Works of Service in Need of Workers to Serve





Our last cover issue encouraged our readers to “soak up the summer.” If your summer has been like it has been here in Southern Ontario, the sunshine and hot weather is one for the ages, even if you can’t stand the heat.


This issue of Christian Renewal gets us back to living in our fast paced times and points us back (or ahead!) to school and to work. Vocation is what we are made for, to be students, producers, creators, sustainers and workers by using the resources of the world God has made for man to enjoy, to discover, to learn about and to utilize for good and for His glory. World history shows that we have not always done those tasks well, and the examples of waste, abuse, greed and exploitation cut across the ages and on up to today. 


Finding one’s place (career or calling) in this present world seems more difficult than in the past, and that reality is weighing on many young people today. Added to that pressure is the desire to be successful and to accumulate “things” – material goods – and that motivation becomes the priority over everything else, and particularly over works of service. Consequently, the covenant Reformed com munity, with its emphasis on Christian education, is finding it more and more difficult to fill the schools with qualified teachers. (The ads in our classifieds section issue after issue testify to that fact.)

Educator Jack Huizenga lays out this concern in his article on page 22, and teacher Ruth VanHooydonk points to the necessity of a basic Christian education by going back to John Calvin and Geneva in her article on page 27 – “A Basic Christian Education.” We need to be reminded both of its necessity, as well as the necessity of providing teachers for the schools we’ve established. We can’t have one without the other.

Perhaps the churches that support Christian education need to set up a fund to help potential teachers in their congregations with tuition aid to encourage them through the six years of post-secondary education currently required, in Ontario at least, to earn a teaching certificate.

At the same time, there is also a shortage of min isters, of men willing to set aside other ambitions to serve God and His people through the ministry of the Word and Sacraments. Again, a calling to service, not for financial gain; not for worldly goods or glory. Will this current generation step up?

With the upcoming return to school, comes a new season of higher education, and the concern that science not be considered in conflict with a faithful reading of Scripture. Sacha Walichord, a professor at a Christian university presents the case for the union of science and faith. And in a book excerpt from Dr. Joel Beeke’s Reformed Systematic Theology, Volume 1, Beeke sets out guidelines for scientists in our Christian community, guidelines that should be taken to heart as they continue their important, vital work for the Kingdom.

And if you read Marian Van Til’s column in the last issue about her move to Indiana, and the subsequent loss of her prized pond fish, there’s good news to report on that front on page 18.

John Vandyk, Editor
Christian Renewal Magazine


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

In Memoriam

Image
W e note the passing of a long-time minister in both the Christian Reformed Church and the United Reformed Churches, Rev. Jelle Tuininga.  Some readers of Christian Renewal will remember his writing in these pages.   His articles were blunt, to the point and helped the churches think through issues that ran the gamut from matters of theology to politics, to worldview issues, to worship, work, marriage, crime and punishment, the end times, and a host of other topics that seemed relevant to our times and in need of comment.  While I was able to sit under his preaching for one Sunday while on a trip to the West, my wife and I enjoyed the fellowship of Jelena Henrietta, and we also saw each other at numerous synods over the years as well. He was a faithful supporter of Christian Renewal, a great encouragement to me personally, and gave what he could to help the cause. He was an avid reader as well. One thing I found out in reflections on his life was that we...
Read more

Can We Still Reason ... Together?

Image
As I write, the George Floyd story and its aftermath has dominated the news. Even if the furor dies down, the scar will remain. V iolence of any kind is generally repulsive. I realize that there are reasons for it in times of war; but there are not too many other good reasons for it.  O ne definition of violence is simply: “behavior involving physical force intended to hurt, damage, or kill someone or something.” The death of George Floyd was a violent act by an officer of the law who had no mercy for a man who was already handcuffed, and therefore unable to resist custody. He was pleading for his life. He was having trouble breathing. The officer unmoved, did not move, and a life ended before many eyes. As the video evidence was swiftly shared around the world, rage became the response for many, and the violent act of one officer and his accomplices ignited violent protests around America. As others have suggested, the country was likely already a powder keg becau...
Read more

Tectonic Shift in Our Life Situations

Image
For a generation of North Americans who have lived with very little trauma in their lives, generally speaking, the shift in life situations over the last number of weeks has been dramatic. O ur fast paced, frenetic lives have taken a decided detour and redirection with the advent of Covid19, the coronavirus that has swept around the world, reportedly slaying its thousands, emptying malls, schools halls, sports arenas, airports, movie theaters, streets, highways, byways and church sanctuaries, cancelling concerts, conferences and a multitude of public events for an as yet undetermined period of time. Most churches have responded by obeying the government directives severely limiting public gatherings. Household worship is the temporary norm as families and individuals tune in each Sunday to computers and televisions to watch ministers bring the Word, either from their homes or from near empty church buildings. Businesses that have been required to ...
Read more