Entrance

to the

First

Orthodox

Presbyterian

Church

of

Long Beach,

California

Long Beach Host to Assembly

The Thirty-fourth General Assembly of the OrthodoxPresbyterian Church will convene at 9 :00 a.m. on

Tuesday, April 25 at First Church, Long Beach Cali­fornia. A public worship service with communion hasbeen planned by the Session for Monday evening.

The congregation in this thriving coastal city of375,000 is one of the largest in the denomination. Itbegan as a non-denominational Sunday school in thelate thirties. Through the influence of Louis Knowlesand the family of Wilson Albright (both now Ortho­dox Presbyterian ministers) it became the nucleus fora home missions work in 1940. The Rev. Henry W.

(continued on page 40)

A young collegian meets Christ - his personal testimony

No Turning Back

I would like to tell you briefly howJesus Christ entered my lite and

saved it. About three months ago Iwas a confirmed atheist, taking acourse in philosophy and believing allof the blasphemous teachings which Ireceived. One day I happened to seea good friend I had not seen in awhile and I asked her how she was."By the grace of God. fine," was herreply.

Well, you can imagine the aston­ished look that must have been on myface. I asked her what she had beendoing lately and she said she hadbeen attending church four times aweek. With growing interest I startedasking her various questions and ex­changing my views with hers. Thiswent on for a few days until she men­tioned that she had something for meto read. I agreed to read whatever sheoffered, for at this point I was be­ginning to have doubts about my phi­losophy of life. She handed me a littlepamphlet by C. H. Spurgeon entitled'Election."

That very day I read it through, andby the grace of God and the workingof the Holy Spirit I was convicted. Icould see that God was real and thateverything the book had to say wastrue. The only thing that really both­ered me was that I was afraid I wasnot one of the chosen ones whomGod had predestined to save beforethe foundation of the world. Littledid I know at the time that the v:=ryfact that I was convicted by the Wordof God was the beginning of my re­birth.

Reading the BibleAt once I started reading the Bible

and other books which were given tome. I was convicted of my sin, not byany sly trickery or appeal, but solelyby the Word of G<.>d and th~ w<;>rkingof the Holy Spirit, By this time Iknew that I had had enough of the'life' I was living, and I decided to

NORMAN A. PRICE

College freshman Norman Pricegave thrs testimony on FebflJary 19 atthe evening service of First OPC,Long Beach. Guest speaker at the re­treat was the Rev. Tom Champness ofModesto.

give myself to the Lord. A talk withone or the elders of this churchfurther strengthened my faith. I beganto come to church, for the one reasonthat I wanted to hear more of theWord of God and talk with othersabout our fellowship with Jesus Christ.So here I am.

Words cannot express the thanks inmy heart for the Lord. There is noreason why he should have chosen meto live. The only explanation whichcan be offered is found in John 3: 16:"For God so loved the world that hegave his only begotten Son, that who­soever believeth in him should notperish but have everlasting life."Work of God's Spirit

Before I became a Christian, I madea mockery of God and Christianity. Iknow that the change which has comeover me could have been caused onlyby the Lord. Until the Lord shows ushis love for us and gives us eyes tosee and ears to hear the Truth, wecannot possibly love the Lord. It iswritten, "We love him because hefirst loved us" (l John 4:19).

This new life which God has givenme is not an easy one. I have alreadyfound this out through my daily con­tacts with the people I meet and haveknown, and through the daily situa­tions the Lord puts me in. There is aconstant flow or temptations surround­ing me at all times. And if I werenot saved and did not have the Lordon my side, I could not resist theleast bit of it. But because the Lordloves me, I am able to recognize thetemptations and evil things which be­fore seemed desirable - and to turnfrom these things and look to God

and his Word for my guidance.Many people tell me that this is

taking the easy way out, that to denythe things ot the world and to lookto our loving Father for guidance isthe easy way out of life. They couldn'tbe more wrong if they tried. ForSatan is trying as hard as he can toget me back, and I am in a constantbattle with him. If I did not have theLord on my side, I know I wouldsurely lose.

My Enemy - MyselfI have found that the strongest foe

I encounter each day is myselt. Manytimes my own selfish desires cloud myjudgment and cause me to do wickedthings. But by the grace of God I amconvicted when this happens and lookto God for my help. Those whom Ihave known and loved are also instru­ments of Satan, and 1 am oftentempted by them to gIve up what theycall a passing fancy and to return tothe old person 1 used to be. But mylove for God is greater than my lovefor them, and I have decided to fol­low Jesus, not the world.

This past weekend 1 attended theannual winter retreat in the mountains.it was by far the most wonderful ex­perience 1 have had as a Christian., If.i ever had any doubts about my faith,these doubts were completely abol­ished. 1 know now that there is noturning back for me. My life here onearth IS not for myself: 1 am here forthe sole purpose of glorifying God. Ipray that he will put me III situationswhere I may be used to let his will becarried out.

The theme for the retreat was 'TheChallenge to Follow Christ." I believethere is a word that is synonymouswith "challenge" in this instance-s-andthe word is privilege. To me it is notonly a challenge, but much more itis a privilege to follow my Savior. Iam eternally grateful to God forchoosing me solely because he lovedme. I hope I shall be a faithful servantto our Lord Jesus Christ.

CHRISTIAN SCHOOLTEACHERS NEEDED

Missionary Challenge. ExpandingSchool. Good Salary. Grades 2-3,grade 6, grades 7-8 (four subjectsonly).

Write to Rev. Calvin K. Cummings,1608 Graham Blvd., Pittsburgh, Pa. 15235

34

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The Presbyterian Guardian

I.

Vignettes of ]. Gresham Machen

Captain with the Mighty HeartHENRYW. CORAY

J •

My first close-up of Dr. Machen leftme in a state of semi-shock. It

happened in the autumn of 1928.I had just entered one of the dormi­tories at Princeton Theological Semi­nary when I noticed the figure of aman bent over double, making hisway up a flight of stairs. As he pro­ceeded he slapped the steps with theflat of his hands, and with each ges­ture he would groan, "Poor old Dassie,poor old Dassie." Later I learned thiswas quite a common sight, one of thefamous New Testament scholar'sclowning charades.

At that time Princeton Seminarywas drawing students from all over theworld because of its unique stand forChristian scholarship. Those of uswho went there did so because wewanted to receive instruction frommen mighty in the Scriptures. Wewere not disappointed.

I found myself rooming in ivy­colored Alexander Hall, a noble ifsomewhat tired-appearing dormitory,occupied for the most part by semi­nary seniors. A college friend, DukeFuller, a senior, had invited me to livewith him. I, of course, a lowly junioror first-year man, accepted with un­alloyed pleasure. Imagine my furtherjoy when I learned that our room waslocated directly across the hall fromthe distinguished John GreshamMachen !Appearance

In physical appearance the gooddoctor more resembled a business manthan a theological professor. He wasfairly short, a trifle rotund, with darkpenetrating eyes that had a way of rov­ing mercurially over objects undersurveillance. His mouth was straightand resolute, and frequently curledhumorously. He always walked withbrisk measured steps, like an Oriental.In dress he favored business suits,finely but not fastidiously tailored.

March, 1967

Chapter 2

THE MAN

Why he chose life in a dormitory inpreference to a house or apartmentone cannot tell. Perhaps it was be­cause he enjoyed being near people.He never married. I suspect he drewconsiderable comfort from a close as­sociation with his students. True, whenWestminster Seminary started and wemoved to Philadelphia, he took asuite on the twenty-first floor of Chan­cellor Hall, but that was probably be­cause the mounting pressure of newduties necessitated more privacy.

Invariably his students referred tohim-but not in his presence-as Das.The nickname arose because the Ger­man word for girl, "das madchen"is learned by school boys with thearticle, and "Das Machen" is a fairequivalent of the term. I'm sure hewas aware of our usage of the nick­name, but it offended him not in theslightest.'Das' in Class

I was nurtured on the belief thatno man can do two things at thesame time. Das undeceived me. AtPrinceton I studied New TestamentGreek under him. We used his NewTestament Greek for Beginners forour text book. I shall never forgetthe way he would swing into our class­room clutching a sheaf of correspond­ence, take his place behind his deskand direct one of us to conjugate theverb luo, to loose. While the recitationwas under way our teacher, to allappearances, would be totally absorbedwith his morning mail. But let theconjugator make one slip and Daswould be on him like the AssyrianArmy on Israel. No orchestra leaderever had a keener ear to detect a sournote. A single syllable mispronounced,and up would go a professorial handand we would hear, "Ah, ah-s-let's goover that again, shall we?"

One of Dr. Machen's famousaphorisms was, "Boys, there are two

The most recent book in whichMr. Coray has had a hand is HeroicColonial Christians, edited by Rus­sell T. Hitt (J. B. Lippincott Com­pany, 1966, 255 pages, $4.95). It de­scribes the life and work of fourministers at the center of theGreat Awakening: Jonathan Ed­wards (Courtney Anderson), Gil­bert Tennent (Russell Hitt), DavidBrainerd (Clyde Kilby), and JohnWitherspoon. The study of this"Son of Liberty," the only clergy­man to sign the Declaration of In­dependence, was written by HenryCoray.

things wrong with this institution:you're not working hard enough andyou're not having enough fun." Hewould then set about to correct thesecond of the two defects.

