Reverend Louis F. DeBoer passed from this life into the everlasting arms of his God and Savior on November 23, 2007.  Found on the funeral service program were these words, “What meant the most to Lolle (Louis in Dutch) was that the Gospel of Christ would be proclaimed and His Name magnified at this funeral service.  Lolle had entrusted his soul to that ‘glorious gospel of Christ’ and the redemption purchased by our Lord’s death on the Cross.  He is now ‘absent from the body, and present with the Lord,’ where there shall be ‘no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.’”  This was typical of Rev. DeBoer.  He always sought the glory of God first in his life.
 
Reverend DeBoer imbibed the spirit of Martin Luther, who proclaimed, “If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every part of the truth of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at the moment attacking, then I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Him. Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved; and to be steady on all battlefields besides is merely flight and disgrace if he flinches at that point.”  He “earnestly contended for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” and was always “set for the defence of the gospel.”  His preaching was clear, not fearing the face of man.  He taught constantly the supremacy and sufficiency of the Holy Scripture, that it is the only rule of our faith and practice, that Christ’s death upon the cross was the only satisfaction for man’s sin, and that Christ’s righteousness imputed to us is the only righteousness accepted by God for our justification.
 
As a result Reverend DeBoer wrote many polemic books, manuscripts, and articles.  In the early 1970′s Reverend DeBoer published a monthly theological newsletter entitled, “The Pilgrim.” It was devoted to dealing with issues of the day from a Biblical and theological perspective. The series ran for two years and thus totaled 24 issues. Twelve of these dealt with miscellaneous issues facing American culture and society. The other twelve issues constituted the “Resistance Series,” which dealt with a complete theological, and historical overview of the question of Christian resistance to tyranny. Since they deal with the Scriptural principles that underlie all these issues, they are in that sense somewhat timeless and therefore, are being offered at this time in an electronic version. (Note: The writings of Robert Lewis Dabney and John R. Rushdoony provided both the model and the inspiration for these articles. The latter strongly endorsed them and ordered multiple copies of the bound volumes to distribute to his associates.)  Concerning these, Reverend DeBoer stated, “I have to admit that I wrote these with all the zeal and enthusiasm of youth (I was in my late twenties) and therefore they will probably appear somewhat polemical and intemperate in the sentiments expressed. If you can charitably overlook any faults in that regard and concentrate on the truths expressed I pray that these articles can continue to be a blessing to many today as they have been in the past.”
 
This was just the beginning of Reverend DeBoer’s publishing accomplishments.  He wrote and published:
 
The Fruit of the Vine   A thorough scriptural defense of the principle of temperance, abstinence from alcoholic beverages.

Lord of the Conscience  A scriptural defense of the principles of religious liberty.

The Divine Covenants  A scriptural exposition of all the divine covenants in the Bible.   The New Phariseeism    A scriptural refutation of the cult of British-Israelism.   Hymns, Heretics, and History   This study documents the commitment of the early Christian Church to psalmody, the erosion of that commitment over the centuries, and the introduction of hymns in the church by early heretical cults such as the Gnostics and the Arians. It then traces the development of hymnody through to the present, documenting the continuing problems with any uninspired hymnody, and showing the ill effects of this in the churches.   God’s Way of Salvation   A fresh approach to an old debate. A thorough, logical, and Biblical defense of Calvinist soteriology, of how God brings his people to a state of salvation. It exposes the unbiblical nature of Arminian errors and demonstrates the logical and bitter fruit these errors have borne in the churches.   For Such a Time as This   A  commentary on the Book of Esther, an unpublished manuscript, which will be published by late 2012.  

Reverend DeBoer also published several books, including:

