Volume 44 • November 2010 Number 1 Volume in this issue: Editor’s Notes 1 Calvin’s Reformation of Public Worship 3 Ronald L. Cammenga Antithetical Catechizing in the Twenty-first Century 27 Nathan J. Langerak C r e a t i o n , P r o v i d e n c e , a n d D i v i n e A c c o m m o d a t i o n : John Calvin and Modern Theories of Evolution 61 Erik Guichelaar The Southern Presbyterian Doctrine of the Spirituality of the Church 93 P R O T E S T A N T R E F O R M E D Eugene Case T H E O L O G I C A L Book Reviews 110 S E M I N A R Y 4949 Ivanrest Avenue Wyoming, Michigan 49418-9142 ISSN 1070-8138 Volume 44 • November 2010 • Number 1 PROTESTANT REFORMED Book Reviews THEOLOGICAL JOURNAL 110 Clark, R. Scott. Caspar Olevian and the Substance of the Covenant: The Double Benefit of Christ 114 Dennison, James T. Reformed Confessions of the 16th Published twice annually by the faculty of the Protestant Re- and 17th Centuries in English Translation: Volume formed Theological Seminary: 2, 1552-1566. 120 Hanko, Herman. Contending for the Faith: The Rise of Ronald L. Cammenga, Editor ([email protected]) Heresy and the Development of the Truth. Russell J. Dykstra, Book Review Editor ([email protected]) 125 Greidanus, Sidney. Preaching Christ from Ecclesiastes: Barrett L. Gritters ([email protected]) Foundations for Expository Sermons 128 McDermott, Gerald R. The Great Theologians: A Brief Guide 131 Moore, Jonathan D. English Hypothetical Universalism: John Preston and the Softening of Reformed Theology 138 Olevianus, Caspar. An Exposition of the Apostles’ Creed The Protestant Reformed Theological Journal is published by the Protestant Reformed Theological Seminary twice each year, in April and November, and mailed to subscribers free of charge. Those who wish to receive the Journal should write the editor, at the seminary address. Those who wish to reprint an article appearing in the Journal should secure the permission of the editor. Books for review should be sent to the book review editor, also at the address of the school. Protestant Reformed Theological Seminary 4949 Ivanrest Avenue Wyoming, MI 49418 USA Editor’s Notes Welcome once again to the pages of the Protestant Reformed Theological Journal. We, the faculty of the Protestant Reformed Theological Seminary, are thankful for the privilege of presenting to our readership another issue of our journal. We trust that you will find the articles included in this issue informative, soundly Reformed, and solidly biblical. Rev. Nathan Langerak, a 2007-graduate of our seminary, con- tributes a timely article on antithetical catechism instruction. This article was first presented as a paper at an officebearers’ conference of Classis West of the Protestant Reformed Churches. In the article, Rev. Langerak not only calls for the continuation of systematic cat- echetical instruction in Reformed and Presbyterian churches, warning against the trend in many churches to abandon or minimize catechetical instruction, but also, and especially, defends the need for antithetical instruction, instruction that forthrightly identifies and condemns the lie. He points out that in the end antithetical instruction is the only kind of instruction pleasing to God and profitable to the children and young people. Erik Guichelaar is a second-year student at the Protestant Reformed Theological Seminary. His essay, “Creation, Providence, and Divine Accommodation: John Calvin and Modern Theories of Evolution,” was an award-winning essay in the contest that the seminary sponsored as part of the celebration of the 500th anniversary of John Calvin’s birth. The paper demonstrates beyond doubt that Calvin held the biblical and confessionally Reformed view of creation. The paper shows clearly that Calvin cannot rightly be appealed to for support by those who embrace various forms of theistic evolution. The Rev. Eugene Case continues his series on Southern Presbyte- rianism. These articles were first presented as speeches to the faculty and student body of PRTS. In this article brother Case takes up “The Southern Presbyterian Doctrine of the Spirituality of the Church.” You will find the article instructive and edifying. We thank the brother for his willingness to put his speeches into print for the profit of a wider audience. Protestant Reformed Theological Journal The practice in many Protestant Reformed Churches is to com- memorate the great Reformation of the sixteenth century by a celebra- tion and speech. Over the years the undersigned has given a good number of Reformation Day speeches. These speeches are designed, not for scholars primarily, but