Hope College: Western Theological Seminary: Joint Archives of Holland: Martin R. De Haan

Minister in the Reformed Church of America from 1925 until his deposition in 1929. The collection consists of his sermons for Radio Bible Class from 1938 through 1965, which are in the form of pamphlets, and a 1914 photograph of his University of Illinois School of Medicine class.

Martin R. De Haan was born in Zeeland, Michigan, in 1891. He attended Hope College, then earned a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Illinois in Chicago. De Haan practiced medicine successfully from 1914 to 1919, when a near death experience inspired him to leave the medical profession and go into the ministry. He graduated from Western Theological Seminary in 1925, and was minister of Calvary Reformed Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, from 1925 to 1929.

Throughout the year 1929, De Haan espoused views that were not in agreement with the Reformed Church of America, especially in the areas concerning infant baptism and premillennarianism. Unlike the Reformed Church, De Haan believed only in baptism by immersion to believers at the time of their conversion and public confession of faith, and not in the baptism of infants. De Haan’s view of premillennarianism, which states that the Second Coming of Christ would precede a 1000 year reign, was one of which the Reformed Church was not tolerant. De Haan was an associate editor of “Grace and Glory,” a monthly magazine which began in 1929 that first defended the Reformed Church, but later disputed Reformed Church beliefs. De Haan spoke in 1929 at the Fundamentalist Bible Conference in Allendale, Michigan.

For his vocal disagreement with Reformed views, De Haan was deposed as a Reformed Church minister, but claimed that the ruling had no bearing on him, as he claimed to have resigned before it was made. De Haan left the Calvary Reformed Church and began Calvary Undenominational Church, taking the majority of the congregation with him. He was minister of Calvary Undenominational until he left the pulpit during a sermon in 1938, announcing his resignation and exiting. Once again, De Haan’s leaving reduced the congregation significantly. De Haan left as a result of conflicts with the church board--the main conflict being De Haan did not want one to exist, preferring to have absolute rule in church matters. There was also some question regarding the dispensation of church donations, as De Haan felt that donations addressed to him were his for personal use.

De Haan founded Radio Bible Class after he left Calvary Undenominational. De Haan died in 1965.

The collection consists of 38 pamphlets which are transcripts of De Haan’s sermons for Radio Bible Class, spanning the years 1938 to 1965. Due to the lack of dates on the pamphlets, they have been arranged alphabetically rather than chronologically. It is interesting to note the pamphlets entitled “Water Baptism,” and “Infant Baptism and the Covenant of Grace,” in which De Haan espouses the views which led to his deposition as a minister in the Reformed Church of America, as well as in “The Ordinances of the Church,” pp. 7, 8.

Other useful sources of information about Martin R. De Haan available in the Joint Archives of Holland include the book Grace and Glory Days, by Thomas Boslooper, chapters one and six, which is available in the Hope College book collection, and the April 2, 1929, minutes of the Classis of Grand Rapids, Michigan, which detail De Haan’s deposition, located in the Western Theological Seminary collection (W88-0509). A final alternative source is the magazine “Grace and Glory,” also in a topical file in the Western Theological Seminary collection.

After Death...What Then?
Angels of God, The
Atomic Bomb in Prophecy, The
Bible Versions and Perversions
Chemistry of the Blood, The
Christ of Christmas
Devil and His Angels, The
Empty Tomb, The
Eternal Security
Faith is the Victory
First Ecumenical Council, The
God’s Last Will and Testament
Holy Spirit, The
Infant Baptism and the Covenant of Grace
It is Finished
Jonah and the Whale
Lake of Fire, The
Law and Grace
Law or Grace
Marriage and Divorce
Marriage, Divorce, and Re-Marriage
Mixed Multitude, The
Nothing but Leaves
Ordinances of the Church
Our Resurrection Bodies
Rise and Fall of Communism, The
School Days
Study of the Cults, A
Temptation of Jesus, The
That Blessed Hope
Thy Kingdom Come
Time of Christ’s Return, The
United Nations, The
Unpardonable Sin, The
Your Pastor and You
Wages of Sin, The
Water Baptism
Who Changed the Sabbath?

Accession No.:	W88-0028
Provenance:	Western Theological Seminary
Donor:	Information Unavailable
Processed by:	Jodi McFarland, January 1994