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REVIEWS:

Kristin Stiles, from booksataglance.com

Rev. James Admiraal (as reviewed in the Jan/Feb 2020 issue of The Outlook)

Rev. Gary Eriks

Rev. Cory Griess

Michelle Hofman (as reviewed on The Young Calvinists blog)

Jim Regnerus 

The Three R's Blog

Jon Van Dyk (as reviewed in the January 18, 2020 issue of Christian Renewal)

Mrs. Ricky Pronk (as reviewed in the January 2020 issue of The Messenger)

Sarah Vandergugten (as reviewed in the April 3, 2020 issue of The Clarion)

We’re bombarded with antichristian messages everywhere in life, and from casual hookups to casual sex, our culture’s messages on dating are no different.

But Christians don’t have to follow these norms. The Bible gives us a better way.

It’s a way of chastity and wisdom. A way that understands that marriage—the end goal of dating—is for life. The person you marry will shape who you become spiritually. And that person will also be the father or mother to the children God is pleased to give you some day.

Pastorally and accessibly, Joshua Engelsma answers the practical questions of Reformed, Christian dating based on the truth that we must date differently—with marriage as the goal and scripture as the guide.

____________

Joshua Engelsma is a minister in the Protestant Reformed Churches of America. He lives in Doon, Iowa, with his wife, Courtney, and six children. He has served as pastor of Doon Protestant Reformed Church since 2014.

Also available in paperback
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This product has been made available thanks to the generous support of Faith Protestant Reformed Church Evangelism Committee.

PEACE FOR THE TROUBLE HEART

Book reviews:

Joseph Holstege (published on the Young Calvinists website)

Peace for the Troubled Heart is a genuinely Reformed devotional, breathing the rich experience of the believing child of God.

Comprised of 37 meditations written by Herman Hoeksema, this book addresses the theme of struggle and suffering in this life of every believer as a pilgrim of this world. Hoeksema, in his warm, personal, often poetic style, masterfully exercises the spiritual gift of devotional writing.

• 304 pages
• hardcover
• ISBN 978-1-936054-05-3

eBook version available in .mobi format (for Kindle users) and .epub (all other devices).

 

COMMUNION WITH GOD

A biblical, doctrinal, and Christ-centered devotional, this book addresses the theme of the believer’s communion with God. Each meditation expresses the knowing, desiring, feeling, and acting of the faith of the heart that is near to God and in fellowship with him in Christ by the Holy Spirit.

Communion with God is part of the Reformed Spirituality series comprised of meditations written by Herman Hoeksema.

• 368 pages
• hardcover
• ISBN 978-1-936054-06-0

eBook version available in .mobi format (for Kindle users) and .epub (all other devices).

 

ALL GLORY TO THE ONLY GOOD GOD

The third book in the Reformed Spirituality series, this book again consists of meditations by Protestant Reformed minister and theologian, Herman Hoeksema. The meditations in this volume have in common their living, breathing zeal for the glory of the good God. God is only good—good in himself; good in creation; good in salvation; good in Christ; good to his elect people.

This set of beautiful meditations demonstrates that genuine spirituality rises from and ends in the glory of God, for the zeal of the soul for God's glory is the most profound spirituality. And because the Spirit works spirituality by sound doctrine, spirituality exists and flourishes by means of sound instruction in biblical, Reformed doctrine.

All Glory to the Only Good God is part of the Reformed Spirituality series comprised of meditations written by Herman Hoeksema.

• 336 pages
• hardcover
• ISBN 978-1-936054-28-2

Ebook version available in .mobi format (for Kindle users) and .epub (all other devices).

Reviews:

The Three R's Blog

Many people are familiar with the public persona of Herman Hoeksema. As one of the leading theologians of the twentieth century, a seminary professor, the pastor of a large congregation, and a prolific writer, he was well-known in ecclesiastical circles, as well as in the world in general. But to his family he was “just Dad.” This anecdotal biography written by his youngest child records many stories about him, some perhaps familiar but others never before told.

Included in the book are numerous pictures of Hoeksema and his family, as well as an appendix with several personal letters of Hoeksema written to his children when he took a trip to Europe in 1929. These will show you a side of Hoeksema not found elsewhere.

• 144 pages
• ISBN 978-1-936054-55-8

ebook version available in .mobi format (for Kindle users) and .epub (all other devices).

