 Cedargrove Crescent, Winnipeg, MB R2C 4Y7
60th Wedding Anniversary
1949 ~ May 6 ~ 2009
Taste and see that the LORD is good;
blessed is the man who takes
refuge in Him. Psalm 34:8
With thanks to our gracious God,
whose goodness and care they
have experienced all the years,
we joyfully announce the
60th Wedding Anniversary of our
dear parents, grandparents,
and great-grandparents
SYBE and MARTJE MEERSTRA (nee Bulthuis)
May they continue to expect, even as they become more
frail, their strength from God’s hand.
Vernon, BC:
Ben and Nancy Meerstra
Lynden, WA:
Shona and John Doornbos
Devon, Katrine, Emma,
Benjamin, Claire
Ancaster, ON:
Chandra and Peter Vanderboom
Vanessa, Justin, Melanie,
Matthew, Stephanie
Abbotsford, BC:
Alex and Sarah Meerstra
Lucas, Dylan
Elora, ON:
Colin and Laura Meerstra
Anna, Naomi, Bethany, Silas
Coaldale, AB:
Sharon and Erik DeBoer
Owen, Kayleigh, Liam, Adam
Vernon, BC:
Lindsey and Art Brienen
Smithers, BC:
Zina and Dick Vandevelde
Vernon, BC:
Marilyn and Pete Vanderdeen
Sierra, Rebecca, Levi, Asher
Smithers, BC:
Derek and Stephanie Vandevelde
Katie
Mount Hope, ON:
Steven and Cecilia Vandevelde
Evan
Smithers, BC:
Glen and Ivy Vandevelde
Sarah, Jethro
Richmond Hill, ON:
Rozina and Philip Deboer
Nathan, Melanie, Matthew
Smithers, BC:
Christina and Edward Verhelst
Jamie, Bradley
Abbotsford, BC:
Julie Vandevelde and David Krabbendam
Mission, BC:
Fred and Mary Kay Meerstra
Andrea, Nicholas, Kevin
Surrey, BC:
Albert Meerstra
Aldergove, BC:
Henry and Joyce Meerstra
Brian and Carolyn Meerstra
Hailey
Mark and Katie Meerstra
Karen, Eric, Thomas, Lydia
# 307 – 20265-54A Avenue, Langley, BC V3A 3W6
OBITUARIES
November 10, 1934 – March 9, 2009
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
Psalm 139:23 & 24
Peacefully, after a brief illness, our LORD took unto Himself
his child, our beloved father, grandfather and great-grandfather
HENDRIK VERSTEEG
Carman, MB:
Hank and Jackie Versteeg
Jaclyn and Klaas Kooiker, Tristan, Caleb
Daryl and Alison Versteeg, Cole, Lacey
Matthew and Carla Versteeg
Kyle
Arthur, ON:
Afiena and John deGroot
Andrew
Mandy deGroot, Myles, Danta
Nicole
Winnipeg, MB:
Linda and Gilbert Van Leeuwen
Ashley and Rob Stewart
Abigail, Gabriel, Zackary
Stacey, Emily, Thomas
Wayne and Carolyn Versteeg
Coaldale, AB:
Phil and Deb Versteeg, Logan
Winnipeg, MB:
Kevin Versteeg and Suzanne Veenendaal
Beverly, Ryan
Bonnie Kuik
Edmonton, AB:
Candice Kuik
Winnipeg, MB:
Dustin, Aynsley, Shania
Guelph, ON:
Kelly Versteeg
Jody
Winnipeg, MB:
Juliette and Doug Dewitt
Joshua, Adam, Bailey, Shelby, Naomi
Less than 12 hours after the LORD took home His covenant child,
Henry, his great-grandchild Lacey was born to Daryl and Alison.
Due to arrive soon are another grandchild to Doug and Juliette and
a great-grandchild to Klaas and Jaclyn. In this we see that the LORD
continues to show his faithfulness through the generations.
