Equipping the Next Generation of Military Chaplains

05/07/2025

Lieutenant Colonel Sang Joon (Tim) Won is a Christian Reformed chaplain who has spent the past three years overseeing an intensive program that prepares military chaplains to serve as community counselors at U.S. Army installations worldwide. As director of the Chaplain Family Life Training Center i

Into the Storm

05/06/2025

To all appearances, 46-year-old Dr. Enya Pickering is in control of her life as she maintains a successful medical practice with her husband in Enniskerry, Ireland.But Enya knows differently. Memories of her 47-year-old mother, who had a heart attack while swimming in the ocean and drowned when Enya

Singles and the Church

05/05/2025

In 1977 James Dobson founded Focus on the Family to, as their mission statement says, “nurture and affirm the God-ordained institution of the family.” Dobson’s organization was incredibly successful, having a massive effect on churches throughout North America and around the world. Even though minis

Gravity

05/05/2025

Gravity is one of the most amazing forces we experience every day. But how does it work?We all know what happens when you drop something. On Earth, gravity pulls objects down at an acceleration of 9.8 m/s². This means that every second something is falling, it gets faster by 9.8 meters (about 32 fee

Have Our Digital Devices Made Modern Life Less Interesting?

05/05/2025

Despite technology providers’ claims to the contrary, is it possible that our digital devices have made modern life less interesting?Our ever-present cellphones and their connection to GPS (the Global Positioning System) means we’ll never not know where we are—and most of our friends and family also

Recovering from Purity Culture: Dismantle the Myths, Reject Shame-Based Sexuality, and Move Forward in Your Faith

05/02/2025

In one of the weirdest episodes of my years at a conservative Christian college, the entire female student population assembled one evening to be told that we had to give up “stretch pants,” the late eighties precursor to yoga pants, because we were causing our brothers in Christ to stumble.As a stu

The Miracle Club

05/02/2025

Imagine Kathy Bates and Maggie Smith acting together in a feel-good movie set in beautiful Ireland. The lovely and redemptive The Miracle Club delivers this—along with Laura Linney and actor Stephen Rea.Elderly Maureen has died, so old friends Eileen Dunn (Bates) and Lily Fox (Smith) gather around h

Bao's Doll

05/02/2025

Based on author/illustrator Bo Lu’s childhood as an immigrant from Taiwan adjusting to life in rural Kansas, this touching picture book captures the distressing divide that some newcomer children experience between themselves and their parents, who are working long hours to make a living in a new la

First CRC West of the Rockies Turns 125

05/02/2025

In the fall of 1899, 14 immigrant families from the Netherlands, who had settled in the Pacific Northwest in Washington state, welcomed their first pastor Abel J. Brink. They formally organized as the Holland Christian Reformed Church of Lynden, Wash., the following summer: July 11, 1900. It was the

In Memoriam: Rev. Jerald D. Lion

05/02/2025

Jerry Lion lived out his call to ministry quietly, reflecting a caring and nonjudgmental gentleness whether praying, visiting, encouraging, teaching, or simply chatting with someone he met along the way. Jerry often said,” We are pilgrims here on earth to share the gospel of Jesus until he calls us

On Kittens and Love

05/02/2025

As I Was Saying is a forum for a variety of perspectives to foster faith-related conversations among our readers with the goal of mutual learning, even in disagreement. Apart from articles written by editorial staff, these perspectives do not necessarily reflect the views of The Banner.For years, on

Prayer in the Workplace

04/30/2025

When I started my role as country director at World Renew Kenya in 2015, I knew prayer was important. We had devotions every Monday before our work week began, but because it was time bound and rushed, it became routine.That changed recently. The Kenya team wanted to connect more as a family that wo

Calvin Student Prompted to Pray

04/30/2025

“Prayer is there all the time, but you don’t see the significance or value of what it could be,” says Alyssa Pokharel, a Calvin University junior from Kathmandu, Nepal. She has experienced prayer in classes, in dorms, in bible studies, and before meals during her time at Calvin.“It’s everywhere. It’

Wonders of the Ocean Realm

04/29/2025

In this delightful exploration of the ocean realm, authors Tricia Goyer and Sherri Seligson effectively introduce young readers to five amazing ocean creatures by combining fictional narration, science facts, exploration of God’s design for creation, spiritual life applications, and reflection quest

Reply All: April 2025

04/28/2025

To send letters to the editor, please see our guidelines at thebanner.org/letters.Charlie BrownIt was nice to read something about A Charlie Brown Christmas, which I have watched many times. It has a very overt message about the Christ Child with the scriptural quote by Linus. Sadly, Charles Schulz

From Africa with Love

04/28/2025

One of my goals in teaching African church history is to dispel the myth all too present in Africa that Christianity is a white person’s religion. A quick survey of early church history helps. Many of the most important early theologians—Tertullian, Athanasius, and Augustine—were African. But partic

Eyes to See: Witnessing Christ in Unexpected Places

04/28/2025

I attend a church that meets right in the heart of downtown Vancouver. It’s about a 40-minute bus ride from my place, and a good part of the route goes through Vancouver’s notorious Downtown Eastside, a neighborhood with disproportionately high levels of homelessness, drug use, and mental illness. W

The Church Helped Me When I Was A Refugee. It's Called To Do the Same Today.

04/25/2025

As I Was Saying is a forum for a variety of perspectives to foster faith-related conversations among our readers with the goal of mutual learning, even in disagreement. Apart from articles written by editorial staff, these perspectives do not necessarily reflect the views of The Banner. The Banner h

Synod 2025: What to Watch

04/25/2025

After a convening by video conference to elect the officers of synod May 28, Synod 2025 will meet June 13-19 on the campus of Redeemer University in Ancaster, Ont., with First CRC in Chatham, Ont., as the convening church. Synod last met at Redeemer in 2012.Synodical Services will stream the plenary

Is the ‘Sin of Empathy’ a Biblical Teaching?

04/25/2025

I see Christians debating about the “sin of empathy.” Is that a biblical teaching?I think the phrasing might be deliberately provocative, verging on clickbait. But the point, I believe, is that any virtue, even empathy, can be twisted and weaponized. Although that is true, I worry that some people u