 

One reader commented:

“I finished the book Just Dad. It was so good! In so many ways I can relate to their feelings and experiences they had in their life. It is also good for us to see that he was a husband and a father. A normal and fallible man, doing the work the Lord placed before him. I still think people today place their minister and family on a pedestal and forget they have feelings, likes and dislikes, and they like to spend time with their own family and have a good time too. I am glad the RFPA printed that book.”—A Protestant Reformed minister’s wife.

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In his preaching and teaching, the Lord Jesus Christ does not quote directly from the book of Ecclesiastes. Jesus, rather, takes up the truth and concepts found in that book and expands on them in many of his parables. As such, the teachings of Ecclesiastes are part of the fabric of the gospel. The book undergirds the knowledge of the world as it is fallen in sin under God’s judgment. The world can afford us no salvation; man cannot deliver himself from bondage; under the sun the works of men do not profit; salvation, which is from above, is a work of God alone; God must enter into our misery in the person of his only begotten Son to save and redeem us. Under the sun, deliverance is not to be found, only vanity and death. Ecclesiastes points to the need for the work of God’s grace—in Christ, the true Savior—as the only solution to the fallen world and its vanity.

Thomas Miersma is minister emeritus in the Protestant Reformed Churches. During his ministry (1982–2017) he pastored two churches in Canada. He also labored in the United States for many years as Western Home Missionary.

Review:

Jennifer King (published on Worth a Bowed Head blog)

The second series, Show Me Thy Ways (Grades 4-6), teaches the same material as Suffer Little Children, but on a more advanced level, and consists of a student text and a workbook for each grade.

Show Me Thy Ways Textbook (Grade 4) 372 pages, hardcover

Show Me Thy Ways Student's Workbook (Grade 4) 71 pages, paperback

Show Me Thy Ways Textbook (Grade 5) 372 pages, hardcover

Show Me Thy Ways Student's Workbook (Grade 5) 75 pages, paperback

Show Me Thy Ways Textbook (Grade 6) 338 pages, hardcover

Show Me Thy Ways Student's Workbook (Grade 6) 74 pages, paperback

  Click on the PDF icon to look inside the book.

 

Review by Rev. Jerome Julian, from The Outlook, Vol. 71 Issue 1
Review by Rev. Joseph Holstege, from The Standard Bearer, Vol 98. Issue 5
Review by Rev. Martyn McGeown, from the Protestant Reformed Theological Journal, Vol. 54 No. 2
Review by Rev. Matthew DeBoer 

 

The book of Job is God’s commentary on the suffering and trials of his people. God speaks to our trials from the viewpoint, first, of his own interactions with Satan, then from the viewpoint of Job’s interactions with his friends, and finally as the one who appears to Job and his friends in a tornado. The book describes suffering on a scale seldom seen but shows our weaknesses and the temptations we face when under the hand of God or when called to bring comfort to others who are suffering. For that reason it is instructive and corrective but is also of great comfort, for it points those who are suffering to God’s sovereignty in trials and to his faithfulness and saving grace to his own.

Those who have read the book of Job often find the book repetitious and difficult to follow, especially the interaction of Job and his friends. This work is not meant to be an exhaustive, verse-by-verse explanation of the book of Job but is an attempt to show how the book fits together and leads up to its grand climax in the appearance of God. It also attempts to show that Job has often been misunderstood and maligned, and though guilty of sin, as we all are in suffering, is nevertheless one whose faith and hope in God are sure. May it be of help to all who love God as Job did, especially when the God they love chastises and corrects them as he does all of his children.

Ronald Hanko is an emeritus minister in the Protestant Reformed Churches of America. He has served in the active ministry for 38 years. He has also written Doctrine according to Godliness: A Primer of Reformed Doctrine and The Coming of Zion’s Redeemer: The Prophecies of Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.

• ISBN: 978-1-944555-83-2

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Judges and Ruth, the fifth volume in the Unfolding Covenant History series, continues the exposition of Old Testament history from the viewpoint of God’s covenant faithfulness toward his people in the old dispensation. Professor David J. Engelsma now becomes the author, intending to finish in this and succeeding volumes what Professor Homer C. Hoeksema began.