"Tightwad Parties"He called these social affairs "tight­

wad parties," certainly an original andquite weird epithet. Sometimes on aSaturday evening when there was abreak in his preaching schedule hewould fling his bedroom door openand we'd hear a stentorian, "All right,men, don't be tightwads!" It was thesignal for us to assemble in his baili­wick, where we would find a waitingcornucopia of edibles: apples, oranges,candy, dried fruits, nuts, cookies, softdrinks. Our genial host always pre­sided over the affair from his placeas autocrat of the chess board. Therehe would take on all challengers andproceed to cut them down, victimupon victim, systematically and mer­cilessly. An appropriate text for himmight well have been, "Samuel hewedAgag in pieces." His mind seemed tofunction like an electronic computer :it anticipated each move of his oppo­nent and was prepared to checkmatethe maneuver. I cannot recall ever hav­ing seen him lose at the game. He wasalso expert at checkers. Students whowere fortunate enough to have takenhis course in the Origin of Paul's Re­ligion could not help drawing a paral­lel between the method he used at

35

It is understandable why some of us still thank God uponevery remembrance of him.

these board games and the marvelousskill we saw demonstrated in the wayhe demolished the arguments of bril­liant scholars who tried to separate thetheology of Jesus from the theology ofPaul.Stunter

Another delightful facet of semi­nary social activity was our annualStunt Night, an occasion when facultyand student body would relax andromp. Representatives from each classwould present some light skit, thesillier the more appreciated. AlwaysMachen would be called on to giveone or more of his famous stunts."Both as a student and professor, Dr.Machen was known not only as ascholar, but as a 'stunter'. At studentgatherings he would get off an amus­ing recitation about 'Old Bill' andNapoleon. None thought of him then,as his modernistic foes afterwards car­icatured him, as sour, bitter and un­friendly." So wrote Dr. Clarence Ed­ward Macartney in his autobiography,The Making of a Minister.

At these affairs I used to sing aridiculous little number called "TheChocolate Cake," accompanying my­self on the ukulele. The offering wasnothing but a series of stanzas touchedup with local coloring.

One year at Westminster Seminary,the students adopted an alley cat-s-orit adopted us-we never were quitesure which. I will say that animal re­sembled a cross between a pretzel anda lady's muff. We promptly gave itthe name Papias in honor of one ofthe early church fathers, and made itthe seminary mascot. Before long werealized we'd made a horrible mistakein the selection of the name. Papias, itturned out, was a prospective mother!

About a week after our discoveryStunt Night arrived. Our mascot hadfurnished me with excellent materialfor a couplet in one of the stanzas.I sang:It really is an awful shameWe've had to change poor Papias'name . . .

I thought Das was going to passout. As when things hit him in thefunnybone, he perched precariously onthe edge of his chair and rolled upand down like a car on a rollar coaster,his eyes shut tight and the tears flow­ing down his cheeks in rivulets. Hewas far more comical than the skitand provided a lot of amusement.

"Boys," he used to say to his stu-

dents with a twinkle in those brighteyes, "you can't ever be a good theo­logian unless you're a good stunter."

He cherished varied and surprisinginterests. He was ever a lover of goodfood, of the opera, of poetry, ofchildren. Younger men seemed to con­verge on him, as they did on Paul.He enjoyed giving his books away.He climbed towering mountains withthe joyful abandon and vigor of awell-trained athlete.

Another of his hobbies was to ridetrains. When the schedule of theBroadway Limited eventually recoveredfrom the slowdown of World War Iunder government control and was re­stored to sixteen hours from NewYork to Chicago, Das was really ex­cited. He took a ride to Chicago andback just to see how that crack trainIan at its new high speed.

One evening in the winter of 1932,I drove him to a railroad station inWilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, where hewas to board a night train for Phila­delphia. I expressed my sympathy be­cause of the rough trip ahead.

"Listen, don't feel sorry for me,"he said. "I love to curl up in a berthand fall off to sleep."

"How in the world do you manageit?" I said. "I can never sleep ontrains. They're too noisy."

"Not to me they aren't," Das said."The good old sound of wheels rum­bling over tracks-that's a lullaby inmy ears."

Now to the more serious side of hisnature.True Gentleman

Those who were close to him willalways remember J. Gresham Machenas a courtly gentleman, the product ofSouthern aristocracy, with a profoundappreciation for classical learning.This, combined with a full exposure tohistoric Calvinism, endowed him witha fine balance. Ironically, it was atthis precise point that his enemies at­tacked. When, for instance, the Boardof Directors of Princeton Seminaryreported to the General Assembly ofthe Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A.(now the United Presbyterian Churchin the U.S.A.) that it had elected himto the professorship of Apologetics atthe seminary, and asked for the cus­tomary confirmation, the opposition

carne out swinging. Machen, his criticscharged, was unfit for the post be­cause of "temperamental idiosyncra­sies." Exactly what the idiosyncrasieswere remained vague, but the strate­gem worked. The Assembly failed toapprove the recommendation.

Paul reminded the Corinthians thathe carried on his ministry "by honorand dishonor, by evil report and goodreport." An American politician oncesaid of the candidate he was nomi­nating, "We love him for the enemieshe has made." Not a few of us maysay the same of Machen.Fair to his Opponents

"His preaching was bitter, schismaticand unscriptural," Dr. Henry vanDyke said in a burst of generosity."A dismal bilious travesty of the gos­pel." I have heard him referred toagain and again as the . beer baron."hIS family, it was whispered, receivedits revenue from liquor interests. Allmanner of vicious calumny was pouredon his head. The tactics are compar­able to those of the clever attorneywho, when the defense of his clientbreaks down, resorts to the methodof destroying the integrity of the wit­nesses for the prosecution. I will haveto say for Das that he never descendedto this miserable practice. He was thequintessence of fairness, keeping con­troversy always on a high objectivelevel and avoiding personal assault.You notice this in his writings.

Ned Stonehouse in his BiographicalMemoir has ably answered the criti­cisms of his character. Dr. Machennever tried to. It is an established factthat Machen never received, to hisknowledge, nor did his father, onepenny revenue from the alcoholicliquor industry.

An example of the verbal shadowboxing he became involved in is foundin connection with the Pearl Buck dis­pute. Mrs. Buck was a Presbyterianmissionary to China prior to 1934.When she began to spell out openlyher radical views of the person ofJesus Christ, Machen rose up and de­manded some kind of action from theBoard of Foreign Missions, underwhose direction Mrs. Buck was labor­ing. I recall his giving an account ofthe cross-correspondence.

"I write to the Board," said Das,"and ask what the Board intends to

• I

36 The Presbyterian Guardian

Puritan Enthusiast

do about Mrs. Buck. The Board writesback, saying, 'Dr. Speer (one of itssecretaries) is a very fine man: Ianswer, 'I agree that Dr. Speer is afine man but I would like to knowwhat you are going to do about Mrs.Buck?' The Board's reply is, 'Dr.Machen, why are you so bitter?' "Protestant

The key to his vigorous and oftenfiery stand for the gospel lies in thefact that from the depths of his heartto the core of his brain he was aProtestant. Tragically, huge segmentsof modern Protestantism have ceasedto be Protestant. We have in realityspawned a school of Major O'Dowds,Of that placid Army officer Thackeraysays, "O'Dowd passed through lifeagreeing with every one he met onevery conceivable subject." He was nota man, really; he was a piece ofspaghetti.

Today we are witnessing a profess­ing church in which it is consideredan almost unpardonable sin to engagein doctrinal controversy. Lefferts A.Loetscher, currently on the PrincetonSeminary faculty, in his book TheBroadening Church, points out thatvirtually no discussion of theologicalissues has disturbed the United Pres­terian Church since 1936. It was theyear that Dr. Machen and others wereejected from that organization. Menhave forgotten thatTo sin by silence when we should

protestMakes cowards of us all,The world has ris'n on protest.

