The Banner

Love and Justice
08/03/2020

Department: Author: Shiao ChongWe are proud to highlight and congratulate the winners of our Young Adults Writing Contest in this issue (pp. 32-34). Unfortunately, due to space, we can only publish the top two winners, but all three winning entries are published online. We received 25 entries from

Reply All
08/03/2020

Department: Author: Walking with LGBTQ+ PeopleAs I began reading Laurie Krieg’s reflection in the June Banner (“How to Walk Well Among LGBTQ+ People”), I hoped that it would contribute to healing in the church. Many CRCNA members are taking steps to seek forgiveness for past exclusion, to understan

Why Do We Celebrate Church Seasons Like Lent Now?
08/03/2020

Department: Author: Laura Keeley, Robert J. KeeleyLent and Advent celebrations were totally absent in the first 30 years of my 75-year Christian Reformed experience. Now they abound. Why now and not then?Your experience matches ours. Growing up, we never heard of church seasons like Lent and Advent

Peace
07/31/2020

Department: Author: Paul DelgerBethel Music’s Peace offers over one hour of quiet, calming melodies—a soothing antidote to the craziness of this world. “The recordings on this album use cutting-edge techniques scientifically proven to help heal parts of the brain damaged by all kinds of emotional t

My Name is Tani
07/31/2020

Department: Author: Dave BakerOne of the best things about being a Cadet counselor and parent is sharing what I love with kids. Chess is one example. The game can be learned at an early age. My dad taught me when I was about 5 years old. It was fun. I taught my youngest son how to play with some b

The Old Guard
07/31/2020

Department: Author: Trevor DenningThe new action movie from Netflix, The Old Guard, opens with brass casings raining down to join the four, bullet-punctured bodies lying broken on the cement floor. Voiceover narration from one of the victims says, “I’ve been here before. Over and over again. And ea

Brother's Keeper
07/31/2020

Department: Author: Sonya VanderVeen FeddemaIn 1950 North Korea, 12-year-old Sora Pak dreams of continuing her education and becoming a writer. But life in the tyrannical Communist state is permeated with suspicion, fear, oppressive rules, and strictly defined gender roles. Sora and her Christian f

When We ‘other’ another
07/31/2020

Department: Author: Jenna C. HoffOne evening late last year, I found myself at an airport on the outskirts of the city. The night air was cold and dark and the airport as a whole was fairly quiet—except for the bustling commotion of an excited group gathered at the arrival gate waving a brightly co

CRC’s Indigenous Family Centre to Get New Director
07/31/2020

Department: Author: Krista dela RosaFor the first time in the 42 years since the Indigenous Family Centre began, an Indigenous person is stepping in as its director. The center, operating in the North End of Winnipeg, Man., is one of three Urban Indgenous Ministries run by the Christian Reformed Ch

Seafarers Ministry Sees Developments, Adaptations, Hardship During COVID-19
07/31/2020

Department: Author: Maia VanderMeerIt’s Friday afternoon, July 24, and Michelle DePooter-Francis is on her way to Walmart to pick up items requested by seafarers restricted to their ships. DePooter-Francis is lead chaplain of the Ministry to Seafarers, a mission in the Port of Montreal, and a commi

Canadian Federal Court Agrees U.S. Not Safe for Refugees
07/31/2020

Department: Author: Alissa VernonOn July 22 the Federal Court of Canada ruled that sending refugee claimants back to the United States under the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) violates the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The court was asked to consider the case three years ago by The

Editor's Picks
07/29/2020

Department: Author: Don’t miss this week’s must-read articles:Read who won our Young Adults Writing ContestHope for the Politically Homeless: Why ‘Making Space’ Isn’t EnoughTeens SERVE@Home for Summer Mission Movie Review: Crip Camp Read entire current print issue >>

Church, COVID-19, and Disability: A Personal Story
07/29/2020

Department: Author: Amie SpriensmaMy name is Amie Spriensma, and I have cerebral palsy. I currently work from my home in Allendale, Mich., as an online chaplain for Family Fire (part of Back to God Ministries International).As a person with a physical disability, I am happy I can work from home rig

Love Anyway: An Invitation Beyond a World That’s Scary As Hell
07/28/2020

Department: Author: Lorilee CrakerAs someone who grew up in a Mennonite home, I was taught that peace, not war, was always the solution. That peacemaking was urgently important to God, and that we were to be his agents of spreading peace. I remember a poster in a little Mennonite coffee shop that f

The Young Heretics Podcast
07/28/2020

Department: Author: Trevor DenningThe waters of Western culture are deep and sometimes dark. For those of us without a classical education, the thought of diving in is daunting. Everything that brought us to this present moment—the literature, philosophy, history, and music—is within reach. But whe

The Talmud Has a Lesson for Our Cancel-culture World
07/28/2020

Department: Author: Will BerkovitzAs 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 th

Writing Contest First-place Winner: Christian Love
07/27/2020

Department: Author: Adam VanderleestThis year, The Banner sponsored an article contest for young adults aged 16-25 on the topic of “Christian Love in Divisive Times.” We wanted to hear what young people had to say about the difficult conversations being had in North America right now. We received 2

Young Adults Writing Contest Second-place Winner
07/27/2020

Department: Author: Rheanna RosenthalThis year, The Banner sponsored an article contest for young adults aged 16-25 on the topic of “Christian Love in Divisive Times.” We wanted to hear what young people had to say about the difficult conversations being had in North America right now. We received

Writing Contest Third-place Winner: In the Flesh
07/27/2020

Department: Author: Courtney ZonnefieldThis year, The Banner sponsored an article contest for young adults aged 16-25 on the topic of “Christian Love in Divisive Times.” We wanted to hear what young people had to say about the difficult conversations being had in North America right now. We receive

Denominational Staff Get Additional Time Off
07/27/2020

Department: Author: Gayla R. PostmaDue to the strain of COVID-19 and global unrest, Christian Reformed Church denominational staff in Canada will be getting four extra days off this year, added to holiday weekends between August and December. That action was announced by the Canadian Ministries Tea