for the ‘ordinary’ members of the church. At the same time, we trust that such speeches will be of profit to the readers of our journal. Believing this to be so, we include in this issue the Reformation Day speech that the undersigned was privileged to give recently in the Covenant of Grace Protestant Reformed Church in Spokane, Washington. The speech is entitled, “Calvin’s Reformation of Public Worship.” The concluding section of the journal contains, as is our custom, a number of reviews of recently published books. We trust that you will find the reviews to be helpful. Tolle lege! Soli Deo Gloria! — RLC 2 Vol. 44, No. 1 Calvin’s Reformation of Public Worship Calvin’s Reformation of Public Worship Ronald L. Cammenga Worship of God is the highest and holiest activity of the believer. We have been made for the worship of God. Our salvation has as its highest aim our worship of God, now on this earth, and one day in the perfection of glory when we will join the hosts of the redeemed and the holy angels in the worship of God. Our worship of God was the purpose of the death of Jesus Christ. Christ died for the elect and for the elect alone. He died for them and needed to die for them because they are sinners, sinners who have no right to stand before God or enter into God’s presence, which is what worship is. By His death, He earned the right for us to approach God in worship. A way has opened up to us, a blood-sprinkled way. A way of access to God, a way, the only way to the throne of God has been made. Before that throne, we gladly bow in adoration and worship. And worship—this is the great work of the Holy Spirit. He does not only regenerate us, and work faith in us, uniting us to Jesus Christ and to His body, the church. But He works in us the desire to praise, to glorify, and to worship God. He works in us in such a way that in response to the call of God, “Seek ye my face,” from the heart we respond, “Thy face, Lord, will I seek,” Psalm 27:8. This is what the church is: the worshiping community of believers and their children. The church exists for worship. Apart from the worship of God, the church has no purpose for existence. There is an organization for every purpose under heaven. But there is only one organization that has the purpose of the public worship of God, and that is the church. The church is not a society organized to promote a social or political agenda. The church is not a self-help support group, to which one can turn for mental and emotional assistance or to aid in overcoming an addiction. The church does not have as its aim the perpetuation of a particular ethnic sub-culture, let us say the Dutch or German sub-culture. The church does not serve the pur- November 2010 3 Protestant Reformed Theological Journal pose of providing opportunity for those who share the same ethnic background to socialize, speak their mother language, and engage in their native customs. But the church serves a higher purpose, and that higher purpose is the public worship of God. Everything else that the church does and every other aspect of the life of the church stands in the service of the public worship of God. The Reformation and the Reformers were vitally interested in worship, in proper worship, in God-pleasing worship. The whole Reformation may be characterized as the work of God through the Reformers to return the church to the right worship of His name. The worship of the Roman Catholic Church had become false and blasphemous worship. The worship of the Roman Catholic Church had become idolatrous worship. God was not worshipped anymore as He willed to be worshipped. The worship of the church did not please God and carry away His blessing, but it incurred His wrath and judgment. The Reformers reacted against Rome’s false worship and sought to return the church to proper, biblical, God-pleasing worship. This was a concern of all the Reformers. This was especially a concern of John Calvin. Among Calvin’s most enduring accomplishments, under the grace of God, are his accomplishments in the area of worship, public worship. Next time you go to church, think about that. For so much of what you see in your church building and for so much of the contents of your worship service, you are indebted to the reformer from Geneva. Calvin was both a theologian and a pastor. Gifts in both areas were necessary for Calvin’s reformation of public worship. Last year the Reformed church world commemorated the 500th anniversary of Calvin’s birth. A fitting aspect of this commemoration ought to include his work on behalf of the public worship of the church.