Praised be His name!
Suddenly on March 18, 2009 the LORD in His infinite wisdom
called home to Himself his child, our dear sister, sister-in-law
and aunt at the age of 57
RICKCIA (Ricki
(Ricki)) BOS
May God comfort her dear husband Fred, her children and
grandchildren with the words of 1 John 3 vs. 1
Smithville, ON:
Don and Liz Bos
Jake and Winnie Bos
John and Diane Bos
St. Ann’s, ON:
Jenny and John Henry Haveman
Thamesville, ON:
Ralph and Anita Bos
Smithville, ON:
Wilma and Ed Salomons
and many nieces and nephews
Correspondence: Fred Bos
17 Wade Road, Smithville, ON L0R 2A0
APRIL 10, 2009 • 195
TEACHING POSITIONS
Due to upcoming vacancies,
the Canadian Reformed School Society of
Edmonton, operating
Parkland Immanuel Christian School,
invites applications for the
following positions
FRENCH TEACHER
MUSIC TEACHER
Parkland Immanuel Christian School operates a Reformed K-12
school that offers a supportive school community, competitive
wages, and a positive atmosphere. The school has 200
students and expansion plans are in place for expected
upcoming growth.
Full and Part time applicants will be given consideration.
A University Degree is a requirement for these positions.
For further information please contact the Principal,
Mr. John Jagersma
Phone: (780) 444-6443 (school)
(780) 987-5557 (home)
[email protected]
Applications should be directed in writing to the school:
Henry Baker, Chair of Personnel Committee
c/o Parkland Immanuel Christian School
21304 35 Avenue, NW
Edmonton, AB T6M 2P6
WENTWORTH-BRANT
REFORMED CHRISTIAN EDUCATION SOCIETY
hopes to be up and running in September 2010,
providing Reformed education in the elementary and
high school levels in the St. George, Ontario area.
Would you be interested in being part of a new beginning
and all of the opportunities that come with such an
exciting endeavour?
We invite applications for possible openings in the following
areas for the school year 2010-2011:
PRINCIPAL/ADMINISTRATOR
TEACHERS
(Senior Kindergarten)
(Grades 1-4) (Grades 5-8) (Grades 9-12)
We are looking for qualified applicants who seek to serve Jesus
Christ in the area of Christian education, and who submit to
Biblical truth as confessed in the Reformed creeds.
Please submit a resume with a statement of your philosophy
of education, a statement of faith, and references, including
one from your current pastor.
Please forward inquiries and/or applications to:
Via email: [email protected]
Via Fax: Attn. Education Committee
c/o: John Slotegraaf Jr.
519-624-1359
196 • APRIL 10, 2009
Credo Christian Elementary School, Langley, BC
will be in need of a
KINDERGARTEN TEACHER
for the school year 2009-2010, with duties commencing
September 1, 2009. This is a 50% full-time equivalent position.
Due to a maternity leave of absence, CCES will also be in need
of a full-time
GRADE 3 TEACHER
for the school year 2009-2010. The successful applicant will
provide a resume of education and experience as well as three
character references, one of which should be from the pastor
of the church attending.
For further questions or clarifications
please contact the principal
Mr. J.A. Roukema
at 604-856-0544 (home); 604-530-1131 (school),
or [email protected].
WANTED – TEACHER(S)!
Covenant Canadian Reformed School operating a K-12
private school in Neerlandia, AB, is in need of
ELEMENTARY/PRIMARY TEACHERS
and has a potential for a Teacher-Vice Principal.
We offer a competitive salary and benefits package to the
qualified applicant, based on qualifications and experience.
Salary is dependant on education and experience
and ranges from $43613 - $71680 per year.
A qualified applicant will be: a dedicated professional, eager to
serve the needs of covenant children, a team player, a member
of the Canadian Reformed Church (or sister church in the
United States, Australia, South Africa, or the Netherlands), and
ideally have an Education degree acceptable for Certification
by Alberta Education. English proficiency is required.