The Constitutional History of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. by Charles Hodge.  This is a lengthy 2 volume work. There is an extensive section dealing with the Great Awakening and the Schism of 1741 between the “Old Side” and the “New Side.” The issues confronting the Presbyterian Church in this conflict have never really gone away and are critical to an understanding of more recent church history. The mythology that has taken over perceptions of the Great Awakening have obscured these issues. Hodge deals with them head on.   The Life of Melville by Thomas M’Crie.  The exciting biography of a major, but neglected reformer and the true father of Scotch Presbyterianism. The Hebrew Republic by E. C. Wines.  A fascinating treatise in political science showing that the ideological origins of the American Republic lie in the ancient Hebrew Republic, in the institutions that God gave Moses at Mount Sinai. Exclusive Psalmody: A Biblical Defense by Brian Schwertley.  Along with his previous books Sola Scriptura (A defense of the Regulative Principle of Worship), and Musical Instruments in the Worship of God, it makes a complete exposition of the Biblical Doctrine of Worship and a thorough defense of our Presbyterian and Reformed heritage of worship. Letters On Baptism by Edmund B. Fairfield.  A refutation of the doctrine of baptism by immersion. Immersion And Immersionists by W. A. Mackay.  A thorough scriptural defense of Christian baptism of believers and their children by sprinkling or pouring. Reverend DeBoer also developed the web sites for the church, americanpresbyterianchurch.org and press, amprpress.com.  On these web sites there is a wealth of Presbyterian and Reformed historical and theological books, sermons and articles.  He was always set for the defence and confirmation of the gospel, earnestly contending for the faith which was once delivered to the saints, and always ready to give an answer of the hope that was in him.  In his battle with cancer he sought the prayers of Christians, knowing that the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much, and through it all he trusted in the wisdom and providence of his Lord.

Reverend DeBoer left the love of his life, his wife, Faith, and his children, Louis, Rachel, Vincent, and Renee.  In our conversations over the 37 years of friendship it was very evident that they were always in his thoughts and prayers.     

His contribution to the American Presbyterian Church was immense and he is sorely missed.

Allan V. Wagner

 

 

 

Louis DeBoer was born in the Netherlands on June 29,1944. He was baptized in the Gereformeerde Kerk in which his father was an elder. At age 5 his family emigrated to Ontario, Canada. He grew up in Clarkson, Ontario, Canada as a member of the Christian Reformed Church. He attended the University of Toronto and graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1967.

By this time he was seriously concerned about the doctrinal decline in the Christian Reformed Church and especially the radical actions and teachings of such organizations as the AACS, CJL Foundation, and CLAC etc. operating in the Christian Reformed community. His concerns led him into close friendship with Rev. John Byker of the Second Christian Reformed Church of Toronto and one of the founding pastors of the Orthodox Christian Reformed Church. When the moderator of Classis (Presbytery) Toronto made a public speech defending homosexuality and maintaining that the scriptures permit homosexual acts in love between consenting adults he publicly confronted him. As a result of these actions Rev. Byker was suspended from the ministry of the Christian Reformed Church for pressing charges against the moderator for his views on homosexuality. This led Mr. DeBoer to leave the Christian Reformed Church and join a local fundamentalist church.

Prior to that Mr. DeBoer had resigned his position as a Service Engineer with a large international manufacturer of compressors to answer a call to teach at a Christian High School in the Toronto area. This position he too felt compelled to resign because the school harbored several radical teachers associated with the AACS who advocated use of illegal drugs, promoted the Black Panthers, and declared that the United States needed a revolution to establish social justice etc.  Mr. DeBoer went to New England to visit friends and came under the tutelage of Rev. Ennio Cugini.  As a result of his influence, instruction, and direction he answered a call to preach in a small mission church in Northern Maine. This he did for a year and a half under the sponsorship of the Clayville Church of Foster,  Rhode Island, while also working a fulltime secular job. During that time he met and married his wife, the former Faith Lamoureux, a member of the Clayville Church, where her father served as an elder. They have been blessed with four children; Louis Elijah (May,1973), Rachael Evangeline (December, 1974), Vincent Gabriel (May 1977), and Renee Serena (September 1980).

Due to lack of sufficient support and with growing family responsibilities (He was serving as a pastor without any salary) Mr. DeBoer relocated to New Jersey and joined the Bible Presbyterian Church where he served as head of the mathematics and science department at Faith Christian High School. There he soon identified with the more Reformed element for he had not forsaken his Calvinist heritage even while sojourning among Fundamentalist Baptists. He continued to study and prepare for the ministry and to serve as pulpit supply in Bible Presbyterian churches.  During this time he founded a theological newsletter entitled, “The Pilgrim” that he edited for two years. Early in 1974 he received an independent ordination into the gospel ministry. While he continued to teach in the High School he was called to pastor the Bible Presbyterian Church of Berlin, New Jersey. When a majority of the faculty at Faith Christian High School resigned in 1974 over lack of standards and discipline he was among those who preferred to leave rather than work ineffectually in a way contrary to one’s principles. This compelled him to return to secular work. In the1976 schism in the Bible Presbyterian Church he sided with the group that was being expelled and became the first Moderator of the American Presbyterian Church at its inception.