On Religious Conservatives

As I’ve said several times before, high on my list of morning devotional tools is and has long been a small, pocket-sized booklet, Our Daily Bread, published by one of my very favorite peripheral resources: RBC Ministries. According to President, Mart De Haan, in his introduction to RBC Ministries, “Throughout RBC’s 60-year life, we’ve been teaching the Word of God so as to lead people of all nations to personal faith and maturity in Christ…we try to achieve our goal through every method and medium available.”

De Haan goes on to say, “Those who utilize the resources of RBC Ministries include such diverse audiences as pastors, counselors, lay persons, TV and radio stations, prisons, schools and businesses with resources that can touch families, friends, churches, and client networks.” A noble aspiration, I say.

Every month, President De Haan writes a column he titles, “Been Thinking About.” In it he covers a variety of timely topics related to the Christian life. A few months ago, he wrote about “Religious Conservatives” in a way that frankly had not occurred to me before. In the beginning of the article, he asks the question, “Why are the villains in the greatest story ever told a group of religious conservatives?” The question is personal, he says. He confesses to being a religious and biblical conservative. “Theologically,” he says, “I am a fundamentalist. I believe in moral absolutes, the authority of Scripture, and the uniqueness of Christ.”

He goes on to say, “What I can’t shake, however, is the thought that the most dangerous group of people in the New Testament were not atheists, secularists, religious liberals or advocates of sexual freedom.” Instead, he says they were dedicated to three basic philosophies that describe Christian conservatives of today: 1) Politically active, 2) Religiously conservative, and 3) Protectors of a spiritual heritage. Hey, I consider myself in that category. I too, in my spiritual thinking, am a fundamentalist and a religious conservative. As De Haan says later on in his article, “As I read the New Testament, I see myself not only in the disciples who loved Jesus but also in the religious conservatives who hated Him.”

Well, Mart De Haan has touched a nerve in me through his insightful article. If you’re interested in reading the entire message, and frankly I urge you to do so, you can check it out by going to http://www.gospelcom.net/rbc/.

Mart was named after his grandfather, M. R. De Haan, MD, whose parents emigrated from the Netherlands. He was born in 1891, married Priscilla Venhuizen in 1914, and left his successful medical practice in western Michigan when he received a distinct call to the ministry. Dr. De Haan attended Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan. While successfully pastoring two churches in Grand Rapids, he organized several additional large Bible classes. In 1938, Dr. De Haan began a radio teaching ministry he called the Radio Bible Class, which grew from a local station to a ministry of over six hundred stations around the world. He was an acclaimed conference speaker, author of 25 books and numerous booklets, and editor of a popular monthly devotional guide, Our Daily Bread, with a current circulation of over 800,000. RBC Ministries now produces over a million pieces of literature each month. Dr. De Haan passed away in December, 1965.

Dr. DeHaan’s son, Richard, a Barnabas-like encourager, took over as president of RBC Ministries from 1965 until his retirement in 1985. A man of integrity and faithful to God’s Word, his favorite expression was “Trust in God and do the right.” He passed away on July 16, 2002.

As the third generation De Haan, Mart is the current president of the Grand Rapids, Michigan-based ministry which has seen much growth and many changes in its more than 60 years. However, the very same principles established by his grandfather remain a guiding force in his leadership. As a daily reader of Our Daily Bread and the recipient of many of the ministry’s resources, I consider RBC Ministries as one of the very best tools for spiritual growth toward knowledge of the Bible and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. In my opinion, it should be in every pocket and on the resource table of every church. In a modest way, I support the ministry each month. It’s my privilege.

As a religious and biblical conservative, and a fundamentalist in my personal theology, I will confess that President Mart De Haan has caused me to reflect again for the first time on those hateful religious conservatives of Jesus’ day. Apparently, as Pastor Charley Brown has said, “We have found the enemy and it’s us.” It occurs to me you’re right on, Brother De Haan.