TEACHERS AIDE(S)
Covenant Canadian Reformed School is committed to meeting
the needs of all students and is in need of a Teachers Aide for
the remainder of the 2008-09 year and for the 2009-10 year,
with possible extensions. Salary is dependant on educational
level achieved and experience, ranges from $12.50/hr $19.50/hr, is based on 32-40 hrs/wk, and is reviewed annually.
A benefits package, with medical, dental, and pension plan,
will be available to Aides beginning in September 2009.
A qualified applicant will be: a dedicated professional, eager to
serve the needs of covenant children, a team player, a member
of the Canadian Reformed Church (or sister church in the
United States, Australia, South Africa, or the Netherlands),
and ideally have 1-3 years of post secondary experience –
preferably in Education. Proficiency in English is required.
For further information, please contact:
Mr. H. Van Delden
Phone: 1-780-674-4774 or 1-780-674-3704
or [email protected]
Submit applications to
Covenant Canadian Reformed School
Attention: G. Mast
Box 67, Neerlandia, AB T0G 1R0
TEACHING POSITIONS
The board of Tyndale Christian
School of Calgary, Alberta,
Canada invites applications for
the positions of
HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER
PRIMARY GRADES TEACHER
Tyndale Christian School currently offers grades 1-9, with an
enrolment of 56 students, 3 full-time staff, and 1 teacher’s
aide. We have exciting plans to start a high school,
the Lord willing, in September 2009.
We are seeking an energetic individual with the ability to
teach science and math in a start-up environment.
In addition, we are seeking a teacher for the primary grades.
This opportunity will depend on experience and preference.
If you would like further information about these
opportunities, school operations, or Calgary living; please
contact the board chairman:
Mr. Dave Schriemer
Home: (403) 293-4770, [email protected]
Or the principal:
Mr. Ed Hoogerdyk
Home: (403) 285-4680, [email protected]
Applications can be sent to:
Eric Veenendaal, Secretary of the Board
6124 18 Avenue NE, Calgary, AB T1Y 1P1
[email protected]
JOHN CALVIN SCHOOL
320 Station Street, PO Box 280, Smithville, ON L0R 2A0
“The Heart of the Niagara Peninsula”
In anticipation of upcoming vacancies
the Board and Education Committee of JOHN CALVIN SCHOOL
invites applications from
QUALIFIED TEACHERS
for the school year 2009-2010. Enquiries about and
applications for these positions are encouraged.
Please contact the Principal, Mr. F.C. Ludwig,
for further information, at
(905) 957-2341 (school), or (905) 957-3111 (home)
Applications and resumés may be faxed directly to the school
at (905) 957-2342, to the attention of the Principal,
or addressed to:
The Education Committee
c/o Mrs. J. DeHaan, Secretary
RR 1, 4078 Sixteen Road, St. Ann’s, ON L0R 2A0
Dufferin Christian School
Carman, MB
“For living a life of Christian discipleship in contemporary society.”
DCS, a K-12 school in the tradition of the Reformed faith,
invites applications for the possible openings in the:
PRIMARY, MIDDLE YEARS and HIGH SCHOOL
DCS is located 45 minutes south-west of Winnipeg and offers
a highly supportive community, attractive facilities,
competitive wages and a friendly atmosphere.
Applicants must be able to obtain a Manitoba Professional
Teacher’s Certificate and be committed to the
school’s mission statement.
Applications should be sent to:
Dufferin Christian School
Box 1450, Carman, MB R0G 0J0
Attention: Jeremy Kamminga
For more information, please contact the Principal:
Mr. Andy Huisman
[email protected], 1-204-745-2278
or check out our website: www.dufferinchristian.ca
EMMANUEL CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL
of Fergus, Guelph and district invites applications for the
following position: We are in need of an
TEACHER’S ASSISTANT
to work with some of our students, especially in grade 9,
for the 2009/2010 school year.
