Wednesday, October 28, 2015

28 October 2015




“But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand.” [Ezekiel 33:6]


“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” [Ephesians 6:12]


Presbyterians Week Headlines

[1] Conference “Western Civilization and the Crown Rights of Jesus Christ – How to Win Back the West” Scheduled for 21-23 January 2016 in Birmingham, Alabama

[2] Free Church of Scotland Moderator the Rev. David Robertson Speaks Out against Compulsory LBGTI Sexuality Lessons for Children as Young as Five

[3] Austin’s Antiquarian Books Offering “The Psalms And Hymns of The Reformed Protestant Dutch Church in North America” for US$65 plus Shipping

[4] United Church of Canada and United Church of Christ Formalize Full Communion

[5] New Articles from Professor Robert Gagnon

[6] Reformed Books Online Includes Fifty-Two Whole Bible Commentaries

[7] ARPTalk 119 - The October Meeting of the Erskine Board: Not Much Has Changed!

[8]
News from the Deepest Recesses of Hell

[9]
Raging Heathen and Vain Imagining

[10] 
The Religion of Peace

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[1] Conference “Western Civilization and the Crown Rights of Jesus Christ – How to Win Back the West” Scheduled for 21-23 January 2016 in Birmingham, Alabama


Is this the end of Christian civilization? No! What is happening to our culture? We have been witnessing a massive moral and spiritual decline even during our lifetime. Is this the end of America? Are we perhaps even witnessing the downfall of the Christian West? Is this the end of Christian civilization? Many Christians are helpless and hopeless in light of the decline of Christianity in our country and doomsday-preachers work non-stop to capitalize on this crisis while the most important questions are being neglected: Isn't there any hope? Can we do anything to reverse this trend? This is what this conference is about. There is hope and there is much we can do to further the Kingdom even in the light of such fierce opposition. Christ's claim is on the whole world and He will succeed. Come with your family and be encouraged!

Conference speakers include Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore (subject to judicial calendar availability), the Rev. Dr. Joe Morecraft, the Rev. Dr. Sacha Walicord, Col. John Eidsmoe, Historian Bill Potter, Chuck Michaelis, and Barry Sheets.

Some of the topics to be addressed are:

“Righteousness Exalts a Nation: The State of the Judiciary in the United States”

“The Roots of Western Civilization”

“The Rise and Fall of Western Civilization”

“The Future of Western Civilization and the Crown Rights of King Jesus”

“The Decline of Europe and Lessons for America”

“Education and the Crown Rights of Jesus Christ”

“Christian Response to Civil Tyranny”

The conference venue is the American Village located just south of Birmingham in Montevallo, Alabama.


+ Landmark Events, Post Office Box 1762, Columbia, Tennessee 38402, Contact Page


[2] Free Church of Scotland Moderator the Rev. David Robertson Speaks Out against Compulsory LBGTI Sexuality Lessons for Children as Young as Five

A 25 October 2015 Premier article by Hannah Tooley titled “Free Church of Scotland against Sexuality Lessons for Young Pupils” reports that Free Church of Scotland Moderator the Rev. David Robertson has spoken against Scottish Parliament proposals to make mandatory LBGTI sexuality lessons for school children as young as five.

Robertson said:

"At the outset we restate our view that no pupils should be bullied in school for their beliefs and for the pursuit of a particular lifestyle and morality.

"We do not believe that insisting that all pupils should be subject to a particular sexual ethic, irrespective of the beliefs and desires of their parents is either the only way or the best and most obvious way of tackling this problem.

"Human rights legislation says that 'the State shall respect the right of parents to ensure such education and teaching in conformity with their own religious and philosophical convictions'.

"The petitioner's demand for statutory teaching of such topics without provision for parents and pupils who disagree is in direct conflict with this legislation.

"If granted the results would inevitably and evidently involve the promotion of a lifestyle which we view as contrary to God's good plan for us."

"We believe that the real object of the petition is to indoctrinate school pupils with one particular perspective on moral and sexual ethics and one which is contrary to mainstream Christianity.

