In 1924, the Christian Reformed Synod of Kalamazoo made the striking claim that the Canons of Dordt support the theory of common grace. The synod did not merely claim that the theory of common grace did not conflict with the Canons, but also that the theory of common grace was actually to be found within […]
Scripture Reading: Acts 8:26–35 Have you ever felt that way? The way the Ethiopian eunuch felt as he was reading the Bible? He had his Bible open to Isaiah 53. He read it. But he couldn’t understand it! Has that ever happened to you? You’re around the dinner table. After eating, your father opens the […]
Before the Reformation, singing in church was often done by a group of performers instead of the whole congregation. The Reformers believed that the whole congregation should sing to give praise to God together and be an active part of worship. By 1524, only seven years after the Reformation began, Martin Luther, working with a […]
Charles Darwin, known today as the father of evolutionary theory wrote his well–known book, Origin of Species in 1859. Through this book Darwin opened a door that has gotten wider and wider since that time. He suggested an entirely natural process to explain the variation of life forms we see in creation: evolution by means […]
Our Sense of Measurement God has created man with an innate sense of measurement. If asked, we could quickly tell another our height, weight, and age. We know the distance or time travelled to school, work, or the beach. After a weather event, we chat about the precipitation measured at our home. God has fearfully […]
Question and Answer 32 occupies a blessed location in our Heidelberg Catechism. It comes in the middle of a section that is all about our Savior. Q&A 31 asks, “Why is He called Christ, that is, anointed?” Q&A 33 asks, “Why is Christ called the only begotten Son of God?” But between them is Q&A […]
We are living in an age of spectacles. No, I’m not referring to the fact that people have started to wear eyeglasses for purely fashion purposes. I’m talking about things like YouTube celebrities, political scandals, Super Bowl ads, social media influencers, viral news stories, sports highlights, virtual reality video games, pornography, and the latest […]
September 8—Read Luke 16 In this chapter, we have the parable of the wicked servant who shrewdly uses his master’s money to make others indebted to him, so that they will help him after the master throws him out. Two of the main questions that come to mind after reading this parable are why […]
There once was a girl who lived on a farm. The privileges she loved on that farm included shoveling manure, stacking hay bales, and regularly mistaking her fingernail as the nail head. Blood, blisters, calluses, cuts; her hands were no dainty figures. Now a fourth generation American long removed from the life of the Netherlands, […]