I suspect that in those dark hourswhen he was being tested in thecrucible, Dr. Machen was a lonelyman. In his gripping story, Alone,Admiral Richard Byrd makes his read­ers feel the raw pain he endured dur­ing the terrible months he spent insolitude at the Antarctic. RobinsonCrusoe, cast upon a desert island, solonged for the sound of a human voicethat he would station himself oppositea mountain and shout out words sothat he could take in the echo. Thegreat Apostle must have known ameasure of the sufferings of the Saviorwhen he wrote Timothy, "At my firstdefense, no man stood with me:'

I am certain that Dr. Machen tastedbitterness to the full as he saw friendafter old friend part company withhim when the going was hardest. Someof them were stout men and true,church leaders who held Machen'slofty view of Scripture and its noble

March. 1967

redemptive doctrines, and yet couldnot see eye to eye with him on certainvital issues. That very fact made theagony of separation all the more poig­nant. "What Beza said at the end ofhis brief, but most admirable, biog­raphy of John Calvin, can truly be saidof Dr. Machen," wrote Dr. Macart­ney, who eventually broke with Das:'An example which it is as easy toslander as it is difficult to imitate: "Man of Prayer

I cannot leave the subject of"Machen the Man" without a refer­ence to his public prayers. Who of hiss~dents has not been edified as theylistened to the renowned Christianscholar standing with bowed head inchapel or in the classroom at the open-

Interview with James I. Packer

~~I am a Reformed churchman and Icount it a privilege to put my

efforts into a seminary that feeds Re­formed churches." With these wordsDr. James I. Packer explained why helectured at Westminster Seminary thiswinter.

I had the pleasure of interviewingDr. Packer for an hour and a half onthe evening of January 26. We metafter dinner in his library office (onloan from Dr. Van Til).

Dr. Packer was born and raised inTwyning, a village about twelve milesnorth of Gloucester, England. "Myfather," he said, "was a clerk in therailway:'

Although his family was nominallyChristian, he didn't trust Christ untilage eighteen. "I knew I needed some­thing," he said, "but it wasn't untilmy first year at Oxford that I foundthe gospel, or better, it found me."Over a period of time he realized hecouldn't put himself wholeheartedlyinto anything other than the Christianministry.

Biblical CalvinistDuring those early years he arrived

at the Reformed faith by an interestingroute. As he told it, he wasn't orig-

ing of the period, acknowledging inthe simplest language the multitude ofdivine mericies channeled through theinfinite merit of the Son of God?Always there was in his supplicationa quality of child-like wonder, a ten­derness, a naked honesty and humilityas he poured out his soul like waterbefore the face of his Heavenly Father.When some of the important lessonswe learned from him in the class­room have faded from the cabinets ofthe mind, the recollection of hisprayers will linger, like the scent ofrare perfume, beyond the limits ofthe intellect.

It is understandable why some ofus still thank God upon every remem-brance of him. '

DONALDM.POUNDSTONE

inally a Calvinist ("Calvin would behorrified at the term") except in thesense that every Christian really is one.He tried Arminianism, going rightdown the five points. "The Bible fin­ally made me a Calvinist," he said."But I was never a system Calvinistin the sense of starting with the doc­trine and then going to the Bible tofind it." His sympathy for the Refor­mation shows in his family life; hisyoungest. son Martin has a teddynamed Luther!

I asked Dr. Packer if he could tellme who had influenced his life mostof all. "That's hard to say," he an­swered. "I could give you some namesbut that would give you the wrongimpression. I'm really an electic sort ofchap. I suppose I have learned morefrom Martyn Lloyd-Jones (minister ofWestminster Chapel, London) thanfrom anyone else.

Before he was graduated from theuniversity he "booked a seat" at Wy­cliffe Hall, a theological "college"(seminary) in Oxford. Then he re­ceived an emergency call from Oak

Mr. Poundstone is in his fi,st yearat Westminster Seminary.

37

Hill, an evangelical college in Lon­don, to teach classics. Actually, hewanted to get away from Oxford, andthis provided a chance to be on hisown and earn some money as well. Itwas providential for both parties: hediscovered his calling to theologicalteaching and the school, in addition togaining a classics instructor, foundsomeone to prep the seminarians fortheir external exams in philosophy andethics, for a degree given by the Uni­versity of London.

Returning later to Wycliffe Hall, hepacked his theology course into twelvemonths ("I never want to do anythinglike it again") and was ordained inthe Church of England on ChristmasDay, 1952.

Warden of Latimer HouseDr. Packer now serves as Warden

of Latimer House, Oxford - "not apenitentiary," he said with a smile."In England a warden is simply thehead of an institution." Latimer Houseis just what the name implies - ahouse. It consists of a small libraryand provides for two free-lance pub­licists. "Our object," he noted, "is toproduce written material with the aimof getting the gospel as near back tothe heart of Anglican thinking aspossible."

From him I learned that the idealembodied in Latimer House stemsfrom the revival of evangelicalismwithin the Church of England sincethe end of World War II. In 1958Dr. Packer published Fundamentalismand the Word of God. That startedthe sparks. "The Oxford SCM (Stu­dent Christian Movement) invited meto debate with my former collegechaplain about Scripture-'interaction'is the American word for it." Theyexpected only 150 persons but 800showed up.

A friend of Dr. Packer, impressedwith the stir the book caused, decidedto seek money to carry on the samesort of work. He issued an appeal to400 people for funds to start a newstudy center for this purpose. Dr.Packer saw what was at stake: "It'sa wicked world; if you don't publish,you perish. People conclude you don'thave anything to say." But he wasn'texactly optimistic. "I frankly thoughtour people were too pietistic for this.But I was wrong. Soon we had over$50,000."

He joined Latimer House sixmonths after it was founded. When

38

JAMES I. PACKER

the first warden left he was on hisown for two years. The work isstraightforward. "In addition to writ­ing ourselves, we get teams of mentogether for symposia . . . the sort ofthing Carl Henry does in your coun­try."

Right now most of the work isfocused on the proposed liturgy forthe Church of England and a mergerwith the Methodists. As a result ofDr. Packer's responsible and compe­tent criticism, the Archbishop of Can­terbury has placed him on the Angli­can-Methodist negotiating committeediscussing church union. He is con­vinced that God is reviving the evan­gelical cause in the Church of Eng­land. "I find that people will listen,"he stated, "if what one says is pre­sented in a sober, scholarly, and cour­teous way."

Popular AuthorIn addition to efforts directed to­

ward his own church, Dr. Packer hasmade significant contributions to thewider theological debate. In Funda­mentalism and the Word of God andGod Speaks to Man he cogently de­fends the orthodox doctrines of theauthority and inerrancy of Scripture.Another book, Evangelism and theSovereignty of God, presents a timelyand clear statement of man's respon­sibility within the framework of theBible's teaching about divine sever-

eignty. He states his purpose in theIntroduction: "There is abroad todaya Widespread suspicion that a robustfaith in the absolute sovereignty ofGod is bound to undermine any ade­quate sense of human responsibility. . . I shall try to make it evidentthat this is nonsense."

These are two of the most crucialissues the church faces today. The Re­formed churches, in particular, aredeeply indebted to Dr. Packer for hisengaging and scholarly work.

I finally got around to asking himhow he came to teach at Westminster."I was invited. In 1965 I lectured atFuller Seminary. On the way back Istopped off here to speak at yourcommencement. I was around for aweek and some of the faculty andtrustees took me out to meals. Aftersome argy-bargy I agreed to a visit."

This winter (Jan. 17 to Feb. 24),four afternoons a week, Dr. Packerlectured to more than forty studentsand a number of visitors on EnglishPuritanism. He chose this topic, heexplained, because it interests him.But, one might wonder, how could amodern man become enthralled bywordy divines of a bygone age? Hisfascination with Puritanism startedwhen he was an under-graduate atOxford. He characterizes himself as"the sort of bloke who dips intobooks." One day he happened upon aset of John Owen. Reading throughone of the treatises on sanctification,he sensed that here was a man whospoke to his own spiritual needs. Fromthen on Owen became lunch-hourfare.

Puritan RelevanceDr. Packer believes the Puritans

have great relevance for our day be­cause they excel where we are weak.In his view, they understood the secretof Christian living and effective pas­toral ministry. This secret lies insearching and thorough application ofGod's Word. Puritan writers show aman the depths of his sin, but theyalways provide remedies for the prob­lems they uncover. Obedience to Godwas the Puritan way of life; theirwhole being was taken up in the serv­ice of God. They emphasized "experi­mental," or what we would call ex­periential, religion. We mustn't, how­ever, think of them as pietists. Theynever fell into the modern error ofseparating doctrine from Christianliving.

The Presbyterian Guardian

The Puritans excell where we are weak.

Calvinistic without Apology

But it would be a mistake to thinkthat Dr. Packer advocates a return tothe Puritans. His comments revealedthat he believes we must, rather, bringtheir teaching into our present-daysituation. In support of this conclusionhe quotes a Puritan, Thomas Manton:"It is but a cheap zeal that declaimethagainst antiquated errors."

"All honest work is honorable inthe sight of God. May we speak of'kingdom service'? How inclusive isthis term?" "The Bible teaches thata nation prospers materially and spir­itually by keeping God's law. How doyou account for the prosperity inJapan?"

These are a sample of the provoca­tive questions at the end of each

chapter in a study manual bearing thetitle, Calvinism: Its History, Princi­ples and Perspectives, by Simon Kiste­maker (Grand Rapids: Baker BookHouse, 1966. 104 pp. $1.50).

In the first half of the book theauthor introduces us to John Calvin,and the development of Calvinismwhere it has taken hold, especially inthe Netherlands, Britain, and the U. S.The final fifty pages are concernedwith the central truth of the sover­eignty of God and its meaning forthe various areas of Christian concernincluding the church, politics, andeducation.

