Sword and Shield magazine made its stunning appearance in the Protestant Reformed Churches (PRC) a year and a half ago.

The pure gospel of grace was being silenced in the Protestant Reformed Churches, of which most of us were members. Open discussions of doctrinal truth and error by ordinary members of the churches were being squelched and not tolerated. Only the broader ecclesiastical assemblies and the theologically weak and insipid Standard Bearer were allowed to engage in those doctrinal discussions. On the one hand, the members of the PRC were being robbed of the gospel; on the other hand, any voice of protest by the office of believer was discouraged, despised, and trampled upon.

That was the order of the day in the PRC. We all knew that was the situation in the churches, but we were not supposed to say it.

The appearance of Sword and Shield was like a spark in a field of gasoline.

Immediately, at the appearance of the first issue, a large majority in the denomination—especially those in leadership in the PRC—loudly slandered the magazine, its editors, and the board of Reformed Believers Publishing (RBP) throughout the churches. These leaders vehemently denied the right that is given to believers by Christ to speak and confess the truth. Thus the majority of the denomination through its leaders rejected the principle that we are a free people organically and therefore rejected too the legitimate witness of Sword and Shield (Heidelberg Catechism, Q&A 32).

That violent reaction within the PRC was very striking. It was exactly a believer’s free magazine—the Standard Bearer—that was the instrumental force in forming the Protestant Reformed Churches in 1924. Then, too, for the sake of the gospel, believers freed themselves from the tyranny of censorship of the truth and the oppressive and hierarchical ecclesiastical machinery that had been used to crush men to silence. The Reformation principle of a believer’s free witness in a magazine became a founding principle of the Protestant Reformed Churches and was for many years a long-standing commitment in the denomination.

When a believer’s free witness in a free magazine again appeared in the form of Sword and Shield, it soon became evident that the current PRC was only paying lip service to the right of a free witness by the office of believer. In the PRC the Reformation principle of a free witness of the office of believer was no longer a living principle and commitment of the churches but was hated and despised.

The birth and appearance of Sword and Shield on “Main Street” in the PRC in those awful and dire circumstances was a necessary, defiant declaration of independence from spiritual tyranny. This new, free paper, unhindered by considerations of persons and institutions, is committed to the pure gospel of sovereign grace, come what may! This free witness was an entirely new thing and reality that many of us have not seen or experienced in our lifetimes.

Immediately at its appearance there were very strong reactions and concerted attempts to turn people away from reading Sword and Shield by slandering it. And there was much effort through intimidation to discourage the resolve of Reformed Believers Publishing and its editors to continue publishing the magazine. By God’s grace these attempts to silence the free witness of Sword and Shield were all unsuccessful and to no avail.

Then, this past year a very trying, serious, and powerful moment came when opposition to Sword and Shield and its free witness became hot and ferocious. It took the form of an all-out, orchestrated, and determined blitzkrieg unfurled by an organized and united leadership in the PRC against the magazine’s three editors and the magazine itself. These ruthless and bitter foes used the weapons of deceit, manipulation, schemes, and tricks, which are all weapons of this world, to ecclesiastically murder the three editors of Sword and Shield and to cast them out of the Protestant Reformed Churches. This “lightning war” was designed to put an end to the dreaded and hated Sword and Shield and its free witness to the truth and its exposure and condemnation of the lie that was being harbored in the Protestant Reformed Churches.

God helped us and preserved our righteous cause!

This special issue of Sword and Shield commemorates these events and our recent second annual meeting of Reformed Believers Publishing, held on October 21, 2021, in the spacious Wonderland Tire facility in Byron Center, Michigan. A large, enthusiastic crowd of members, friends, and supporters turned out for what was an inspiring reformation rally. The hearty and resounding singing of the psalms in the cathedral-like atmosphere of the high ceilings of the tire shop expressed our joy and added a special flavor to our celebration.

To any with eyes to see it, the Lord is abundantly using Sword and Shield as a mighty instrument in the recovery of the pure gospel of sovereign grace and in the destruction of the lie. Amazingly, the past year witnessed the reformation of Christ’s church, which is now established in a new denomination and progressing. These events mark and highlight the strategic importance of antithetical and polemical writing and publishing to effect reformation, especially in times of doctrinal error and confusion, and to develop and defend the truth.

Our adversaries nervously shout, “Schism! Schism!” at us, but the empty charge rings hollow.

To the chagrin of our foes and adversaries, Sword and Shield marches on in truth and war.

Sword and Shield has taken back doctrinal territory from the enemy, and the magazine has reached a beautiful stride and is proclaiming the truth of pure grace issue after issue.

All praise and thanks to God our savior, and to him be the glory now and forever.