Part 1 traces the dark history of the time of the judges with its recurring themes of Israel’s departure from Jehovah to serve heathen idols, God’s chastisement of his people by delivering them to the persecution and dominance of their enemies, their crying to him for help in their distress, and the Lord’s gracious deliverance of them by various judges. The conclusion of this downward line of the history of God’s people illustrates the necessity of a theocratic king in Israel, as expressed in the words of Judges 21:25: “In those days there was no king in Israel.”

Part 2 explains the familiar but amazing history of Ruth, which illustrates vividly the truth of God’s sovereign redemption in the salvation of the Gentiles and the inclusion of Ruth into the line of the covenant so that she becomes the grandmother of King David, the savior of Israel as the theocratic king and the type of Christ.

• 238 pages
• ISBN 978-1-944555-01-6

ebook version available in .mobi format (for Kindle users) and .epub (all other devices).

Volume 4 (Through the Wilderness Into Canaan) of the Unfolding Covenant History series describes the journey of Israel from Egypt to the land of promise, as well as their conquering and inheritance of Canaan.

In the section on the wanderings in the wilderness, the author details Israel's journey to Mt. Sinai, where by the giving of God's law they were constituted as a covenant nation. He narrates their eventful progress towards Canaan, and their drawing back in unbelief when they were at the very door of the promised land.

After their fulfillment of God's sentence to wander for forty years in the wilderness because of their unbelief, God's people must learn anew to trust in Jehovah as they seek to dispossess the inhabitants of the land of promise. Under the leadership of Joshua, and despite much stumbling, Israel learns to expect the victory from their covenant God, and finally subdues and inherits Canaan.

• 414 pages
• ISBN 978-1-944555-00-9

ebook version available in .mobi format (for Kindle users) and .epub (all other devices).

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The second volume (From the Flood to Isaac) of the Unfolding Covenant History series is divided into three parts: the postdiluvian world and the patriarchal eras of Abraham and Isaac. The postdiluvian section covers the changed earth after the flood, the establishment by God of the sword-power ordinance, the covenant with Noah, Noah’s prophetic blessing and cursing, Nimrod, Babel, and the genealogy/chronology provided for Shem’s generations. Though the facts about the first two patriarchs are familiar, the covenantal perspective on those lives makes for a much richer interpretation than most readers have ever before encountered. In fact, this can be said of all the proposed books in this series.

• 328 pages
• ISBN 978-1-936054-98-5

ebook version available in .mobi format (for Kindle users) and .epub (all other devices).

 Click pdf for chapter preview.

NOW AVAILABLE! (in ebook format only)

Taken from the foreword to the first edition:

That the rejection of our Lord, the Christ of God, by men, is not to be understood as a mere historical fact, but rather as a universal truth; that mere men, the flesh, must always reject the Christ of the scriptures; that, therefore, as we contemplate the cross of the Savior, we have nothing to boast, but must, in deep humiliation, confess our iniquity, and, putting away our own righteousness, trust in his righteousness only, and that, too, only through the power of God’s sovereign grace,—this has all the emphasis in the Lenten meditations that are hereby presented to the reader. The cross of Christ leaves no room for boast, yet, for those that boast in it, it is the sure ground of their salvation.

• ISBN 978-1-944555-65-8

ebook version available in .mobi format (for Kindle users) and .epub (all other devices).

NOW AVAILABLE!

The author lived through much of the history he writes about and taught church history for more than three decades. This fascinating study shows how the battle for truth and the history of Christ's church are inseparably connected. Historical facts are woven through doctrinal history as the author tells the story of a denomination that has fought hard to hold to the Reformed truth.

• 592 pages
• hardcover
• ISBN 978-1-944555-62-7

ebook version is available in .mobi format (for Kindle users) and .epub (all other devices).

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REVIEW:

Rev. Wilbur Bruinsma

On the night before he was betrayed Jesus ate his last meal with his disciples. The heavy weight of the cross bore down on him, yet his focus lay not on his own suffering, but on his imminent departure and what this meant for his disciples.

The Upper Room Discourse of John 14–16 records the words of great comfort Jesus gave his disciples. He must indeed go away from them. But by doing so Jesus would bridge the gap between creature and Creator; between earth and heaven; and between sinners and the holy, just God. Jesus is the way to the Father, and it was only through the way of the cross and his resurrection and ascension that his people could be reconciled to the Father and receive the Comforter and life.

With clear and pastoral applications to the church today, Martyn McGeown leads us into the upper room to hear Jesus’ instruction alongside the disciples. It is in the upper room that we receive Jesus’ exhortations and encouragement, heed his warnings, and appropriate his comfort through faith.