The writer recognizes that Calvin­ism is not simply a term to describea particular brand of theology but isa dynamic movement with a life andworld view that deserves to be takenseriously and studied because it canprovide answers to questions whichmen are asking today. It is refreshingto have a booklet of this kind whichdoes not dodge the word Calvinism.

Being Calvinistic is not being pro­vincial or sectarian, but is being con­sistently biblical, and biblically Chris­tian in all of one's life and thoughtto the glory of God whose commandis law and whose word is truth.

March, 1967

The great value of the Puritans,he concluded, is that they will teachus to live in both Romans 7 and 8.They will take us both lower andhigher than we are accustomed togoing. "I would define a Calvinist,"he said, "as a man who lives in Ro­mans 8 - and that man will also livein Romans 7."

NORMAN SHEPHERD

If your group or society is lookingfor a study guide or source book tohelp focus the discussion on mattersthat count, this book may well be theitem to supply your need. It can profit­ably be used in conjunction with Pro­fessor Paul Woolley's fine, earlierpublication, Family, State, and Church,also from Baker Book House. Bothdeal with some of the same issuesfrom a Christian perspective, withoutalways reaching or anticipating thesame conclusions.

The questions for discussion indi­cate that not all answers have beenspelled out. We may even have totake exception to some of the pointsmade.

For example, our attention is drawnto the obligation which Christianfathers have to instruct their childrenin the Christian religion. However,because Christian fathers ordinarilyconsider themselves incapable of thetask, they .entrust their children toqualified teachers in the Sunday schooland Catechism classes (p. 85).

Obligation of ParentsUnfortunately, Professor Kistemaker

has hereby encouraged the furtherneglect of a God-given obligation onthe part of parents. Even in manyorthodox Calvinist circles, Christianinstruction in the home is woefullyinadequate, and the whole body ofChrist is suffering because of it. Nocommand of God can be set aside withimpunity.

But more than that, the authorseems to suggest that the church carrieson its program of instruction by virtueof a delegation of authority from theparent. This idea is surely out of

keeping with our Lord's directive tohis disciples (Matt. 28:19). Thechurch teaches the faith to covenantchildren in its own right under theauthority of Christ. It is a solemnobligation and there is room for ask­ing whether our present procedures areadequate to it. In any case, Sundayschool and Catechism classes, even thebest of them, are no substitute forinstruction given in the home.

More surprising is the view that achurch member who fails to pay hisfinancial debts in the community isnot a potential subject for churchdiscipline, because, we read, "Thechurch is not a consultant for betterbusiness practices" (pp. 68f.). It ishere that the problem involved in tooartificial an application of the princi­ple of sphere sovereignty becomesapparent.

Is it the case that non-payment ofdebts is a matter belonging to thebusiness world and therefore of noconcern to the church as institute?Non-payment is a form of theft, andProfessor Kistemaker asserts in thesame paragraph that the church oughtto discipline a member who steals.

Christian SchoolsThe strong stand for Christian day

schools is most commendable, as theneed for such schools advances andbecomes clearer by the day. But not allsupporters of the Chnstian schoolmight be willing to concede that theyought to be released from support ofthe public school through taxation, asthe author insists.

The point is debatable, and if thebooklet stimulates debate, it will haveachieved one of its purposes. It makesall the difference in the world whetherunits of intelligence are fishing aroundfor answers in a sea of relativity orwhether men made in the image ofGod are looking for answers fromthe Word of God in a world made byGod though now marred by the dis­astrous consequences of human sin.The author's commitment is certainlyto the full authority and trustworthi­ness of Scripture.

Professor Kistemaker teacher atDordt College. His own commitmentis indicative of the commitment ofthe faculty and institution as a whole.Orthodox Presbyterians headed forcollege next fall will do well to in'vestigate the offerings of this liberalarts school located in Sioux Center,Iowa.

39

THE SESSION: FIRST ORTHODOX PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF LONG BEACH. Rear: The Rev. Lawrence Eyres, moderator: Paul van Houte, A. M. Laurie, Richard Aldcroftt, Eugene Scherer.

Front: Lloyd Sheneberger, William Olson, Delbert Schowalter, Morrison Penkoff, George Ryan.

Long Beach General Assembly(continued from the cover)

Coray, forced to return from theOrient near the end of that year, beganhis labor as a home missionary inLong Beach. An Orthodox Presby­terian church was organized the fol­lowing year with 17 communicantsand seven covenant children.

Meeting in a store-front chapel atfirst, the congregation began a branchwork within two years in the BixbyKnolls area of the city, where a smalloffice building was acquired. In duecourse the two groups were combinedat the latter site, which soon provedinadequate.

The present location (about threeblocks from the converted officebuilding) was purchased in 1943 andthe original unit of its plant was occu­pied in 1946. In 1952 a second unitwas added. Mr. Coray left for a homemission field in Sunnyvale in thespring of 1955 and was followed bythe late Rev. Glenn R. Coie, Heserved for two years until called to ahome missions pastorate in Florida.Thepresent pastor, the Rev. LawrenceR Eyres, came to Long Beach in thesummer of 1958.

A new sanctuary of contemporary

40

design, seating 400, was completed inthe fall of 1961, and was featured onthe cover and in a story in the Guard­ian for March 1962. A full basement(4000 square feet) was included inthe enlargement but was not com­pleted for use until January of thisyear - just in time for the meetingof the General Assembly!

The numerical growth of the con­gregation has been fairly steady overthe years. Membership as of Decem­ber 31, 1966 stood at 353 communi­cants with an additional 153 baptizedchildren, making the church the sec­ond largest in the denomination. FirstChurch was also the parent church ofthe Garden Grove congregation andhad a part in the early days of theWhittier (now La Mirada) work.

Twenty-five years ago the presentlocation of the church was a cabbagepatch. Now it is in the center of anorth Long Beach residential and bus­iness community. Not only is its phys­ical site advantageous, but its stand forthe full-orbed gospel of sovereigngrace without entanglement in modernliberal ecumenism is widely known.The always friendly congregation isattracting a steady influx of earnestChristians, disheartened with the so­cial-oriented and unbiblical 'gospel' ofdenominations affiliated with the Na-

tional Council of Churches, accordingto the pastor.

First Church is now seeking a full­time, specially trained minister ofChristian education-perhaps the firstin the denomination to obtain (hope­fully) a minister to devote his fulltime to the sphere of Sunday school,Machen League, and youth instructionand activity.

New AddressesRev. Robert L. Atwell, 1125 Sum­

mit Ave., Westfield, N. J. 07090(after April 20).

Rev. Abe W. Ediger, 9161 VineSt., Thornton, Colo. 80229.

Rev. Carl E. Erickson, 186 CountryClub Dr., South San Francisco, Calif.94082 (ordained March 31 by thePresbytery of the West Coast).

Rev. Rollin P. Keller, 1811 GraversLane, Wilmington, Del. 19803.

Rev. Stephen L. Phillips, 21 BrynMawr Ave., Stratford, N. J. 08084(ordained by the Presbytery of NewJersey on March 10).

Rev. Eugene C. Saltzen, 12132 LaMirada Blvd., Calif. 90638 (newstreet name).

The Presbyterian Guardian

iI

t

"

EDITOR

ROBERT E. NICHOLAS

All correspondence should be ad­dressed to The Presbyterian. Guardian,7401 Old York Road, Phila., Pa. 19126

Self-Supporting Volunteers

Under this same heading a fewmonths ago the example of some

"missionary associates" was presentedas a challenge to others who mightvolunteer a year of service 'with anOrthodox Presbyterian mission abroad.There is no reason why the idea can­not be utilized as well at home. Infact, for every one who may be ableto see his or her way clear to travelto a distant land, there may be severalwho could give a year of service toone of our home mission fields orother churches in the states. (Many aMormon youth donates two years ofhis early career to full-time service athis own or his family's expense!)

We thank God for young peoplewho are giving time during the sum­mer to the S-A-V-E program. And forthe many, young and old, who offertheir time and talent week after weekin the service of Christ through theirlocal churches. Weare wondering,however, if there are not some whowould make a specific commitment,say for a year, as self-supporting "mis­sionary associates"?

With the strength and energy ofyouth and without all the responsibil­ities that may come later, you mightcatch the vision of definitely settingaside your evenings and weekends (orperhaps a summer vacation period) inthe cause of the gospel through theOrthodox Presbyterian Church. As­sistance might be offered in manyareas: survey calling, secretarial, youthactivities of many kinds, Bible classes,visitation evangelism, work on build­ing and equipment (when were yourSunday school rooms last painted?)if you are a jack-or-jill-of-all-trades!

How about it, you who can earnyour livelihood in 40 hours a weekand have plenty of leisure time for

March, 1967

recreation or reading or moonlightingor evening courses or whatever it maybe ? Would you be willing to forsakesuch quite legitimate activities for aterm of definite assignment as a mis­sionary volunteer? Of course, for thesake of good order you should cer­tainly work through your session and/or the home missions agency of yourpresbytery or the denomination.

