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Reformed Worship (Rw) 133 - Advent / Christmas (September 2019), Reformed Worship Editors

Reformed Worship Magazine

Features

Worship Series: Angels, Help Us to Adore Him by Elizabeth Nanninga....3

Reflections for Advent by Christopher Wheeler....16

Stories By the Well: A Christmas Eve Drama by Rein Selles....20

Articles

Editorial: Leaning into the Tension by Joyce Borger....2

For Pastors: Again by Scott Hoezee....24

Favorite Songs of the Season by the staff of Reformed Worship....29

Q&A: Professing the Faith of the Church by John Witvliet....36

Call It Worship by Angie Hong and Adam Perez....38

Aging among the Community of Faith by Mark Stephenson....44

Resources

Sing 10: Singing the Nativity Story by …

Spenser's Images Of Grace And The Canons Of Dort: Faerieland Meets The Five Main Points Of Doctrine, Bob De Smith

Pro Rege

Editor's Note: Dr. De Smith presented this paper at the Prodigal Love of God Conference (celebrating the 400th anniversary of the Synod at Dordrecht and Canons of Dort), April 2019, sponsored by Dordt University and co-sponsored by the Lilly Fellowship Program.

Grace: A Reflection On The Novels Of Marilynne Robinson, Elayne Apol Heynen

Pro Rege

Editor's Note: Elayne Apol Heynen wrote this paper for a Kuyper Scholars Seminar to precede the Prodigal Love of God Conference, held at Dordt, April 2019, and co-sponsored by the Lilly Fellowship Program as a regional conference.

Re-Presenting Election: The Church For The World In The Canons And Beyond, Suzanne Mcdonald

Pro Rege

Editor's Note: Dr. Suzanne McDonald presented this paper at the Prodigal Love of God Conference, April 2019, at Dordt University, co-sponsored by the Lilly Fellowship Program as a regional conference.

Letter To Editor, Arnold E. Sikkema

Pro Rege

No abstract provided.

The Canons Of Dordt As A Missional Document, Lyle Bierma

Pro Rege

Editor's Note: Dr. Lyle Bierma presented this paper at the Prodigal Love of God Conference, sponsored by Dordt University and co-sponsored by the Lilly Fellowship Program as a regional conference, April 2019, at Dordt University, in celebration of the 400th anniversary of the Canons of Dort.

In the subsequent articles, Dordt and Dort will be used interchangeably.

The Worldview Of The Synod Of Dordt, Richard Mouw

Pro Rege

Editor's Note: This article, originally published in Kerk en Theologie 70:1, (2019), 17-24, by KokBoekcentrum, Utrecht, The Netherlands, is published by permission of Dr. Alco Meesters, Editor.

Book Review: Craig G. Bartholomew, Contours Of The Kuyperian Tradition: A Systematic Introduction, Bob Goudzwaard And Craig G. Bartholomew, Beyond The Modern Age: An Archaeology Of Contemporary Culture. Reviewed By Travis Pickell, Travis Ryan Pickell

Faculty Publications - George Fox School of Theology

Review of Craig G. Bartholomew, Contours of the Kuyperian Tradition: A Systematic Introduction (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2017). xiv + 363 pp. ISBN 978-0-8308- 5158-4

Bob Goudzwaard and Craig G. Bartholomew, Beyond the Modern Age: An Archaeology of Contemporary Culture (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2017). xii + 313 pp. ISBN 978-0-8308-5151- 5

Abraham Kuyper stands as a giant of politics, theology, and social philosophy in the Dutch Reformed context. Serving as a pastor, journalist, educator and university founder, political activist, theologian, author, and prime minister in his time, his legacy continues through the neo-Calvinist tradition (sometimes called ‘Kuyperianism’), …

Frontmatter, Quaker Religious Thought No.133, Jon R. Kershner

Quaker Religious Thought

In this issue we are fortunate to have another delightful lineup of authors. The papers authored by James Krippner and David H. Watt, Christy Randazzo, and Cherice Bock were presented at the November 2018 Quaker Theological Discussion Group session on the theme of “Early 20th Century Quaker Theologies of Service.”

Oregon Yearly Meeting And The Peace Testimony, Part I: Navigating Evangelicalism And Quakerism, 1938-1954, Cherice Bock

Quaker Religious Thought

After forming in 1893 and joining Five-Years Meeting at its inception in 1902, Oregon Yearly Meeting of Friends Church (OYM) left Five-Years Meeting in 1926 then joined with others to form the Association of Evangelical Friends in 1947. In the same decades, the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) formed in 1917 with the intention of helping those displaced, hungry, and injured in Europe during World War I. OYM partnered with the AFSC for a while, though the relationship was often strained. In 1938 it left the AFSC, continuing to partner with AFSC projects during World War II. In 1954, OYM …

The Concept Of Hierarchy And Doing Ministry In The Church: Evaluating The Roles Of Leaders And The Use Of Authority In Quakerism, Oscar Lugusa Malande