Martyn McGeown is a pastor in the Protestant Reformed Churches. He is the author of Called to Watch for Christ’s Return, Micah: Proclaiming the Incomparable God, Grace and Assurance: The Message of the Canons of Dordt, and Born for Our Salvation: The Nativity and Childhood of Jesus Christ.

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“Moses was a unique figure in the history of the church. Never again would there be a mere human prophet who would know the Lord so intimately, face to face. His life in so many respects [was] a visible demonstration of the grace of God and of the gospel. He was a mediator through whom Israel…stood before the greatness of the living God. Henceforth they could only look forward to the day of which Moses spoke when he said to them, ‘The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken’ (Deut. 18:15). He would be the fulfillment of that of which Moses was only the type.”

Rev. Bernard Woudenberg (1931–2020) was a member of the Protestant Reformed Churches of America and served in several pastorates during his forty-year ministry. One of his greatest loves was Old Testament history, the fruit of which became the rubric “Cloud of Witnesses” in the Standard Bearer magazine. He wrote more than 200 articles under this rubric, many of which covered the life of Moses and became the subject matter of this book.

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This book covers the nine aspects of the fruit of the Spirit (found in Galatians 5:22, 23) that proceed from that fountain, Christ, and which by his Spirit he works in his saints. The book encourages branches of believers and their seed unto a life of good fruit-bearing.

Also available in paperback
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NEW RELEASE

Rev. Jason Kortering (1936–2020) was a minister in the Protestant Reformed Churches. From 1992–2006, he and his wife, Jean, were called to missionary labors in Singapore, India, and Myanmar. Say Among the Heathen the Lord Reigns is Jean’s account of those years. The recollections and stories in this book will direct your heart to the Son of God who gathers, defends, and preserves to himself an elect church out of all nations, kindreds, peoples, and tongues.

“Our living in Singapore and other foreign countries for 10+ years was a great blessing for the whole family. Though children and grandchildren gave up their parents and grandparents for the Lord’s work, and we were separated from each other for a while, God remained our constant. He reigns. He reigns over the whole earth and we rejoice. He reigns over the multitude of isles and they are glad (Ps. 97). He rules in America and he rules across the globe. We were separated by many, many miles but we were so close because we worshiped and served the same God. He is supremely sovereign and yet gentle and caring in his love for his people. It was our privilege many years ago to share that truth in a heathen culture.” — Jean Kortering, July 2022

• Paperback
• Pages: 368
• ISBN: 9781736815441

NEW RELEASE

The form itself was adopted by the Synod of Dordt (1618–19) as the authoritative form for the administration and celebration of the sacrament of the Supper by both the Reformed churches in the Netherlands and by Dutch-speaking churches in the tradition of Dordt elsewhere in the world. Over the years the form has been adopted, translated, and used by most—if not all—Reformed churches that stand in the tradition of Dordt.

The Lord’s supper form, therefore, expresses the faith of orthodox, Reformed Christianity concerning the supper and all the rich implications of the supper for doctrine and life.

• 426 pages
• Hardcover
• ISBN 978-1-936054-57-2

NEW RELEASE

God said to Abraham, “I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee” (Gen. 17:7; cf. Lev. 26:12, Ezek. 37:27, Jer. 30:22). This covenant is the intimate relationship of fellowship he has chosen to share with his people in Jesus Christ. God has blessed his Old and New Testament church by way of the truth of the covenant even as he blessed Abraham. The truth of the covenant comforts us in distress, encourages us in our battle against our enemies, and gives strength when we are weak. We as believers must embrace the truth of God’s covenant by developing and nurturing a worldview that is rooted in the blessed relationship which our heavenly Father has made with us in Christ.

With the heart of a pastor and the passion of a preacher, the author has written this book to help believers combat the threatening influences of both the world and our own sin upon the Christian home and church. As a practical exposition of the doctrine of God’s covenant, this volume will aid children of the covenant in directing their lives unto the triune God— in the family, among other saints, and as they live in the midst of an unbelieving world.

Wilbur Bruinsma is a minister in the Protestant Reformed Churches. He has pastored four congregations, and he has also served as a domestic missionary in the United States and as a missionary to Jamaica. Rev. Bruinsma and his wife have been blessed with five children and many grandchildren.