Finally, when you come right downto it - what about all of us? To besure, we have family obligations, orour jobs don't fit into a neat 40-hourweek, or we must go to night school,or we no longer have all the strengthof our youth. But who gets most ofour 'free time'? How much are wedoing beyond "going to meetings" atwhich others do the work?

Is there some task in my churchthat isn't being done that I could do?Is there a class without a regularteacher? A vacant row in the choir?A visitor who should be called on?Students in school or fellows in thearmed forces who would appreciatechurch news? Shut-ins whose days arelonely? Repair jobs neglected that Icould take care of? Office tasks thatthe pastor is forced to do? All too fewat prayer meeting? Every congregationneeds more volunteers to accomplishwhat urgently needs doing right wherewe are, for the sake of our Lord andSavior.

-R.E.N.

EDITOR'S MAIL BOXDear Sir:

The recent letter (February) by, Harry Schat and Raymond Com­

meret discussing Francis Schaeffer'sarticle "The Practice of Truth"(Guardian, December 1966) reveals acommendable concern for maintaininga biblical apologetics in the modernworld. At the same time, it does notseem to me that the writers of the let­ter have quite understood the purposeof the article by Dr. Schaeffer.

He does not appear to be teachinga nature-grace opposition when hereasons that truth must be practicedas well as affirmed. As I understandhis article he is saying rather that co­operation in evangelism with thosewho do not accept the authority ofScripture is dangerous-that such apractice, in effect, undercuts and rela­tivizes the truth we affirm.

Moreover, although his languagecould have been more precise, inspeaking of "brute facts" Dr. Schaeffer

is not presupposing a modern philo­sophical interpretation of existence. In­stead he is merely saying that historyis taken seriously by the Christian,that he refuses to accept a dialecticalrelativizing of the past.

For myself, I too wish that the ar­ticle had mentioned the Scriptures asthe truth in a more explicit way. Yeteven here I think, the authors of theletter go too far when they state that"without the revelation of the Biblethere would be no truth anywhere forblinded sinful man." Is this to beunderstood to mean that general re­velation to man does not exist? I amsure that the writers of the letter donot really want to take this position,a point of view which is clearly notthat of the Scriptures themselves, ofthe Westminster Confession, of Calvinor Dr. Cornelius Van Til.Fruit of L'Abri

In the Mechanicsville Chapel, whereI have carried on a part-time pastorate,I have found numerous co-workers inthe young men converted through theministry of the Schaeffers at L'Abriin Switzerland. These young men havespoken in our services and at presenttwo of them are conducting a chil­dren's Bible club with consecrationand Christian zeal. Two things standout in our association with them: 1)the love these new Christians have forthe Bible as the Word of God and2) their dependence upon Him inprayer. I haven't seen the slightestevidence of a "sort of neo-rationalismand nee-humanism" in these youngmen.

Cordially yours,C. JOHN MILLERJenkintown, Pa.

Dear Sir:

I had the privilege of hearing FrancisSchaeffer speak on "The Practice

of Truth" at the World Congress onEvangelism in Berlin. I find it regret­table that Harry Schat, in his letter ofcriticism printed in your February is­sue, makes no mention of the mainpoint of the address. With earnestcourage Dr. Schaeffer stood up towarn against taking part officially inan evangelistic campaign in which menholding false doctrines are invited toshare the platform and 'program withthe evangelist.

Dr. Schaeffer's concern is eloquentlyput in this sentence: "~vartgeli.sm thatdoes not lead to punty of life andpurity of doctrine is just as faulty and

41

Note: All mail for Korean mis­sionaries (Conn, Hard, Hunt) mustnow be sent to the Seoul or Pusan ad­dresses; APO is no longer available.

encing myself some of the fruits ofFrancis Schaeffer's ministry I can un­derstand better how the Lord has usedhim to bless so many. Authentic Chris­tian love and meekness have a heart­warming effect and cause us to glorifyour Father in heaven.

Sincerely,EDMUND P. CLOWNEY

Willow Grove, Pa.

Dear Sir:

Lest the unfair remarks by Schat andCommeret concerning Francis

Schaeffer's "The Practice of Truth" beregarded as representative of the OPe,let me show some appreciation.

The third word in Schaeffer's articlewas "rather." He would rather dowhat he is criticized for not doing, butat the moment he had something elseto say. This was his privilege.

Schat and Commeret criticize himfor not saying that Scripture alone isthe measure of truth. Now Schaeffermight be trying to get in at a non­Christian's back door at times, butwhen it comes right down to defini­tions, he comes out with the truth. AtWheaton College in September, 1965Schaeffer said:

In all this modern discussion aboutwhat the Bible is, often men seem to failto take into account the Bible's owntestimony of itself. The Bible gives atestimony of what it itself is as it speakstoward man. God directs the Bible com­munication of propositional truth inverbalized form, to those, as made in hisimage, who can know.

Would Schaeffer have us "plummetheadlong into the practice of 'con­sensus of opinion' so popular in thecountry today"? I would deny it. AtWheaton he spoke of the contrast be­tween Christian faith and modernfaith:

The only thing it has in common withChristian faith is the use of a word thathas been used, with exactly the contrarymeaning. In modern faith there is nohope of a rational, logical answer, noreven any hope that it is something thatcan be discussed.

We should not plummet into pre­mature criticisms of fellows that canbecome very good friends.

Sincerely yours,EDWARDS E. ELLIOTT

Garden Grove, Calif.

Perhaps you've noticed-when itcomes to Sunday school, many teen­agers couldn't care less. Somehow itis hard for a Bible class to competewith the swinging beat of the every­day life of modern adolescents. Andin a sense, no Sunday school curricu­lum will ever "swing" enough to satis­fy these hyperactive, unpredictableindividuals.

But honestly now-haven't you alsonoticed that the usual Sunday schoolstufffor Junior Highs is a bit "square"?If it isn't overly pious and preachy, ittries to make the scene with "teentalk" that couldn't be phonier.

Great Commission Publications de­cided to play it straight. Simply tellteens the truth-the truth of God'sWord. No moralizing to turn them off;no jazz to turn them on. Just God'struth for teenagers straight from theshoulder.

Send for your free samples of thisbrand new course today.

Does your Sunday school have

Teenage Troubles?

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Philadelphia, Pa. 19126 Dept. G II Please send me my samples of Junior II:~g~e~~~~~~. SC.hOO~ .~~.t~.r~al~.. .. . . . .. . . .. II

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The Presbyterian Guardian

'"**

42

incomplete as an orthodoxy whichdoes not lead to a concern for, andcommunication with, the lost."

In seeking the "practice of truth"Dr. Schaeffer called for consistency indoctrine and practice to keep the anti­thesis between God's truth and man'serror: "we who stand in the historicstream of Christianity really believethat false doctrine, at those crucialpoints where false doctrine is heresy,1S not a small thing; this is an enemy."

Mr. Schat has a clear grasp of prin­ciples and issues in apologetics but hedoes not do full justice to Dr. Schaef­fer's position.

It is quite mistaken, in my judg­ment, to say that Dr. Schaeffer findsthe principle of verification in "brutefacts." Rather, he asserts that behindthe "brute facts" of history is thetruth of God's existence.

Evangelism More DifficultDr. Schaeffer does imply that the

relativistic thinking of our time makesthe task of evangelism more difficult.He is right. In Romans one, Paultraces a descent into idolatry as Godgives men up to the exchanging oftruth for a lie. There are degrees ofapostasy and error.

In stressing the deterioration inmodern thought, which he traces tothe acceptance of Hegelianism, Dr.Schaeffer does make the earlier as­sumption of the "classical concept oftruth" sound a bit like Paradise. Yethe does note that non-Christian think­ers before Hegel had no sufficientfoundation for their absolutes.

It is not nominalism or weak apolo­getics to say that the Christian faithis true. To stress the objectivity oftruth is not rationalism or humanism.The Christian bears witness to thetruth to the blinded sinner who mis­construes the very possibility of truth.Yet it is not as though the Christianand the non-Christian had alternatesystems of truth so that a man couldchoose between them. The earth is theLord's and the fullness thereof; realityis as God has revealed it to us in hisWord. Without "borrowed capital"not of his minting the non-Christiancannot carry on any of the businessof thinking or living.

As for the necessity and apologeticvalue of adding sound Christian livingto sound Christian doctrine I wouldonly refer to Philippians 2: 14-16, oneof the great New Testament passageson the-Christian witness. After experi-

..

A review article - Part 2

The Confession of 1967New Subscription Vows

EDWARD ROBERT GEEHAN

On March 1, 1967, Stated Clerk William Phelps Thompson reported thatthe necessary two-thirds of the presbyteries of the United Presbyterian

Church in the U. S. A. had approved Overture I (containing the Book ofConfessions, which includes the Confession of 1967, and the new sub­scription vows). All that now remains is ratification by a majority vote ofthe General Assembly which meets in May in Portland, Oregon.

