Ninety Years of “Free”
This commemorative article by Calvin Kalsbeek marks ninety years of the Reformed Free Publishing Association (RFPA) and its publication, the Standard Bearer, tracing its origins to the 1924 censorship of Rev. Herman Hoeksema's writings by the Christian Reformed Church. The piece reflects on what the word "Free" in the RFPA's name has meant throughout its history—editorial independence and freedom from ecclesiastical jurisdiction—and celebrates the organization's continued commitment to publishing distinctively Reformed literature. Kalsbeek's essay provides valuable historical context for understanding the founding circumstances of the Protestant Reformed Churches in America and the principles of theological liberty that have shaped its publishing legacy.
1924 was a good year. On January 21 of that year fifty-three-year-old Vladimir Lenin died. Sadly the police state, command economy, and state propaganda machine he had imposed upon the Russian people did not die with him. In that same year eight months later and half a world away, the RFPA was born. In contrast to the slavery and propaganda machine Lenin imposed, the RFPA was dedicated to freedom: the freedom to write in the Standard Bearer. With the distribution of the September 15, 2014...
Full article available on sb.rfpa.org