20 September 2017
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“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]
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“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]
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Presbyterians Week Headlines
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[1] Reformation 500 Commemoration 30 September 2017 at Lebanon Presbyterian Church in Goshen, Virginia
[2] Death of the Reverend Imre Andrew Bertalan
[4] Mosque in Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, Scotland
[5] New Book Published by RP Pastor!
[6] New Releases from the Trinity Foundation
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[1] Reformation 500 Commemoration 30 September 2017 at Lebanon Presbyterian Church in Goshen, Virginia
The Reformation 500 Commemoration 1517-2017 is scheduled for 30 September 2017 at the Lebanon Presbyterian Church, 29 Lebanon Circle, Goshen, Virginia 24439.
The schedule is as follows, Eastern Daylight Time:
9:30 Welcome and Coffee
10:00 Historian Bill Potter on Overview of Reformation
10:30 Questions
10:45 Dr. Ron Rumburg on John Wycliffe, the “Morning Star”
11:30 Questions
12:00 Lunch
12:45 Dr. Roger Schultz on the Reformation “solas”
1:30 Questions
1:45 Bill Potter on John Knox in Scotland
2:30 Questions
2:45 Close
Please RSVP for lunch to Carolyn Byram (byramcarolyn@gmail.com).
Note – Bill Potter leads heritage tours in Scotland. Ron Rumburg is a pastor and writer of many books. Roger Schultz is Dean of Colleges at Liberty University and a history professor.
For further information, please contact Linwood G. Wilkes, Pastor, at 540-430-2407 or at the church at 540-997-0040.
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+ Christian Observer, Post Office Box 1371, Lexington, Virginia 24450, christianobserver@christianobserver.org
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[2] Death of the Reverend Imre Andrew Bertalan
The Reverend Imre Andrew Bertalan, 67, passed away while surrounded by loved ones on August 29, 2017 at Latrobe Hospital in Latrobe, Pennsylvania after a brief illness. At the time of his death, he was the Executive Director of Bethlen Communities in Ligonier, Pennsylvania.
Rev. Bertalan was born on October 4, 1949 in New Brunswick, NJ to Margaret Kosa Bertalan and Reverend Dr. Imre G. Bertalan. Imre grew up in Passaic and New Brunswick, NJ, where his parents and maternal grandparents, Margaret Blum Kosa and Rev. Andrew Kosa served Hungarian-American church congregations. He graduated from New Brunswick High School in 1967 (go Zebras!). After high school, Imre attended his beloved Rutgers University for his BA and received his Master of Divinity degree at Princeton Theological Seminary in 1977.
Throughout his life, Imre was deeply dedicated to the American-Hungarian community. He served as a community organizer in the historically Hungarian Birmingham neighborhood in Toledo, OH and was a leading figure in the American-Hungarian communities in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
A devoted pastor, Imre served Hungarian Reformed congregations in Toledo, OH, Allen Park, MI, and Beaver Falls, PA. In 1999 he accepted the role of Executive Director at Bethlen Communities in Ligonier, PA where he joyfully and faithfully served until the time of his death.
Imre met the love of his life, Magdalene (Baba) J. Ujvagi, and they married in 1980 in Toledo, OH. They were happily married for 37 years and together lovingly raised five children.
Imre is survived by his wife, Baba and his children, Sára (Jeff), Magdi (Jose), Juli (Dylan), Gitti (Brian), and Imre. Survivors also include his sisters, Lillian Bertalan (Dr. Michael De Petrillo) and M. Sarah Bertalan, and five grandchildren, Vince, Alma, János, Jaxson, and Mateo. Imre was preceded in death by his parents, Margaret Kosa Bertalan and the Rev. Imre G. Bertalan.
Imre touched many lives with his gentle and encouraging demeanor. He will be greatly missed by all who were blessed to know him. Those who sought his counsel in times of stress or trouble will always remember the comfort of hearing him say, “Everything will be alright.”
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. in Calvin United Church of Christ, Toledo, on September 23, 2017 where the family will greet friends beginning at 9 a.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to Bethlen Communities, Ligonier, Pennsylvania, Calvin United Church of Christ, or the Hungarian Club of Toledo, Ohio. Assisting with arrangements by Eggleston Meinert & Pavley Funeral Home (www.egglestonmeinert.com).
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+ Calvin United Church of Christ, 1946 Bakewell Street, Toledo, Ohio 43605, 419-691-3033
+ Calvin Synod, C/O Rt. Rev. Koloman K. Ludwig, General Secretary, 7319 Tapper Avenue, Hammond, Indiana 46324, 219-931-4321, kkludwig@aol.com
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Contact: Dr. Frank Wright, 954-334-4343, F.Wright@djkm.org
ARDEN, N.C., Sept. 7, 2017 /Christian Newswire/ — Evangelism Explosion International today announced the transfer of its Capitol Hill-based evangelism and Christian Statesmanship outreach, the D. James Kennedy Center for Christian Statesmanship (CCS), to its sister ministry, Coral Ridge Ministries Media (CRMM), the parent organization of D. James Kennedy Ministries.