Emmanuel has a student body of 137 students in grades 9 to
12. It is located in a picturesque southern Ontario town.
Our school has excellent working relationships with board,
staff, principal and society.
Qualified individuals who seek to serve in the field of
Reformed Education, and who submit themselves to Scripture
as summarized in the Reformed Confessions, are heartily
encouraged to submit an application, including a philosophy
of education and references.
Additional information can be obtained by
contacting the principal:
Mr. Henk Nobel, principal
(519) 843-3029 (work), (519) 843-1790 (home)
Applications to be addressed to:
Emmanuel Christian High School
c/o Education Committee
RR 3, Garafraxa Street, Fergus, ON N1M 2W4
Subscribe to
[email protected]
APRIL 10, 2009 • 197
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For your convenience
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All this and more make Maranatha Homes an attractive and
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For further information contact:
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905-681-0311
Email: [email protected]
198 • APRIL 10, 2009
SUPPORTING FUTURE
GENERATIONS OF
REFORMED EDUCATION
Contact us at: 905-407-9797
3182 Sprucehill Ave.
Burlington, ON, L7N 2G5
www.harvestfoundation.ca
Gerard J. Nordeman
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
CAREER OPPORTUNITY
AT
WESTLOCK FORD SALES LTD.
We are located 20 minutes East of Barrhead, AB
and only 45 minutes North West from Edmonton.
REQUIRED IMMEDIATELY!!
AUTOMOTIVE DIESEL TECHNICIAN
AUTOMOTIVE TECHNICIAN
Ford Training an asset.
Wages based on flat rate, $70-$90,000/yr.,
depending upon experience and qualifications.
WE OFFER:
Team Atmosphere, Full Benefit Plan including
Retirement and RRSPs, Bonus levels and excellent pay.
Submit resumes to
Henry Barendregt
We are seeking to engage serious individuals for the positions of:
Via fax: 1-780-349-3329, Via e-mail: [email protected]
Or call him at
1-866-755-3673 (office); 1-780-349-3361 (office)
1-780-674-2603 (home); 1-780-305-4486 (cell)
MAINTENANCE FOREMAN
CONSTRUCTION LEAD HAND
CONSTRUCTION and MAINTENANCE LABOURER
SECRETARY
We are looking to employ individuals interested in a career in the
landscape industry. We encourage education and advancement
with future supervisory and management positions available to
the right applicants.
Valleywood Landscaping Inc., located in Ancaster,
provides high quality service to our clients in the Ancaster,
Dundas and Hamilton areas.
We provide a stimulating and interactive environment and stress
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Our goal is to service our clients in an extraordinary manner
and to build long term working relationships
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If you are interested in beginning a career or already in the
industry and looking for a refreshing change, consider a position
with Valleywood and contact us. We are looking forward to
hearing from you!
Valleywood Landscaping Inc.
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Phone: 905.304.6847, Fax: 905.304.6125
Email: [email protected]
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APRIL 10, 2009 • 199
ROYAL LEPAGE NIAGARA REAL ESTATE
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CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVES
for your personal and commercial INSURANCE NEEDS!
Penny Charlebois
R.I.B. (ON)
Lynn Godfrey
R.I.B. (ON)
Michele Ward
R.I.B. (ON)
Suzanne Marker
R.I.B. (ON)
Lynn Roode
R.I.B. (ON)
Cassandra Fowler
R.I.B. (ON)
Catriona Barry
R.I.B. (ON)
Toll-free: 1-800-465-8256
Tel: 905-957-2333
www.meesterinsurance.com
PM 40063293 R 9907
Lynda Blayney
R.I.B. (ON), C.A.I.B.
A division of Peacock, Vanderhout & Vandyk Insurance Brokers Ltd.
APRIL 10, 2009 • 200