• 189 pages
• Hardcover
• ISBN: 978-0-916206-46-8

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Reviews:

Old Schoolhouse review

This third volume in the three-volume art curriculum set, Behold the Beauty, is designed to be used by teachers or homeschooling parents for kindergarten–6th grade. The ultimate objective of every lesson is exactly as the title implies: to behold the beauty of creation and to praise God in doing that. As students learn to more closely observe creation while rendering what they see in pencil, paint, or other artistic media, they will be trained to meet that objective. In serving that goal, the lessons teach how to use the elements of art, such as line, shape, and color, while introducing the principles of design, such as unity, variety, and focal point. Not only do students learn to behold the evidence of God's glory all around them by these means, they also learn to make objects of beauty in order to communicate that glory to others. The curriculum is based on the infallible Scriptures, and the twelve lessons of each grade level comprise a thorough, biblical, and systematic art education.

Behold the Beauty was also written with practical considerations in mind: to assist instructors who have had little or no training in art. The lessons are clear and easy to use, requiring minimal supplies without compromising objectives.

The author, Connie L. Meyer, is a wife and mother of five children and is a 1982 graduate of Calvin College with a BA in art education. She has used the lessons with her children and has helped teachers teach art in their classrooms. 

• 280 pages
• softcover, spiral bound
• ISBN: 978-1-936054-30-5

Related products: 

Behold the Beauty - Art Curriculum (Kindergarten & First Grade)

Behold the Beauty - Art Curriculum (Second & Third Grade)

What others have said about this curriculum:

"This book has been a great introduction to art fro my son. We've been using it for over a year now and have made many wonderful art projects. I even have his 2 yr. brother participate and he has fun. It teaches great art concepts and includes godly wisdom alongside."

"This is a great book. There is a small amount of prep (little more than making sure you have the materials), and no special skills required. I have been working through this with my 6 year old (started when she was 5. Her little brother also tries to do the projects (and is successful for the most part). Highly recommended."

NEW RELEASE

In his preaching and teaching, the Lord Jesus Christ does not quote directly from the book of Ecclesiastes. Jesus, rather, takes up the truth and concepts found in that book and expands on them in many of his parables. As such, the teachings of Ecclesiastes are part of the fabric of the gospel. The book undergirds the knowledge of the world as it is fallen in sin under God’s judgment. The world can afford us no salvation; man cannot deliver himself from bondage; under the sun the works of men do not profit; salvation, which is from above, is a work of God alone; God must enter into our misery in the person of his only begotten Son to save and redeem us. Under the sun, deliverance is not to be found, only vanity and death. Ecclesiastes points to the need for the work of God’s grace—in Christ, the true Savior—as the only solution to the fallen world and its vanity.

Thomas Miersma is minister emeritus in the Protestant Reformed Churches. During his ministry (1982–2017) he pastored two churches in Canada. He also labored in the United States for many years as Western Home Missionary.

 

  Click the PDF to read an excerpt!

 

Review by Annemarieke Ryskamp, from The Outlook, Vol. 71, Issue 6

Review by Ken Kolk, retired professor of history

 

August 1862. Eighteen-year-old Harm van Wyke finds his quiet life in the Dutch Reformed community of Holland, Michigan, upended by the American Civil War. When it becomes clear the war will not be as easily won as once believed, President Lincoln calls for 300,000 volunteers to defend the Union. Harm’s minister, Rev. Albertus van Raalte, encourages the young men of his community to join the cause. Harm’s father bitterly opposes the idea. Harm hesitates to leave his home, but when his friends portray the war as a grand adventure, he gives in and joins them. Together, some eighty boys and young men from Holland join the 25^th Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment.

As Harm and his friends travel to army camps in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and then Louisville, Kentucky, they face daily temptations to forget God and turn from their faith. Fellow soldiers think nothing of taking the Lord’s name in vain. They gamble, drink, and “forage” from neighboring homes and farms. Harm and his friends gather regularly to sing the old psalms and discuss the Bible, but still, on occasion, they stumble and fall.

As the war progresses, the boys from Holland battle Confederate General John Hunt Morgan in Western Kentucky, and endure an arduous march to Eastern Tennessee where they join the fighting around Knoxville. Later, they take part in General Sherman’s prolonged and bloody Atlanta campaign. Along the way, Harm and his friends face the harsh realities of war—exposure, disease, injury, and death. In the midst of such hardship, Harm’s faith is tried at every turn. His greatest conflict turns out to be spiritual. Will God give Harm the strength to stand for what is right, even if he finds himself opposed by friends?

