The state of Christianity in Germany The United States of America certainly is not a Christian country. But compared to Germany, there are—by the grace of God—many more Christians in America than in Germany. Statistics indicate that 35% of Americans go to church at least once per week. In Germany, only five percent of the […]
My fellow young Calvinists, what I have not mentioned yet is that there was a third part to Rev.Herman Hoeksema’s editorial in that issue of The Young Calvinist (Vol. 3 No. 6, June, 1921), titled “Collecting a Library”. Here, “to create a new interest in the study of good books”, Hoeksema encourages the Young Men’s […]
Winter draws to a close, and spring is beginning to show itself. This causes children to celebrate and rejoice that once again it will be warm, and they will begin to play outside again. It is truly a great work of God that can be seen in the changing of the seasons. Many stand in […]
Students: What is your vocation? Have you made a career choice? Would you consider it your calling? If you are like the typical college student, your answer to that question likely is not a very confident one. It is not unusual to consider the college years as a quest to find one’s role in life. […]
Question for Schuyler: Does the Holy Spirit work in the reprobate, that is, internally in their hearts and souls and minds, to use them for his purposes, and especially to restrain sin? See John 14:17. See also 1 Samuel 10:6 , 10, which seems to say that the Holy Spirit came upon wicked Saul, in […]
In the next issue, Beacon Lights begins a projected long-running series on the history of the PRCA. This series will consist of transcriptions of oral history interviews I conducted in 2008–2009. Some background and explanation is in order. Sometime in 2008 my wife, Ruthellen, and I went to Lansing, Illinois, to visit my life-long friend […]
In previous editorials we have looked at who strangers and sojourners are; we have seen that as they live in the world they are guided by God’s providence; and we have shown that in the biblical figure of strangers and sojourners there are two ways and two gates. Strangers and sojourners are hopeful or hoping […]
Our fingers are amazing tools that make man capable of performing skills such as intricate eye surgery or playing music, constructing everything from the tiny parts of a watch to massive ocean-going liners, airplanes and skyscrapers. It took not only man’s intellect to enable these achievements, but also his hands and fingers. Man’s hand has […]
“Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet’s son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit: And the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel” (Amos 7:14-15). If you would […]
He was a quiet and gentle boy. He loved books and he loved to study. He was well-suited to be taught in the best of schools. But his father, a tutor, could not afford this. The senate of Breslau, however, noticed how intelligent this boy of their town was. Zacharius Ursinus was sixteen years old […]