To stay, or not to stay, in the RCN (GKv) 3
There is value in looking at the reasons people use to stay in the wayward RCN. Those same reasons have in the past been...
To stay, or not to stay, in the RCN (GKv) 2
The previous instalment referred to an article of H Oosterhuis in which he evaluates the reasons given by those who claim they must remain...
To stay, or not to stay, in the RCN (GKv) 1
Over the last few decades developments within the Reformed Churches of the Netherlands (RCN, in Dutch GKv), have shown a steady deterioration. The latest...
The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord.
The news media expresses concern about what 2018 will bring in international relations. The ABC quotes North Korea’s dictator Kim Jong-un saying he has...
Christ rules as King
As we move into the year of our Lord 2018 and experience the decline of what were once Christian countries (in Western civilisation) we...
Merry Christmas
A flood of “Merry Christmas” expressions this time of year come via emails from companies wanting to retain our business, via cards from neighbours...
When the world shapes church doctrine
If you don’t like what the Bible says about something, just reinterpret it. Don’t want to believe any more that God created the universe...
Reinterpreting Scripture through Cultural Context
Earlier this year four representatives from the Canadian Reformed Churches (CanRC) visited Synod Meppel 2017 of the Dutch RCN sister churches. Synod Meppel had...
What do we go by?
Ted Richards loves parrots. Ted is a lonely man who knows almost nobody. He does not know whether his parents are still alive. For years he's...
Do Children Who Die Young go to Heaven?
We confess that children who die, including those who die in the womb, go straight to heaven if their parents believe the gospel. Others...
Luther’s beautiful break with the age-old error of the church
Today, 31 October 2017, we remember that exactly 500 years ago Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the church door at Wittenberg. Those...
RCN schools and the loss of church identity
There are things happening in the Dutch RCN (GKv) that are clear warnings for church schools, such as our FRCA schools here in Western...
No Partiality
A wealthy, well-dressed dignified man in fine clothes and wearing gold rings comes into church. The sexton respectfully ushers him in and gives him...
Two Communities
“No one likes be made an object of ridicule. No one likes to be hated and attacked. People were made by God to live...
The Justification for Female Ministers in our Sister Churches
Synod Meppel of our Dutch sister churches approved the ordination of women to all ecclesiastical offices. We previously considered its arguments for the ordination...