Quaker Religious Thought

The authority existing within the hierarchy of leadership in the church, if not well exercised, can create deficiency and imbalances in the running of church affairs. In Quakerism, the expectation is that everyone equally participates in doing ministry. As people gather in the presence of God for service in worship, all barriers of inequality have to be brought down. Conflicts and disagreements of who is supposed to be in authority among church leaders should be discouraged. Therefore, there is need to share about definitions of hierarchy, ministry, and authority, the historical background of church leadership, role of church leaders, evaluations …

Book Review: Andrew R. Murphy, William Penn, A Life (New York: Oxford Universit Press, 2019), Jon R. Kershner

Quaker Religious Thought

William Penn (1644-1718) needs little introduction among Quakers. After his convincement in the mid-1660s Penn quickly rose through the Quaker ranks as a prolific author, capable debater, and a staunch advocate for religious freedom. Beginning in 1681, he became a colonizer and traveled widely to recruit emigrants to his colony. While Penn is often touted among Friends, and sometimes reviled for his slave-owning and colonialism, Andrew R. Murphy does a great service in producing a comprehensive biography of Penn that is free from both the ahistorical anxieties and accolades Quakers sometimes resort to when considering this controversial figure. Indeed, Murphy’s …

Book Review: Ben Pink Dandelion, Douglas Gwyn, Timothy Peat. Heaven On Earth: Quakers And The Second Coming. Twentieth Anniversary Edition. Philadelphia: Plain Press, 2018., Jay Miller

Quaker Religious Thought

The provocative arguments in this unique book about the centrality of the second coming to Quakerism are challenging to summarize but easy to recommend: this is a work that many Friends could benefit from reading. That it has not been widely read is, I suspect, one of the reasons for its reprinting, two decades after its initial publication. While the insights offered by Ben Pink Dandelion, Douglas Gwyn, and Timothy Peat in Heaven on Earth have appeared elsewhere in separate and better known studies by the same authors, here they come together with a particular force and urgency. The book …

A Savior With A Sword: The Power Of A Fuller Scriptural Picture Of Christ, Kerry Muhlestein

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

We have been counseled to draw the power of Christ into our lives and to “begin by learning about him.”¹ The Savior himself commands us, “Learn of me” (Doctrine and Covenants 19:23; Matthew 11:29). In fact, coming to know both God and Christ is a necessary part of receiving eternal life ( John 17:3). Many of our students will naturally conclude that to learn about Jesus Christ they should study the Gospels. While this is necessary, it is not sufficient if we are to come to know who our Savior and Redeemer truly is and thus draw on his …

Ces Missionary Couples Serving Around The World, Po Nien Chou, Petra Chou

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

In 1992 the Church sent six missionary couples to Mongolia at the government’s invitation to teach and help improve the educational system in Mongolia.¹ These missionary couples were based in Ulaanbaatar, the capital city of Mongolia. They came from a range of educational experiences and backgrounds and were uniquely qualified to help with the development and planning of higher education in Mongolia.² Their experience and background included “a medical doctor responsible for postgraduate studies at a university medical center, a computer science professor, a business professor, a professor of curriculum development and administration, and an educational administrator.”^{3 …}

“We Talk Of Christ, We Rejoice In Christ”, Chad H. Webb

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

Thank you, that was wonderful. We’re so blessed. It’s such a privilege to be together with all of you today. Thank you for all you’re doing. We love you and love serving with you.

A Lifetime Of Deep Learning, Kim B. Clark, Barbara Morgan Gardner, Scott C. Esplin

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

Gardner: Thank you for the chance to interview you previously, and now one final time as you conclude your service as Church Commissioner of Education. The question I’ve asked every time I’ve met with you is, What have you learned this last year that you didn’t already know before being Commissioner? What has stood out to you as a Commissioner? What experiences have you had?

Clark: First, I think what happens is that I relearn things. And each time they go deeper or I get more confident. Second, one thing’s really clear— there’s a lot of help from heaven in …

The Stem Of Salvation And The Rod Of Restoration: Revisiting Biblical Exegesis And Latter-Day Saint Interpretation Of Isaiah 11:1, Jared A. Jepson

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

Students of the Bible in the twenty-first century are like a Charles Dickens character living in the best and worst of times. Today we have the advantage of thousands of years of biblical studies on which to build our interpretations and understandings of the Bible. The formation of modern academic disciplines—such as textual, historical, source, and form criticisms, to name a few—for approaching ancient texts over the past 130 years has greatly enhanced our ability to draw meaning out of the text.¹ Yet conversely, thousands of years separate us from when the sacred oracles were first conveyed. Hence, the …

The Imprisonment Of Jeremiah In Its Historical Context, Kevin L. Tolley

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

The book of Jeremiah describes the turbulent times in Jerusalem prior to the Babylonian conquest of the city. Warring political factions bickered within the city while a looming enemy rapidly approached. Amid this complex political arena, Jeremiah arose as a divine spokesman. His preaching became extremely polarizing. These political factions could be categorized along a spectrum of support and hatred toward the prophet. Jeremiah’s imprisonment ( Jeremiah 38) illustrates some of the various attitudes toward God’s emissary. This scene also demonstrates the political climate and spiritual atmosphere of Jerusalem at the verge of its collapse into the Babylonian exile and …