_

P.M. Kuiper is a member of the Protestant Reformed Churches. In his free time he enjoys wandering the great outdoors, writing, reading good literature, and playing guitar. He resides in West Michigan.

Paula Barone is a member of the Protestant Reformed Churches and a former academic support teacher. She enjoys drawing, reading, and indoor rock climbing. She also lives in West Michigan.

Click here for the hardcopy.

The Christian’s hope is the visible, bodily, glorious return of the Lord Jesus Christ on the clouds of heaven with the resurrection of the Christian’s body, the public vindication of the Christian at the last judgment, and the enjoyment of the glories of the new creation.

David J. Engelsma writes on eschatology in the service of the church’s hope. This volume treats the magnificent subjects of the intermediate state and the millennium. The bulk of this book is devoted to a thorough analysis of the millennium, with a vigorous defense of Reformed amillennialism. Especially thorough is Engelsma’s critique of postmillennialism, which he sees as a threat to Reformed churches. Both postmillennialism and dispensational premillennialism subvert the church’s hope. Postmillenialism fixes the believer’s hope on a golden age within history in which the church will be dominant—a carnal victory. Dispensational premillenialism fixes the believer’s hope on a fictitious rapture, which will snatch the church out of the world so that God can fulfill his program in history with the Jews. Both views leave the church unprepared for the future.

As Engelsma demonstrates, the last things—centrally the coming of Christ—are the purpose and goal of all the revelation of God in scripture, from beginning to end. This book will encourage the Christian as he heeds Christ’s instruction regarding that coming: “Gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:13).

• ISBN 978-1-944555-68-9
• Pages: 350

 Click pdf for preview.

 Review by Rev. Jerome Julien, The Outlook July/August 2021

Simon van Velzen was a powerful preacher of the gospel. He was a reformer of the church of Christ in the Netherlands in the Secession of 1834. He was a seminary professor who influenced hundreds of future Reformed ministers. He was a faithful husband and devoted father.

In his own day, he was held in high regard by such notable figures as Abraham Kuyper and Herman Bavinck, and was respected as a spiritual father and John Calvin-like figure by Reformed believers both in the Netherlands and America.

Sadly, many Reformed Christians in the twenty-first century have little, if any, idea as to who he is. Where he is remembered, he is often branded as being “unyielding, obstinate, and domineering,” and he is dismissed as being of little significance in the history of the church.

Here’s the biography that corrects the ignorance and misconceptions by setting forth the fascinating life of an influential figure in the history of Christ’s church.

____________

Joshua Engelsma is a minister in the Protestant Reformed Churches of America. He has served as pastor of Doon Protestant Reformed Church since 2014. He is also the author of Dating Differently: A Guide to Reformed Dating.

• 240 pages
• ISBN 978-1-944555-74-0

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Reviews:

Prof. Doug Kuiper, The Standard Bearer June 2021

 

For many, the term “ancient” implies drudgery and irrelevance for many. However, the outset of this book will dispel any such notions. The ancient age brims with interest, instruction, and encouragement for today’s readers. This was an age of miracle-working apostles, fearless martyrs, and stalwart church fathers; an age that preserved the scriptures, prescribed the creeds, and produced timeless Christian classics; an age when the church was buffeted by fierce waves of persecution and assailed by heresies of every sort. Through this volume and the ones that follow, the Lord Jesus Christ, the cornerstone of the church, sovereignly shepherded his beloved church by his word and Spirit.

In this first volume of Christ and His Church through the Ages, author and historian Herman Hanko tells the fascinating story of the ancient church during the first six centuries of the New Testament dispensation. He relates how Christ faithfully guided the church from the ministry of the apostles through the fall of the Roman Empire. Highlights of this history include the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the spread of the gospel to the Gentiles, the persecution of the church under Roman emperors, the deliberations of the ecumenical councils, and the battle for the truth of sovereign grace.

Through this and future volumes, students of church history and interested readers alike will surely grow in their love and appreciation for the saga of Christ’s church. They will find church history to be, as the author once affectionately described it, “the exciting adventure of the marvelous work of grace.”