"We believe this is a Trojan horse to impose an ideological perspective on all pupils, whether they want it or not.

"Naturally 'equal opportunity to achieve' is something the Free Church of Scotland supports, but we disagree that the only way to achieve this is to make LGBTI+ teaching mandatory.

"It also begs the question; what about the rights of those students who would feel excluded by this teaching?

"The petitioner's demand for statutory teaching of such topics without provision for parents and pupils who disagree, since they would evidently involve the promotion of a lifestyle which we view as contrary to God's good plan for us, breaches the human rights of Bible-believing Christians in Scotland."


+ Premier, 22 Chapter Street, London SW1P 4NP, England, Contact Page

+ Free Church of Scotland, 15 North Bank Street, The Mound, Edinburgh, Scotland EH1 2LS, 0131-226-5286, Fax: 0131-220-0597, catherine@freechurchofscotland.org.uk


[3] Austin’s Antiquarian Books Offering “The Psalms And Hymns of The Reformed Protestant Dutch Church in North America” for US$65 plus Shipping

Austin’s Antiquarian Books is offering a copy of “The Psalms And Hymns of The Reformed Protestant Dutch Church in North America” Philadelphia: Mentz & Rovoudt, 1850. Hardcover. 24mo; pp. 859, index; full gilt ruled pebbled brown morocco, spine lettered in gilt, all edges gilt;. Very good.. for US$65 plus shipping.

Information is available at:

http://www.austinsbooks.com/details.php?record=15954&mv_source=abaa


+ Austin’s Antiquarian Books, 123 West Main Street, Wilmington, Vermont 05363, 802-464-8438, mail@austinsbooks.com


[4] United Church of Canada and United Church of Christ Formalize Full Communion

A 27 October 2015 Ecumenical News article titled “United Church of Canada and United Church of Christ Formalize Full Communion” reports that the United Church of Christ and the United Church of Canada have both formalized a full communion agreement in a 17 October 2015 worship service at St. Andrew's United Church, Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.


+ Ecumenical News, 475 Riverside Drive Suite 810,
New York, New York 10115, 212-870-3290, info@ecumenicalnews.com

+ United Church of Christ, 700 Prospect Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44115, 216-736-2100, ogm@ucc.org

+ United Church of Canada, 3250 Bloor Street West, Suite 300, Toronto, Ontario M8X 2Y4, Canada, 416-231-5931, Fax: 416-231-3103, info@united-church.ca


[5] New Articles from Professor Robert Gagnon

A Discussion of the Bible and Homosexuality between Dr. Robert Gagnon (Pittsburgh Theological Seminary) and Dr. Daniel Kirk (Fuller Seminary)

How Should Christians Respond to the Transgender Phenomenon?

God's Design for Human Sexual Behavior - Pt 1

God's Design for Human Sexual Behavior - Pt 2


+
Robert A.J Gagnon, rgagnon@pts.edu


[6] Reformed Books Online Includes Fifty-Two Whole Bible Commentaries

http://reformedbooksonline.com/commentaries/whole-bible-commentaries/


+ Reformed Books Online


[7] ARPTalk 119 - The October Meeting of the Erskine Board: Not Much Has Changed!

Since Mr. Ron Vigus assumed the chairmanship of the Erskine board, the meeting of the board is a one-day affair on Thursday, instead of a two-day undertaking. Accordingly, the Erskine board met last Thursday, October 22, in Due West, for the scheduled October meeting.

The meeting may be described in the following manner and under the following headings:

President Kooistra believes football will save Erskine.

In spite of the news of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (with about 19,000 students and the tax funding of the the state of Alabama) canceling its football program because of budgetary constraints, President Kooistra desires to initiate a football program for little Erskine with barely 600 students. Ignoring the fact there is no infrastructure for football — no coaching staff, no funding, and no stadium in which to play — the dreams of former President Randy Ruble, alum and former board member Richard Taylor, and Erskine Vice President for Athletics Mark Peeler are being resurrected — again. In the words Aslan, ”All get what they want in the end. They do not always like it” (The Magician’s Nephew).