Study Bibles: An Introduction For Latter-Day Saints, Joshua M. Sears

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

Latter-day Saints revere the Bible as “the bedrock of all Christianity” and are instructed to feast upon its teachings regularly.²Although Latter-day Saints appreciate so much about the Bible, many struggle with some of its language and its deeply contextual messages. Fortunately, special editions known as study Bibles can help make the Old and New Testaments much clearer. There are many kinds of study Bibles, but for present purposes we will define them as an edition of the Bible featuring a modern English translation and sophisticated, context-focused study aids—including book introductions, footnotes, and appendixes—that provide textual, historical, cultural, literary, …

Joining The Choir: Religious Membership And Social Trust Among Transnational Ghanaians, By Nicolette D. Manglos-Weber, Justin Kh Tse

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Nicolette D. Manglos-Weber’s Joining the Choir is about how trust works in a transnational Ghanaian evangelical community, Evangel Ministries, between Chicago and Accra. The title is drawn from the opening anecdote in which Manglos-Weber speaks to a “colleague” at church. They are both in the choir together, and they talk about the difficulties of the interviewee’s life in Chicago as someone on leave from graduate school and driving a taxi. This anecdote showcases Manglos-Weber’s positionality as an ethnographer: she is among the trusted, a status that she deftly maneuvers within throughout the book. In so doing, Joining the Choir is …

Fragile Beauty: Tension & Transcendence In Denise Levertov's Eco-Theological Poetics, Michael Murphy

Theology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

That Denise Levertov (1923-97) was one of the most pioneering and skilled poets of her generation is beyond dispute. Her masterly use of language, innovative experimentations with organic form, and the political acuity disclosed by her activist poetry are well marked by critical communities. But it is also quite clear that the poems Levertov wrote in the last twenty years of her life, with their more explicit focus on theological themes and subjects, are among the best poems written on religious experience of any century, let alone the twentieth. The collection of essays gathered here shed vital light on this …

Book Review: Gerardo Aste, Sj: Dando Razones De Nuestra Esperanza: Iii—Jesús, El Hombre Que Es Dios, John Thiede

Theology Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Farewell To Kuyper Scholars, Carl P. Fictorie

Pro Rege

Editor's Note: Dr. Carl Fictorie, co-director with Dr. Mary Dengler for the Kuyper Scholars Program, made this presentation at the KSP Farewell Party, hosted by the Kuyper Scholars, on May 8, 2019.

Depression In Black Men: One Church’S Solution, Dwayne T. Baskin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This dissertation examines the Black Church’s influence on Pentecostal African-American men who are depressed, and how the church may assist these men to heal from the wounds of despair through a Pentecostal experience. While many Pentecostal African-American men have matriculated through the ranks of leadership, establishing successful businesses, churches, ministries, and organizational denominations; they are teetering on the edge of an emotional and spiritual breakdown. Researchers have found that African-American men are understudied and underdiagnosed as it pertains to depression. Eight African-American Pentecostal men were interviewed and given questionnaires to examine how depression affected them while maintaining leadership roles in …

Front Matter

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

No abstract provided.

Circumcision In The Old Testament, Ryan J. Wessel

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

It can be awkward to say the word circumcision in the gospel classroom. The problem lies in that many students (and some teachers) know just enough about the physical process of circumcision to make mentioning the topic uncomfortable but not enough of the religious history and symbolic meaning to gain much spiritual insight from classroom time dedicated to the topic. Yet the concept of circumcision is related to many chapters in the Old Testament; it is interwoven into scriptures relating to the Abrahamic covenant, the Exodus from Egypt, the promised land, and teachings of multiple Old Testament prophets.¹ An …

Teaching The Scriptural Emphasis On The Crucifixion Of Jesus Christ, John Hilton Iii

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

A colleague recently shared with me how, when teaching missionary preparation classes, he would role-play with students. When students pretending to be missionaries would ask him (acting as an investigator) if he knew about Christ’s Atonement, he would say, “Yes, I saw that Mel Gibson movie about Christ dying for our sins on the cross.” At least half of his students would correct him, stating that Christ atoned for our sins in Gethsemane, but not on the cross. This not only indicates a lack of the interpersonal skill of building on common beliefs but is also doctrinally incomplete. It also …

End Matter

Religious Educator: Perspectives on the Restored Gospel

No abstract provided.

Music And Jewish Practice In Contemporary Istanbul: Preserving Heritage, Bending Tradition, Joseph M. Alpar

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation is a study of ongoing transformations in the sacred musical repertoires practiced by ḥazzanim (synagogue cantors) and their synagogue congregations in Istanbul’s contemporary Jewish community. I argue that clergy and laypeople alike negotiate their religious identities as Turkish Jews in the musical choices they make. While many try to maintain the community’s local music tradition, rooted in makam—the Ottoman Turkish melodic system—others attempt to broaden their repertoire with musics from Israel, the United States, and Ḥabad Hasidic Judaism. I examine adjustments made to the musical components of ritual as responses to decades of Jewish religious life as …