Herman Hanko served as professor of church history at the Theological School of the Protestant Reformed Churches from 1965 until his retirement in 2001. He is the author of several books, including Portraits of Faithful Saints, Contending for the Faith, and For Thy Truth’s Sake: A Doctrinal History of the Protestant Reformed Churches.

Dan Van Uffelen is a church history teacher at Covenant Christian High School in Walker, Michigan. He has taught church history for almost two decades.

• 272 pages
• hardcover
  
• ISBN 978-1-944555-92-4

ebook version available in .mobi format (for Kindle users) and .epub (all other devices)

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Rev. Jason Kortering (1936–2020) was a minister in the Protestant Reformed Churches. From 1992–2006, he and his wife, Jean, were called to missionary labors in Singapore, India, and Myanmar. Say Among the Heathen the Lord Reigns is Jean’s account of those years. The recollections and stories in this book will direct your heart to the Son of God who gathers, defends, and preserves to himself an elect church out of all nations, kindreds, peoples, and tongues.

“Our living in Singapore and other foreign countries for 10+ years was a great blessing for the whole family. Though children and grandchildren gave up their parents and grandparents for the Lord’s work, and we were separated from each other for a while, God remained our constant. He reigns. He reigns over the whole earth and we rejoice. He reigns over the multitude of isles and they are glad (Ps. 97). He rules in America and he rules across the globe. We were separated by many, many miles but we were so close because we worshiped and served the same God. He is supremely sovereign and yet gentle and caring in his love for his people. It was our privilege many years ago to share that truth in a heathen culture.” — Jean Kortering, July 2022

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Free sample of the latest issue of our children's magazine. To learn more, visit ignitedbytheword.org.

The form itself was adopted by the Synod of Dordt (1618–19) as the authoritative form for the administration and celebration of the sacrament of the Supper by both the Reformed churches in the Netherlands and by Dutch-speaking churches in the tradition of Dordt elsewhere in the world. Over the years the form has been adopted, translated, and used by most—if not all—Reformed churches that stand in the tradition of Dordt.

The Lord’s supper form, therefore, expresses the faith of orthodox, Reformed Christianity concerning the supper and all the rich implications of the supper for doctrine and life.

• 426 pages
• Hardcover
• ISBN 978-1-936054-59-6

ebook version available in .epub (Kindle users and all other devices)

REVIEW:

Rev. Justin Smidstra

The truth central to all eschatology is the second coming of Jesus Christ itself, what the Greek of the New Testament promises as the parousia, literally the presence (of Jesus Christ). All the other aspects of the biblical doctrine of the coming of Jesus are subordinate to this coming, either as leading to it, accompanying it, or proceeding from it. Therefore, the proper subtitle of this second volume of The Church’s Hope: The Reformed Doctrine of the End is The Coming of Christ.

The coming of Christ Jesus, with all that is related to it, will be the “end.” Such is Jesus’ own description of his coming in Matthew 24:14: “And then shall the end come;” which might be paraphrased, “And then shall the goal be reached.” The coming of Christ, with all that precedes and follows, is the goal of God, not only with the events of the last days but also of all history. All the events belonging strictly to the last things, all the history of the New Testament church, all the history of the world beginning with its creation, and all the doctrines of the Christian faith have the coming, or presence, of Jesus Christ as their goal.

This is the importance of the content of this volume.

This is why the outstanding promise of the gospel is that uttered by Jesus himself: “I come quickly” (Rev. 22:12). This is why the fundamental prayer of the church is, in response, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Rev. 22:20).

• ISBN: 9781736815427

Included in this ebook: Part Six: The Return of Christ and the Last Things

Doctrine according to Godliness is perfect for older youths or adults who have questions on Reformed theology and want answers quickly. The book consists of short, easy-to-read explanations of more than 235 topics of Reformed theology. The sections are both comprehensive yet succinct, each only a page or two long. An index to the subject titles allows the reader to find a title under any of its key words. The book makes an especially good resource for older young people in doctrine classes, for newcomers to the Reformed faith on domestic or foreign mission fields, and for those studying doctrine with a view toward church membership.

One would expect a book of this kind to be quite dry and tedious to read, but Doctrine according to Godliness is warm, personal, and has a definite devotional feel to it. "Fantastic!" said an elder who used it in manuscript form as enrichment for an "Essentials of Doctrine" class he taught for the youth at his church.

Ebook version available in .mobi format (for Kindle users) and .epub (all other devices).