Christian students no longer complain of intimidation; now, they speak of not feeling safe.

It was reported that, in order to deal with disciplinary problems in the dorms this fall, it was necessary to call the police for help on a number of occasions. Not surprisingly, a number of Christian students complained that they do not feel safe. Wow! This will not help in recruiting Christian students to a Christian college! What an indictment of a Christian college!

President Kooistra claims that students go to Erskine to play sports, and then they meet God.

I wonder: (1) did President Kooistra make this statement before or after it was reported that the police had been called to deal with disturbances in the dorms? (2) did President Kooistra make this statement before or after it was reported that Christian students did not feel safe? and, (3) when President Kooistra made his statement, did he explain how the mission of Erskine as a Christian liberal arts college was being implemented by turning Erskine into an athletic camp for marginal athletes and, with Erskine’s low retention rate of 63%, many marginal students? The sum of the matter may be expressed in these words: since Randy Ruble’s presidency, the members of the administration are totally committed to an athletics-based admission’s policy, and they do not know how to do otherwise. They look at nearly-failed Newberry University, with (as it was reported to me by a Newberry grad) nearly 200 students recruited for football, and see this as the model for success, while ignoring the fact that Newberry is also deep in the waters of financial trouble.

The audit portends a financial crisis.

In one of FDR’s “fireside chats” in the 1930s, he is reported to have intoned: “Four years ago when I became President of the United States, we were drowning in the waters of a great depression. Today, four years later, we are still drowning; but we have learned to breathe under water.” Well, that is the story being told at Erskine — they have learned to breathe under water financially. Another year of financial woes has come and gone and the story is an expectation of another year of financial woes. At this point, there are voices expressing uncertainty of and disappoint with Senior Vice President for Finance and Operations Greg Haselden. Indeed, these financial woes have occurred on his watch of 15 years. Board members are asking: “Is it time for a new CFO?” One must ask: is President Kooistra listening to his board?

Obviously, the situation at Erskine is status quo, which means, the same old mess we have been in for years has not changed. Yes, of course, there is improvement here and there; however, the improvement is still a dollar short and a day late. As baseball’s philosopher Yogi Berra coined it, “It’s like déjà vu all over again.”

The financial outlook is grim. For example: (1) the budget was balanced by reclassifying restricted funds as unrestricted, transferring the monies to the ledger, and showing the transferred monies as receipts; (2) in spite of an Annual Fund drive of 1.7 million dollars, a million dollars more than was raised and received was withdrawn from the endowment which is now only about 37.8 million dollars; (3) a $10.35 million “balloon” bond note from the Carson days comes due in about 6 years, which is being serviced at about $350,000 a year in interest, which has been refinanced once already, and, with Erskine’s financial instability, it may not be re-financeable.
When SACS meets in early December, everyone in the administration expects that Erskine will not be removed from “probation.” Fingers are crossed that SACS will not impose a higher penalty against Erskine, for the Erskine administration has yet to demonstrate that they can operate Erskine (as directed by SACS) with only a 5% draw on the endowment and balance the budget without financial manipulation. Actually, the folks at Erskine will admit that the endowment is 11 million dollars under water, and some note that the endowment is actually about 19 million dollars under water. Whichever, it is a lot of money!

At this time, it is simply ludicrous to talk about resurrecting a football program. For example: (1) the cost for outfitting a football team is $200,000, and financially that is “a bridge too far” (http://content.usatoday.com/communities/campusrivalry/post/2010/09/how-much-does-it-cost-to-outfit-a-college-football-team-just-about-200k/1#.Vi1ux7w-acw); (2) “In [Division II] football, schools are allowed to award up to 36 “equivalencies” or full grants, but of course the rosters in football are much larger than 36 players,” but Erskine has no financial room to do this (http://www.ncaa.org/about/division-ii-partial-scholarship-model); (3) by my count, at least 6 to 8 coaches will be needed, and there are no funds for these coaches; (4) are the folks at Erskine really serious about using the football field at Dixie High School? and (5) are the members of the administration prepared to deal with the academic and disciplinary challenges that come with a football team? And, by the way, with regard to the students the police were called in to control, what was done with them? That is, did their bad behavior warrant consequences? Furthermore, can anyone remember why the decision was made in 1954 to disband the football program? Did it have something to do with financial stability? In the words of George Santayana, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

