A.H. Schippers, Trowel and Sword, October 1968 Preamble: Following on from the recent article, “The Gospel Blimp and the Back To God Hour” which gave us a picture of the do’s and don’ts of evangelism, we now take a closer look at the Back To God Hour through the lens of Dr. Joel Nederhood’s visitContinue reading “Dr. J. Nederhood’s Visit To Australia.”
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Annus Liturgicus (The Church Year)
Bill Deenick, Trowel And Sword, December, 1977 Preamble: It would be fair to say that the worship services in many Reformed Churches today are substantially different to how they were conducted in the 60’s and 70’s of last century. Part of this may well have been due to a fear that services had become tooContinue reading “Annus Liturgicus (The Church Year)”
God’s Final Gift Demands An Answer
Preamble: Jack Postma’s Christmas Meditation from 1977 is still relevant today – if not more so. Jack, powerfully, strips away the sentimentality often found in Christmas and links Christmas with the cross and our rebellion with the need for the incarnation of Christ. We trust our readers will be challenged and encouraged as we were.Continue reading “God’s Final Gift Demands An Answer”
The Gospel Blimp And The Back To God Hour
K. Runia, Trowel and Sword. November 1962 Preamble: A mountain of books have been written on how to evangelise. One such story was called “The Gospel Blimp”, which is outlined here by Prof. Runia of RTC. He goes on to contrast it with the work of “The Back To God Hour’ which older readers willContinue reading “The Gospel Blimp And The Back To God Hour”
The Reformation and Education
Preamble: The following is an article by Prof. George van Groningen in the October 1967 issue of T and S. It reflects on the influence of education on the reformers and the way God used that in the development of the Reformation. He goes on to challenge the reader to consider the continuing importance ofContinue reading “The Reformation and Education”
THE MAKING OF A MINISTER
T.L. Wilkinson, Trowel and Sword, October 1968 Preamble: Last week or focus was directed towards the shortage of ministers in the churches which was already an issue back in 1976 and how Sessions looked for creative short term solutions to a long term problem. Ultimately, as has been said many times, the answer is toContinue reading “THE MAKING OF A MINISTER”
Australian Gleanings/Letter From New Zealand On Vacant Churches
Preamble: This week we look at two items from December 1976: Australian Gleanings and its New Zealand equivalent under the heading “A Letter From New Zealand”. Although they mainly deal with general news items, it is of particular interest that they both mention a problem that is still very much with us today: Ministerial vacancies.Continue reading “Australian Gleanings/Letter From New Zealand On Vacant Churches”
The Crisis and Challenge of a New Era
DIRK VAN GARDEREN, T&S, December 1976 Preamble: In this essay Dirk looks at various aspects of church growth from the early days of the Reformed Churches and the need to reassess methods of evangelism 25 years later as the demographic of the church has changed. It is now almost another 50 years since his articleContinue reading “The Crisis and Challenge of a New Era”
Shall We Adopt The New Or Maintain The Old?
Preamble: When Abram answered God’s call to pack up his family and his belongings and move to another land, he did so without hesitation. But at the back of his mind he no doubt asked himself the same questions that many immigrants asked themselves when they landed on the shores of Australia or New ZealandContinue reading “Shall We Adopt The New Or Maintain The Old?”
The Value Of Church History
Rev A. Barkley, BA, “Trowel and Sword,” October 1954. Preamble Alexander Barkley and his wife Elsie came to Australia in 1947 to serve the Reformed Presbyterian Church in Geelong as its minister. He developed a close working relationship with the Dutch migrants coming to this part of the country in the early 50’s and sharedContinue reading “The Value Of Church History”
T&S Revisited 