Every Sunday afternoon, we go to church to listen to the Catechism preaching. During the week, the ministers are teaching the catechism classes. This is an old tradition, established by the Synod of Dort, 1618/1619. It has a biblical foundation. In Deuteronomy 6 the parents are told that they should take every opportunity to teach… Continue reading Synod of Dort on Catechism Teaching
Acts of the National Synod of Dort, 1618-1619 – English translation The Seventeenth session On the 30th November, Friday morning, Is read the decision of the Synod regarding the further catechetical instruction of young and old, as extracted and put together from the written advice of both the foreign and domestic delegates as follows. In… Continue reading Synod of Dort – from the Acts
On 13 November 1618, the synod of the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands was convened in Dordrecht (in English often shortened to Dort). This did not go in the way we are used to in the Free Reformed Churches of Australia. It was called together by the ‘States’. In those days, the Netherlands officially was… Continue reading The importance of the Synod of Dort for us
From Sabbath to Sunday? Is the Sunday the Sabbath day of the New Testament? This is a question that is being discussed widely among Christians. Even among those who claim to stand in the reformed tradition[i], there are those who believe that keeping the Sunday as a day of rest is not a biblical command.… Continue reading The Synod of Dort on the fourth commandment
The Synod of Dort about Ecclesiastical Feast Days New Year’s Eve services On New Year’s Eve I was invited to preach in one of the churches in the federation. The attendance of that service was far less than usual on Sundays, certainly less than half. Six other churches in the Metro Perth area already anticipated… Continue reading Synod of Dort on ecclesiastical feast days
About a year ago the Synod of Dort (1618-1619) was remembered, with renewed attention and interest for decisions of this synod and the importance of these decisions. We’ve all learned about this synod in church history and about the decisions it made. I have heard the claim being made more than once that certain practices… Continue reading What did the Synod of Dort say?
