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| Well, this is it. The end of the road. Later this week the moving truck comes and we will be loading our stuff and saying farewell to British Columbia. Hamilton awaits -- we will be arriving there next week Friday, God willing. We are looking forward to the move.
Along with the move also comes a change in my blogging. I started on Xanga in 2005 with Yinkadene. After a year or so, I shut that down and did something a little different with Yinkahdinay. Originally, my intent with blogging was to connect with the younger crowd in our church -- many of whom were on Xanga. However, eventually they all migrated to Facebook. My audience changed and so my Xanga began to morph into something different.
At this point, I am saying good-bye to Xanga. It has served me well, but I would like to have something where I can integrate resources with a blog. Xanga does not provide that capability. Wordpress does. So, this is my last post on Xanga. This site will remain available, but from now my blogging will be taking place at www.bredenhof.ca See you there!
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In Living Color: Images of Christ and the Means of Grace, Daniel R. Hyde, Grandville: Reformed Fellowship Inc., 2009. Paperback, 192 pages, $13.00 USD.
It’s fair to say that the lawfulness of pictures of Christ is virtually taken for granted in many Reformed communities. Especially when it comes to the teaching and discipling of children, almost everyone assumes that a story Bible with pictures (including pictures of the Lord Jesus) is a given. The status quo is that, while we would perhaps never dream of having pictures of the Son of God in our worship services, it is quite acceptable to have them elsewhere especially for educational or evangelistic purposes.
In this book, Daniel Hyde (United Reformed minister in Oceanside, California) challenges the status quo on images of Christ. He does so first of all using the Word of God, but he also brings in the witness of the Reformed confessions and church history. According to Hyde, images of Christ are not lawful and have no place in either our worship services or our daily lives. While God can certainly use crooked means to accomplish his purposes, his will is that we use his means in propagating the Christian faith, whether with our children or with adults.
In the introduction, the author gives the rationale for the book. It emerges from discussions with his parishioners about the evangelistic potential of Mel Gibson’s 2004 movie, the Passion of the Christ. In the first chapter, Hyde surveys what the Scriptures teach about “Man’s Media.” Here he also helpfully interacts with authors who argue for the use of images, such as Jeffrey J. Meyers. The Reformed confessions are also exposited on this point and Hyde concludes that their message is unanimous: “they forbid all images of God, whether they were intended for worship, education, or artistic expression” (86). In the two other chapters, Hyde makes the positive case for “God’s Media”: the preaching of the Word and the administration of the sacraments. He urges Reformed believers to learn contentment with the means of grace that God has appointed.
In Living Color is not long and it’s written at a level which should be accessible to most readers. Speaking personally, I came to this book convinced of its position beforehand. Nevertheless, I do think that Hyde presents the best case against images of Christ that we’ve heard in a long time. This is an excellent book on a neglected subject and I recommend it highly. May it be a tool in God’s hand to create a new status quo!
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Children at the Lord’s Table? Assessing the Case for Paedocommunion, Cornelis P. Venema, Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books, 2009. Hardcover, 199 pages, $25.00 USD.
Paedocommunion is a word that we’re hearing more often these days, mostly because of its connection with many of the figures associated with the Federal Vision movement. A few years back, one of those figures pointed out to me that no one has ever really written a book presenting a solid case against admitting children to the Lord’s Supper. He may have been right then, but I don’t believe he’s right any longer.
Cornelis Venema is well-known as a professor at Mid-America Reformed Seminary and a United Reformed minister. In this book, he first outlines the arguments of Tim Gallant and others like him for the practice of paedocommunion. These arguments are primarily from Scripture, but there are also historical considerations.
In the chapters following, Venema considers these arguments. He examines the historical evidence and finds it to be inconclusive at best. He also adds a chapter looking at “Paedocommunion and the Reformed Confessions.” Several years ago, there was a case in the United Reformed Churches dealing with whether the Three Forms of Unity allow the teaching of paedocommunion. The answer was negative. Although Venema does not mention that particular case, he affirms the answer. However, most important of all is the Scriptural evidence. Venema examines the relationship between the Passover and the Lord’s Supper and points out that it is not as straightforward as many have made it out to be. In fact, there is a stronger connection between the Lord’s Supper and the covenant renewal meal in Exodus 24. Venema also gives an entire chapter to the crucial passage of 1 Corinthians 11:17-34, concluding that the Biblical way to the Lord’s Table is through public profession of faith.
In the last chapter, the author also considers the relationship between covenant theology and paedocommunion, especially in view of the Federal Vision movement. Given these current issues, this is a helpful discussion. Equally helpful is the appendix dealing with covenant theology and baptism. Venema correctly outlines the promise and obligations of the covenant. Like Klaas Schilder, he distinguishes between two different aspects of the covenant of grace. There’s also a good section on whether the covenant is conditional or unconditional – though I do think that more explicit reference to union with Christ could have sharpened the argument here.
This is an excellent and timely book dealing with an important issue. It would be worthwhile to have it on hand in family and church libraries for when questions arise about paedocommunion. It’s also highly recommended for those who need to have a good understanding of this issue, i.e. pastors and elders.
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| I was reading through K. Schilder's Looze Kalk this afternoon and came across an interesting section about a prayer of John Calvin. The prayer follows his commentary on Jeremiah 31:34. Schilder was interacting with J. Ridderbos who had appealed to Calvin's prayer to make a point in discussions regarding the nature of the covenant. Using a book of prayers of Calvin edited by A.G. Barkey Wolf, Calvin's prayer was quoted by Riddberbos as saying (in translation):
We thank you, O almighty God, that you have deemed us worthy, making a covenant with us through your Son, a covenant which aims for our salvation. We prayerfully ask that we may belong to this covenant.
Schilder pointed out that this is not what Calvin actually said. Here's the Latin from the 1563 Geneva edition of Calvin's commentary on Jeremiah:
If we translate the relevant section, it reads:
Grant, almighty God, since you have favoured us with this singular privilege, that in the power of your Son you have cut your covenant which has been ratified for our salvation, that we may be participants of it...
The English translation in the popular Baker edition of Calvin's Commentaries reads like this:
Grant, Almighty God, that as thou hast favored us with so singular a benefit as to make through thy Son a covenant which has been ratified for our salvation, -- O grant, that we may become partakers of it...
The Dutch "translation" provided by Ridderbos was more of a paraphrase and not even a very accurate one. Schilder was right to call Ridderbos on this one. Schilder went further and argued that "of it" (eius) should be understood as referring to "our salvation" rather than the covenant. In so doing, Schilder argues that Calvin distinguishes in this prayer between belonging to the covenant and being a recipient of salvation. Interesting...
In the Unaccommodated Calvin, Richard Muller warns against placing too much trust in the English translations (especially the Battles edition) of the Institutes. Editors and translators sometimes take liberties with the text that reflect more of their personal biases and theological concerns than what Calvin actually said. Apparently the same has to be said for some editions/translations of Calvin's commentaries. With so much available on the Internet, today it's easier than ever to check what a translation says against the original. Careful scholarship demands it. And, truth be told, it is rather fun to boot...
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R.C. (Karlo) Janssen is the minister-elect of the Abbotsford Canadian Reformed Church just down the road from us here in Langley. He and I studied together (one year) at the CanRC seminary in Hamilton. After graduating from Hamilton, he headed across the pond to study at the Theological University in Kampen. He recently defended a doctoral dissertation on the subject of confessional subscription in the Reformed churches since 1816. It's in English and you can find a free download of it here. I haven't read it through, but it certainly looks interesting. If you can read Dutch, you may also want to read this article and this about it.
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