Erskine’s niche has been “Christian” and “liberal arts.” The dream of the General Synod of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church has been for Erskine to be “the outstanding private Christian liberal arts college in the Southeast.” The “Christian” part is now words on paper of a promise never realized, the liberal arts part is also words on paper remembering a better day, and the dream of General Synod has vanished like sunbeams on a cloudy day. Scholastically, Erskine no longer pursues excellence. In this freshman class, no applicant had scores so low that he/she was denied entrance. Only 15% (about 33 students) of this year’s freshmen class (about 220 students) were in the top 10% of their high school class, while 32% (about 70 students) of this year’s freshmen were in the bottom half of their high school class. An analysis of the bottom 25% (about 55 students) of the Freshman class reflects an average SAT score of 900, and the administration acknowledges that about 60 students are on the “watch” list academically (but there is no plan in place at this time to help those students, and, with no plan in place, it is now too late to help those students so that they do not become a statistical loss). Indeed, a diminutive 63% retention rate is not indicative of a successful and thriving academic community.

The report coming out the Seminary Committee is disheartening. Faculty morale is very low. M.Div. students are hard to find. Salaries have been cut by a third, and, even if they were cut by half, that would not balance the budget. Recruiting hard, the folks at the seminary are expecting about 40 new D.Min. students in January; however, the MEDCOM numbers are expected to be down. The only bright spot is the Columbia campus, and its light is like a blinking star in a far and distant galaxy. With Vice President of the Seminary Chris Wisdom out with mononucleosis, the Seminary Committee meeting was uneventful. With the Due West campus isolated in the middle of Nowhere, South Carolina, expect to see the further marginalization, if not the closing, of the Due West campus. The Due West campus is simply not viable.

After a full year as president, President Kooistra complains to the board (and anyone who will listen) that he is old and tired and so stressed out by his job. Is he saying the job is beyond him? Well, he began his presidency with that chant. Last year at the meeting of the Anderson Chapter of the Alumni Association (and his feet were barely wet from the job), he was complaining of how the job was difficult, stressful, and beyond his  old talents. Well, I am 70 and disabled (legally blind), and President Kooistra is only a couple of years older than I am and not disabled. That sort of passive-aggressive whining does not dignify him before his board or anyone else. As many are saying, “It’s getting old!” Indeed, President Kooistra wanted his job, he pursued his job, he was warned about the challenges of his job, and now he informs everyone that he expects to keep his job until 2019. The truth is that the only way to get the job from him is to pry it out of his cold, dead hands. Indeed, if the job is deleterious to his health, his resignation will be accepted forthwith. However, his sort of passive-aggressive behavior is power manipulation and intimidation — and, of course, some on the board have been intimidated by it. Without careful reflection, some on the board have missed the obvious: after a year of President Kooistra’s watch, he has run a million dollar deficit.

At this point, let me close with these words from Yogi Berra for President Kooistra: “I never blame myself when I’m not hitting. I just blame the bat and if it keeps up, I change bats. After all, if I know it isn’t my fault that I’m not hitting, how can I get mad at myself?” The fact is that President Kooistra has not generated the resources Erskine needs. Where is the fat Rolodex of PCA donors that many of us who supported him for president were told that he had? Where are these new donors who were supposed to embrace Erskine with their dollars? It seems the only strategy he has is more ATHLETIC PROGRAMS.

Is there a bright spot? If openness to talk about the mess and the dangers that the mess portents, then there is a bright spot.

Well, not much at Erskine has changed. If memory serves, I remember these words from not-Saint Bill Crenshaw: “the downward spiral continues!”


