8/12/2019 1989 Issue 6 - Chalcedon Christian School Graduates
First Class - Counsel of Chalcedon
1/2
i
hese
are
understood in their intended
sense -- plain statements
of
fact, figures
of
speech, idioms and poetry
as
such -
- the Bible is without an error from
Genesis
to
Revelation. While
it
leaves
much unsaid, we believe that all that
it
does say is true in the
s ~ s e
in which it
s
intended.
We
do
not
claim infallibil
. ty for the various versions and transla
tions, such as the American Standard or
King
James
versions, and much less do
we ~ a i m infallibility for the rather free
one man translations which have at
tained some vogue in recent years.
Translations will naturally vary with
each individual translator, and are
to
be
considered accurate only in so far
as
' they
e p r o d u c ~
the original autographs.
J::Urthermore, some of the Hebrew and
Greek wordS have
no
full equivalent
in
the English language, and sometimes
even the best scholars differ as to the
exact meaning ofcertain words. And fur
ther still, we must acknowledge that we
have none of the original autographs,
but that
our
oldest manuscripts are cop
ies of copies.
Yet
the best of the p r e ~
sent day Hebrew and Greek scholars
assert that in probably nine hundred and
ninety-nine cases out
of
a thousand we
have either positive knowledge
or
rea
sonable assurance as to what the origi
nal words were, so accurately have the
copyists reproduced them and so faith
fully .have the translators done their
work. Hence he who reads our English
Bible as set forth in the American Stan
dard
or
King James version has before
him what is, for all practical purposes,
the very word.ofGod, as it was original
ly given
to
the prophets and apostles.
Certainly we have reason to thank
God
that the Bible has come down to
us
in
such pure form.
This has been the historic Protestant
position concerning the authority
of
ScriptUre. It was held
by
Luther and Cal
vin, and was written into the creeds of
the . post-Reformation period The
Lutheran doctrine of inspiration was set
forth in the
Form
of
Concord, which
reads: We believe, confess, and teach
that the only rule and norm, according
to which all dogmas and all doctors
ought to be esteemed and judged, is no
~ r
whatever than
the
prophetic and
apostolic writings of the Old and New
Testament. The doctri:ile of the Re
fonned Churcb was stated in the Second
.Helvetic Confession as follows: We
be
-
1ieve and confess, that the canonical
Scriptures of the holy prophets and
apostles
of
each Testament are the true
work of God, and that they possess
sufficient authority from themselves
alone and
not
from man.
For
God
Him-
self spoke to the fathers, to the pro
phets, and to the apostles, and con
tinues to speak: to us through the Holy
Scriptures. And in the Westminster
Confession
of
Faith the Presbyterian
Church declared that It pleased the
Lord, at sundry times and in divers man
ners, to reveal Himself and to declare
His will unto His Church; and afterward
. . to commit the same wholly unto
writing. The authority of the Holy
Scripture, for which it ought to be
believed
and
obeyed, dependeth not up
on the testimony of any man or church,
but wholly upon God (who is truth
itself) the author thereof;
and
therefore
it
is to be received because it is the
word
of
God. And further that both the
Old and New Testament have been
immediately inspired by God and by
His singular care and providence kept
pure in
all ages.
In
more recent times
it
has been reasserted
by
Hodge, War
field and Kuyper. That these
men
have
been the lights and ornaments
of
the
highest type of Christianity will be ad
mitted by practically all Protestants.
They have held that the Bible does
not
merely contain the word
of
God, as a
pile of chaff contains some wheat, but
that the Bible in all its parts is the word
of
God.
(This article, and the others in the series,
wh1ch
we
plan
to
publish in future issues,
first
appeaied in
tfie magazine hristimlity
Today
tn
1936, then in bOok form
in
1937.
he series was later included
in
the
book
,
Studks
n T ~ o l o g y in 1947, aloog
with Dr.
Boettner s wntings on several
other
theological subjects.}
Chalcedon
Christian
School
graduates
first class
awards
special
honors
This year marked
an
important milestone for Chalcedon Christian
School. Wanting to offer a quality education
to
the children
of
all the
church families and other Christian families within their sphere
o
influence,
but
realizing acutely the financial and personal undertaking
involved, the school leaders have undergone much searching and
labor
over whether they could even extend the curriculum all the way
to the
12th grade. But, finally a
few
years ago the council of governors
administration, and faculty became commit ted to offering
students and
parents a facility in which a godly education could be offered
through
out the entire scope of elementary/secondary education.
That
commit
ment realized a very important fruit in May -- the graduation of
the firs
senior class. And, although the class
was
small, the school and church
are very encouraged. Providentially, all three of the students
were from
families
in our
church body. Kevin White is the son of Matthew and
Gale White, Christi Gazaway is the daughter of Arthur and
Boots
Gazaway, and Rachel Goodrum is the daughter of David and
Marlene
Goodrum.
Also, for the second year, special academic and service awards
were
given honor students. The Cornelius Van Til Memorial Schol
arship for Academic Excellence - a certificate and
50
U.S
Savings Bond -
was
awarded for the highest average in five subjec
areas and an overall
v e r g ~
for each of three grade levels. The Larry
, McDonald Leadership and Service Award - a certificate and
, $100 U.S. Savings .
Bond
- was awarded through nomination and
voting by all the teachers for a student in each of the three
grade levels
which most exemplified the award title this school year.
Ttle Counsel
o
Chalcedon
July
1989 page 6
8/12/2019 1989 Issue 6 - Chalcedon Christian School Graduates
First Class - Counsel of Chalcedon
2/2
Mr; Gene Knight (Uncle Gene)
founded these awards last year
and had some help this year in
fmancing them. The certificates
were presented during the last
week of school, but the financial
awards were presented during the
announcement time which pre
cedes Chalcedon s Sunday morn
ing worship.
The honors were
as
follows:
The Cornelius Van Til
Scholarship for Academic
Excellence
--
Elementary [Bible] Gillette
Brown, [Math and English] Julie
Howard, [Science, History, and
Over-all] Valerie Howard
Middle School [Bible and
Math] David Crowe, [English,
Science, History, Overall] Amber
Crowe
Senior High [Bible, Science,
History, Overall] Beth Crowe,
[English] Rachel Goodrum, and
[Math] Jerome Brittingham.
The Larry Mc onald Lead
ership
and
Service Award--
[Elementary] Lauren McDonald
(Larry s daughter),
[MiddleSchool] Christa Min-
koff and
[Senior High] Rachel Goodrum
The Old
South left
us a legacy of quiet strength
li) IIDolized in
the columns
of
this antebellum
mansion. Kevin, Olristie,
and Rachel
are Chalcedon s legacy of quiet Slrcngth. ach year of
growth has caused these students to j)ioneer in a newly added
grade. May the Lord bless and use
ihem as they COillinue to pioneer in His glorious kingdom on
Ibis eanh.
The
study
of
American and world
history, a unique
appreciation for their
Qiristian roots, and a
vision for Olristian
reconstruction have
prepared
our
seniors
for whatever calling
God
should provide
them. The future of
life in America will
r i n ~ many challenges
and unpassioned y
Olristian values at
o s with secular
humanistic
world
views,
Olalcedon
sends them out to
conquer for Olrist
and His kingdom.
1988-89 Honor Students
in front (left to right) Julie
Howard, Amber Crowe, Gillette
Brown, Lauren McDonald
in back (left to right) Jerome
Brittingham, Beth Crowe, Rachel
Goodrum, Christa Minkoff,
Valerie Howard, and David
Crowe.
The Counsel of Chalcedon July 1989 page 7