In the first article (February) we concerned ourselves with the Con­fession of 1967 proper. Now we shall look more closely at the new formof subscription vows two and three (the first is unchanged).

Present2) Do you believe the Scriptures ofthe Old and New Testaments to bethe Word of God, the only infalliblerule of faith and practice?

3) Do you sincerely receive and adoptthe Confession of Faith and Catechismsof this Church, as containing the systemof doctrine taught in the Holy Scrip­tures?

*I believe these significant changes

indicate both the theological frameworkof the Confession of 1967 and the apos­tate nature of a church which deliber­ately repudiates the old form of sub­scription for the new.

Of course many conservatives in theUPUSA want to escape this conclusion.Consider, for example, the interpreta­tion of these new vows by one suchPresbyterian, Dr. John Gerstner ofPittsburgh Seminary, expressed inChristianity Today (Dec. 9, 1966, pp.4-6, "New Light on the Confession of1967").The Third Vow

With reference to the third vow inparticular, Gerstner wishes to clarifytwo ambiguities having to do with thenature and object of subscription. Heobserves that within the Book of Con­fessions are some elements contrary tothe protestant tradition (e.g. a referenceto "the ever virgin Mary" in the SecondHelvetic, Chap. XI) and still otherswhich are "grievous heresy" such as

March, 1967

*

Proposed2) Do you accept the Scriptures of theOld and New Testaments to be theunique and authoritative witness toJesus Christ in the Church catholic, andby the Holy Spirit God's word to you?3) Will you perform the duties of aminister of the gospel in obedience toJesus Christ, under the authority of theScriptures, and under the continuing in­struction and guidance of the confes­sions of this Church?

*"the divine acceptance of all mentaught by C67. ("The new life takesshape in a community in which menknow that God loves and accepts themin spite of what they are" - Part I,C,1.).

Therefore he concludes that "we havein the Book of Confessions some docu­ments that are merely catholic; othersthat are catholic, evangelical, and re­formed; and, scattered throughout someof them, elements that are not catholic,evangelical, or reformed."

In the light of such inconsistenciesamong the various confessions, in whatsense is the one taking the vows "toperform the duties of a minister (elderor deacon) . . . under the continuinginstruction and guidance of the confes­sions of this Church"? Gerstner detailstwo possible views. On the first view,it is held that the words of the third

Mr. Geehan is a middler student atWestminster Seminary.

vow "do not necessarily commit the or­dinand to believing that in which he isinstructed and by which he is guided."Actual adherence to the Book of Con­fessions is not intended. It means, as heillustrates it, "merely that a person con­siders, very respectfully, what these doc­uments teach and presumably followsthem, unless his own judgment is con­trary." In other words, one's subjectiveopinion, be he liberal or conservative,is the norm. Gerstner concedes that "thelanguage of the vow does not clearlyrule out this interpretation."

What Is 'Intended'?He prefers another construction of

the "intention" of the subscription vow,however. The ordinand is to "accept"that which is "catholic, evangelical, andreformed" in the Book of Confessions.These words, says Gerstner, shouldhave been added to the third vow tomake this plain. As a matter of fact,however, the Assembly rejected a pro­posed amendment that in his opinionwould have removed the ambiguity.Nevertheless, he maintains that "underthe continuing instruction and guidanceof" means "the acceptance of this in­struction and guidance" on the levels ofcatholic, evangelical, and reformed.

Such an attitude or intention pre­vailed in the Assembly discussions of1966, he avers. Understood in this way,the UPUSA in adopting Overture I willbe "more catholic, evangelical, and re­formed" than ever before, a point of

The proposed Book of Confessionsfor the United Presbyterian Church,U.S.A. consists of:

The Nicene CreedThe Apostles' CreedThe Scots ConfessionThe Heidelberg CatechismThe Second Helvetic ConfessionThe Westminster Confession of

FaithThe Shorter CatechismThe Theological Declaration of

BarmenThe Confession of 1967

43

There is no effective basis for church discipline.

For further information write:Office of Admissions

Trinitg Christian CollegePalos Heights, Illinois 60463

ANNOUNCINGa four-year degree program atTrinity Christian College

. beginning September, 1967Trinity offers students these e:ctras: .

• smaller more personal learning expenence• excellent faculty that is readily accessible• more opportunity for leadership and development of fullest

potential• opportunity to enjoy the cultural resources and advantages

of Chicago .... .• distinctive philosophy of quality Christian higher education

view upon which he says he will "in­sist." Yet he concedes that if the wordsof the third vow are taken by them­selves "with strictest literality," they"threaten to vitiate the entire docu­ment."

Let us assume, for the sake of argu­ment, that Gerstner's second alternativeis correct. What value will it have?What is "catholic, evangelical, and re­formed" in the Book of Confessionsfor Gerstner is not so for Dowey andHendry - who wrote into the Confes­sion of 1967 what Gerstner calls "griev­ous heresy!" As noted in the firstarticle, Hendry speaks of "contraryviews" and "an unstable theologicalcompromise" between the Viewpointsof 1967 and 1647 as to Scripture it­self. The reformed and the neo-ortho­dox positions as to the Bible as theWord of God are simply irreconcilable.Even had Gerstner's desired addition tothe third vow been added, much lesshis contention as to the general inter­pretation supposedly given to it by the1966 Assembly, the ambiguity wouldnot have been removed. This alterna­tive likewise fails to escape the subjecti­v~sm so plainly inherent in the firstvrew.

I believe that it is that first alterna­tive which is the only one that makessense if the language of the third vowis taken for what it actually says anddoes not say. As Gerstner has admitted,when taken literally the words them­selves can support this view, and ~he

"inexcusable" vagueness of the thirdvow "remains the most defective itemin the entire Book of Confessions."There is therefore no effective basis forchurch discipline in te~ms of ~is aln:lOstmeaningless vow, which certainly side­steps any wholehearted acceptance of a"system of doctrine tau~ht in the HolyScriptures" as was required by the oneit is replacing.

The Second VowBy the proposed second vow mini­

sterial adherence to the Word of Godas the inscripturated and thereby infal­lible rule of faith and life is abandoned.Defining the Bible as "the uniql7e andauthoritative witness to Jesus Christ ...and by the Holy Spiri~ ~d's wor~ toyou" is a far cry from VI~lllg. the BIbleas in and of itself the objective Wordof God written. For Overture I the'word-of-God' character of the Bible

depends, not upon its divine origin (IIPeter 1 :21, cpo West. Conf. I, 4), butupon an unidentified operation of theHoly Spirit in man, the reader.

No matter how 'orthodox' a few1966 revisions of the Confession of1967 supposedly may be, the secondvow actually nullifies their eff~ct. Eve.nif there were no new Confession, thisvow contradicts the Westminster teach­ing as to Scripture and therefore aban­dons it as outdated. It is not the casethat the Bible is more than the secondvow implies; rather it is that the Bibleis other than it implies. One wondershow an elder or minister who claims tobe orthodox can subscribe to this newsecond vow.

Nobody denies that the third vow isvague, nor that the secon~ "?" rej~sthe Westminster Confession s positionon Scripture. Such lega~ an:biguity andcontradiction in the ordination vows re­moves from the United PresbyterianChurch its scriptural function o~ dis­cipline (Matt. 18.:15-17) towa~~ltsof­ficers. Even the first vow, reqUlnng be­lief in the Trinity, when taken in t~e

context of these other changed vows, ISopen to ambiguity.

Heresy ProtectedNo longer will it be the case that

heretics may remain in the UPUSA bydefault of evangelicals. Now ratherthey will be protected by the churchfrom those who would tie the church tothe 'rationalist' categories of the W:st­minster Standards! Instead of being"set for the defense of the gospel," thechurch will be in a better position,within its lukewarm walls, to shelter

THE CONFESSION OF 1967A new 16-page pamphlet byDR. EDWARD J. YOUNGof Westminster Seminary

Order fromPresbyterian and Reformed Pub. Co.

Box 185 • Nutley, N. J. 07110(l0¢ each, $6 per 100, $25 per 500)

those upon whom Paul pronounces thevery curse of God (Gal. 1:8ff.).

In view of this official apostasy aboutto be effected by constitutional change,surely the Pauline and Johannine in­junctions apply: to turn away fromthose who teach contrary to the doctrinewhich you have learned (Rom. 16:17);and to receive not a bearer of false doc­trine nor give him a brotherly greeting(II John 10, cpo I John 4:6).

When the church has persistently andofficially rejected the historic Christianfaith the true servant of God whowould be faithful to his Presbyterianvows ought to move out of the churchwhich has forsaken its duty to God andto his people.

