5 July 2023
.
.
“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] Pearl Publications (UK) Offers New Books by Chris Griffiths
[2] Are Officebearers in the CRC Required to Teach Only Penal Substitutionary Atonement Theory?
[4] Presbyterian Church Hosts “Drag Queen Bible Story Hour”
Additional Articles of Interest
—
[1] Pearl Publications (UK) Offers New Books by Chris Griffiths
PearlPublications.co.uk
contact: info@pearlpublications.co.uk
The books are available from bookstores on order; from Amazon, Walmart and Kobo
A Help for using the Psalms in Personal and Family Worship
The book enables families and individuals to sing their way right through the book of Psalms! It includes 365 daily notes. The book provides other materials to assist Christians who do not know where to start in singing the Psalms at home, and who are unaware of the resources that are available.
- Encourages readers to rediscover the singing of the Psalms in worship.
- Intended for use by families and individuals in regular times of praise and worship.
- Gives short thought-provoking devotional and expository notes on all the Psalms.
- Enables the use of the whole book of Psalms for worship on a yearly basis.
- 11 helpful appendices which signpost other resources., 445 pages.
Paperback: 978190139703-1 EBook: 9781901397055 Hardback: 9781901397048
Every Psalm for Easy Singing:
A translation for singing arranged in daily portions
- A new translation of all the Psalms in verse using the same 365 portions as the ‘Help’.
- The same metre throughout for ‘easy singing’. 12 tunes suggested.
- The Ebook format and linked audio resources on the Pearl Publications website make it easy to use in personal worship.
Translates from the Hebrew relying heavily on the older versions, notably the King James Version, the Dutch Bible (Statenvertaling) (1637), Calvin’s translation (1557) and the Geneva Bible (1560).
The Expanded Study Edition is intended for serious Bible Study, and to enable anyone who leads group or family worship using the ‘Help for using the Psalms in Personal and Family Worship’ to be better prepared for the time of worship. It has extensive footnotes and appendices. These explain translational and exegetical decisions. It has an Appendix on key Hebrew words used in the Psalms, including the names of God, the words for ‘man’ and the ‘law words’ in the Psalms. It has a full account of resources used in preparing the translation is given. 390 pages, 2,400 footnotes on the translation.
Paperback: 9781901397093 EBook: 9781901397116 Hardback: 9781901397109
The Verse Only Edition
The entire Book of Psalms in verse form with the tunes, and ‘How to sing this book’, 250 pages.
Paperback:9781901397062 EBook: 9781901397086 Hardback: 9781901397079
Chosen – Called – Kept: The Conclusions of the Synod of Dort
translated and arranged for prayerful reflection and study
‘The Canons of the Synod of Dort’ is one of the great statements of the reformed faith. All the Reformed Churches met in 1619, discussed, and unanimously accepted the conclusions. It answers the question, ‘How does God save?’
This new translation shows how rich and vibrant the Synod’s statements of faith really are. The delegates’ sheer delight in the Gospel can be seen as they add adjective after adjective, verb after verb to try to express truths that are inexpressible.
- This is book is not a paraphrase or an edited version of the Canons of Dort. All the clear positive statements are included, but in a way that makes them more accessible than ever before.
- By imaginative page layout the reader is encouraged to carefully and prayerfully meditate line upon line of what was decided. The layout is very suitable for catechism classes.
- Suggested Bible readings are given for each Article. Key Latin words are carefully translated, and their meaning is expanded in a helpful glossary.
- To encourage its regular use in personal prayer and reflection, a 52 week reading scheme is included.
Paperback ISBN 978-1-901397-01-7 Hardback: ISBN 978-1-901397-02-4
+ Pearl Publications, info@pearlpublications.co.uk
[2] Are Officebearers in the CRC Required to Teach Only Penal Substitutionary Atonement Theory?
–Reprinted by permission of The Banner. Kathy Smith, “Are Officebearers in the CRC Required to Teach Only Penal Substitutionary Atonement Theory?”; thebanner.org, © The Banner, May 15, 2023. All rights reserved worldwide.
Are officebearers in the Christian Reformed Church required to teach only penal substitutionary atonement theory, or may they explain other atonement theories?
The Christian belief that Jesus satisfied God’s wrath against our sin at the cross is commonly called penal substitutionary atonement. But that is not the only theory of atonement or the only theology of the cross. Other theories have been taught throughout the history of Christianity that emphasize the victory of Christ, or his moral influence, or themes of ransom, liberation, and reconciliation.
Penal substitutionary atonement emphasizes the wrath of God regarding our sin and Jesus’ substituting for us in taking the punishment for our sin. That theory of the atonement is clearly taught in the Reformed confessions.
Out of concern that other theories are being taught in CRC churches instead of PSA, Classis Illiana asked Synod 2022 to declare the denial of penal substitutionary atonement to be a heresy and to consider those who deny it worthy of discipline. Synod 2022 also received a helpful report, commissioned by Synod 2019 after it declared Kinism to be a heresy, addressing the proper and ongoing definition and application of the word “heresy.”
After considering all this, Synod 2022 did not declare the denial of PSA to be a heresy but did declare that “it is a serious deviation from the teachings of the confessions of the Christian Reformed Church” and that “any officebearer who explicitly denies penal substitutionary atonement is worthy of special discipline.” The focus of synod was on the denial of PSA, not the other theories of atonement.
So it’s fine to teach other views of the atonement—in fact, this is typically part of Reformed Christian education at the high school, college, and seminary levels. We ought to be well informed about these traditions and various ways of understanding the cross and its meaning. But given Synod 2022’s decision, an officebearer who denies PSA would then be worthy of discipline. Such discipline is always administered through the discernment of the church council to which that officebearer belongs.