The organizational realignment, jointly approved by the Boards of Evangelism Explosion and CRMM—organizations founded by the late D. James Kennedy, Ph.D.—takes place after a detailed review into how best to preserve, expand and amplify the Center for Christian Statesmanship’s historic mission of training future generations of Christian statesmen.
“We’ve always had the welfare of the Center for Christian Statesmanship at heart,” said Dr. John B. Sorensen, President of EE. “Because the mission of CCS is so critically important to the welfare of our nation,” he added, “we undertook an extensive examination of what leadership structure, what organizational structure, would best serve CCS’s future ministry prospects on Capitol Hill. The boards of both EE and CRMM concurred that those prospects would be best served back under CRMM.”
Established in 1995 by CRMM, the Center for Christian Statesmanship is a Capitol Hill-based Christian outreach engaged in training and equipping present and future political leaders in evangelism and statesmanship. It came under the organizational umbrella of EE in 2007.
Dr. Frank Wright, Chief Executive Officer of CRMM, who served as the founding Executive Director of the Center for Christian Statesmanship, endorsed the move and praised EE’s stewardship of CCS since 2007:
“Each of the many ministries founded by Dr. D. James Kennedy have a profound sense of being part of a family of outreaches that were an expression of Dr. Kennedy’s love for Christ and his love for America. Nowhere was that family understanding better expressed than when Evangelism Explosion, at a point of great need, assumed a leadership responsibility for the D. James Kennedy Center for Christian Statesmanship. For the last ten years, under its visionary president Dr. John Sorensen, EE has faithfully and diligently upheld Dr. Kennedy’s vision of being a powerful witness for Christ and equipping present and future statesmen.”
New CCS Outreach to Dramatically Expand Mission
The organizational transition comes at a time when the Center for Christian Statesmanship embarks on an ambitious new phase of ministry engagement. The forthcoming launch of the D. James Kennedy Center for Christian Leadership (CCL), a new CCS outreach, will dramatically expand the historic mission of CCS to train the next generation of Christian statesmen. The new Center for Christian Leadership, Dr. Wright explained, seeks to train 300 leaders per year for each of the next 10 years.
“The Center for Christian Leadership will address the deficit of preparation for Biblical cultural engagement—especially for leadership service in government and the public policy arena,” Wright said. “Its training programs will prepare and equip men and women who have a wholehearted commitment to serve Christ by engaging the influential institutions of culture with a well-grounded Biblical world and life view.”
Looking to a new era of cultural engagement, the Center for Christian Leadership is led by its president Dr. Linda W. Smith, with the Honorable John Hostettler continuing as Senior Executive Director. Dr. Sorensen will have a continuing relationship with the Center for Christian Statesmanship, serving as a CCL faculty member and as Chairman of the CCS Board of Advisors.
“I am thrilled at God’s providence in providing this new (old) home for CCS,” said Dr. Sorensen. “I believe that under the wise and seasoned leadership of Dr. Wright and the CRMM Board, the impact of CCS in equipping leaders to share Jesus and bring the mind of Christ to American culture will only expand and grow. And for that I thank God.”
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+ Evangelism Explosion, 10 Misty Valley Parkway, Arden, North Carolina 28704, 888-567-3543, Fax: 828-687-7494, Contact Page
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[4] Mosque in Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, Scotland
Date: Friday, 8 September 2017
Author: Rev. David M Blunt
(On 31 August 2017, the Western Isles Council approved a planning application for the creation of a mosque in Stornoway,[Isle of Lewis, Scotland]. Following this decision, the Presbytery of the Outer Hebrides issued a press release in which they indicated their concerns regarding this development. The text of the press release is below.)
7 September 2017
Mosque in Stornoway
Last Thursday, the Comhairle granted planning permission for the setting-up of a mosque in the centre of Stornoway. The Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) Presbytery of the Outer Hebrides regard this as a most unwelcome development. Having made a representation on the matter to the Council prior to the determination of the application, we now wish to state publicly the reasons why we object to the creation of a mosque in Stornoway.
Our main concern is with the religion of Islam itself. If a mosque ever opens, Islam will be able to promote itself in our midst through public worship, despite its beliefs and practices being alien to the religious convictions of the vast majority of our community. Islam is wholly inconsistent with the teaching of the Word of God in Holy Scripture, which is the only rule to direct us. It is opposed to the Christian religion as confessed by the Church historically since apostolic times, and as established by law in our land since the Reformation.
