CHURCH NEWS

Calls Extended:

To Candidate John Spaans of Grand Rapids, Mich., by the Rock Valley, Iowa Congregation.

To Candidate John Spaans of Grand Rapids, Mich., by the Norwich, Ontario, Canada Congregation.

To Candidate John Spaans of Grand Rapids, Mich., by Hamilton, Ontario, Canada Congregation.

To Rev. M. Heerschap of Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada by the Soest, the Netherlands Congregation.

The Lord willing, Rev. C. Vogelaar, of Bent-huizen, the Netherlands, will be installed in the St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada Congregation at 7:30 Thursday evening, August 16, 1984.

He will preach his inaugural sermon the next evening, Friday, August 17, 1984.

ROCK VALLEY

After a short time of sickness, Deacon William van der Waerdt of the Rock Valley congregation, was taken away by the cold hand of death at the age of 59 years. He served in the Rock Valley congregation 2 years and 4 months.

It was a heavy blow for Mrs. van der Waerdt and her 5 children, but also for the old mother, who sorrowfully buried their dear one June 28. The entire congregation shared in this bereavement.

Student John Den Hoed conducted the funeral service, speaking from Rom. 6:23 in the absence of the Moderator, Rev. A.M. den Boer.

William van der Waerdt, as son, husband and father, at times spoke of the hope that was in his heart.

May the Lord, with this serious calling in the family and congregation, teach all of us to number our days and apply our hearts unto wisdom.

The elder Rev. Lamain

CURATORIUM ANNOUNCEMENT It is with gladness of heart that we are able to communicate to you that brother John Spaans has satisfactorily passed his last year’s exam at our June 19, 1984 Curatorium meeting; hence, he is now declared candidate for the ministry. A letter has been sent out directly from Grand Rapids to the vacant congregations to inform them that the Curatorium has decided to make Candidate Spaans callable as of July 2, 1984. We wish our candidate God’s clear guidance with respect to the weighty decision he must make in the near future. May the Lord decide the matter for and within him, for then following grace will come easily in the wake of such a decision. May the Lord remember him, his wife and family in mercy, and may we also be given to be at the throne of grace on their behalf.

Furthermore, our only remaining student, Brother John DenHoed, passed his examination satisfactorily, and thus enters his fourth student year. May the Lord bless him in his studying and speaking also in the year to come, and grace him, together with his family, with divine blessing and the pentecostal Spirit.

May the Lord also remember our instructors, grant them much fruit upon their labors, and provide new students divinely sent in years to come. Sadly, we must inform you that no one appeared before the Curatorium this year with a consistorial attest in regard to a ministerial or a ministerial/ missionary calling. May the Lord graciously make it different in years to come, and may we realize the import of His judgments when no such attests are forthcoming. May the Lord yet fulfill His own Word in our many vacant congregations: “I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.”

-Rev. J.R. Beeke, Clerk

The Curatorium, in the Netherlands, examined Student J. Beens and declared him eligible to receive a call. May the Lord remember him for his further life to the upbuilding of Zion, and to the glory of His Name.

At the same meeting several persons were examined, but only one was accepted to be admitted to the Theological School in Rotterdam. He is the son of Rev. C. Harinck, who has served our Franklin Lakes church. The student is 26 years old. May the Lord call others to the welfare of the church.

Rev. A.M. den Boer with Candidate John Spaans are going to Nigeria to visit the mission field officially.

Afterwards Rev. and Mrs. den Boer hope to go to New Zealand, Australia, to do pastoral work there for four weeks.

Rev. H. Hofman hopes to go to the Netherlands three Sundays in July.

The Rev. C. Vogelaar will be installed in St. Catherines in the third week of August by Rev. W.C. Lamain, the Lord willing.

Rev. J. Driessen of the Netherlands hopes to visit western Canada in the month of August, spending three Sundays in Alberta and British Columbia.

The deputies of the Foreign Churches received that request and granted it. It is our wish that this pastoral visit may receive Gods rich blessing.