If, however, in the face of such apos­tasy, the conservative still tells us t~at

unity is to be preferred abov.e punty,that any division is the one thing to beavoided, then he must be asked to tellus at what point he would separatefrom his church. How far down theroad will he walk with one with whomhe doesn't agree (Amos 3:3)? If hecannot tell us, how can we take seriouslyhis protestations of concern for thechurch of Jesus Christ? We shall knowthat he would have sided with Romeagainst Calvin (Institutes, IV, 2:1-12).We shall know that he has denied hisheritage. We shall be heavy of heart forhim and for his children.

.

44 The Presbyterian Guardian

...

Some differences between the OPC and the RPCES

Creedal Changes and Subscriptionto the System ofDoctrine

CLAIR DAVIS

T he year 1967 is already well knownas a year when Presbyterian state­

ments of faith are undergoing intensestudy. The proposed adoption of theConfession of 1967 in the UnitedPresbyterian Church, U. S. A. insuresthat. Not so well known, however, isthat similar study is required of Ortho­dox Presbyterians in response to ac­tion of last year's General Assembly.That Assembly instructed certain com­mittees to "work toward the ultimategoal of organic union between theOrthodox Presbyterian and ChristianReformed Churches on a scripturalbasis" and "between the OrthodoxPresbyterian Church and the ReformedPresbyterian Church, Evangelical Sy­nod on a scriptural basis." For thereare certainly differences in the doc­trinal statements of these bodies whichcall for careful investigation.

First, there are matters of subscrip­tion. What does an officer of a churchreally mean when he states that he ac­cepts the doctrinal standards of thatchurch?

In particular, what about questionsconcerning the Second Coming? TheWestminster Standards in their origi­nal form seem to rule out the pre­millennial view of the return ofChrist. This was understood long agoin American Presbyteranism, whose"spiritual succession" the OrthodoxPresbyterian Church has pledged her­self to perpetuate. Apparently therewas never any concern over the num­bers of ministers who could not acceptthe Confession on this point.Attempt to AlterConfession Rejected

The issue did come to a head in1936, however, when some in the newPresbyterian Church of America be­came convinced that it was necessaryfor the church to make clear thatministers and elders woulel not haveto agree with the Confession on thispoint: this was to be done simply by

March, 1967

altering the Confession. This courseof action was rejected by the majorityof the church, for the sort of reasonsthat Dr. Machen gave:Subscription to the Westminster Stand­ards in the Presbyterian Church ofAmerica is not to every word in thoseStandards, but only to the system ofdoctrine which those standards contain... we think that a man who holdsthat the return of Christ and the finaljudgment take place not in one act, asthe Westminster Standards contemplatethem as doing ... yet may honestly saythat he holds the system of doctrine thatthe Standards contain. It is no new thingto take this position regarding creed sub­scription. It is the position which haslong been taken by orthodox Calvinistictheologians (Presbyterian Guardian, Vol.3, #2, p. 21).We think that any attempt to deal withthese matters in the Constitution of theChurch would be nothing short of folly.The doctrinal standards of the Churchshould be simply the historic Westmin­ster Standards. This is not a creed-mak­ing age . . . For the reasonable inter­pretation of the meaning of the ordina­tion pledge, so far as the time of ourLord's return is concerned, we must haveconfidence in our brethren. Unless wehave that mutual confidence, it wouldhave been better that we should not haveattempted to form a church at all(Guardian, Vol. 3, #3, p. 43).

Catechism AmendedIt is this approach which has come

to be explicitly rejected by the Re­formed Presbyterian Church, Evan­gelical Synod. Not only has that bodyissued a statement affirming liberty tohold "any eschatological view whichincludes the visible and personal re­turn of our Lord to earth," but it hasalso amended questions 86-89 of theLarger Catechism so as to remove anystatements contradictory to premil­lennialism.

Dr. Davis is Assistant Professor ofChurch History at Westminster T beo­logical Seminary, and a member of thePresbytery of Philadelphia of theOrthodox Presbyterian Church.

The difference between the twochurches does not concern whether ornot premillennialism is acceptable, forboth hold that, but rather, how thatacceptability is to be expressed. TheRPCES believes constitutional amend­ment is necessary, while the OPC isconvinced that since the "system ofdoctrine" is not in question, a "reason­able interpretation of the meaning ofthe ordination pledge" does not re­quire that the items of the Constitu­tion in this matter be made a test forministers and elders.

Who is correct? Is there not some­thing refreshing about the RPCESposition, which sets out publicly injot and tittle the actual position of thechurch? Is this not a much safercourse of action as well? It certainly istrue that the vagueness of subscriptionto the "system of doctrine" has beenused in the past to excuse all sorts ofheresy. Where can the line be drawnbetween tolerating premillennialism asnot contrary to that system, and toler­ating denial of the virgin birth on the

45

A call tor study and much prayer.

~e basis? Would not an explicit, de­tailed statement of faith, which ap­pears to be the RPCES way of doingthings, provide a real guarantee againstheresy in the church?

Historically, American Presbyterian­ism has not thought so. Charles Hodgeand B. B. Warfield, probably thegreatest of her theologians, were ex­actly of the opposite opinion!

Hodge and Warfield QuotedIn Hodge's words,

To adopt every proposition contained inthe Westminster Confession and Cate­chisms is more than the vast majority ofour ministers either do or can do. Tomake them profess to do it is a greatsin. It hurts their consciences. It fostersa spirit of evasion and subterfuge. Itforces them to take creeds in a 'non­natural' sense. It at once vitiates anddegrades. There are few greater evilsconnected with establishments than theoverwhelming temptations which theyoffer to make men profess what they donot believe. Under such strict require­ments, men make light of professions,and are ready to adopt any creed whichopens the door to wealth or office. Theoverstrict the world over are the leastfaithful. (Church Polity, p. 332).

Warfield made an even stronger state­ment in his discussion of the desiretoward Confessional revision:A public confession, by virtue of thevery fact that it is public, cannot be,and ought not to be pretended to be,just the expression of his faith whicheach one who accepts it as representinghis faith would have framed had he onlyhimself to consider. The most we canexpect, and the most we have right toask is, that each one may be able torecognize it as an expression of thesystem of truth which he believes.

To go beyond this and seek to makeeach of a large body of signers accept theConfession in all its propositions as theprofession of his personal belief, cannotfail to result in serious evils-not least

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CHRISTIAN WITNESS TOUR551 Cambridge Blvd.

Grand Rapids, Mich. 49506

46

among which are the twin evils that, onthe one hand, too strict subscription over­reaches itself and becomes little betterthan no subscription; and, on the otherthat it begets a spirit of petty, carpingcriticism which raises objection to formsof statement that in other circumstanceswould not appear objectionable . . .

Of course it lies in the courts of theChurch to decide what is and what isnot 'of the system', and Church courtsare not infallible, nor always faithful. ButChurch courts can afford, and do ven­ture, to hold men strictly to the termsof a liberal formula, when they could notto an illiberal one. Overstrictness de­mands and begets laxity in performance'while a truly liberal but conservativ~formula binds all essentially sound menagainst laxity ("The PresbyterianChurches and the Westminster Confes­sion," The Presbyterian Review, Vol. X,No. XL, pp. 648, 650-51).

In short, instead of strict subscrip­tion being a real deterrent to the in­roads of heresy, Warfield is convincedthat it is the exact opposite:Where the formula of acceptance is suchthat no one signs without some mentalreservation, some soon learn to signwithout reference to mental reservation;and gross heterodoxy becomes graduallysafe, because there is no one so whollywithout sin that his conscience permitshim to cast the first stone (Ibid., pp.648-649) .Subscription to the System

Has history shown that Warfield'sestimate was incorrect, that perhapsthe decline within the Presbyterianchurches could have been arrested bycreedal change and a stricter formulaof subscription? The decline in Amer­ica appears to have been almost asrapid as in Scotland, where strict sub­scription was failing even in War­field's day. But this writer thinks thatin the final analysis there simply is noconstitutional device that will guaran­tee continued orthodoxy. For that mustdepend upon the continued endeavorsof faithful officers and members, whoin reliance upon God, aware of thetemptations of the day and searchingScripture for a deeper understandingof God's truth, are able to discernand evaluate the new approaches todoctrine which arise within the church.

Strict subscription has too oftenproved an excuse for laziness in studyof the Bible and of how that Bible isto be applied to the needs of men inthis generation. Probably the bestcourse for evangelical Presbyterianismto take would be to heed Warfield'sand Machen's advice to resist that"spirit of petty, carping criticism" and

instead enjoy "confidence III ourbrethren." The truth must be main­tained, but subscription to the "systemof doctrine" seems to be the best wayof doing just that.