Fundamentally, Islam utterly denies the divine Person and redeeming work of our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who died on the cross to satisfy the justice of God, that He might grant forgiveness to sinners. Since Islam has no Saviour, it offers no hope to guilty and hell-deserving sinners, for we cannot save ourselves by our own works. The Bible declares that, having paid the price for the sins of His people, Christ rose triumphantly from the dead, ascended bodily to heaven, and is now seated at God’s right hand. From there He will return to this world at the end of time as the infallible Judge of us all.
Islam is also incompatible with, and indeed a threat to, our religious and civil liberties, as is very evident from the situation which prevails in those countries where it dominates. The oppression of Christians and the reduced status of women under Islam are well-known, as is the willingness of some of its followers to spread its influence by violent means.
It is a sobering fact that in recent years many militant Islamists or ‘jihadists’ have entered European countries under the guise of being refugees and migrants, when their real intention has been to wage war on the West on behalf of their religion; we are witnessing the tragic results of this deception in the form of regular acts of carnage, including in the UK. We have also seen young men born and brought up in our own country who have been radicalised in mosques and have turned against the society which has hosted them.
We stress that we have nothing against individual Muslims, least of all any who have been forced to flee their homelands because of persecution and suffering. Our desire and prayer for those who have made their way to Scotland and other parts of the UK is that they would hear the gospel of Christ and find the way of salvation, coming to know the love, grace and forgiveness of God.
Finally, we urge the Lord’s people to make this situation a matter of earnest prayer, asking the Almighty that in His kindness He will grant that no mosque will ever appear in Stornoway. Man may propose, but God always disposes. Above and beyond this particular issue, we need to plead with the Lord that in His mercy He would enable us to turn from our sinful and foolish course as a nation, and return to Him. Let us take our confidence from the Bible, which says, “Is any thing too hard for the Lord?” (Genesis 18:14).
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+ Free Church of Scotland (Continuing), Rev. John MacLeod, Free Church Manse, Portmahomack, Ross-shire, Scotland, principalclerk@fccontinuing.org
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[5] New Book Published by RP Pastor!
The Kingship of Christ by David Silvesides
Does Christ’s Kingship have a bearing on domestic, church, and national life? On how we are governed, witness, and worship? The topic of Christ’s kingship goes to the heart of Christian hope in the present Kingdom and the fullness that will confirm our faith. This book by Rev. David Silversides will encourage devotion in the service of Christ the King.
The fact that many people either don’t know or understand that there is a Man, the Son of Man, in heaven who is exercising His absolute rule over everything, is astonishing. That many Christians are largely ignorant of the nature, extent, and goals of Jesus’ mediatorial Kingship is surely not healthy, either for the church or the nation. David Silversides knows this Son of Man, and in this booklet he clearly and succinctly outlines Christ’s rule over all things. Reading it will both inform and challenge.
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– Andrew Quigley, minister of Airdrie Reformed Presbyterian Church
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In a day when there is such ignorance and neglect of the Kingship of Christ we are deeply indebted to David Silversides for this thorough presentation of the Scriptural teaching. True love for Christ will be seen in submission to His Kingship in every sphere – the individual, the family, the church, and the nation. What is most enlightening and challenging is the way the author shows the extent of its implications in each sphere. May it lead many to cry again ‘Thy Kingdom come’.
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– John J. Murray, retired minister of The Free Church of Scotland (Continuing)
David Silversides is from Gateshead in the north of England and studied at the Reformed Theological College, Belfast. He has been minister of Loughbrickland Reformed Presbyterian Church in Northern Ireland since 1988.
AVAILABLE FROM COVENANTER BOOKS GB£4.95
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+ RP Global Alliance, 48 North Bridge Street, Airdrie, ML6 6NE Scotland, 44-01236-620107, chair@rpglobalalliance.org
+ Covenant Books, 39 Knockbracken Road, Carryduff, Belfast BT8 6SE, Northern Ireland, 44-28-9081-4110, Contact Page
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[6] New Releases from the Trinity Foundation
The Trinity Foundation has recently posted its latest Trinity Review, “What Is It to Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ?” written by Luke Miner. Mr. Miner raises many important questions about faith / belief and then looks at Scripture to answer those questions. Luke Miner writes at scripturalism.com, and the article is taken from his web site and used with permission. Please visit the web site or click on the links to read the latest Trinity Review.
In addition, our latest book, Clark and His Correspondents: Selected Letters of Gordon H. Clark, edited by Doug Douma, is now available as an eBook. It is available for US$10 as a download.
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+ The Trinity Foundation, Post Office Box 68, Unicoi, Tennessee 37692, 423-743-0199, Fax: 423-743-2005, tjtrinityfound@aol.com
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