Rev. A.W. den Boer

Rev. W.C. Lamain

Those desiring accomodations for the 1984 Midwest Youth Day should contact: Mr. Dick G. Bleyenberg, 732 Par Lane, Rock Valley, Iowa 51247, Phone 712/476-5805. There will be someone at the school to meet those arriving the latter part of the day on Friday. The conference commences at 9:30 A.M. Saturday, August 4, D.V.

CORRECTION

In the report of the BANNER OF TRUTH TRACT MISSION letter which appeared in the June issue, an error occurred stating: “I reluctantly request the acceptance, etc.”

Should have read as in our ORIGINAL letter: “I honorably (in an honorable manner, or a willing manner) request the acceptance, etc.” Hebrews 4:12b

CF. Boerkoel, Sr.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Gifts received for the Banner of Truth Tract Mission during the months of April, May, and June 1984.

American General Mission $2,820.00

Zion Baptist Church 100.00

Friends 97.00

$3,017.00

The Banner of Truth Tract Mission hereby expresses its sincere appreciation for the gifts received.

The Tract Mission is maintained by voluntary contributions.

SYNOD ON CREMATION

Cremation is rejected by Synod on the following grounds:

(1) God’s express commands in Scripture forbid cremation: “Thus saith the Lord, For three transgressions of Moab and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because he burned the bones of the king of Edom” (Amos 2:1), and again, “For the children of Judah have done evil in my sight, saith the Lord: they have set their abominations in the house which is called by My name, to pollute it. And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I have commanded them not, neither came it into my heart.” (Jer. 7:30-31).

(2) There is not one instance of any of God’s people being cremated in Scripture; rather, the Old and New Testament church always advocated reverent burial in obedience to the humbling truth of Genesis 3:19, “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” Biblical examples abundantly confirm the parallelism between proper burial and proper reverence, e.g., the deaths of Sarah (Gen. 23:1-20), Rachel (Gen. 35:19-20), Joseph (Heb. 11:22), etc. Moreover, God Himself buried Moses (Dt. 34:5-6). Above all, the care God displayed over the body, and in the burial, of His Son — in which death was robbed of its sting and grave of its victory for the living Church — ought to furnish definitive proof for burial as a bequeathed place of rest until the resurrection (cf. Is. 53:9; Jn. 19:31-42).

(3) As a derivative from Christ’s burial and resurrection (I Cor. 15:35f.), the burial of bodies is in full harmony with, and serves as a testimony to, the Biblical hope of the resurrection (Job 19:25-26; Is. 57:2). In short, the Bible teaches respect for the material body theologically (i.e., its significance is underscored by the body’s place in creation [Gen. 2:7], incarnation [Rom. 8:3], and resurrection [Jn. 5:28-29]) and morally (i.e., specific Biblical laws regarding sanitation, health, etc., aimed to protect the material body, as well as specific divine declarations that the human body is God’s wondrous handiwork that ought not be despised [Ps. 139:13-15; Job 10:11-14]).

(4) Since fire was often a symbol of divine judgment in Scripture (e.g., the Valley of Hinnom, Sodom and Gomorrah, and hell itself), it is not surprising that God conjoined cremation to severe punishment when he commanded it to be attendant upon certain capital crimes (Lev. 20:14; 21:9). Hence, cremation was reserved for divine command in such extreme cases, and never relegated to human prerogative.

(5) Finally, history itself condemns cremation for those who believe in Christianity. The two Biblical references to the custom (I Sam. 31:12; Amos 6:10) concern periods when vital religion was practically non-existent, and thereby confirm that the popularity of cremation increases as true godliness decreases. Moreoever, church history also reveals that cremation is essentially pagan in nature, and never Christian in custom. Cremation was the general practice of the Celts and Norsemen, as well as among Hindus until today, but when the peoples of such nations embraced the Christian faith even outwardly they simultaneously discontinued the practice of cremation. True Christian respect for life and resurrection mandates a pro-burial and contra-cremation stand.

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