+ ARPTalk Blog, 864-882-6337, wilson6114@bellsouth.net

+ Erskine College and Theological Seminary, 2 Washington Street, Due West, South Carolina 29639, 864-379-2131, Fax: 864-379-2167, jguyette@erskine.edu

+ Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, 1 Cleveland Street Suite 110, Greenville, South Carolina, 29601, 864-232-8297, Fax: 864-271-3729


[8]
News from the Deepest Recesses of Hell

-- New Video Catches Planned Parenthood Abortionist Describing Harvesting Baby’s Brains

-- Abortion Clinic Owner Caught on Video: Burning Aborted Babies for Energy Is ‘A Great Idea’

-- Planned Parenthood Abortionist: “We Pull Out” the Baby’s Heart after the Abortion. “It’s Cute”

-- Satanic Temple in Washington State Threatens to Deliver an Invocation for Game if Christian Coach Decides to Pray on Football Field

-- Christian Families Left to Starve amid Government Attacks on Protestants in Mexico

-- Abortion Clinic Advertises a “Spa-Like Experience” for Women Killing Their Unborn Babies

-- Actress Martha Plimpton Promotes New Campaign of Women Bragging About Their Abortions

-- Undercover Video: Abortionist Says ‘Killing’ Is ‘The Most Important Thing I Could Do with My Life’

-- Canadian Law Professor Happy That Supreme Court Imposed Euthanasia on Canada



+ LifeSiteNews.com, Incorporated, 4 Family Life Lane, Front Royal,
Virginia 22630, 888-678-6008, Contact Page

+ LifeNews.com, Post Office Box 270841, Fort Collins, Colorado 80527, news@lifenews.com

+ Girls Just Wanna Have Guns, Contact Page

+ Zionica



[9]
Raging Heathen and Vain Imagining

-- Obama Administration Is Establishing a New Homeland Security Program That Will Monitor Christians

-- Christian Hating Southern Poverty Law Center to Advise Obama Justice Department on Violent Extremism

-- Shock as It’s Revealed Chick-Fil-A Is Sponsoring a ‘Christian’ LGBT Film Festival

-- Catholic Bishops Call for “Complete Decarbonization” by 2050, Remain Silent on Global Jihad against Christians

-- Divorced Canadian Homosexual Couple Now Want Their Own Kids with Third Man

-- Christianity Today Recommends the Pope

-- France’s Top Weatherman Suspended for Questioning Global Warming

-- Women Will Likely Have to Register for the Draft, U.S. Army Secretary Says


+ The D.C. Clothesline, dean.garrison.99@gmail.com

+ WND, 2020 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, #351, Washington DC 20006, Contact Page

+
Now the End Begins, Contact Page

+
Jihad Watch and Dhimmi Watch

+ The Christian Institute, Wilberforce House, 4 Park Road, Gosforth Business Park, Newcastle upon Tyne NE12 8DG, England, 44-0-191-281-5664, Fax: 44-0-191-281-4272, info@christian.org.uk

+
Way of Life Literature, Post Office Box 610368, Port Huron, Michigan 48061, 519-652-2619, fbns@wayoflife.org

+ Monster Worldwide, Inc., 133 Boston Post Road, Weston, Massachusetts 02493, 978-461-8000, Fax: 978-461-8100, Contact Page


[10] 
The Religion of Peace

-- Panic as Muslim Migrants March through Hannover and Claim Germany for Allah

-- Muslim Migrants Warn Germans Their Days Are Numbered

-- Illinois: Two Muslim Truck Drivers Awarded $240,000 for Refusing to Deliver Alcohol

-- Sharia Toronto: Cabbies Turning Away Passengers with Seeing-Eye Dogs

-- Muslims Celebrate the Day of Ashura with Demonic Bloodletting Ceremonies

-- Islamic State Attacks Dramatically Increase after over a Year of U.S. Airstrikes

-- Democrat U.S. Senator Durbin Calls on the Administration to Accept 100,000 Muslim Migrants