About the Author
- Kathy Smith is senior associate director of the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, adjunct professor of church polity at Calvin Theological Seminary, and adjunct professor of congregational and ministry studies at Calvin University. She is a member of First Christian Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
+ The Banner, info@thebanner.org, 800-777-7270
+ Christian Reformed Church in North America, 2850 Kalamazoo Avenue Southeast, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49560, 616-241-1691, Fax: 616-224-0803 crcna@crcna.org
The social media platform GAB recently received a document from the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) as part of their domestic extremist study on social media and gaming platforms, and made it available open publication in an 30 June 2023 article “EXCLUSIVE: Congress Enlists GAO for “Domestic Extremist” Study on Social Media and Gaming Platforms” available at the following link:
GAB is not participating in this study.
—
Good afternoon,
We are reaching out from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). GAO is an independent, non-partisan agency that evaluates federal programs for the U.S. Congress.
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security requested that GAO examine domestic violent extremists’ use of social media and gaming platforms. As part of our work, we are interested in hearing from a range of social media and gaming companies about their platforms, including community guidelines, and procedures for coordinating with external stakeholders if applicable.
We have selected Gab as part of our study. We would appreciate receiving your perspectives by responding to the questions below. Please note that we will not attribute information to any company representative by name in our public report. If we use information received from Gab in our report, we will send those statements to you for review, including to determine whether you would like each statement to appear as “representatives of Gab” or “representatives of a social media company.”
Your responses are valuable in helping us inform the U.S. Congress about online platforms’ approaches to handling violent extremist content, and we really appreciate your time.
Please provide written responses by replying to this email by Thursday, July 13.
- Please provide an overview of Gab’s goals as a platform and how it generates its revenue (e.g. user fees, advertising, data sales).
- In its Terms of Service, Gab states that its policy is “to allow all speech which is permitted by the First Amendment and to disallow all speech which is not permitted by the First Amendment,” however the terms do not explicitly mention any policies related to violent extremist content. To what extent does Gab have policies or take action to limit the spread of violent extremist content that may appear on the platform and is not illegal under U.S. law? How, if at all, does Gab define this type of content?
- Other than Section 230 (47 U.S.C. § 230) and policies related to child sexual abuse material, what laws and regulations, if any, does Gab consider in making decisions about domestic violent extremism that may appear on the platform?
- What strategies and tools, if any, does Gab use to identify and mitigate domestic violent extremist content (e.g. automated or human reviews, user reporting)?
- What redress mechanisms, if any, exist for users who believe their speech has been unfairly or inappropriately stifled?
- What challenges, if any, does Gab face in identifying and mitigating domestic violent extremist content?
- To the extent that Gab becomes aware of a potential threat on its platform, what actions, if any, does Gab take in response?
- To what extent does Gab work with federal, state, or local agencies on issues related to domestic violent extremist content (e.g. notifying law enforcement of threats, partnerships or coordination, information-sharing)?
a. Please describe the nature of the coordination, if any, including which agencies you work with.
- What, if anything, would you like federal agencies to know or do related to addressing domestic violent extremism on social media and gaming platforms?
Thank you in advance for assisting us with our work. Please let us know if you have any questions.
Regards,
GAO Social Media Study team
—
+ Government Accountability Office, 441 G Steet Northwest, Washington DC 20548, 202-512-3000, contact@gao.gov
[4] Presbyterian Church Hosts “Drag Queen Bible Story Hour”
The following is excerpted from “Historic Presbyterian Church,” ?e Christian Post, June 20, 2023: “For the first time in nearly 200 years, a Presbyterian church in San Francisco held Sunday services featuring drag performers speaking to audiences that included young children. Calvary Presbyterian Church in San Francisco hosted a ‘Drag Queen Bible Story Hour’ event Sunday with LGBT advocate Rev. Jane Spahr and performers ‘Joann Fabrixxx’ and ‘Flamy Grant’ … A Facebook post from June 18 read in part: ‘We thank God for the great diversity present in this world and hold to the truth that each and every one of us is created in God’s image and loved by God. For the gift of Drag Queens, O God, we give you thanks!’ … In 2015, Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA) voted to approve an amendment to its constitution to officially change their definition of marriage to include same-sex couples. Calvar y Presbyterian was founded as a congregation in July 1854. … The church has advocated for using third-person pronouns for God and even has a banner hanging above the church entryway which reads, ‘GOD: the original they/them.’” [CONCLUSION: “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. … For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment … And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly … Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities. … Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children … These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever. For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage” (2 Peter 2:1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 10, 14, 17-19).
+ Way of Life Literature, Post Office Box 610368, Port Huron, Michigan 48061, 519-652-2619, fbns@wayoflife.org
+ Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202, 888-728-7228, Fax: 502-569-8005
+ Presbytery of San Francisco, 545 Ashbury Avenue El Cerrito, California 94704, 510-849-4393, Fax: 510-849-4398, office@sfpby.org
Additional Articles of Interest
– All These Companies Targeting Kids with LGBT Insanity
– The Covid-19 Vaccine Applied at the Level of the Entire Planet. It’s a Criminal Undertaking
– “We’re Coming for Your Children,” Declare “Queer” Pride Marchers in NYC
– There is No Peace for the USA
– Exposing How Christian Churches Participate in and Facilitate Human Sex Trafficking
– How the Flu “Disappeared” During the Covid Era
– School Defends Showing Small Kids LGBT Film Without Parental Consent
Comments are closed for this Article !