It is June 9, 2009, and I am interviewing Mr. Henry Hoekstra, a member of Hull Protestant Reformed Church. MHH: Mr. Hoekstra, where and when were you born? HH: I was born in 5/15, 1934, Boyden, Iowa. MHH: Who were your parents? HH: Peter and Florence Hoekstra. MHH: Where did you grow up? Could […]
Question: “Is I John 5:7 a sufficient source in defending the Trinity?” Answer: There is more to this question than meets the eye. First, one text is sufficient proof to teach any doctrine. The question is, “Does 1 John 5:7 teach the Trinity, and does it do so sufficiently and clearly to be used […]
Before reading this article, it would be beneficial to read Mark Hoeksema’s editorial from the May issue of Beacon Lights. What you read in this article may shock you. It may be something you’ve never taken into consideration. Or it may be something your parents are constantly badgering you about. Whatever the case may be, […]
On August 2, 2007, the Lord took unto himself our beloved daughter Charity Hope Rus in an auto accident. After Charity’s death I started to write down some of my thoughts, feelings, and experiences, into what I now would call my reflections on various events that unfolded before and after her death. It took me […]
Many Beacon Lights readers need little introduction to the Covenant Protestant Reformed Church that meets in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, being familiar with our congregation through reading our pastor’s regular newsletters, visiting our website, and/or seeing us in person. Reformed believers have been meeting in some form in this country for over 25 years. The two […]
June 8 – Vow and Pay Read Leviticus 27 The principle throughout Leviticus 27 is this: if one vowed to dedicate someone or something to Jehovah and then changed his mind, he was required to pay the value of the offering plus 20 (one-fifth) percent interest to redeem it. (God does not value the souls […]
This October, we’ll celebrate the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther pounding the 95 Theses onto the door of the church in Wittenberg, starting what we now call the Reformation. We’ll hear a lot about heroes of faith and courage, and we might wonder how those heroes had such courageous faith. The Bible uses the phrase […]