-- ISIS Gang Loots German Churches to Fund Caliphate


+
Now the End Begins, Contact Page

+ Atlas Shrugs, writeatlas@aol.com

+ Jihad Watch and Dhimmi Watch

+ Clarion Project, Inc., 255 West 36th Street #800,
New York, New York 10018, 646-308-1230, info@ClarionProject.org

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

21 October 2015



“But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand.” [Ezekiel 33:6]


“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” [Ephesians 6:12]

Presbyterians Week Headlines
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A 19 October 2015 Christian Today article by Andre Mitchell titled “Christians Criticise South African Church for Allowing Gay Marriages, Ordination of Openly Homosexual Ministers” reports that the synod of the Dutch Reformed Church (NGK) in South Africa at their recent meeting by a two-thirds margin voted to recognize homosexual marriages and allow the ordination of uncelibate homosexual ministers.
NGK moderator Nelis Janse van Rensburg commented:
“It is historical because with this decision we actually are at a point where there can be no doubt that the Dutch Reformed Church is serious about human dignity.
"And you know that we are living in this country where we have so many problems with the dignity of people.
"Church councils and congregations are like families. They will eventually decide how they will go about it. They know the context, they know the situation, they know about the faith of these people, so they can decide on that.

+ Christian Today, 200 Great Dover Street, London SE1 4YB, England, 020-7378-5705
+ Dutch Reformed Church, Posbus 13528, Hatfield 0028, Pretoria, South Africa, 27-0-12-342-0092, Fax: 27-0-12-342-0380,  algemenesinode@ngkerk.org.za

An 18 October 2015 front page Roanoke Times article by Sara Gregory titled “First Presbyterian Votes to Affiliate with Evangelical Branch” reports that First Presbyterian Church of Roanoke, Virginia voted by an eighty percent margin to leave the Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) and join the Evangelical Presbyterian Church because of the PCUSA’s progressive agenda including support for ordaining gay and sexually active individuals as pastors, allowing pastors to conduct same-sex marriage ceremonies, and  support abortion rights.
The church will change its name to First Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Roanoke, and will keep the church building appraised at US$3.9 million. In return for the PCUSA dismissing First Presbyterian, the church will pay the PCUSA’s Peaks Presbytery US$800,000 over the next ten years and give the presbytery title to the church’s manse.

+ Roanoke Times, 201 West Campbell Avenue, Roanoke, Virginia 24010, 540-981-3211, lawrence.mcconnell@roanoke.com
+ Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, 888-728-7228, Fax: 502-569-8005
+ Evangelical Presbyterian Church, 17197 North Laurel Park Drive Suite 567, Livonia, Michigan 48152, 734-742-2020, Fax: 734-742-2033, webmaster@epc.org

​Naphtali Press is offering the following special book bundle sales in the
USA only. Offers for ship to within USA only. Books shipped USPS media rate. All prices postage included.
All five books listed below US$135 (limited offer; 13 copies of WLC MS deluxe ed. remain [as of 19 October 2015]). 
Two books. Bownd and Gillespie only US$30.
Two books. Grand Debate and Scots Sermons. US$41.
Titles in bundle specials:
Nicholas Bownd, Sabbathum Veteris Et Novi Testamenti: or, The True Doctrine of the Sabbath (Naphtali Press and Reformation Heritage Books, April, 2015) 592pp. Hard bound, smyth sewn, dust jacket. Edited with introduction and analysis by Chris Coldwell. Retail US$30.00
The Westminster Assembly of Divines, The Grand Debate. 2014. 424 pp. Sewn hardbound, dust jacket, Introduction & Analysis by Rowland S. Ward. Edited by Chris Coldwell. Indices, Annotated Bibliography, Appendix on the theological resources of the Westminster Assembly. Retail US$52.40.   
George Gillespie, A Dispute Against the English Popish Ceremonies. 2013. 544pp. Smyth Sewn hardbound, dust jacket, color frontispiece. Foreword, Historical Introduction, Overview & Analysis, Bibliography, Indices. Retail US$43.50. 
Alexander Henderson, Robert Baillie, George Gillespie, Samuel Rutherford. Sermons Preached before the English Houses of Parliament by the Scottish Commissioners to the Westminster Assembly of Divines, 1643-1645. Introduction by Guy M. Richard. Edited by Chris Coldwell. 2011. 592 pages. Retail US$54.50.
Handcrafted deluxe edition. Westminster Larger Catechism Transcripts. The Larger Catechism of the Westminster Assembly: A Transcription of the Surviving Manuscripts with Notes. 6x9. 140 pages. Published by Westminster LetterPress. Letter Press printed on Mohawk Superfine, hand bound in Asahi Japanese book cloth. Limited to fifty copies (About twenty or less remaining). Retail US$225. Transcribed and Edited by Chris Coldwell. Forewords by J. Ligon Duncan, Ph.D. and Chad B. Van Dixhoorn, Ph.D.