Included in this ebook: Part Five: The Church and the Sacraments

Doctrine according to Godliness is perfect for older youths or adults who have questions on Reformed theology and want answers quickly. The book consists of short, easy-to-read explanations of more than 235 topics of Reformed theology. The sections are both comprehensive yet succinct, each only a page or two long. An index to the subject titles allows the reader to find a title under any of its key words. The book makes an especially good resource for older young people in doctrine classes, for newcomers to the Reformed faith on domestic or foreign mission fields, and for those studying doctrine with a view toward church membership.

One would expect a book of this kind to be quite dry and tedious to read, but Doctrine according to Godliness is warm, personal, and has a definite devotional feel to it. "Fantastic!" said an elder who used it in manuscript form as enrichment for an "Essentials of Doctrine" class he taught for the youth at his church.

Ebook version available in .mobi format (for Kindle users) and .epub (all other devices).

Included in this ebook: Part Four: The Covenant and Salvation

Doctrine according to Godliness is perfect for older youths or adults who have questions on Reformed theology and want answers quickly. The book consists of short, easy-to-read explanations of more than 235 topics of Reformed theology. The sections are both comprehensive yet succinct, each only a page or two long. An index to the subject titles allows the reader to find a title under any of its key words. The book makes an especially good resource for older young people in doctrine classes, for newcomers to the Reformed faith on domestic or foreign mission fields, and for those studying doctrine with a view toward church membership.

One would expect a book of this kind to be quite dry and tedious to read, but Doctrine according to Godliness is warm, personal, and has a definite devotional feel to it. "Fantastic!" said an elder who used it in manuscript form as enrichment for an "Essentials of Doctrine" class he taught for the youth at his church.

Ebook version available in .mobi format (for Kindle users) and .epub (all other devices).

Included in this ebook: Part Three: Christ and His Work

Doctrine according to Godliness is perfect for older youths or adults who have questions on Reformed theology and want answers quickly. The book consists of short, easy-to-read explanations of more than 235 topics of Reformed theology. The sections are both comprehensive yet succinct, each only a page or two long. An index to the subject titles allows the reader to find a title under any of its key words. The book makes an especially good resource for older young people in doctrine classes, for newcomers to the Reformed faith on domestic or foreign mission fields, and for those studying doctrine with a view toward church membership.

One would expect a book of this kind to be quite dry and tedious to read, but Doctrine according to Godliness is warm, personal, and has a definite devotional feel to it. "Fantastic!" said an elder who used it in manuscript form as enrichment for an "Essentials of Doctrine" class he taught for the youth at his church.

Ebook version available in .mobi format (for Kindle users) and .epub (all other devices).

Included in this ebook: Part Two: Man and His World

Doctrine according to Godliness is perfect for older youths or adults who have questions on Reformed theology and want answers quickly. The book consists of short, easy-to-read explanations of more than 235 topics of Reformed theology. The sections are both comprehensive yet succinct, each only a page or two long. An index to the subject titles allows the reader to find a title under any of its key words. The book makes an especially good resource for older young people in doctrine classes, for newcomers to the Reformed faith on domestic or foreign mission fields, and for those studying doctrine with a view toward church membership.

One would expect a book of this kind to be quite dry and tedious to read, but Doctrine according to Godliness is warm, personal, and has a definite devotional feel to it. "Fantastic!" said an elder who used it in manuscript form as enrichment for an "Essentials of Doctrine" class he taught for the youth at his church.

Ebook version available in .mobi format (for Kindle users) and .epub (all other devices).

Included in this ebook: Part One: God and His Word

Doctrine according to Godliness is perfect for older youths or adults who have questions on Reformed theology and want answers quickly. The book consists of short, easy-to-read explanations of more than 235 topics of Reformed theology. The sections are both comprehensive yet succinct, each only a page or two long. An index to the subject titles allows the reader to find a title under any of its key words. The book makes an especially good resource for older young people in doctrine classes, for newcomers to the Reformed faith on domestic or foreign mission fields, and for those studying doctrine with a view toward church membership.

One would expect a book of this kind to be quite dry and tedious to read, but Doctrine according to Godliness is warm, personal, and has a definite devotional feel to it. "Fantastic!" said an elder who used it in manuscript form as enrichment for an "Essentials of Doctrine" class he taught for the youth at his church.

Ebook version available in .mobi format (for Kindle users) and .epub (all other devices).