i

October 2015 New Horizons

Jan Hus

 

Contents

Jan Hus and the Church

John Skilton: The Missing Portrait

Trinity Psalter-Hymnal Update

A Summer of Service

Download PDFDownload MobiDownload ePubArchive

Jan Hus and the Church

In a day and age when people easily dismiss the church as unnecessary, Jan Hus stands in stark contrast. Hus was a staunch defender of Christ’s church, both in proclaiming her importance and in protecting her from enemies within and without. On July 6, 1415, Hus was burned at the stake for his convictions. This year we celebrate the 600th anniversary of his death. Jan Hus was born in Husinec, Bohemia, between 1364 and 1376, to a poor farming family. After gaining the titles of Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in Theology, he was ordained to the priesthood in 1401. The following year, he became the dean of the philosophical faculty of the University of Prague and was appointed preacher at Bethlehem Chapel in Prague, where sermons were delivered in the Czech language. Early in the fifteenth century, the teachings of John Wycliffe were brought to Bohemia from England by university students. Hus publicly praised Wycliffe’s work and translated his Trialogus into Czech. As interest grew throughout ... Read more

John Skilton: The Missing Portrait

Periodically, I have occasion to run over to Westminster Seminary. Entering Machen Hall, I am always impressed by the large portraits of the early professors of the institution—an august assembly, to be sure—Machen, Murray, Van Til, and others. These men are important to our denomination and to the broader church as well. They defended the faith during a time when it was under attack both from without and from within. It is important that their images hang on those walls. They give us pause to thank God for their providential work at such a crucial time in the history of the church. There is a portrait missing, however, in my estimation: the portrait of Dr. John Skilton. I’m sure that name is familiar to many readers—but to the younger set, maybe not. I have found that few of the younger generation know who he was. I have a confession to make at this point. Once in a while, when over at the seminary, I’ll wander into one of the offices in Machen Hall, and taking note of the ... Read more

Trinity Psalter-Hymnal Update

On August 1, Orthodox Presbyterian minister and chairman of the Special Committee on the Psalter-Hymnal, the Rev. Dr. Alan D. Strange, and United Reformed Churches in North America (URCNA) minister and chairman of the URCNA Psalter Hymnal Committee, the Rev. Derrick Vander Meulen, officially began their labor as coeditors of the proposed Trinity Psalter-Hymnal . Earlier in April, an agreement between a commission of the Committee on Christian Education (CCE) and representatives of both the URCNA trustees and the URCNA Psalter Hymnal Committee, had been reached that Dr. Strange and Mr. Vander Meulen would serve in this role. Mr. Vander Meulen stated, “Our committee enjoyed working with the OPC committee as we labored through the process of song selection these past few years. Now that we have progressed to the production stage of the project, I am greatly honored to serve as coeditor with Dr. Strange. Dr. Strange is a man of integrity, a churchman who understands church music.” Mr. Vander Meulen added ... Read more

A Summer of Service

Orthodox Presbyterians from at least sixty-five congregations showed that summertime is for more than just riding the waves. More than five hundred members of the OPC gave heartfelt service on different short-term mission trips, including sharing their faith through vacation Bible schools, English classes, evangelism on boardwalks, and repairing church buildings and members’ homes. “I praise the Lord for the continued and growing interest in short-term missions in the OPC,” said short-term missions coordinator David Nakhla, who found the testimonies of participants a blessing to read on OPCSTM.org. “I was reminded that the Lord can and does use these special settings to draw us closer to himself, even as we go, seeking to be a blessing.” Kelly Rose, a costume seamstress and a member of Covenant OPC in Orland Park, Illinois, helped lead two mission trips for their youth group and other OP teens in July. They first helped to reconstruct a manse apartment for Todd Smith, the pastor-elect at Faith ... Read more

CONTACT US