Have we understood the motivationsof the RPCES correctly? Is it tendingin the direction of continual creedalamendment and the strict view of sub­scription which goes along with it?Or do the Larger Catechism amend­ments reflect only action on an "extra­ordinary" situation, with no furtherimplications? This is what the Ortho­dox Presbyteiran Church must dis­cover as she faces the question ofunion.Resolutions on Morality

A similar question concerning theposition of the RPCES concerns herresolutions on "The Christian Lifeand Testimony," one paragraph fromwhich follows:Since the standards of our church men­tion many of the sins commonly com­mitted in the day in which they weredrawn up:Be it resolved that we counsel our min­istry and membership against the tempta­tions to impurity that are found inpornographic pictures and magazines, themoving picture theater, television pro­grams, and the modern dance.Certainly this sort of resolution is inorder in the Presbyterian tradition; notonly is there a sort of precedent in theLarger Catechism's listings of sins, asthe "Testimony" points out, but alsothe Presbyterian Church, U. S. A. wasespecially fond of making such deliv­erances. But do such resolutions, inthat they single out some areas oftemptation from among the manywhich Presbyterian churches alreadypublicly and officially mention, tendto suggest the same sort of thing thatthe eschatological amendments do? Isthere here a tendency toward over­strictness, a distrust of the "system ofmorality" in favor of inflexible ruleswhich are to be strictly interpreted,so that to be a Presbyterian, one mustagree with the church as to whichmagazines, films, or dances containimpurity or temptations thereto?

Again, here is a matter requiringcloser scrutiny: Are these resolutionsthe usual sort of church pronounce­ments, which call to the attention ofindividual Christians areas whereinthey are to search their own heartsand lives to determine whether or notthey are sinning in these areas? Orare they, because they might be re­garded as a part of the conditions of

The Presbyterian Guardian

HELLO Boys AND GIRLS:

Letter from Gary

union which produced the RPCES,of such a binding, authoritarian sortthat they disturb our Protestant heri­tage?

that means) to the Stockbridge andMenominee Indians.

Right across the road was thechurch, The Old Stockbridge Ortho­dox Presbyterian Church. I neverheard of such a long name for achurch. It was hard tor me to saywhen I was five.

I was asked if I would like to staywith these people and I thought Iwould for a while for they loved mefrom the very first. They had twosons who were away at college. Butwe had wonderful times together whenthey were home for vacation. My new"sister," Susan, had a room rightacross the hall from me. She attendedhigh school. We played together inthe snow sometimes.

In the snow I learned to ski onHenry's skis and had loads of funsliding down the hill with neighbor­ing Indian children. "Mommy" and"Dad" would come out with me tooand laugh as they also slid down thehill. After the usual early thaw every­thing freezes up again in northernWisconsin. So I learned to ice skateon the icy pond that formed in ourside yard.

When the snow was gone I had abicycle with training wheels on it.But it was hard to learn to ride. WhenI turned the handles it didn't seem togo the way I wanted it to. I was sodisgusted I threw the bike down morethan once and vowed not to try itagain. However, I was encouraged tolearn and now ride everywhere I amallowed to go. On a visit to Baltimore,my new Dad's home, I learned toroller skate. The road is so roughin front of our house that I can't skatehere, so I don't get much practice.

Phew, I'm tired! Would you likeme to write more another time?

God bless you,GARY

1967 SAVE PROGRAMBethel Church, Oostburg is again

looking forward to sending out ateam of young people to assistother churches in visitation andevangelism this summer.

If there are places who wouldlike a team, or young people whowould be interested in servingunder the SAVE program, you areinvited to write to the Rev. DonaldF. Stanton, 629 Center Avenue,Oostburg, Wise. 53070. He hasoffered to act as a "clearing house"for 1967.

HI G HSCHOOLSENIORS

DID YOU KNOWo that evangelization is the most

wonderful work in the world?• that our school specializes in

training young people to serveChrist in his church and mission?

• that your request about Septem­ber 1967 enrolment, courses andcosts, will bring a prompt reply?

Write Today!Dr. Dick L. Van Halsema, PresidentREFORMED BIBLE INSTITUTE

1869 Robinson Road, S. E.Grand Rapids, Michigan 49506

Mrs. Robert Vining of Oxford,Pennsylvania has assumed responsi­bility for obtaining occasional lettersfor our young readers. Here is onesent by the Rev. Henry Phillips, mis­sionary-pastor in Gresham, WisconJin.

manse was. When we arrived I heldback shyly until I recognized the prettylady who had spoken to me severalmonths before. I now learned hername was Mrs. Phillips and that herhusband was a missionary (whatever

***This is not the sort of ecumenical

discussion which makes headlines. Itdoes not call just for organizationalactivity, but much more for individualand group study and prayer, if pos­sible with those of the other churches.We must be ready to be taught theWord as well as to teach it. May Godgrant that we meet these new chal­lenges and responsibilities diligently,and may we be much in prayer for thecommittees of the churches, as theyseek to do the groundwork for us all.

I am a little Indian boy. My name isGary and I live in Wisconsin. My

tribe is Winnebago which is settlednear the Wisconsin Rapids. I have twoolder sisters and two teenage brothers.I hardly remember the little red houseI used to live in for three or fouryears.

When Mother and Daddy were un­able to care for me properly I was re­moved from my home. I can remem­ber being in a foster home in Wis­consin Rapids. That family had anolder son, Kenny, with whom Iplayed. I liked it there with the Carl­sons.

However, I was not there very longwhen I was placed with my brothersand sisters in the Winnebago Chil­dren's Home. As the youngest childthere I had the run of the place, es­pecially when all the older kids werein school. There were a lot of chil­dren there, mostly Indians of ourtribe, as the name might tell you.

One day I was sailing paper air­planes from the steps when a ladyvisitor stopped to talk with me. Shehad rosy cheeks, blue eyes and a warm,friendly smile. I wondered who shewas. One day I was told I was goingto visit another home but I broke outwith measles and had to stay in myroom for about two weeks. The newhome was going to be a minister'shome.

I was excited about the ride andwondered what kind of a place a

...

March, 1967 47

THE PRESBYTERIAN GUARDIAN7401 Old York RoodPhiladelphia, Po. 19126

Second Closs Postage Paid

at Philadelphia. Po. Return Requested

Mr. Ken~~th A~atin

P.O. Bo~ 4373 C~=pua StationAthena, G30£gia 3~C81

Feb 66 6763

,

Bethel Orthodox Presbyterian Churchshowing new Sunday school wing.

Pastor's daughter Christinesmiling in the cryroom,

The manse occupied by the Rev.and Mrs. Cornelius Tolsma.

Fort Lauderdale ChurchCompletes Educational WingBethel Church recently began to use

its new wing to house a growingSunday school in Fort Lauderdale,Florida. The 70 x 31 addition is con­structed of smooth concrete blockswith redwood trim. A breezewayseparates the wing from the audi­torium.

There are four large classrooms withdrapery dividers, also a cryroom anda kitchen. Future plans call for airconditioning and permanent partitionsfor eight classrooms. A manse wascompleted a year ago. The Rev. Cor­nelius Tolsma is the pastor.

Bethel is the only church with abuilding in the municipality of Laud­erhill, according to Mr. Gerrit Stone­house, chairman of a bond committeewhich played an important part infinancing the new structure. The con-

A BELIEVER'S LIFE OF CHRISTby JOHN RANKIN

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Order fromGreat Commission Publications

7401 Old York Rd.Philadelphia, Pa. 19126

48

gregation is in an expanding area, witha development of 700 new homesgoing up a half mile to the north andanother still larger project three milesbeyond.

Prayer is urged for the fulfilling of"opportunities that appear unlimited"in the spread of the gospel in the FortLauderdale area.

New Pennsylvania ChurchMeets in RestaurantT he Tri-County Presbyterian Church,

which has applied to the OrthodoxPresbyterian denomination, holds itsmorning worship in the Farmer's BestRestaurant, East Lewisburg, Pennsyl­vania. The service is broadcast overradio station WPGM. Dr. LutherCraig Long is the minister, and aFamily Bible Study Hour meets inhis home in Selinsgrove Sundays at5:00 p.m.

Elders on the Session are Messrs.Charles Coryell and John Weiden­hamer, with Mr. Joseph Baumer serv­ing as deacon.

Philadelphia Licenses TwoAt its regular March meeting thet\. Presbytery of Philadelphia li­censed two men under its care topreach the gospel as probationers forthe ministry. Both Mr. George Cotten-

den and Mr. Allen Curry are seniorsat Westminster Seminary and havecome from the United Presbyterianinto the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.

Presbytery met at First Church, Bal­timore, whose building has been re­decorated inside and out under theleadership of home missionary pastorEverett DeVelde.

La Mirada Church Picketed

Agroup of teenagers demonstratedin front of Calvary Church, La

Mirada, California on the last Sundayof February. Contrary to the usualpurpose of picketing, however, theplacards were designed not to keeppeople away but to attract neighborsto Calvary's growing Sunday school.With an average attendance of 194during the final quarter of 1966, agoal of 284 by June 11, 1967 hasbeen set, according to SuperintendentDavid Strong.

TEACHERS NEEDEDTo extend the influence ofChrist - centered education.

Elementary: grade 3 and a teach­ing-principal.

Secondary: history, science, andforeign language.Will you dedicate your gifts toGod's kingdom in this way?

PHILADELPHIA - MONTGOMERYCHRISTIAN ACADEMY

Box 93, Wyncote, Pa, 19095

The Presbyterian Guardian