+ Naphtali Press, Post Office Box 141084, Dallas, Texas 75214, naphtali@naphtali.com


+ LifeNews.com, Post Office Box 270841, Fort Collins, Colorado 80527, news@lifenews.com
+ Breitbart.com, 149 South Barrington Avenue #401, Los Angeles, California 90049
+ Christian Concern, 70 Wimpole Street, London W1G 8AX, England, 020 7935 1488, Contact Page
+ Way of Life Literature, Post Office Box 610368, Port Huron, Michigan 48061, 519-652-2619, fbns@wayoflife.org


+ Way of Life Literature, Post Office Box 610368, Port Huron, Michigan 48061, 519-652-2619, fbns@wayoflife.org


Friday, October 16, 2015

14 October 2015



Presbyterians Week Headlines
  

---

[Editor’s Note] The 14 October 2015 issue of Presbyterians Week and October 2015 articles in the Christian Observer have been delayed. D.V., both publications will be back to a normal schedule in the near future.


James F. Wittke, 59, pastor at Westminster Church of York County (Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church), Hanover, Pennsylvania, passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, October 11, 2015 at Hanover Hospital. He was the loving husband of Jennifer A. (Achor) Wittke, Hanover. Together they shared thirty-two years of marriage.

He was born February 28, 1956 in Cleveland, Ohio, the son of the late Carl Francis and Geraldine Mae (Erickson) Wittke.

Mr. Wittke received the Master of Divinity degree from the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary. He did doctoral work in St. Louis, Missouri in church planning and revitalization. Mr. Wittke was a diehard Cleveland sports fan, avid history enthusiast, aspiring gardener and master story teller. A loving husband, father and friend, he will be dearly missed by all who knew and loved him.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by his children, Katherine MacFarlane Wittke Mathis and husband Nathanael, Winston Salem, North Carolina; Sarah Wittke Williams and husband Jacob, Colts Neck, New Jersey; Benjamin Erickson Wittke and wife Emily, Kailua, Hawaii; and Victoria Fall Wittke, Winston Salem, North Carolina; and brother, Robert Carl Wittke and wife Sharon, South Euclid, Ohio.

A service to celebrate the life of the Rev. James F. Wittke was held on Thursday, October 15, 2015 at 1 PM at Manor Presbyterian Church, 505 Street Road, Cochranville, Pennsylvania with the Rev. Daniel H. Perrin officiating. Burial was in Faggs Manor Cemetery, Cochranville, Pennsylvania. Serving as pallbearers were Benjamin Wittke, Robert Wittke, Peter Achor, William Achor, Nathanael Mathis, and Paul V. Houriet, III.

Contributions in memory of the Rev. James F. Wittke may be made to the North East Presbyterian Mercy Fund, c/o R. Gerard, 49 Elm Street, New Rochelle, New York 10805.


+ Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, 1 Cleveland Street Suite 110, Greenville, South Carolina, 29601, 864-232-8297, Fax: 864-271-3729

+ Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary, 7418 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15208, 412-731-8690, Fax: 412-731-4834, info@rpts.edu




Wednesday, October 7, 2015

7 October 2015





“But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand.” [Ezekiel 33:6]


“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” [Ephesians 6:12]


Presbyterians Week Headlines

[1] 24 September 2015 Meeting of the Hanover Presbytery Accepts Four Ministers into Full Membership

[2] Sola Appalachian Christian Retreat Aims for Several Kingdom Purposes

---

[1] 24 September 2015 Meeting of the Hanover Presbytery Accepts Four Ministers into Full Membership


The Reformed Presbyterian Church-Hanover Presbytery met 24 September 2015 at the Dillingham Presbyterian Church in Barnardsville, North Carolina.

Four ministers were collegially examined by the court and accepted into full presbytery membership, including the Rev. Paddy Cook, an evangelist with the Presbyterian Evangelistic Fellowship, the Rev. Dr. Joe Morecraft, pastor of Heritage Mission – RPC Hanover of Cumming, Georgia, The Rev. Dr. Sacha Walicord Pastor, Evangelist of Covenant Heritage Presbyterian Church, Birmingham, Alabama, and the Rev. Dr. Don Crowe, regular pulpit supply at Grace Church in Canton, Georgia.

Elected to another term as Stated Clerk was the Rev. Dr. Allen Church (hanoverpresbyter@yahoo.com). The meeting was moderated by the Rev. Dr. Roger Schultz, Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences and Professor of History at Liberty University. Each of the Hanover ministers present gave a short review of their ministries and prayer concerns that were each followed by the corporate prayer of the church court. As is customary for Hanover meetings, several unaccompanied psalms were sung by the assembly.

The Dillingham Presbyterian Church congregation provided a bountiful and delicious breakfast and lunch for those assembled, and the lunch guests were treated to a buffet that included black bear pot roast, which the editor tried for the first time and found quite delicious, and as good as any beef pot roast he had ever eaten. Strangely, following the meeting, on his way back to his Asheville, North Carolina hotel, for the first time in his forty-plus years driving experience, a black bear ran across the road in front of the editor’s car. As Ephesians 1:11 defines everything as providential, the editor is still puzzling over whether or not the meal and the subsequent sighting hold any particular significance.


+ Reformed Presbyterian Church-Hanover Presbytery, hanoverpresbyter@yahoo.com


[2] Sola Appalachian Christian Retreat Aims for Several Kingdom Purposes

Sola Appalachian Christian Retreat is a new ministry founded by Doug Douma, currently a M.Div. student at Sangre de Cristo Seminary in Westcliffe, Colorado.

Doug is currently seeking God’s will for purchasing land in western North Carolina near the Appalachian Trail with which he hopes to accomplish the following goals:

1) Establish a hiker hostel for the primary purpose of evangelizing non-believers hiking the Appalachian Trail, and additionally to encourage the Christians hikers and provide a place of refuge and growth along their path.

2) Establish a retreat center for missionaries and pastors to effectively utilize the capacity of the facility during the non-hiking season. The ministry aims to provide short to medium-term stays for missionaries who are in the states doing fundraising, and a place of respite for pastors who need a break from their busy lives.

3) Build a library and invite Christians to spend time at the facility as a Christian Study Center similar to L'Abri Fellowship, the mission of Francis Schaeffer in Switzerland who invited Christians and non-Christians alike to come to the retreat to study and to ask difficult questions.

Appalachian Christian Fellowship and Doug Douma are affiliated with the Presbyterian Evangelistic Fellowship (PEF) which is providing evangelism training and maintains tax-free status for donations as a 501(c)(3) entity. Donations to Appalachian Christian Retreat can be made through the following PEF web page:

http://www.pefministry.org/Site/Douma.html

Of further interest to the Presbyterian and Reformed world, Doug is a Gordon Clark scholar, and is currently finishing a biography of the great theologian. He is also working to make accessible online Gordon Clark's unpublished works. For more information, please access this URL:

http://thegordonhclarkfoundation.com/


+ Sola Appalachian Christian Retreat, 512-422-4626, Contact Page

+ Presbyterian Evangelistic Fellowship, 425 State Street, Suite 312, Bristol, Virginia 24201, 276-591-5335, Fax: 276-591-5349, admin@pefministry.org